The Thurston, Pierce, Lewis, and Mason Counties IT Experts

Want to check out Google Docs? It’s free for anyone with a Google account, although if you are going to use it for your business, you should talk to us about Google Workspace. 

You can log in at docs.google.com to see how the free version works.

Version History

Undoubtedly, one of Google Docs’ most useful features must be its referenceable version history. Think about it—you could go back and review how people have edited the document and the rate that progress has been made. This not only enables a higher level of accountability in your work, but it also makes it clear who made certain changes and when these changes were made.

As a result, it is far clearer to everyone involved who has contributed their share, and how the status of the team’s efforts currently stands. Accessing this area is as simple as clicking File>Version history>See version history and choosing from the list of dates and times provided.

If you want to restore a file from one of these past versions, it is as simple as clicking the Restore this version button at the top of the screen in the review section when one of the past modifications are selected.

Interacting with a Document

Due to the collaborative nature of Google Docs, the likelihood is high that your documents are frequently shared throughout your organization and amongst your clients. Of course, not everyone who has their hands on these documents necessarily needs the capability to make changes—or even leave feedback at all.

Google Docs enables you to share these documents while also dictating the amount of access that your recipients have—as well as to limit your own capabilities as well, to help you effectively accomplish specific tasks. This can be done by altering how the document is presented, which comes in three modes: Editing, Suggesting, and Viewing.

Predictably, Editing mode enables a user to make changes. However, with the document set to Suggesting mode, the user can only (as the name would suggest) suggest changes to be made. Likewise, Viewing mode only allows a user to view the document—pretty handy, especially when you’re looking for feedback over collaboration.

Mobile Capabilities

Google Docs also comes as a very capable (if limited by the platform) mobile application, enabling your team to potentially make quick reviews and edits while on the move. While we wouldn’t recommend anyone write their next novel from scratch using this method, it can prove handy in a pinch. As you would expect, any changes you make there are reflected to any collaborators you are working with.

Obviously, Google Docs offers many more capabilities that we encourage you to discover for yourself. For assistance in implementing it for your organization, or more information about the other options available to you, give us a call at 360-491-2227 today.

Getting Started with a Google Account

If you have a Google account, you have access to Google Drive. Using your browser, or either the Android or iOS version of the application, you can log in to see your storage space.

There, you’ll find the root menu, titled My Drive, with options to view items that have been shared with you (under Shared with me) and all Recent documents, ones that have been Starred as important, and those that have been sent to the Trash. You are also provided with an indicator bar that outlines the amount of available storage remaining.

You can also find any files that Google has deemed to be of high Priority, as well as the folders that are shared within an organization in the Shared drives section—presuming that you’re using a business account.

Above those options is the New button, providing the user with the ability to create new folders and files of different types, or upload files and folders into the space. These files can cover a wide variety of formats, from the core Google applications of Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Forms to many others.

Sharing Documents You’ve Created

There are a few different ways that a document in Google Drive can be shared with another user, whether that’s between sharing access to a folder wherein it is stored, or by sharing the document directly.

Any document you’ve created can be shared from within it, through the Share button. From there, you can adjust editing permissions for those who you have shared it with and send it to them through a link, either by email or copy-and-pasting it as needed. Alternatively, right clicking the file in your Drive itself will present you with a few options, one of which being to share it.

When you and your collaborators are inside the document, you will all be presented to the others involved.

You can also share entire folders via a similar process.

Restoring Older Versions

Unfortunately, there is a lot that can go wrong with many hands on a document. To help resolve this shortcoming, Google Drive also saves a record of the document and any changes made to it for 30 days, or the past 100 revisions. From there, you can revert changes back to an older version if needed.

To do so, access the file and, from the File menu, select Version History. You can then review the saved versions and restore the ones you need.

Searching for Files and Folders

Finally, similarly to Google’s original function, Drive also has a search bar that allows a user to Search in Drive, with the option to add more specific criteria.

Consider Google Drive an Effective Business Solution

Depending on your circumstance, Google Drive may or may not be the right solutions\\ for your needs. For more information, or to discuss your options, reach out to PC Technologies at 360-491-2227

Let’s go over a few best practices that can help prevent you and your team from losing technology as work is done remotely.

Organize, Organize, Organize

When working on the move, it can be only too easy to lose track of your assorted possessions—especially if you don’t have a proper means of carrying them from place to place. Therefore, investing in a carrying case of some sort and keeping your technology arranged inside not only helps ensure you have what you need to be productive, it also helps you to be sure that you can get everything out and away and back into storage more efficiently.

Of course, you should also double-check that everything is where it should be every so often, especially when you’re in a public place.

Keep Your Carrying Cases Closed

Here’s the thing: the easier it is for someone to sidle on by and take something, the more likely they are to do so. How often have you seen someone walk away from their laptop bag with their laptop out in the open? How often have you seen someone carrying around a backpack or a messenger bag with it open, their devices practically falling out? It may not seem like a huge deterrent but keeping your carrying cases fastened up can greatly discourage someone from trying any funny business.

Help Your Tech Stand Out

Making your technology distinctive—adding noticeable stickers, using brightly-colored peripherals, and the like—can provide extra benefits when it comes to keeping track of it.

First of all, if you do happen to leave it behind somewhere, it makes it much easier to describe to someone so that you can claim it. Secondly, making it more noticeable will help make it less likely for you to forget it in the first place. Finally, the more recognizable and distinctive it is, the less likely it is that someone will try to abscond with it.

Keep Track of Your Technology With More Technology

Finally, there are many tech solutions available that are intended to help protect your other gizmos. Of course there are the applications that both Android and iOS have built into their platforms to help locate a lost device, and there are also other add-on solutions and physical dongles that serve the same purpose available. Investing in a few could be what prevents you from losing a far more expensive device and the valuable data it holds.

While PC Technologies can only do so much to help you keep track of your IT solutions, we can do far more to help you get the most use out of them. For assistance in managing your business technology, give us a call at 360-491-2227 and ask about our managed services.