What's your biggest time-waster at work?
(Besides checking Facebook.)
Chances are, juggling multiple versions of the same document ranks high.
You know the drill.
You create a Word document and send it as an attachment for review.
And then you get multiple copies back from every recipient—all of them conflicting.
Sound familiar?
That was our experience as well, until we started working—and collaborating—exclusively through Google Docs.
After several months using the service, we want to show you the way.
Welcome to Real-Time Collaboration
If you're still mired in Microsoft Office, this might sting a little.
Because using Google Docs makes it infinitely easier to create, share, revise and publish everything you write.
And it's completely free.
You still get the formatting features you're used to—from bullet points to embedded links.
But the way you store and share each document is a radical departure.
No more saving a document and sending copies by email.
Now, every document is stored securely online.
So you can access the same document from anywhere, at any time.
Even better, you can invite collaborators to view or edit documents you've created.
You can even work with others on the same document simultaneously.
And because everyone edits the same document, you never have to worry about conflicting versions.
(To really picture how this application can overhaul your workflow, check out this cool video.)
Start Sharing
If you've never experienced the serenity of collaborating on a centralized document, there's nothing to fear.
It's easy to do and costs nothing.
And it will save you both time and energy—while eliminating the headaches of inefficient, ad hoc versioning—like appending people's initials to a file name.
Here's how to get started:
Step One: Set Up Your Account
First, you'll need a Google account. (Don't have one? Create a Google account now. It's free, too.) Then log in.
Step Two: Access Your Documents
Once you've set up and accessed your account, simply click on "Documents" in the top left-hand corner of your screen, or click "Docs" in your Google products page.
Step Three: Create a New Document
From here, select "New" and then "Document" from the drop-down menu.
You'll see a screen that looks comfortably similar to other word processors—minus a few of the bloated features that no one uses.
Step Four: Share with Anyone
You can now share this document with colleagues and clients by simply clicking the "Share" icon in the top right-hand corner.
Just enter their email addresses. (They don't need an existing Google account, but will need to create a password to log in.)
Once you've shared the document, they'll automatically get a message letting them know how to access it.
Step Five: Collaborate on Content
It's now time to create your content. You and your collaborators can simultaneously write and revise the same document.
You can also upload files from other applications.
Google Docs automatically saves as you work. Whenever you want to manually save, just click the file icon.
Step Six: Track Versions
Here's where Google Docs really shines: Instead of sloppily tracking changes to see who might have mangled your message, simply select "Revision History" in the "File" menu for a complete rundown of everyone's input.
If you find that things have gotten out of hand, you won't have to rummage helplessly through your inbox to find an earlier draft. You can simply pare away unessential edits by reverting to an earlier version.
And to ensure you've got plenty of earlier versions to choose from, remember, Google Docs automatically saves every edit—meaning you'll never lose a day's progress on a document by forgetting to save your changes.
Step Seven: Publish Anywhere
Once everyone's had their say, you'll find yourself with with a cohesive, conflict-free document—not a random assemblage of separate versions that fit together like Frankenstein's monster.
Now it's time to publish, which Google Docs lets you do in any number of formats, including PDF, HTML and even Word files.
If this revolution in versioning doesn't get you excited, you have yet to experience the joys of simultaneous collaboration and revision.
Think about it: no more zigzagging between writers, copy editors, coordinators and clients.
You'll spend less time corralling contributors—and have more time to focus on creating quality content.
(And yes, more time to play with Facebook.)
So, seeing how easy Google Docs makes versioning, are you ready to give it a shot?
And if not, what's your excuse for not making life easier for you and your collaborators?