Management
Technology
- Applications
- Business Intelligence
- Development
- Hardware
- Mobile & Wireless
- Networking
- Internet
- Operating Systems
- Security Products
- Servers & Datacentre
- Storage
Toolbox
Training
Books
White Papers
Webcast
Resource Centre
Google Sites – Not Your Father's JotSpot
February 28, 2008
Posted by: Glyn Moody
Nearly 18 months ago, Google acquired JotSpot, a commercial wiki company. Then JotSpot disappeared. Now it's back, with the supremely dull name Google Sites (what happened to all those PhDs they employ at Google?). What's interesting is the way that Google is selling its new offering:
Google Sites is the easiest way to make information accessible to people who need quick, up-to-date access. People can work together on a Site to add file attachments, information from other Google applications (like Google Docs, Google Calendar, YouTube and Picasa), and new free-form content. Creating a site together is as easy as editing a document, and you always control who has access, whether it's just yourself, your team, or your whole organization. You can even publish Sites to the world.
It's striking that the word “wiki” isn't mentioned once, as is the fact that the whole thing is being presented as a kind of super-duper easy-peasy Web site creation tool that even idiots like us can use. Google already has its vanilla Web site creation service Google Pages, but it seems to see that as too difficult for the unwashed business masses, and has repurposed JotSpot's wiki in this way.
The other crucial element of Google Sites compared to Google Pages is collaboration. This is already present in a simple way with Google Documents, but thanks to its wiki heritage, Google Sites is obviously built for this from the start. It will be interesting to what, if any, impact this has on Microsoft's super-simple collaboration tool, SharePoint.
Follow highlights from ComputerworldUK on Twitter
Sign up for our Daily Newsletter
The UK IT News widget Get it for your site!
<<newer entry | back to blogs index | older entry>>
Advert
Email this article to a friend or colleague:
PLEASE NOTE: Your name is used only to let the recipient know who sent the story, and in case of transmission error. Both your name and the recipient's name and address will not be used for any other purpose.
- This article is now being printed.
What are your views on this subject? Use the form below to post a comment on this article up to 1000 characters.
Click below to add 'Google Sites – Not Your Father's JotSpot' to your blog.
If you do not have a ComputerworldUK Account and would like to use this feature, please Register.
If you are a registered, logged-in user, this will post the title and first paragraph of this story to your blog to share with your readers.
Advert
Newsletters
Your daily injection of CW news and expert analysis: we’ll bring the news to you.
WHITE PAPERS
-
Legal risks: Employee use of the internet and email
Exploring the challenges facing IT Mangers today and vital steps to ensure safe internet an email use by employees. -
Phishing for victims
This White Paper examines the phenomenon of phishing. It explains the potentially catastrophic threat it presents to all kinds of organisation. Exploding some widespread myths, it lights up the murky waters where phishing first emerged and where it continues to evolve. But it also highlights what your business can do to blunt the threat.
About the author
Glyn Moody Glyn Moody's look at all levels of the enterprise open source stack. The blog will look at the organisations that are embracing open source, old and new alike (start-ups welcome), and the communities of users and developers that have formed around them (or not, as the case may be).
