Word processing, spreadsheets, calendars, you name it - thanks to Microsoft, much of the world uses productivity software loaded on individual computers. Online versions of productivity software offer many of the same features yet are quite different from what is installed on your computer. How so?

Price

The online software we're looking at today is quite inexpensive - it's free. And there's a reason for this - it doesn't do nearly as much as the software installed on your computer. But how many of you use the power features in Excel (say, complex graphing) or Word (say, mail merge)? The core features you see in Google Docs and Zoho Writer match up surprisingly well.

Software Installation

There is none - all you need is a web browser and an internet connection. Working on a computer that doesn't have Excel? No problem.

Collaboration

It's much easier to work on projects with others - colleagues, community group members, family, friends, whomever. Say, for example, you are working with your neighborhood community council to secure city funding for a project. You post the first draft of a letter, your neighbors make edits or add text to the document, and you bring the completed letter to your next meeting. Much like using a Wiki, the 'shared workspace' means noone is accidentally looking at out-of-date content.

Freedom From File Formats

Have you ever helped a patron who can't open the resume they created on a friend's computer? Very often it's a file format problem - a document created in the word processing software that came pre-installed on the computer, for example, may not open in Microsoft Word. Online productivity software offers another way to solve this problem - you can open a wider range of file formats.

Access

The documents you create with Google Docs and Zoho are saved to an online account and can be accessed from any computer with internet access - disks and/or flash drives are not required.

Discovery Excercise

Part 1: Google Docs

1. Take their quick tour to learn more.
   
2. At the end of the tour, click on 'try it out.'
   
3. Login with the Google account you've used for previous Learning 2.0 exercises
   
4. You choose - create a new document (for word processing) or spreadsheet
   
5. Add some quick text and save your document (there's a big 'save' button in the top right corner of the screen).
   
6. Look at the collaborate options (notice the 'View RSS feed of document changes' link?) and whatever else interests you.
   

Part 2: Zoho

1. Head over to Zoho and take note of the wider range of software they offer.
   
2. Try the same type of software you used in Google Docs - click on the 'Try Now' link.
   
3. Sign up for an account (and don't worry about the email confirmation unless you want to keep the account up - if you don't respond your account will be deleted in 7 days)
   
4. Add some quick text and save your document (there's a 'save' button similar to what you see in MS Word)
   
5. Take a look at some of the options (share, history, etc) located just above your text.