Google Docs

Google Docs is a Web-based document management application for creating and editing private and public, word processing and spreadsheet documents. These documents can be stored both online on the Google cloud and/or on the user’s computer. Access to these files is available from any computer with an Internet connection and a fully-featured Web browser. With Google Docs, you can create and edit text documents right in your web browser—no special software is required. Multiple people can work at the same time, you can see people’s changes as they make them, and every change is saved automatically. The documents may be viewed by other Google groups and members with the document owner’s permission.

Google Docs is designed for both individual and real-time collaborative projects. Document security is maintained through storage online and storage on users’ computers, although some authors have security concerns that documents stored online may be viewed, copied or stolen by others. Furthermore, all documents created are compatible with most presentation and word processing applications and can be printed or published as a Web page. Spreadsheets can be created and edited in various fonts and file formats.

Google regularly releases new features for Google Docs, and maintains an online help group to answer user questions and fix problems.