Useful Tips for Google Docs

Hello everyone! Happy Tuesday! I haven't posted in a while, I apologize for that. But now I am back with an article on tips to get the most out of Google Docs.

If you don't already know, Google Docs is a way to create and save text documents, presentations, forms, spreadsheets, and drawings, all in the "the cloud". This means that you never have to worry about losing your work if your computer crashes or stops working. It is always on the web (which I am sure is going nowhere soon) and accessible by logging into your Google account. Today I will talk about some ways to take advantage of the best parts of Google Docs.

• Use folders. These are called "collections". This ensures that if you have lots of work saved on Google Docs, you can organize and find it very easily. 
• Upload documents. If you have important files stored on the hard drive of your computer, you can upload and save it to Google Docs for safekeeping and future reference. You can also edit it. 
• Collaborate. You can share your documents with coworkers, family, and friends, and also let them edit it. This can be useful for documents that may need to be updated more than once (i.e. trip itinerary). If you invite others to view and edit your file, the changes are automatically updated and will be there the next time you log in. I personally think the best part of this is that you can make changes with others live in a document. All you need to do is invite someone to work with, and if they are online and viewing the document at the same time you are, their name will show up to the right of the document and then you can chat with them and make live changes! 

Those are all the tips I have for you today! Thank you so much for reading! Leave comments below if you have more tips or have more questions about Google Docs!

-Elisabeth 

Check out STP here: www.facebook.com/soleiltechprincess & www.twitter.com/soleil_tech

Review: Springpad

If you are one of those people who has too many things on their to-do list, and finds it difficult to organize your tasks? If so, (or even if you just want a new way to plan projects and remember important things) I recommend Springpad. Springpad is an application where you can create notebooks to save anything you don't want to forget, from recipes to bookmarks to your favorite restaurant. And it's all accessible via the web or your mobile device.

To get started on Springpad, go to www.springpad.com and sign up via Google, Yahoo, Facebook, or Twitter, or register with your email and password. When you log in, here is the first screen you see:

My Springpad homepage. Yours may differ depending on the amount of notebooks you have.

This screen contains your profile at the left (username, settings, logout), your notebooks, All My Stuff (all the contents of your notebooks), your friends stuff (if you have friends on Springpad with public notebooks, all their content will be here), and a search box to find anything in your notebooks.

To add a new notebook, click the plus button. Then you will be shown this screen:

The "Add New Notebook" screen.

Name your new notebook and give it a 'cover'. Then hit done.
To add a new task or note, click the + button next to the search box in the right-hand corner of the screen, and in the pull down menu click "add a note" or "add a task". For this example, I will add a task.

Add a task

First, name your task. Then add a due date. Select a category provided, or create your own. Add a brief description to this task. You can also add a second due date, such as a deadline. Just below the due date button, you may also tag your tasks to find them easily, flag the task, add a reminder, and add it to a different notebook.

Next, you may add attachements: photos, videos, links, or other files relevant to your task. Additonally, you can send the task to yourself or others via email, print it out, or send it to your phone.

Adding tasks is not the only thing you can do with Springpad. You can also keep track of your favorite products. Go to the drop-down menu in the right-hand corner again, but this time click on "Look it Up". Type in a product, such as a smartphone. 

Product search

If you hit 'add to notebook' you will be notified of price changes. You can also add places, movies, recipes, books, albums, wines, and people. 

Those are basically all the features of Springpad I would like to cover. 

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed the review! 

Get started with Springpad here: www.springpad.com

Also, download the mobile apps: 

iPhone app

iPad app - 

Android app - https://market.android.com/details?id=com.springpad

Also, follow Soleil Tech Princess on Facebook and Twitter - www.facebook.com/soleiltechprincess

www.twitter.com/soleil_tech 

1,000 hits! How should I celebrate?

Hi everyone! I hope your week went well. I am writing this post to inform you all that Soleil Tech Princess recently reached 1,000 hits! This is a such a big milestone for my blog. I definitely would not be where I am today without the amazing support from my readers. You have given such great feedback and continue to read my posts. My readers have already made 2012 a good year.

So, how should I celebrate this accomplishment? Leave your comment below or let me know on Facebook or Twitter: www.facebook.com/soleiltechprincess
www.twitter.com/soleil_tech

Again, thanks everyone who continues to read and support Soleil Tech Princess! I didn't think in September when I started this blog that I would get here so quickly! The past 4 months have flown by so fast! I have enjoyed writing each and every post on this blog.

Thanks!

-Elisabeth

Follow Soleil Tech Princess

Hello readers! I am writing this quick post to let you know that I am now using Twitter. You can follow me to get the latest updates on my blog and technology I find interesting. Follow Soleil Tech Princess here: twitter.com/soleil_tech or @soleil_tech.

Thanks so much for all your support! I am almost at 1,000 views! Keep giving feedback, reading my posts, and sharing STP with your friends!

Also, like Soleil Tech Princess on Facebook: facebook.com/soleiltechprincess

-Elisabeth