Google as a vast online storage library
I just came across an insightful article by Michael Calore of Wired News that describes his attempt to transition away from desktop-based office applications in favor of Google’s web-based applications. Mainly this involved switching from tools like Microsoft Word in favor of Google’s Docs & Spreadsheets web application. See the link at the bottom of this post to read the article in full.
One snippet of Calore’s that particularly caught my eye was that he “began to use Google as a vast online storage library”.
I highly recommend reading this article because it highlights many of the issues that those who try Google’s approach need to grapple with, especially in the workplace. There is a lot of discussion, for instance, about the issues of privacy, security, and accessibility, and of how our experiences with Google’s approach are colored by decades of using desktop PC-based software like Microsoft Office. I was intrigued with the point that we need to re-program ourselves in some ways in order to make effective use of Docs & Spreadsheets. It’s very much like how I felt when I first started using GMail. I was so used to spending time sorting through emails, conscientiously deleting those I no longer needed, filing others into folders, etc., that GMail’s totally opposite approach (store everything, delete nothing) was quite disconcerting at first, so much so that I was reluctant to make the switch. After a while, though, I became used to it and I realized how liberating Google’s approach to email really is.
Similarly, I have played around with Docs & Spreadsheets every once in a while and I have not quite gotten over the hump in terms of adopting it as a replacement for Word and Excel. I have run into many of the same problems that Calore describes in his article. Calore mentions the announcement from Google earlier this week about adding in a Powerpoint-like application to the mix in the near future. I think I will have to concentrate some time like the author did on making a cold turkey switch.
Many people feel distrust when it comes to Google and the storage of their email and other personal information. I think such distrust is well founded and healthy, not just with Google but with just about all online, web-based applications. There was mention made in the article about how people inherently trust their email systems without understanding how very insecure email is, by its very nature. This point helps to put such fears about Google into perspective.
Link to Livin’ la Vida Google: A Month-Long Dive Into Web-Based Apps -
