Tag Archives: Google Apps for Business

4 Options For Publishing & Sharing PowerPoint Slides Online

February 23, 2012 – 7:55 pm

I’ve gained a new appreciation for giving presentations since I’ve been volunteering with my church’s Jobs Ministry especially since I now have presentations with no proprietary or otherwise confidential information not for public eyes. So I wanted to look into some options for publishing and sharing the slides from my presentations.

Social publishing sites like SlideShare and Scribd are great for publishing presentations because they offer up another vector for Internet users to find out about you and your message. These options also offer such a clean delivery when compared to just posting your PowerPoint slides online and expecting people to download them via a link.

Here are my impressions about some of the leading online publishing and sharing options:

Tags Adobe Flash, Facebook, Google, Google Apps, Google Apps for Business, Google Presentations, LinkedIn, Microsoft PowerPoint, Scribd, SlideRocket, SlideShare | Permalink | Comments Off

Microsoft Office Microsoft Office 2010 Web Office Web/Tech

The Changing Nature Of Office Productivity Applications

October 30, 2011 – 2:01 pm

Microsoft Office applications have been a major part of my working life for years. Throughout my work as a technical writer and later as a computer book technical reviewer and then freelance writer, I’ve been able to watch the growth and changes in Microsoft Office from all sides.

The most exciting developments for me have been seeing Office applications move to the web and onto mobile platforms other than PCs. I remember the first time I saw a demo of Zoho Business and got first access to Writely (now Google Docs) and could see the potential for such applications on the web. But my question even back then was how smoothly could such applications integrate with desktop applications. This question is getting easier to answer now with many recent developments.

I’ve comes to see the desktop suite extend beyond its desktop origins into both the web and mobile layers. These are natural layers for Office applications since the way people work has changed so dramatically. This new model also accommodates the diffe

Tags Box.net, Dropbox, Google Apps for Business, Google Cloud Connect, Google Docs, Harmon.ie, iPad, iWork, KeyNote, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Office 2010, Microsoft Office 2010 WebApps, Numbers, Pages, zoho, Zoho Business | Permalink | Comments Off

2007 Microsoft Office system Microsoft Office Microsoft Office 2010 Productivity Web Office

Checking Out Harmon.ie for Google Docs

September 17, 2011 – 1:20 pm

Harmon.ie for Google Docs is a free Google Docs client available in the Google Apps Marketplace or on their web site that does away with the need to send those annoying email attachments. While we can argue the merits of using Microsoft Outlook to manage documents, many people do it. Installing Harmon.ie creates a sidebar in Outlook 2007 or 2010 that is convenient and easy to use for users of all levels.

My biggest qualm with introducing Google Apps for Business into an enterprise is the scale of which it changes how the average user works within Office productivity applications like Outlook. Like it or not, it’s an application that rules the day for people at all levels in an organization. Therefore, a tool like Harmon.ie is worth investigating for organizations that are making a limited or full migration to Google Apps for Business. I especially like it as an interim step for users still with Microsoft Office on their desktop or for those needing to bridge the gap between Microsoft Office on the desktop and Google Docs after an organization migrates.

Tags Google Apps for Business, Google Docs, Harmon.ie, Microsoft Outlook, Outlook 2007, Outlook 2010 | Permalink | Comments Off

Contracting Life Productivity Technical Writing Work

Managing Part Time Freelancing While Working A Full Time Job

August 27, 2011 – 5:22 pm

I currently work for a federal government contractor for 40 hours a week but still pursue freelance writing projects on the side. Having such projects makes me feel safer with a second income stream but also help provide me with new professional challenges and keep my skills sharp.

Working a full-time job and freelancing may seem daunting to some but there are some simple things part-time freelancers can do to ensure success in their day job and freelance projects, while living a good life.

Tags Box.net, Dropbox, Freelance Technical Writer, Google Apps for Business, SkyDrive, Technical Writer, Technical Writing | Permalink | Comment (1)

Microsoft Office Microsoft Office 2010 Productivity Technical Writing Web Office

Microsoft Office And The Web Office: My Complementary View

June 21, 2011 – 7:30 pm

I’ve written a lot about Microsoft Office, online collaboration, and web office technologies in the past and like to think I temper my views on the subject with the practical experience I’ve had as a technical writer in the IT industry. So having spent a lot of hands on quality time with Microsoft Office, Google Apps for Business, Zoho Business, Microsoft Office 2010 Web Apps, and others, I am comfortable with saying that Microsoft Office is here to stay but readily admit the rules by which knowledge workers create and share documents has changed immensely since its initial launch.

