Google Docs - Create documents, spreadsheets and presentations online
July 23, 2008
I am very impressed with the increased capabilities of GoogleDocs application. Not only can you upload, store and edit your existing files, you can also use well designed templates, collaborate as well as edit and present with others in real time.
Templates include business plan, resume, letterhead, business cards, presentations and more.
Are you stuck in an airport for hours and would like to use your time wisely by working on your schedules, albums, or wedding plans? Google Docs enables you to do that as well if you have a gmail or Google account, accessible via web from any place with an Internet connection.
GoogleDocs Help Center provides answers to your burning questions. You will find how-to videos and easy to read instructions.
Quote of the Week
July 23, 2008
“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning to sing in the rain.”
Going Virtual - Going Green
July 22, 2008
Several factors are affecting company travel plans this year.
Energy costs. Because of high fuel prices, airline tickets cost more. Also add the cost of lost time, the hassles of going through airport security lines and late arrivals.
All of these situations are making air travel a less attractive choice. The days of flying cross country for a one-hour meeting are disappearing. Increasingly, virtual meetings are replacing travel. Researchers for Hewlett Packard and Cisco Systems, who studied body reactions, say that co-workers in different states and countries experience the same chemical responses to virtual meetings as to face-to-face meetings.
Travel by car for distances of 200 miles is less of a hassle than flying. But it takes more time than conference calls. And it costs more, 58.5 cents a mile.
It’s not just time and money. The frequent-flyer lifestyle can wreak havoc on a person’s health and family life. People who are involved in virtual meetings seem to be pleased with the reduction of air travel.
Here are some web-based options for webinars and online meetings:
Consulting firm BDO Seidman, quoted in Business Week, says it’s not just about travel reduction, it’s also about increasing communication. They say meeting more frequently and in short bursts of time is more productive than flying off to long meetings.
Most companies are considering the green factor in all of their decisions. Flying and driving less will reduce a company’s carbon footprint.
The Best Free Software in 2008 - PC Magazine Review
July 16, 2008
My “love affair” with computers, gadgets and all kinds of computer software started about 12 years ago. Marketers would say that I am an “early adopter.” My address is definitely passed on from one marketer to another and someone keeps eye on my purchases as I get offers in the mail all the time. I recently realized that there is no need to purchase the latest software if you can get it for free.
People at PC Magazine did the math: If you bought popular applications instead of checking out their free counter-parts, at the manufacturers’ list prices you’d give up $5,183 and change! Why spend money when you can get what you need for free? But beware, sometimes you do get what you don’t pay for.
Find out what is on the list of the Best Free Software. Read more
Best Advice From a CEO Could Help Us Too
July 9, 2008
When the editors of Fortune magazine asked the CEOs of large companies to reveal the best advice they had ever been given, they received some interesting answers. Some of these replies won’t be helpful, unless you lead an enormous corporation, but some of what was said contains ideas that could influence our point of view. For example, Indra Nooyi, chairman and CEO of PepsiCo, had this to say:
“Whatever anybody says or does, assume positive intent. When you assume negative intent, you’re angry.” These were her father’s words. She says that when you take away anger and assume positive intent, you will be amazed. Nooyi says your emotional quotient will go up. You won’t get defensive. You will try to understand and listen because you are thinking, “Maybe they are saying something to me that I’m not hearing,”
Google founder Larry Page says he had about 10 things he wanted to do when he was in graduate school at Stanford. One of them was to look at link structure on the Web, a project that eventually led to Google. His advisor picked that one out for him, saying it seemed like a very good idea. Page’s experience reminds us that we are more effective when we focus on one area instead of spreading our attention over several.
New York’s Mayor Michael Bloomberg gave this advice: “Don’t react until you have had a chance to think. Ready, shoot, aim is not the smartest policy.”