Google Spreadsheets Wish List
I wish that Google Spreadsheets:- permitted some kind of tagging to allow me to see which user made what change.
- had a versioning feature that allowed us to access previous versions of the spreadsheet. With the multi-user feature, this could be really handy.
- does not start including those pesky text ads in spreadsheets! Not that there is any indication that they would do this, but I fear that if someday they feel the need to make money on this "free" product, they may place ads in it!
- would make it easy for copy-pasting sheets / tables into regular web pages / blog posts.
- would not mangle Excel formatting.
- would search well. Most users are reporting trouble "searching" data in the spreadsheet. And we are talking about Google, the biggest search company!
Should You Use Google Spreadsheets?
I think that collaborative spreadsheets will be seen as increasingly useful by many users. Of course, we are also on the verge of Microsoft releasing Office Live which will (supposedly) have Excel Live that will allow collaboration. Also, Google Spreadsheets is free and that could be a major attraction to many. In any case, getting proficient with working in a collaborative online environment might be a handy skill. All in all, you must try out this software.How Can I Access Google Spreadsheets Without an Invite?
Currently access to Google Spreadsheets is by invitation only, but here is a backdoor not many know about. If anyone you know has an invite, they can simply create a new spread sheet and click on the "share" button, and invite you in. This will allow them to invite any other gmail user to Spreadsheets. This gets you Spreadsheets access without needing an invite.What Is Next, Google Wordprocessor?
Well, yes. Not that it has been officially announced, but now that Google has purchased Writely, a collaborative online word processor, the Google Wordprocessor should not be far away.Disclaimer: This article was written a day after Google Spreadsheets was released. Naturally, the information in this article can and will get outdated as more information or features are released.
About the author: Ajeet Khurana, an MBA in Information Technology from the University of Texas at Austin, is a published author with McGraw-Hill and writes on a wide range of topics. Among his many other sites, he is the search engines correspondent at the AIA content network.
