Google Docs

Google docs is a relatively current system that google provides through there email system Gmail. If you are writing a proposal for a client and need help with a specific part of the document then you can let anyone with in your company change ether the entire document or just a piece of the document. The best part about this is you don't have to create document series. a document series is when you create a document with the same name, but different sub titles. document series allows you to go back to different versions of a document as it progress through the editing stage. The problem with document series is that it can become very disorganized. document series also use more memory. With Google Docs you eliminate the need for document series by storing each individual change that is made to the document in the gross document file. the gross document file is stored on one of google docs servers and does not take up any space on your hard drive. one of the risks to Google Docs is that you won't be able to retrive a heavily changed document because gross document folders are limited by size. I could see Google Docs helping work flow in an office because you can see document being edited almost instantly. google docs also allows collaboration on many different types of products. for example google sketch up which has been developed into a professional CAD program. GoogleDocs now allows Collaborations on Google sketch up which could greatly expedite a engineering project. Many CAD Files are printed out and delivered to different locations in a company because it is quicker and cheaper than saving and transferring drawing so complex. many of google docs are unused by many non professional user. There even seems to be a miss use by many of this highly resourceful website. one of it's biggest miss uses is data storage. many use Google Docs to store and Retrieve documents. although this works well and eliminates the use of Flash drives it still is a miss use of such an impressive technology.

Google Docs by Willie

Willie Mewborn III

Google Docs is a group
of creations that allows you to create different types of word documents,
tables, drawings and documents such as Microsoft PowerPoint, Word and Excel. You
can create different types of documents and can also share them with people
while chatting with them such as feedback. Google Docs allows many users to
share, open and edit documents all at once. Any document can be stored in
Google Docs and it is free of charge. Some of the important features Google Docs
has are creating documents or opening a template. It also allows people to upload
all types of documents simply and make useful with other users. Another important
feature is the ability for users to put out their work as a web page and post
documents straight to a blog. For example, Microsoft Office applications do not
have that feature. The Google Docs website has a viewer that permits users to view
file types including Microsoft Office files and PDF’s. The viewer suggests a
link that allows other people to view your documents. For access to the Google
Doc Viewer you have to go the link http://docs.google.com/viewer.
The viewer supports over 10 different types of files that include Microsoft
Excel, Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, Archive file types and Adobe Illustrator. Before this assignment I never used Google
Docs and barely heard of it. I believe it is something that many people should
use including myself due to the extra features. Many adults who are in
businesses should really use it because it can organize documents and receive
others feedback. It make business and assignments simple.

IBM Lotus Quickr

IBM's Lotus Quickr is a product that "provides shared content with version control in the form of document directories with check-in and check-out features based on user privileges" (Rainer & Cegielski, 172). Quickr emphasizes sharing and collaboration by providing online "team spaces" that utilize team calendars, discussion forums, blogs, wikis, and a number of other collaboration tools for managing projects. Each of these features contribute to Quickr's ease-of-use.

Due to its emphasis on collaboration, Quickr is significantly beneficial to companies both in and out of the United States. First, it helps teams and workgroups become more efficient and more productive, including teams that span a vast array of time zones. Take, for example, Compagnie d'Enterprises (CFE), one of Belgium's largest construction companies. CFE was initially using e-mail to share documents with suppliers and clients, which proved to be ineffective as it resulted in version control errors and security vulnerabilities. After implementing IBM's Lotus Quickr product, "the volume of large attachments sent through e-mail and the impact of those e-mails on the system was reduced" (Rainer & Cegielski, 172). Because of the implementation of Quickr, project teams were able to operate much more efficiently.

Another notable benefit of Quickr is that it allows teams and workgroups to manage their information and projects in a security-rich environment that requires no assistance from the IT department. Teams are able to operate more effectively and efficiently when they are using a reliable product. When programs and software are under-developed, they often lead to "glitches" and errors that cause frustration and delays when managing information, projects, and the like.

For these reasons, I believe IBM's Lotus Quickr product is an innovative and promising development to the technological world. Technology has become crucial to how we communicate, both in social and business situations. As we become a more globalized nation, it is important that we are able to communicate effectively and efficiently in order to complete business transactions. IBM's Lotus Quickr software enables us to do just this through collaboration, including discussion forums, blogs, and more. In conclusion, I highly recommend Quickr to organizations and companies alike.

quickr

Conor Golden
For this post I chose to write about IBM's Lotus Quickr program which uses a sort of chat room/ information sharing system to unite members of a team on a project from all around the world in one place. It does this by allowing its members to post team oriented calendars’ and documents on its website that can only be accessed by other team members. Making it a very secure way to share sensitive company information without worrying about getting emails hacked. I was impressed with the software because I have heard about video conferencing and things like that but didn’t know that you could work online in this way. I had no idea that a system for basically extending your office to any computer in the world existed, and I think it’s a great tool for businesses. The example from the book gives a great real world application for this program, what CFE did with Quickr to organize its overseas construction projects was amazing without this program that would have taken months of planning and a lot more risk of sending information through email. What the Quickr program allowed them to do is create a online library to post all of their customer data and project details on so every part of the company could look up the same information without having to have it sent from the corporate office. I think it could be a major asset to any company looking to do business internationally. www.ibm/lotus/quickr this is a great tool for people looking to cut down on resending information and a way to make their business many times more efficient in the process.

