Google Data

Posted by: Aliza Sherman, author, speaker, TV and radio producer

In the last installment of her Google Docs chronicles, Aliza Sherman shows us how how Google Docs can be useful beyond the workplace.

Last time I discussed how I use Google Docs for quick or short-term collaboration and projects. I’d be remiss if I didn’t confess to one more thing.

I have actually been using Docs to track ... the results from each week of The Bachelor. I know, I know, this has nothing to do with work, but if anyone is tracking competitive shows like American Idol or The Bachelor with friends across the country as I am doing, making educated predictions is key. For me, using Google Docs gives me a competitive edge.

To stay on top of the show results, I create a spreadsheet with the first round of winning women who have received a rose from the Bachelor tracking. By each name, I have a space for my vote, a space for who actually gets a rose each show, and then a very important space ... for making snarky notes on the side. Genius!

And since my Bachelor docs are not public, here's a taste of those comments, because I know you're dying to know:


Other possible personal uses for Google Docs:

• Collaborating on the family grocery shopping list with my husband
• Keeping a running tab of all the books and educational DVDs I'd like to get my toddler, then sharing with friends and family since her birthday is coming up
• Keeping a list of anything that I tend to forget. I do have a spiral notebook with my To-Do lists but can I tell you how often I forget to bring it with me every day!
• Making notes that are way too short for a document, but you really want to be able to access that information later. I sometimes use my computer's Stickies program, but my desktop is starting to get cluttered. On Google Docs, no clutter and access from anywhere.

All too recently (this past week), I figured out that I can actually save my documents into labeled folders and I can give those labels different colors to designate priority. But of course, you say, that's an obvious feature. Well, I hadn't noticed it before, and I went through my docs and filed them all. I like the way I can also view the files by Documents Owned by Me, Documents Opened by Me, Items Not in Folders or All Items -- it gives me multiple ways of viewing what I have in my Google Docs account.

Extra feature: A little subtle spell-check feature shows a little red line under the questionable word. (I guess I spelled "catty wench" correctly.)

And that, my friends, is how Google Docs is working for me.