Google Docs

Google Docs is an online storage system for documents and spreadsheets. The use of cloud storage allows Google Docs to have many different documents on the same server allowing for groups to access the work of other members to get a project done or allowing for up to 1 GB of memory to be stored online rather than on the computer it was created on. This program has opened many doors. It allows for people working on a project together who may be in separate countries or on opposite eds of a country to work together efficiently to get the project done. This also makes spreading your documents easier rather than having to print a hard copy or send an email out for everyone who wants a copy of something this program allows for those people to go into Google Docs and find the document themselves. This is what the future is becoming. The trend suggests that the next step in technology is cloud storage and computing. This new program allows for more efficient file sharing and opens a new possibility of group work to allow for projects to be done through file sharing between people in other countries, states, or towns. There is no longer an issue if someone can’t be there they will always be involved with a click of the mouse they have all the work they missed at their fingertips.

Google Docs

Google Docs is not just another service in Google's extensive and impressive portfolio; rather it is one of the best and most effective collaborative services the Internet provides. As with all Google creations, Google docs is very clean and neat, straight to the point, and reliable.

Google Docs is the one of the premier examples of cloud computing, a topic we discussed in class. In Google Docs, users can collaborate at real time and upload documents to the "cloud." This method saves time because two people do not have to be in the same building or even the same country to work on a project. Users just have to have a Google or Gmail account. From there users can create "Collections" and invite whom they wish to give access. Once two users are entered into a "Collection" they can post documents, edit documents others have posted, and even create documents right in Google Docs. This is all done on the "cloud", meaning that all the data is saved and stored on Google's servers. The cloud is bringing people and companies closer together without anyone having to leave their office.

Another reason this service is so useful and unique is the fact that it is free. Most cloud computing services cost users money. This has helped small time businesses and start ups immensely because they can save on costs with Google Docs. Google Docs has also had huge impacts in the world of academia. Students working on group projects can upload all their papers and research right to Google Docs for everyone to see. I have used Google Docs a couple of times for projects and really enjoyed it. It makes it a lot easier, and, with all the social media and other methods of communication, groups never really have to meet. It is also a great place because, since it is on the cloud, it makes it virtually and extremely unlikely to be lost. So users no longer have to worry about forgetting their disk, or flash drive, as long as they have Internet Access they can log onto Google Docs and retrieve their items.

-DG

SharePoint

Microsoft SharePoint is another product out of Microsoft Office which helps out many people in different fields from work to the class room and sports. SharePoint is more for the business side of the fields, Share supports documents which allow people to manage and create their own surveys. In case a user wants to get information back from their past service experience, SharePoint also haves blog areas that allows users to write and respond about certain topics just as blogger.com. SharePoint have also saved several companies from being deeper in debt and improves your computer, the reason why is because SharePoint also gives scorecards and dashboards that provide success for many companies.

One of the companies that SharePoint have helped out goes by the name of MTV, which everybody knows about and happens to be one of the top level TV channels in history. MTV uses the SharePoint software for the “deploy a new portal” option that is available for users so they can produce their own content (P.171-172). This was very useful for MTV because they are a huge company that haves to produce several different TV shows such as reality TV and award shows. I believe the main feature of SharePoint is how the health Analyzer works as a anti-viruses, the reason why is because the program makes the user aware if there are certain bugs or cookies that can cause problems for your computer unit. The analyzer watches over the computer and attacks the source of the problem before it can affect your CPU, so instead of buying an anti-viruses  program that is expense a user can purchase SharePoint and use the health analyzer along with several other features that come with the program.  Microsoft SharePoint is awesome software that I believe every company should use for the many reasons a have provided in this blog.

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.