Microsoft SharePoint

Miscrosoft's SharePoint product provides shared content with version control. SharePoint supports documents to allow users to create and manage surveys that one might put out there to get feed back back from there experience with their services. Allow users to have discussion forums, wikis, and member blogs. One feature that stood out to me was the Share Point health Analyzer. This is a program the allows the user to be alerted when a potential threat comes across your computer. SharePoint Health Analyzer monitors your computers health and can automatically fix the problems. This is a great feature to have so you don't have to spend the time and money to get it fixed professionally.

The best part of SharePoint is that is proven to show improvement in your company's effectiveness. SharePoint 2010 provides dashboards and scorecards that help people define success. (Case Study Eastman Company) Eastman a chemical company avoided a $4.3 million capital cost with better asset management. Eastman switched software programs after two months with the old software. Eastman was introduced to Microsoft SharePoint and this helped them avoid spending $350,000 on commercial program and avoiding $4.3 million in annual capital expenses. This is just one out of eighteen companies that SharePoint has helped out in some way. (Customer Stories)

Another company that uses the software effectively is MTV Networks International. MTV uses SharePoint to "deploy a new portal. allowing users to publish their own content"(Pages 171-172). This helped out MTV communicate more effectively.

After taken a look at this software Microsoft SharePoint and all of it features. I believe this is a great software for big corporations and company. Before this post i had never heard of SharePoint, but after learning about the program more i am very excited to use this program in the future.

Google Docs - Allison Souza

Not too long ago I came across Google Docs. I had been logging into my Gmail account and a message popped up asking if I would like to upload a presentation through Google Docs. I clicked no, but didn’t really look into what this meant. I assumed it had something to do with uploading documents.

Looking at the Google Docs website I have found that this program is one that is free.  It has become obvious to me, as well, that this is something that is extremely convenient as well. I can assume, for certain, that this tool is going to be a hit for students, business people, teachers and anyone who works with any type of document. This program is great because it allows you to access your documents from anywhere. For example, if you upload a spreadsheet or power point in your bedroom at home you can still access this information in your school’s library. One of the most exciting parts of this new program or software is the fact that it allows real time collaboration meaning you can get work done more quickly. The collaboration aspect of this program also allows users to send comments to each other detailing what it is they may need to share with their teammate. An example of this is shown below:

               

Another convenient function that this program offers is the ability to print things through “cloud printing” on your mobile device. A picture of this is depicted below:

This whole concept of printing through a mobile device is very interesting to me. My assumption would be that the mobile device would connect to a wireless printer, but I am not completely positive about this. Another mobile device focus for Docs is the fact that Google has developed an app for Android phones for quicker more convenient use of this program. Through your mobile device you are able to edit your documents, which is great for the modern student or professional.

This program is also great because it allows many different options and themes when using the forms software of this program.

This program seems like it would be extremely helpful for me presently as a student and in the future when I am a professional. Now that I know so much more about this program I can guarantee that I will be using it in the near future. This program makes technological life between both one user and multiple users much more effective and accessible.

Google Docs

Google Docs is a collection of products that lets you create different types of documents, like, Excel, PowerPoint, word documents, drawings, and tables. And it is all free! Not only can you create different documents, you can share these with other poeple while collaborating with them. it allows multiple users to open, share, and edit documents all at the same time. Any document can be stored in Google Docs. they make accessing files a breeze. With internet connection, people can access your documents and files from any computer, anywhere in the world.

This website has a Viewer that allows users to quickly view file types, including PDF's, Microsoft Office files, and other image types of files. It offers a link that permits other people to view your document. To directly access the Google Doc Viewer, go to http://docs.google.com/viewer. This viwer supports over 15 different types of files that include; Microsoft Word (.DOC and .DOCX), Microsoft Excel (.XLS and .XLSX), Microsoft PowerPoint (.PPT and .PPTX), Adobe Illustrator (.AL), and Archive file types (.ZIP and .RAR0); just to name a few.

Some of the features that Google Docs provides is creating basic documents from scratch or starting from a template, this is similar to Microsoft programs. As mentioned earlier, Google Docs accepts most popular file formats. This allows people to upload all types of documents easily and makes compatibility with other users and there documents very convenient. One of the more interesting features I thought Googel Docs provided that Microsoft office doesn't, is the abilty for users to publish their work as a web page and post documents direclty to a blog. You can publish documents online with just one click, and it would be seen as a normal-looking website.

Prior to this assignment, I had never heard or seen the website for Google Docs. I think it is something that I would definitely use in the future. It is very convienent for its users in the way that all your documents are in one place! Unlike Microsoft Office where each document is stored in a seperate program. This is a webstie taht would be perfect for businesses and teams that collaborate asynchronously. Google Docs makes things simple, all you have to do is go to one website and all your documents can be easliy accessed via that one site.