GOOGLE DOCS AS LIVE, SHARED, MEETING NOTES
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I really wanted to entitle this "Land of the Free and Unsupported," and a techie friend added "and Brave." There must be a song in there somewhere.
The point is that serendipitous discovery is alive and well in Google Docs land. Danielle Camardo, Nicole Yee, and I were having a face to face meeting, and every now and then would practice what we preach (taking shared notes). I had opened a Google Doc and was typing an outline, but then got tied up in the conversation. It occurred to me that I hadn't typed in the last five minutes (of brilliant material no less). I turned back around to my computer, and there was all the brilliant material! Danielle had opened the same Google Doc and just kept up with the flow. Given the 30 second save/refresh rate, Danielle was using Google Docs like the live, shared, meeting notes I mentioned here and here.
Yes, there are enterprise appropriate tools that are purpose built for group meetings, but those seem to cost money, and/or have set up costs. In my world, and that of most of my contacts, we are looking for free tools that easily get us the same outcomes. Google Docs just moved up my list of collaboration tools. Yes, these free tools are largely unsupported -- and as another colleague noted yesterday, may not stay free -- but we are often brave enough to give it a go.
Now there is no reason not to take live, shared, notes. Take up the charge!
More tricks for those of us on a budget.
