Josh Young

Yes, another Google post. I know, I know…I have other stuff to post, but I haven’t gotten around to it yet. Soon.

I was doing some Google Reader-ing, and I came to a post by my favorite productivity blog, Lifehacker, where I learned that Google has officially added presentations to their docs suite.

I took it for a quick spin, and it’s not too bad. You can even have people join you online for the presentation. And it has chat built in to the side panel for just that.

Looks like an excellent way to collaborate on presentations or show some slides to an online audience (public or private).

Give it a try, and let everybody know what you think in the comments.

EDIT: Check out this great video that summarizes the benefits of using online document management services like Google Docs.

Google Docs (now with presentations)

Lifehacker - Launch: Google Docs Adds Presentations

Official Google Blog Announcement

Google Docs & Spreadsheets just got a new look and some new features.

Now you can organize your documents in folders, and when searching for a document, it dynamically suggests a query from your document collection.

Plus, as they put it on the Official Google Docs & Spreadsheets Blog, another new feature is simply “Looking Pretty.” And I agree. It does look better.

Read more about it on the Official Google Docs & Spreadsheets Blog, or take Google Docs & Spreadsheets for a spin yourself. All you need is a Google account, and if you don’t have one yet, then get on the ball!

Wow. I’m impressed.

Back in November, I posted about installing ActiveCollab so that we could try it out for our planning for Apex and the “new” website. Well, it’s now February, and we’re still using it. I think we’re all hooked on it, which is exactly what I was hoping for.

Here are some of the “projects” we’re now using it for:

• Apex Planning
• Main Website Planning/Upkeep (including graphics and transcripts for weekly messages)
• Youth Website Planning/Upkeep
• Vacation Bible School Planning
• Leadership Collaboration and Planning
• Web/IT Planning and Strategy
• Worship Ministry Collaboration and Planning

And it just keeps growing. It’s finally to the point where we’re going to move it to its own hosting account and domain, which is really exciting. I had no idea that everyone would embrace it the way that they have. It has worked very well, and it has saved us a lot of time and energy.

If you’ve been using BaseCamp or something else for project management, and you’re looking for something with more flexibility for free, then give ActiveCollab a try. I can’t stress enough how great it has been — and how easy it has been.

ActiveCollab

Apex at the Amelia Church of Christ