billso.com

Google Docs, the company’s online office suite, now lets people create and use templates. There are many examples already posted in Google’s template gallery, including invoices, resumes, invitations, mileage caluclators and calendars.

Avery Dennison has already posted a number of templates for their self-adhesive labels. Now I have one less reason to use Microsoft Word, and the folks at TastyPopsicle seem to agree with me: see their article called Oh hell no, Google’s got templates!

I’m sure there are security concerns. How hard would it be for someone to post a template that lets users record their web passwords or credit card information, and then sends back that valuable data to the developer? Google’s videos don’t mention any of these issues - instead, users are told that they can email template-based documents to friends, who can fill them out and return the data in their email client. 

Before trying these templates, I suggest changing your Google password to something stronger, like a passphrase, or using a Google account that doesn’t have much or any email or data in it. It’s much easier to set up a fresh Google account than to figure out who’s looking at your data.

There’s more information and a couple of videos in this Google blog article called Templates bring Docs to life.

Related posts and pages on billso.com

• 12 May 2008: Software and services - free or paid?
• 24 April 2008: Change that password into a passphrase
• 19 April 2008: Salesforce for Google Apps
• 28 February 2008: The Google cable
• 18 September 2007: Google, Yahoo and IBM in the Office
• 17 April 2008: Virtual keyboards and monitoring software foil keystroke loggers
• 12 April 2008: Finding business contacts and passwords on the Internet
• 19 April 2007: Living la vida Google
• 2 July 2007: CXOs face malware email attacks
• 23 February 2007: Google Apps vs Microsoft Office

The other big university on the island of Oahu - and just to be clear, I don’t work at UH.

Related posts on billso.com

• 17 July 2008: State of Hawaii deletes email after 60 days
• 4 January 2008: Copper thieves kill Sugar Bowl cablecast
• 7 November 2007: New leaks close Hamilton Library
• 28 June 2007: Magoo’s is pau tomorrow
• 25 August 2004: Banner software implementation problems cause havoc at UH-Manoa
• 2 August 2004: Frear Hall sits dormant on UH-Manoa campus
• 16 July 2004: UH-Manoa has no short-term fix for dorm crunch
• 15 July 2004: Oahu students get low priority for UH-Manoa housing

It’s pretty easy to get a legal copy of Microsoft Office 2007 Ultimate Edition for Windows, but you have to act before 16 May 2008.

Go to this web site, enter your .edu email address, and be prepared to send a copy or scan of your university student ID card. This Microsoft site has more details.

The offer started in September 2007, and the suite includes:

• Access 2007
• Accounting Express 2007
• Excel 2007
• InfoPath 2007
• Groove 2007
• OneNote 2007
• Outlook 2007 with Business Contact Manager
• PowerPoint 2007
• Publisher 2007
• Word 2007

Here’s another example of a web-based application suite for enterprises: Google has announced a new version of Salesforce for Google Apps.

Salesforce is a sales management suite that lets companies manage customer lists, related email and other sales-related information.

Connecting Gmail’s enterprise edition and the Google Calendar to Salesforce helps companies keep control of sales information. Data from other Google Apps, including spreadsheets and presentations, can be connected via Salesforce and stored in Google’s servers, not on vulnerable mobile computers.

I wonder how long it will take Microsoft, Oracle, ACT and other competitors to respond.

Related posts on billso.com

• 17 April 2008: Virtual keyboards and monitoring software foil keystroke loggers
• 28 February 2008: The Google cable
• 20 February 2008: AT&T announces business and enterprise iPhone plans
• 30 October 2007: Apple working with Salesforce.com on iPhone CRM integration
• 5 March 2007: Microsoft and Daylight Savings Time

From BusinessWeek, here’s an article with 10 tips for delivering effective presentations. this felt like a timely article, as students are starting to deliver presentations in their courses around this time of year.

The author uses Steve Jobs and his product announcements as an example, but many of these tips will work well for any presentation.

My favorite points on the list are:

1) Set the theme. Let the audience know what they will learn from the talk.

4) Use meaningful numbers. Discuss ratios, percentages and results in ways that the audience can understand. Never assume that the audience will do the analysis themselves. I sometimes hear graduate students claim that a company is doing well because it is earning a profit. My follow-up questions focus on their evidence for that claim.

Don’t sweat the small stuff. Product announcements sometimes become awkward when the technology malfunctions. Avoid fancy transitions and tools that take extra preparation, support or time to use.

10) Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. A presentation is a performance. Most of the audience members have delivered presentations themselves, but they won’t cut the presenter much slack. The best content and slides cannot save a boring or poorly delivered presentation.