Well, Earth Day passed about a week ago, and I never got a chance to write a post. So here is the post I was supposed to write on April 22, 2008.

All of us have to type up documents and often times, we have to print out multiple copies for others to review and then that person has to edit them and print them again. The paper used in this process could easily be saved by online document apps.

Google Docs Screen-shot (From Wikipedia.org)

I know many of you, the readers, use Gmail. Did you know that Google also has a office suite online? And amazingly enough, it is called Google Docs. It is simple and easy to use. And one of the most shining parts of it is that you can collaborate with others on one document. Save paper, eliminate multiple copies, and best of all it is free! Included in the program is a word processor, spreadsheet editor, and even a presentation creator. All you need to use it is a Google Account, and go to http://docs.google.com/, so try it out. The interface is simple, quick, and clean. The experience is really enjoyable.

Microsoft Office Live Workspace (From ZDNet.com)

There are also many other apps online that help you accomplish this. Microsoft has the product Office Live Workspace. This integrates the Microsoft Office Suite with the internet. But the thing about the app is that you can’t actually write and edit on the site. But you can share, comment, and upload your document to the site. If you have Microsoft Office, I would recommend installing the plugin into Office. I personally don’t like having to have to go through so much to work on a document. I like how on Google Docs, everything is just there for me, or a collaborator, to go and work on it.

Zoho (From Wikipedia.org)

Zoho is currently one of my favorite online office apps (But, I do mainly use Google Docs because I can easily collaborate with my peers since many of them also have Google Accounts). It does a very good job making Microsoft Office users feel at home. The interface is much like Office (not the 2007 version) and is fast and easy to use. This is the most filled app with almost everything you can think of. It has the typical word processing and spreadsheet apps. But it also has a wiki creator, a database maker, a people manager (I have not tried this yet), and a few more. I would highly recommend trying this one out.

ThinkFree (From LifeHacker.com)

ThinkFree is another online app. I actually just found out about this one. Although this isn’t my favorite, it is still pretty good. The main thing that I don’t like about it is that it is slower than Google Docs or Zoho. It uses Java to run the editors and the loading times are just too long for me. But the product is well bundled with a easy to navigate interface, again similar to Microsoft Office, like Zoho, but is much, much more alike (look at the screenshot and you’ll see). It even has the whole ruler thing and a toolbar with the File, Edit stuff. It comes with apps similar to Word, Excel, and Powerpoint. Another app for notes is also coming soon. In Firefox, I have an issue with it in that the bottom toolbar is slightly cut off by Firefox’s own toolbar, but I’m not sure if it is the same for IE.

But if you have to print out drafts, please do it on the back side of another paper. This way we eliminate the cutting down of trees and help reduce waste. Of course, for a final draft, print it out on clean sheets of paper.

So those are the four main apps for online office work. If you already have a Google account, I would say to go with Google Docs. If you have Microsoft Office and would like to easily upload things onto the net, you could try Office Live Workspace. For an “at home feeling” for Office users, you can go with Thinkfree. But for an all purpose, easy to use program, go with Zoho. But the choice is up to you. All of them are free for personal use and allow you to bring your office docs online. Please leave a comment on which one you prefer, you own thoughts, or if you have another service you would like to mention. Again, Happy Earth Day and continue to keep our Earth clean and alive.