Google Document Sharing and Google Group

I'm sure you've noticed that more and more people have been using Google docs to write up ideas. This is a good thing, but there's one problem; Sharing google docs.
There's the option of making the document viewable to anybody with the link, but what if you want to have lots of people editing? If you just have them able to edit without signing in, there's no way to keep track of who did what.

However, there is a solution. If you join a google group and then share a google document with that group, the people's names will show up when they make edits to the document.
I've taken the liberty of making a Felarya google group; you can join here at the Felarya google group page.

To share a document with the group; simply paste Felarya@googlegroups.com into the add people box in the 'Share' window of your google doc.
This way you don't ahve to go and manually add 20+ people.

personally, youre the only one i know whos doing it in a different way than anyone and i honestly do not see the...interest in such thing.

my blunt opinion :/

Actually, I'm not the only one using google docs, as you can see here.

Advantages to google docs:

• No need to 'code' posts. Not everyone is a programmer
  
• Similar interface to programs like MS Word
  
• Google documents has a better UI than the forum
  
• No character limit, unlike the forum
  
• No need to "update" posts; changes are automatically saved
  
• Since docs are automatically saved to the google servers, there's no need to worry if your computer crashes as the changes will be saved
  
• Collaborative writing: Multiple users can edit the same document at the same time.

It's also being used here. I know I started it, but it still counts.

Anime-Junkie wrote:

No need to 'code' posts. Not everyone is a programmer

As a professional programmer, I resent your implication that using a markup language requires being a programmer, or is in any way related to what a programmer does. (I'm not actually annoyed, just pointing out that using a markup language like what the forum has about as much to do with programming as floating a leaf on a stream has to do with making the Titanic.)

Oldman40k2003 wrote:

Anime-Junkie wrote:

No need to 'code' posts. Not everyone is a programmer

As a professional programmer, I resent your implication that using a markup language requires being a programmer, or is in any way related to what a programmer does. (I'm not actually annoyed, just pointing out that using a markup language like what the forum has about as much to do with programming as floating a leaf on a stream has to do with making the Titanic.)

Ah, but what if said leaf is an ice sculpture?

While google docs aren't ideal for every situation, they are pretty handy to have access to. They're especially useful for collaborative ideas, since all parties can see what everyone is writing and editing in real-time. We use them over in the Legacy setting as well.

Also, you can put links in google docs, that go to other google docs, and you can potentially make a very large, organized archive of ideas. A friend of mine once did that to archive all of the various online RP's he'd done.

It also makes editing a story conveiniant, as multiple people can go behind you, in real-time, and fix errors while you're still writing the story.

Meh, I don't like the idea of someone having access to my stories and whatnot, editing them without my knowledge.

Pendragon wrote:

Meh, I don't like the idea of someone having access to my stories and whatnot, editing them without my knowledge.

People can only edit documents that you give them access to.

Yeah, as Cliff said, you can set people's access. You can choose whether they can view or edit.

Oldman40k2003 wrote:

Anime-Junkie wrote:

No need to 'code' posts. Not everyone is a programmer

As a professional programmer, I resent your implication that using a markup language requires being a programmer, or is in any way related to what a programmer does. (I'm not actually annoyed, just pointing out that using a markup language like what the forum has about as much to do with programming as floating a leaf on a stream has to do with making the Titanic.)

As an amateur programmer and a student in a web design course, I am aware of this.

Pendragon wrote:

Meh, I don't like the idea of someone having access to my stories and whatnot, editing them without my knowledge.

I don't think AJ meant that people should be writing stories using this method. For instance, I know that AJ uses Google Docs for writing up ideas and treatises, and then asking the opinions of others and letting a few people add or edit things, with his consent. It's excellent for group projects or efforts.