Google Apps is a suite of applications available for students and staff at our university. The Apps allow you to create documents, spreadsheets, presentations, forms, wikis, websites and calendars. With all of these you can also share and collaborate, making your online life easier, more efficient and more flexible.
Most wikis are works in progress - their very nature suggests that they will never be complete! This wiki or Site has largely been developed from my own perspective, but I know that other people work in different ways. I also know that there will be bits that I've missed or phrased ambiguously. I'm therefore keen to get your feedback on what could be improved, what is wrong and also what works well.
We also each find good or new things to do with Sites and so please share your tips too, so that we can all benefit.
Google Help
This Site describes how to use Google Sites.
Google Sites is a form of wiki. The video below gives a good idea of the concept of a wiki and there is some further background info here.
Wikis are a form of website that anyone can create. You don't need any website authoring knowledge or have to write code or stuff like that.
Most times you just go Edit > Type > Save and your page is created or updated.
There is a second key element to a wiki - collaboration. We all send documents round in email and get multiple replies and changes. We then have to collate all these back into one sensible document. Google Sites (as well as Google Documents) does away with all the multiple copies and displays one definitive version, making working together much simpler.
Created by Manny Wilson, displayed via Wikinomics blog
Should I choose Docs or Sites? If you are creating a traditional style document then use Docs. If you have more complex information, especially where there are multiple strands, then Sites allows you to create a non-linear resource. Sites are often useful for documenting projects or promoting their outcomes. Remember that you can also display Docs on a Sites page so there is a lot of flexibility.