Google Docs on iPad

Isn't living in the future awesome? Right now, I'm writing this blog post on my phone while using an elliptical machine at my local gym. When I get back to my desk, this draft will be waiting for me in Google Docs, where I can edit it, add links and get it ready to publish. If I want to grab coffee later, I could bring my iPad with me and make some last minute fixes from the cafe. Everything will be saved automatically in the cloud.

The ability edit, save and delete Google Docs was recently made available to iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch users. While third parties have already developed mobile apps for managing Google Docs, this marks the first time Google itself has enabled mobile editing in the Web app for its popular cloud-based office suite.


So how does it stack up? In a nutshell, the experience of editing and managing Google Docs from iOS devices is pretty good. But like many brand new features, it could go further, and hopefully we'll see improvements over time.

What It Does Well

Since late November, the mobile-optimized Web version of Google Docs has enabled users to create, edit and delete documents on the go, which can really come in handy for business users, especially those who might travel or work remotely. Being able to edit documents from a variety of devices without worrying about keeping track of the latest version is priceless.
For some users, it may take some getting used to the fact that there's no "save" button. Instead, the document auto-saves every few seconds as you type. Well, technically there is a "save" button, but it only displays when the document hasn't been auto-saved but it saves so frequently that you almost never see the option to save manually.
Typing on the iPad is pretty effective in general, but it can get clumsy if you type fast. If you're a professional writer or prefer to type very quickly, your best bet would be to use an external keyboard and turning off auto-correct so as to avoid introducing any unnecessary changes that you might not notice when reviewing the document later. Apple's wireless keyboard for desktops works great with the iPad, or there are a number of iPad-specific keyboards.
iPhone users already know how tedious typing on the device can be and using Google Docs on it is no different. That said, it's no worse than typing an email or a long text message. You just have to take your time and keep an eye out for unintentionally hilarious auto-corrections.
What if you lose your data or WiFi connection? Do you lose all of your precious work? Nope. Thankfully, the Google Docs mobile Web app makes smart use of HTML5's offline storage feature. If you're without a signal, the application still works; it just can't save your work. Thus you can continue to type away and make changes, and the app will sync and save your document the next time the device is online. Just be careful about trying to load any other new pages or data in Safari in the meantime, as there's a chance doing so could cause you to lose your changes.

Some Room For Improvement

The user interface is extremely simple, and that's typically a good thing. However, in this case, it feels like there are missing features. And there are. You can't format text, add links or align paragraphs. There are no document-sharing options enabled. You can literally just type and edit text.
Users who rely on a real-time spellchecker to keep their spelling ability in check might be disappointed by the fact that there are no red, squiggly lines under the words they most ruthlessly butcher. The native iOS spellchecker and auto-correction will have to suffice, at least until one can get back to the desktop version of Google Docs, where these stripped-out features are available. Or if you just can't wait, you can access the desktop version of a document from the iPad by clicking the "Desktop" link at the bottom of the page.

There does appear to be at least one bug on the iPad version. In my testing, anytime a suggested spelling popped up, I was unable to tap it to X it out as one normally can. Instead, the Web app interprets the tap as if it's intended to select a line in the document itself.

For now, the mobile version of Google Docs only supports the creation of text documents and spreadsheets, whereas the desktop version allows for PowerPoint-style presentations, Web forms and drawings.

Despite these limitations, Google Docs for mobile is overall an effective and easy-to-use experience. We'll be excited to see it improved moving forward, especially on the iPad, which offers greater opportunities for a more robust, feature-rich interface.

http://www.readwriteweb.com/biz/2011/01/google-docs-for-ipad-iphone-ipod-touch.php

Facebook Strategy For Your Small Business

Do you have it backwards when it comes to Facebook?


Here’s what no one in the social media space seems to want to say: Facebook is a difficult place to reach new eyeballs organically if you do not already have good brand awareness.
There I said it. If you are trying to use Facebook to reach a new audience, organically (i.e. without paying for Ads), from scratch – you are facing an uphill battle.

Yes, the stats on how many Facebook users exist are mind-boggling. In reality most of those people will never actually encounter your brand on Facebook, unless you pay good money for them to. How many small business pages do you know that actually have millions of ‘fans’?

The fact is that Facebook is in the business of earning revenue – mostly through the ads they get page owners to buy. So for that reason they deliberately make it challenging to grow a page organically. So unless you have a strong personal Facebook network of friends that you are willing to leverage on behalf of your business page, you are looking at an uphill battle in actually reaching brand new eyeballs.

So Where Does Facebook Fit Into Your Strategy?

Surveys show that people generally fan pages they are already customers of, and usually for discounts. The same research shows that few people are interested in joining a page to become part of a community.
1. I suggest that you use Facebook to connect with your existing customers AFTER they’ve already bought from you – rather than trying to use Facebook to mine for leads. This is the path of least resistance. Since they already know you, they are more likely to interact with your page – crucial for organic growth on Facebook.
2. Use other methods (SEO, PPC, blogging, offline methods etc) to bring in prospects, generate leads and make sales.

3. The time you might spend slugging away on Facebook could be better spent growing your following and brand visibility elsewhere – preferably on platforms you own, such as your blog, and developing other marketing channels (even tweeting gives you better access to a new audience). Your Facebook page can be a resource to direct people to for promotions and additional interaction after they discover you elsewhere.

4. Examine your online sales process and work with your offline sales staff to integrate a way to ask the prospect or customer what social networks they are on. Build fields for this data into your online contact forms and if you have an offline sales staff you will have to work with them to collect that info when talking with prospect and clients.

5. Make someone on your staff responsible for finding these people on Facebook, connecting with them and inviting them to your Page. This will actually require the use of a personal profile since you cannot message anyone directly through a Page.

6. Find a place in the sales/follow-up process to let your customer know that your company has a Facebook page and give them reasons why they should become a fan.  As per the research above -the incentive should probably emphasize exclusive discounts and promotions.

7. Consider Facebook as a tool in your ‘referral engine’ – if your Fans are happy customers, Facebook makes it easy for them to recommend you to friends and to provide your business with ‘social proof’ i.e. people saying nice things about you. This is where you have the opportunity to organically grow your audience, powered by happy customers.

8. Make sure you feed your Page with the right content for your audience. You probably know the needs of your customers pretty well, but check in with your Facebook Insights to make sure you are catering to the correct demographic audience, and to the type of content that elicits interaction, especially as your audience grows beyond your familiar customer base.

How has your small business successfully used Facebook for marketing?

http://www.smbceo.com/2010/05/25/facebook-strategy/