Connecting to the Internet in general, and to Google in particular, enlarges your
world. That applies to the world of work, too. When your office is online, you don’t
have to physically be on the premises to exchange messages, share files, and compare
schedules with your coworkers. With a computer and modem at home or on the
road, you can communicate with the home office by e-mail, fax from your computer,
FTP, chat, or a number of other alternatives. Google gives you an even greater level
of freedom: you don’t have to worry about whether you use a Mac or a PC, whether
you use Fetch or Cute FTP for file transfers, or Thunderbird or Outlook Express for
e-mail. By using Google, you get a uniform interface to information. And it’s free:
you don’t have to pay a monthly fee to an Internet Service Provider for e-mail service.
As long as you can get access to the Net at school, at work, in a public library, or
other location, you can access your free Google e-mail and file sharing services.
But moving some of your business communications online with Google gives you
a new set of options that go beyond simple e-mail messages. For example, one trend
in the American workforce is the increased use of ‘‘contingent workers’’—temps, parttimers, and freelancers. By collaborating through Google, it is possible to make assignments to subcontractors and with employees who work out of their homes or
other offices. Using Gmail, Talk, or other applications, you can exchange schedules,
transfer files, and work on projects collaboratively. It’s faster and cheaper than longdistance phone calls or courier services.
It’s all about being open to adopting new business strategies. When employees
have new ways to communicate, their entire way of doing business shifts. E-mail
conversations that go on for days and that are spread out over one’s crowded email
inbox can be complicated and difficult to track.
world. That applies to the world of work, too. When your office is online, you don’t
have to physically be on the premises to exchange messages, share files, and compare
schedules with your coworkers. With a computer and modem at home or on the
road, you can communicate with the home office by e-mail, fax from your computer,
FTP, chat, or a number of other alternatives. Google gives you an even greater level
of freedom: you don’t have to worry about whether you use a Mac or a PC, whether
you use Fetch or Cute FTP for file transfers, or Thunderbird or Outlook Express for
e-mail. By using Google, you get a uniform interface to information. And it’s free:
you don’t have to pay a monthly fee to an Internet Service Provider for e-mail service.
As long as you can get access to the Net at school, at work, in a public library, or
other location, you can access your free Google e-mail and file sharing services.
But moving some of your business communications online with Google gives you
a new set of options that go beyond simple e-mail messages. For example, one trend
in the American workforce is the increased use of ‘‘contingent workers’’—temps, parttimers, and freelancers. By collaborating through Google, it is possible to make assignments to subcontractors and with employees who work out of their homes or
other offices. Using Gmail, Talk, or other applications, you can exchange schedules,
transfer files, and work on projects collaboratively. It’s faster and cheaper than longdistance phone calls or courier services.
It’s all about being open to adopting new business strategies. When employees
have new ways to communicate, their entire way of doing business shifts. E-mail
conversations that go on for days and that are spread out over one’s crowded email
inbox can be complicated and difficult to track.