How Virtual Assistants Can Use Google Docs

My Virtual Assistance practice frequently uses GoogleDocs for various “inter-office” collaborations, largely because we can add collaborators to our documents and Docs will send a link to access the document online, meaning there is no need to send email attachments back and forth. This is quite handy for those of us who work together on text based projects such as e-books, reports, business plans, presentations and more. Authors can choose to assign a URL to each document allowing team members or clients to view, comment, or even edit the document in question if the correct permissions have been set by the author. Not having to email attachments back and forth means that we can edit and present documents in real time and we eliminate the potential of having several versions of the same document created at the same time.

Once you have signed on, using any Google account, GoogleDocs will open the document management window. A toolbar at the top allows you to create, upload, hide, or delete any files that you’ve created or uploaded to Google’s servers. It is not necessary to store your documents in folders, but I do recommend that you keep your files organized. A busy virtual assistant does not have time to spend searching for documents. You won’t like it and your client will hate it.

Compatibility wise, there are many formats you can import into GoogleDocs, including the widely used Microsoft formats. There are size limitations for the free account, but they are generous. A paid account is currently $50 annually. If you are sharing PowerPoint presentations that have images, music and animation on a regular basis, you will likely need to upgrade to a paid account.

There are limitations. You can’t insert footnotes or any other page formatting such as headers and footers, so I am not recommending that you use this as your only tool. You can however, import Microsoft Word documents that already have footnotes and endnotes, and your notes will be converted into HTML hyperlinks that work like footnotes when the document is published to the web. 

After creating or uploading a document you can share it with one or more of your team members. When you do this, your colleague’s name(s) will appear in the tree-view pane under a “Shared with… ” heading.  You can also click on names in that view to display a list of documents that you are currently sharing with that colleague. Once you are satisfied with the document you will also be able to publish to a blog.  The same menu also allows you to remove a document from your blog if you change your mind after posting.

In the earlier days of GoogleDocs you had to be online to use it, but they have since added an application called “Google Gears” which allows you to work on your online documents without actually being online. This is quite handy if you are stuck in an airport or doctor’s office with your laptop but no connectivity.

I am always looking for comments, suggestions and product reviews that will help virtual assistants become more technically savvy. I would love to hear from you!