Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Applications
    • Applications
    • Networking

    Google Had Me at Hello

    Written by

    Debra Donston
    Published February 23, 2007
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

      Google, Google, Google. You had me at hello—or search—and you became a common verb in the process. But you continue to ply me with your enticing offerings. Now, youre doing the same for the enterprise, with Google Apps Premier.

      First, it was Google Mail, or Gmail. It all began with an invitation from someone I barely knew, and at first I used Gmail very sparingly. The ads werent the culprit—I hardly even notice them (sorry, advertisers), except when they creep me out with their sometimes uncanny relevance to the e-mail Im reading. No, it was more the interface that kept me from using the platform and relying instead on my corporate e-mail.

      I think the Gmail interface is unintuitive. I dont like where Reply and Forward are, and I think its cumbersome to read a long thread. But as more and more of my personal life became hooked into e-mail (theres not a soccer coach around, for example, who wouldnt rather send a mass e-mail than call 15 players families), I wanted an account separate from work. Gmail was as good as anything. (Hows that for being decisive?)

      /zimages/3/28571.gifGoogle faces a long road to win enterprise customers. Click here to read more.

      But then along came Google Docs and Spreadsheets.

      For years, we at eWEEK Labs used an Excel spreadsheet to organize our weekly (and now daily) lineup of reviews, tech analyses, columns and other content. Weve tried fancier platforms over time, including open-source portal apps with workflow built in, but the simple spreadsheet just seemed to work best. The problem was that it wasnt on the network, and any changes I made to the document were unknown to the Labs analysts unless I sent out a revised version through e-mail. (I know, I know—weve made the comparison to the shoemakers children ourselves.)

      When Google Docs and Spreadsheets came along, we toyed with the idea of using the spreadsheet functionality for our Labs schedule, but we were a little bit skittish. Would our super-secret Labs schedule be safe hosted by Google? In short order, however, we decided that the benefits would be worth whatever small risk there was.

      And the benefits have been big. The document is live, of course, so anyone with read or write access and an Internet-connected system can see the most recent changes. At first, I was the only collaborator, and everyone else was a viewer, but Ive recently made everyone in the Labs a collaborator, in the hopes of making the system even more dynamic.

      Weve also started to use the platform for what we call “Labs-all” projects.

      For example, when we set out to develop an online slide show naming the products that turned each of us on to technology, I set up a shared Google doc, invited all of the analysts as collaborators, and sat back and watched as the document was populated.

      /zimages/3/28571.gifCheck out the products that turned eWEEK Labs analysts on to technology.

      Thats a far sight better than our old method of putting that kind of thing together: In the past, I would send out an e-mail saying, “Please send me your pick for the product that turned you onto technology.” Well, you know how e-mail threads go—they twist, turn and get forgotten in pretty short order. And goodness knows that more e-mail is just what we dont need around here.

      /zimages/3/165954.jpg

      However, the Google Docs and Spreadsheets platform has not been without problems. The biggest? I get disconnected at least once a day. Google is very nice about it, saying, “Oops, you seem to have been disconnected,” or something like that, but its a real pain. For whatever reason, Ive yet to be able to reconnect by simply pushing the Discard Changes and Reload button. I always have to close out and go back into the document from the Google Docs and Spreadsheets landing page. (And dont get me started on the number of windows spawned by a busy day with Google Docs and Spreadsheets.)

      Availability—or lack thereof—is becoming more of an issue. An increasing number of eWEEK documents are being created and stored in Google Docs and Spreadsheets as more and more people realize the benefits of shared, online docs. And weve discovered that Gmail—with its gigabytes of storage—is a handy way to deliver the many screenshots required for online slide shows and a nice way around our Outlook mailbox storage limits. But on at least two memorable days, several of us were at a relative standstill because we could get to our Google-hosted docs and mail only sporadically.

      As far as how the Google apps compare with Microsoft Offices? My colleague Jason Brooks is right in saying that most of us use only a fraction of the features available in any Microsoft Office app and that Google has a chance to establish a new and more realistic base line.

      /zimages/3/28571.gifTo read Jason Brooks column, “Look Out, Microsoft,” click here.

      But, on the other hand, most people are familiar with Microsoft Office apps—not just in the workplace but at home and in schools. Come to think of it, most people grow up using Office. And, compared with Office apps, the Google apps, to me, are more barren than they are simple. As with Gmail, I find the Google apps interfaces unintuitive. It takes me much longer to format a Google spreadsheet, for example, than it does to format an Excel spreadsheet. (Can someone tell me if there is an easy way to add rows to a Google spreadsheet?) I may not be a puppy, but Im not an old dog yet.

      All that said, however, Googles apps have made my and my colleagues work lives easier overall. Well continue to use the platform, and I expect to see it streamlined, finessed and hardened over time, especially as organizations adopt Google Apps Premier and put in their 2 cents.

      I dont expect that Google Apps Premier will displace Office, but I do think it has a good chance of eating away at Microsofts market share. Its happened gradually, and almost without my knowing it, but I spend a good amount of my workday now engaged with some Google app or another. Which is perhaps just how Google planned it.

      eWEEK Labs Executive Editor Deb Donston can be reached at [email protected].

      /zimages/3/28571.gifCheck out eWEEK.coms for the latest news, reviews and analysis about productivity and business solutions.

      Debra Donston
      Debra Donston

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Artificial Intelligence

      9 Best AI 3D Generators You Need...

      Sam Rinko - June 25, 2024 0
      AI 3D Generators are powerful tools for many different industries. Discover the best AI 3D Generators, and learn which is best for your specific use case.
      Read more
      Cloud

      RingCentral Expands Its Collaboration Platform

      Zeus Kerravala - November 22, 2023 0
      RingCentral adds AI-enabled contact center and hybrid event products to its suite of collaboration services.
      Read more
      Artificial Intelligence

      8 Best AI Data Analytics Software &...

      Aminu Abdullahi - January 18, 2024 0
      Learn the top AI data analytics software to use. Compare AI data analytics solutions & features to make the best choice for your business.
      Read more
      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Video

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2024 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×