Glover Stanbury & Co partner Kevin Salter continues to unearth interesting tools and utilities in the explorations that feed into his AccountantsPowerTools [1] service. In recent months, he has documented how his firm is using online collaboration tools unearthed by his investigations.

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As part of an "online collaboration" theme, February's AccountantsPowerTools update highlighted how the firm was using Google Docs and other services to share documents internally and with clients.

"With two offices trying to share information it is not efficient to mail spreadsheets around," Salter explained. You will also have trouble with version control and be uncertain whether a particular copy is the most up to date, or if any changes have been made in error.

When Salter first considered Google Docs last year, there were shortcomings that put the firm off using the service. But improvements to the formatting and an increase in Google Spreadsheets' capacity has won him over. "Whilst it is not 'Excel on the Web', there is sufficient functionality for the purposes of the spreadsheets we are sharing." He wrote.

Glover Stanbury has since uploaded client lists, staff contact details, work on hand, planning boards and other files to Google Docs. Colleagues in the other office can be invited either to view or edit copies and there is also a rollback facility if major mistakes occur in any of the files.

Google Groups, meanwhile, allows the firm to upload any kind of file formats, so now month-end accounts are shared in a similar way.

These Google tools can be accessed from the Google home page, or the Google Calendar site - another useful tool now being used to schedule staff meetings and equipment bookings within the firm. Meeting rooms, laptops and projectors all have their own calendar to make online booking easier, he reported.

"Another great advantage is that all these tools are currently free of charge," Salter added.

Stop press

Since documenting his experiences with Google tools, Salter has discovered OfficeZilla.com [2], an open source site offering online calendars, contact manager, file sharing, message forums and chat rooms, to do lists, RSS feeds and SMS alters. He has signed up for most of these services, and is seriously considering them as an alternative to Google.

More online collaboration tools

Writeboard.com [3] - a simple, text-based collaborative workspace

Vyew.com [4] - a more sophisticated site that can import multiple Word, PDF and other file types, which can be annotated with online drawing tools and symbols.

Huddle.net [5] - a network of online secure spaces that combines document storage, collaboration and teamwork tools. A free, five-user version is available

Solodox.com [6] - writing/editing and file sharing service that supports multiple formats

Microsoft FolderShare [7] - part of the Microsoft Office Live portfolio, FolderShare allows you to share files with colleagues and synchronise them across different sites and devices. FolderShare's mobile access system lets you access your computer from any web browser.

This article is based on content covered by the AccountantsPowerTools service, which is currently available for £5 per month. For more details about how to subscribe, visit the AccountantsPowerTools.co.uk [8] website or email info@bbscomputing.co.uk [9]