Book Review: Google Apps: The Missing Manual by Nancy Conner

It was inevitable. Google's applications are so widely used that it was certain that there would be a "Missing Manuals" book about them sooner or later. Nancy Conner's contribution to the MM series shows just how powerful Google Apps can be, and how businesses as well as individuals can get the most out of everything that Google has developed.

For those who have been living in a cave for the past several years, Google is more than a search engine. From their email application to their office suite, Google has an application for almost everything you want to do, productivity-wise.  And there's nothing to download, so you can save that valuable hard drive space for those Miley Cyrus MP3s. Since there's no box, there's no documentation. There are online tutorials, but they're not as in-depth as many users will eventually need. Thus, the need for Google Apps: The Missing Manual.

Conner starts the book with signing up for your Google Account. Not something that everyone will need to read, since if you've got a Gmail account, you've got a Google Account, but there is some good information in this section for novices. And it does cover customizing the Google toolbar, which is a must if you're going to become a Google Apps power user.

Next comes Google Docs. A chapter on word processing, including the basics of getting started with Docs in general, a chapter on spreadsheets, and a chapter on slideshows. I've gotten a lot of use out of the word processor in Google Docs lately, and I've used the spreadsheet program a little bit, but I haven't played with the slideshow program at all. All three of these programs are pretty powerful, and Conner gives plenty of tips to show people how to get the most out of Google's software, and not miss Microsoft Office much at all. And again, there's nothing stored locally, so you can access your files from any computer with an internet connection. Google Apps: The Missing Manual makes the transition from Office easy.

Article Author: Warren Kelly

Warren Kelly is a graduate student studying church history at Southern Seminary in Louisville, KY. His personal blog, View From the Pew, is a repository for his cultural criticism and theological/historical writings, and his weekly podcast features …

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