Thing #19: Apps, They're not just for desktops any more

Photo: Mountainbread

The availability and use of web-based productivity applications (think word processing and spreadsheets) has exploded over the past few years and for good reasons! These powerful tools provide users with the ability to create and share documents over the Internet without the need to install desktop applications.

Some experts speculate that this emerging trend may mean the death of Microsoft Office and other software-based productivity tools. Others think web-based applications have their place, but not in the office. But no matter which side of the office suite platform you side with, on this both sides seem to agree: web-based apps have their place.

One major benefit to web-based applications is that they eliminate the need to worry about different software versions or file types as you email documents or move from PC to PC. Another bonus is that they easily accommodate collaboration by allowing multiple users to edit the same file (with versioning) and provide users the ability to easily save and convert documents as multiple file types (including HTML and PDF). And, you can even use many of these tools, such as Zoho Writer and Google Docs, to author and publish posts to your blog. It’s this type of integration with other web 2.0 tools that also makes web-based apps so appealing.

For this discovery exercise, you are asked to take a look at a web-based word processing tool such as Zoho Writer or Google Docs, create a simple document, and then post an entry to your blog about the experience. (If you're up to the challenge, compose your entry in Zoho Writer or Google Docs and then publish it to your blog!)

With web-based applications like Zoho Writer and Google Docs, the possibilities are endless!

Discovery Resources:

A short list of web-based productivity applications (authored in Google Docs and published on the web).

Discovery Exercise:

1. Create a free account for yourself in Zoho Writer or Google Docs. (Hint: You should be able to sign in to Google Docs using the same Google Account information you use to sign in to Blogger!)
   
2. Explore the site and create a few test documents, trying out various features.
   
3. Create a blog post discussing your discoveries.

BTW: Here’s a document (viewable as a webpage) I mocked up in Zoho about some of the Zoho features I found beneficial.