One large benefit to web-based applications it that they eliminate the need to worry about different software versions or file types as you email documents or move from PC to PC. Another bonus is that they easily accommodate collaboration by allowing multiple users to edit the same file (with versioning) and provide users the ability to easily save and convert documents as multiple file types (including HTML and pdf). You can even use many of these tools, such as Zoho Writer and Google Docs, to author and publish posts to your blog. It’s this type of integration with other web 2.0 tools that also makes web-based apps so appealing.
For this discovery exercise, participants are asked to take a look at a web-based word processing tool called Zoho Writer, create a simple document and then document your discoveries in your blog. If you're up to the challenge, you might even export your document as an HTML file or publish it through Zoho to your blog.
With Zoho and other web-based applications, the possibilities are endless.
Discovery Resources:
A short list of web-based productivity applications – Note: this list was authored in ZohoWriter and exported it as HTML.
Discovery Exercise:
- Create a free account for yourself in Zoho Writer.
- Explore the site and create a few test documents of two.
- Try out Zoho Writer’s features and create a blog post about your discoveries.
OPTIONAL: If you're up for the challenge, try using Zoho’s "publish" options to post to your blog.
* NOTE: You can also explore Google Docs (formerly known as Writely), Google's online word processer, as an option for this exercise.
BTW: Here’s a document (viewable as a webpage) I mocked up in Zoho about some of the features I found beneficial.