It is this change why I always said Microsoft Office needed to extend itself to the web whether through Office 2010 Web Apps and Office 365 or through a third party solution like Google Apps for Business. When Office products first went mainstream as part of the computer desktop it was a much different era with what have today with geographically dispersed workforces, outside contractors, and different work schedules.

Tags Google Apps, Google Apps for Business, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Office 2010, Microsoft Office 2010 Web Apps, SkyDrive | Permalink | Comments Off

Collaboration Tools Productivity Project Communications Technical Writing Web Office Web/Tech

Google Apps Marketplace for Technical Writers

June 7, 2011 – 6:46 pm

My dual lives as a working technical writer on federal and commercial projects and writing for technology publications and websites doesn’t put me more at odds with things then with writing about Microsoft Office and Office productivity applications in general. I’ve long had my disagreements with Microsoft Office –especially from the implementation side – and have seen a growing part of my job helping to get teams working productively, developing and managing documents using this ubiquitous Office suite.

In job interviews, I try to frame this growing part of my job as making Microsoft Office work. On the other hand, I’ve been a technical reviewer for some Microsoft Office books (in a past life) and written a bit about Microsoft Office for some publications. The third party publishing industry doesn’t always have a boots on the ground mentality when their readers need it. While I am a bit late writing about it, the launch of the Google Apps Marketplace has the potential to be a real game changer for Office suites and not just Google Apps.

Some notable applications for technical writers include:

Tags Aviary Design Suite, Google Apps, Google Apps for Business, Google Apps Marketplace, Microsoft Office, MockFlow Online Wireframe Tool, OffiSync, SlideRocket, Technical Writing, Zoho Projects, Zoho Wiki | Permalink | Comments Off

Collaboration Tools iPad iPhone Productivity Web/Tech

Cross Platform Working means the Cloud for Me

May 22, 2011 – 5:30 pm

My home office is split between Mac and PC . The first computer I ever really learned to use was a Macintosh so getting back to using it was quite nostalgic for me. But I digress. Once you throw in my iPhone and iPad, I grew to have more requirements for email, calendar, and other productivity apps that I would have if I owned just one Windows PC and a “dumb” phone.

I’ve always been better organized electronically than I ever was in my yellow legal pad/day runner days so I’ve taken painstaking care to keep a workflow that keeps me on schedule for meetings, deadlines, and tasks. In fact, my moves to finesse my toolset offer even more chances to get reminders on things.

Tags Box.net, Dropbox, Google Apps for Business, Office 365, Office 365 Beta | Permalink | Comments Off

Microsoft Office Microsoft Office 2010 Web Office Web/Tech

Why I am Cautious about Microsoft Office Alternatives

May 19, 2011 – 7:52 pm

InfoWorld recently ran an article about Microsoft Office alternatives that got me to thinking about how I use them in my work and my stance on them as a whole. First, I’ve been a long time Microsoft Office user (since there was a Microsoft Office in fact) who lives and works in a Microsoft Office town (the DC area). To top that off, I’ve been writing about various Microsoft Office topics for a while now.

On the other hand, I’ve also written about cloud-based Microsoft Office alternatives for a while now and still follow these technology alternatives and even use them on a limited basis on some personal and volunteer projects.

Tags Google Apps for Business, Microsoft Office, zoho, Zoho Business | Permalink | Comments Off

2007 Microsoft Office system Microsoft Office Microsoft Office 2003 Microsoft Office 2010 Web Office Web/Tech

OffiSync: Another Google Docs/Microsoft Office Syncing Option

March 27, 2011 – 1:36 pm

I’ve long been a proponent of a complementary model for Google Docs and Microsoft Office. While Google Cloud Connect is a great tool, I need to mention OffiSync — available in the Google Apps Marketplace — as another option for file syncing between the two office suites.

Tags Google Apps for Business, Google Apps Marketplace, Google Cloud Connect, Google Docs, Google Sites, Microsoft Office 2010, OffiSync | Permalink | Comments (2)

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