Well I could just say…been there/done that/doing that….because I have, I am, and here’s why….
Tykes News is a not-for-profit magazine to promote folk and acoustic music in and around West Yorkshire, and, I’m one of a small team who edit and produce it, 900 / 4 times a year. Thats 900 copies not 900 people. A couple of years ago with Google Docs as a main line of communication we went fully digital. No more out-sourcing a type setter (by this time we were their only customer anyway and they wanted to retire) No more weekends with my kitchen table covered in cutting mats,scaples and paste boards, let along the not so delicate spray mount in the air.
Google Docs allowed us to drag Tykes into the digital age.
We have a combination of “word” type documents for the actual content, and an “excell” spreadsheet document for the planning and layout.
Each of us has our own input colour for when we are editing in any way and we can and do edit on occasion simultaneously, sometimes form different computer in the same house and most importantly from completely different locations. this means one person can imput content/articles, while another then proof reads (not me, I don’t do spelling, just in case anyone hadn’t noticed) The spreadsheet document is invaluable for adding up total length of text, space for advert etc. the document itself is set and put together off line in InDesign.
Goole Doc's at work for Tykes News
once we have all text and adverts accounted for, about a week after copy date, then this information is used to plan the layout, this is what I was doing last Friday afternoon on my day off, head deep down with 2 google Doc sheets open, transferring information from one to another and creating the layout plan for the next issue which is due back from the printer next week sometime – ”Spring 09″ -
There are some issues that need considering, if your going to collaborate on shared document like this I think you need to have an understanding of how you all work first, the last thing you want is to find your all trying to change … and re-change the same bit… all at the same time, sometimes it can be a bit frustrating that because it is all online and dependent on you upload/download speeds, sometimes the documents can’t keep up with the speed your making changes, particularly if you are copying and pasting from one spread sheet cell into another, but thats just something to get used to.
Overall I’m really please to be able to use Google Docs in this way, it’s great for us at Tykes.
sneek preview below
