Putting the old ways to rest

Google Docs is awesome.

It's not as robust as Microsoft Word, but it has all the features I need for pretty much all my writing. If I want to mess with inserting footnotes and all that minute detail, I'll just look at my document in Microsoft Word. It's as easy as that. I can also look at it in PDF or HTML or whatever else I feel like.

That's the beauty of Google Docs. You can access it anywhere, and it is compatible with proprietary software, so there's no headaches of trying to convert documents back and forth. The layout of Google Docs is also straightforward, so there's no steep learning curve. All your basic editing tools are laid out at the top--cut and paste, font magic, insert a photo or table, etc. There's no slight fear of hitting the wrong button and messing the whole document up, as has happened to me with Microsoft Word. (Don't make me tell you about the time I spent with a library patron wrestling with Microsoft Word just to get it to format a single line).

If I were still in school (ha!) I would definitely use Google Docs, if only because the flexibility it affords--I can work on a document anywhere there is internet access and not have to worry about losing my USB drive.