Google Drive

Dictionary.com defines the term 'google' in a few ways: 1. n brand name of a leading Internet search engine, founded in 1998. 2. v to search the internet for information about a person, topic, etc. 3. v to use a search engine such as google to fine information, a Web site address, etc., on the Internet. Two of the three definitions listed are verbs. Google is no longer just a search engine, it is something people do. It has changed the use of the Internet entirely, making information easily accessible to users worldwide. One particular sector of Google that has changed the way I use the internet is Google Drive.

Google Drive is a systematized service that Google provides to store and synchronize files. It features file sharing, collaborative editing, and cloud storage. Google Drive first started out in August 2005 as a combination of Writely, a web-based word processor, and Google Spreadsheets. Writely originally featured collaborative editing and shortcuts, dialog boxes, and menus emulated by other word processing softwares such as Microsoft Word. By June of 2006, it became Google Lab Spreadsheets. Soon after a testing period, where Google Lab Spreadsheets was only available to a select few, it was available to all Google Account holders. On March 7, 2010, Google acquired DocVerse. This connection allowed online collaborative documents, presentations, and spreadsheets to be compatible with Microsoft Office. On April 26, 2012, Google Drive was launched, replacing Google Docs and improving on storage functionality. 

It's a brilliant tool that can be used in the professional world. With a Google Account, the convenience of Google Drive can have you creating, sharing, and editing documents, presentations, and spreadsheets worldwide. There's no need for program installation a computer. As long as you have the Internet, your documents can be accessed. Several users can be working on a presentation at once, making team projects in a company collaborative, coordinated, and convenient. Communication tools on Google Drive can also benefit team projects. Comments can be shared on the sides of documents and e-mails and messages can be sent to the users of documents. It is also extremely simple to use. I like to look at it as a simplified version of Microsoft Office. There is none of that senseless and confusing endless drop down tools found in Microsoft Office. Google Drive gives you exactly enough of what you need to make a well written and organized document, presentation, or spreadsheet sharable to others and yourself. 

With several group presentations just last quarter, Google Drive was certainly our most valued team member. It made communication and collaboration ten times easier, quicker, and accessible. Google Drive, like the verb 'Google' is something Internet users do.