Enhancing Your Internet Experience
For years I have been a devoted user of Microsoft Office because, well, it’s what everyone used. I eventually heard of OpenOffice and eventually LibreOffice, but, I just couldn't get use to a new office suite especially considering so few used it. But I then gave Google Docs a try and considering back then it was still behind on Microsoft Office it had one potential, I could access the files from anywhere I had an Internet connection, and even better, I could open Office files on it as well.
Once Google merged Docs with Drive it made the transition easier but still I had to have a copy of Office around because of the average Office user. Lately however I have found some great uses for Google Docs and it involves reviving my Blogger blog and posting to Google+. I have learned that making great content on Google+ requires time, planning and a well written post, the same applies to my blog and so I have been using Google Docs to create posts for both but it was a bit of work maintaining them organized so I did some research and found some extensions that proved to be perfect for what I was trying to accomplish, easy management of my articles and posts before sharing them. Here are the extensions I found:
One thing I found a bit annoying about Google Docs, and somewhat similar with Office, was having to open Drive first before I could start a Doc. This extension allows me to quickly open a new Doc of my choice, Document, Presentation, Spreadsheet and Drawing, all from the extension icon. It was a piece of cake now to get a Doc open when inspiration would hit.
Of course opening a Doc was easy now but I needed a template that I could use over and over so that my blog articles and Google+ looked more professional. The problem was that whenever I used an existing Doc it would overwrite the current post draft and I either had to create a copy of the file or copy the parts that were default on each post or article. I always look for easier ways to do things and found that this extension did exactly what I needed. I created 2 Docs that were templates for my blog articles and Google+ post and added “MyTemplates” (without quotes) to the title of the files. The extension then searches your drive for any files with this phrase and displays them on a list giving you the option to create a duplicate copy of the file that you can then use without altering the original template. Now I can create articles for my blog or posts for Google+ with templates that never get erased.
Now that I have the ability to create Docs in an instant or pick templates for my blog and Google+ posts now I need an easier way to access the current files in my Google Drive without having to open a new tab and open Google Drive and search. That where this extension comes in, from the extension icon you get a drop-down of all your files in the order in which they were last modified. It even has a search box to make it easier to find a specific file thus making it easier to find my newest blog and Google+ drafts and edit them to share.
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Thanks for reading. Please feel free to leave a comment below about your thoughts on this. +1 it if you liked it. Share it if you’re inclined. Much appreciated. :+D
Chatterbox Chuck
