Monday, April 28, 2008

Week 8, Thing 18

I have heard a lot about Zoho writer, and it does look nifty, but the thought of yet another place to store stuff, and yet ANOTHER username and password almost drove me over the edge of web 2.0!! So I decided not to reinvent the wheel, and I went to Google Docs (which I have never used). Since I already have a google account, I just thought it would be easier. And it is - to a certain extent! This assignment was to create a document in Zoho or GoogleDocs. I decided to use GoogleDocs to create a HIT list of responses to a CALIB post I made on Friday. GoogleDocs gives you the choice of posting your doc as a URL, or post it on your blog. I wanted to just post it as a link on my blog. I thought I could click on the link, and have it go to the doc. What a dummy - of course it posted the whole darn document! So then I figured out how to post it as link in a page element, but I wish I knew how to make the document read-only so no one can mess it up.
I really like the idea of using these web tools to manage docs, pictures, etc. so that you can get to them from anywhere (provided you remember the usernames, etc!!). Many are the times I've been frustrated at work because something I needed was on a computer at home. I do wonder about the security of it, though. Can't hackers get in to my photos or documents and do malicious things? Maybe I'm just paranoid...

1 comment:

Becca said...

Many have raised the issue of security around googledocs, so I would not store any super secure information there. However, how protectively should we worry about our lists of top ten books or whatever?

I believe, though will have to recheck my understanding, that folks in general cannot alter your doc, they can just see it. They'd have to sign in as you (or as whomever else you had granted permission to) to edit the document. In that way, a group can work on a document, and others can see it (or not) and you are not specific computer dependent, which is helpful.