------- Clearing Up the Confusion E-Zine ------- Vol 2, Issue 18 Lisa and I just got back from our annual trip down to Atlanta for the Dragon*Con Science Fiction Convention. I go to see the stars of my favorite SF programs. She goes, primarily, to visit with a friend she's known since college. To each his or her own, as it were. Thinking about the two of them, though, has me reflecting on the importance of staying in contact, both for our personal lives as well as in business. Some people use advanced (and expensive) relationship tracking software, others get by with an address book and a calendar. Me? I make use of Google Docs. I'll be talking about that in this issue as well as some of the other uses I've found. ---------------------------------------------------------------- In This Issue... ---------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Article: Floating on the Cloud: Google Docs 2. Shameless Self-Promotion 3. The Fine Print ---------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Article: Floating on the Cloud: Google Docs ---------------------------------------------------------------- I've written about Google Docs before. It's the offering from Google which duplicates some of the features of an office productivity suite. They've made a number of improvements lately which make them much more suited to replacing your desktop equivalents, at least for some purposes. For me, it's not so much which features it has that makes the difference, but rather the fact that the documents are stored out in "the cloud". This means I can access them from anywhere so long as I have an Internet connection. So, what sort of things do I have in my Google Docs folders? Let's run through a few. Maybe it will give you some ideas of the things you can do. 1. My Tickler File -- This is for me, one of the two most important uses I have for Google Docs. I set up a spreadsheet with my network of friends and business acquaintances. I've included their company and phone number. I've also included dates for the last time we've had contact (and how), the last time we actually saw each other (and where) and the next time I plan to contact them. I also record birthdays in this list -- since I love to wish people a happy birthday -- as well as a few other scraps of information. Some people might see this as being a bit impersonal with my relationships. I don't see it that way at all. For the longest time I had dear friends who for one reason or another had moved away. Without a system to remind me, I would let months or even years go by without contacting them. This is just my way of keeping my relationships strong. 2. My Networking Journal -- This would be the other big use that I have for Google Docs. Every weekday (or so) I create a list of people whome I want to call or email, individuals I plan to meet, and events I want to attend. I can copy the list of people right out of my tickler file. I also include notes about our conversation. The next time I call someone, I can use the search facilities to remember what we last talked about. After all, I know that when I last spoke to my buddy Ray Singer, that he was a cool guy. What I may not remember is that he was heading off to the Bahamas for several weeks on a family vacation. 3. Script for a Bruce Tegner Documentary -- A while back, one of my requirements to earn my thrid degree black belt was -- with my partner, Peter Gluck -- to create a documentary about Bruce Tegner. We created a document to write the script for the movie. This allowed us to get a lot more done despite the fact that we had a hard time getting together due to our busy schedules. 4. My List of 101 Goals -- Each year I create a list of 101 goals for the year. This year I decided to put that list into one of my Google Docs folders. Now I can track how I'm doing with the list, easily and quickly. 5. Comics Catalog -- I created a list of all of the comic books I have (yes, I am a nerd). This way, the next time I have an opportunity to buy some older comic books, I can use the Web browser in my cell phone to look over what I actually have and hopefully avoid purchasing duplicates. I'm sure that you can think up a number of ways that you can benefit from Google Docs, its centralized network location, convenient search facilities, and easy to maintain work-sharing features. If you aren't using it right now, I hope that some of the things I'm doing will give you some ideas. In fact, if you'd like to get a copy of the tickler file template or the journal page template, drop me an email at gpeters@cyberdatasolutionsllc.com and I'd be glad to send them your way. Take care until next time. Copyright 2008, Greg Peters ---------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Shameless Self-Promotion ---------------------------------------------------------------- The "Clearing Up the Confusion" E-Zine is a production of Greg Peters, owner, chief cook, and bottlewasher of Cyber Data Solutions. CDS has been helping website designers develop better web presence for their clients for more than a decade. Visit us on the Web at www.cyberdatasolns.com to see how we can help your webmaster. ---------------------------------------------------------------- 3. The Fine Print ---------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe: You can subscribe to the "Clearing Up The Confusion" E-zine at: http://www.cyberdatasolns.com/ezine Questions: If you have any questions, concerns or comments regarding the Clearing Up the Confusion E-zine, please email Greg Peters at: gpeters@cyberdatasolns.com This content may be forwarded in full, with copyright and contact information intact, without specific permission, when used only in a not for-profit format. 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