Hello fellow library people!
Today in class we talked about online applications, such as Google Docs, where you can create documents, presentations, spreadsheets and forms that can be edited simultaneously. The documents can be edited by up to 10 people at the same time, and spreadsheets can be edited by up to 50 people, which is really quite amazing. I can see how groups and teams would find it a very helpful tool to use in collaborative projects, assignments, etc.
Before today I was not aware that these applications existed, but they seem pretty straightforward and easy to use. They are basically like wikis, except without all the messy, lock-stealing business. Although, since a spreadsheet application on Google Docs can be edited by up to 50 people at one time, I can see myself possibly getting dizzy watching my fellow classmates click away at the screen. Otherwise Google Docs seem pretty interesting. I’m not sure how much I would use the application in my daily life, but I guess it all depends on the situation.
I also looked at another online application called Picnik, which allows you to edit your photos for free. I got pretty excited about this actually when I checked out the website. It’s not Photoshop of course, but it’s good enough for someone like myself who can’t afford that kind of editing software. The website is super slick, and pretty intuitive. I fooled around with some of the demo photos, and it was super easy and fun. Besides simply editing your photos, you can also make collages, slide shows and keepsakes. However, if you want some of the fancier stuff, you do have to pay for an upgrade. But as far as I’m concerned the basic tools offered are still pretty good. I’m definitely going to be using this application on my home computer for my family photos now!
Even though we weren’t required to, I’m going to check out some of the other applications we talked about like drop.io and LibraryThing, which both look pretty interesting. I’ve never heard of LibraryThing, but I have been on Shelfari which is awesome, and I’d like to compare the two.
Overall, online applications=awesomeness!
