Geekzone reports that NZ universities are starting to move to Google Apps — where users have Gmail accounts, calendar, documents that they can access from any computer that’s connected to the Internet.

This is a tool that community groups should be thinking about, as Mike Riversdale explained so well in his workshop at the Hamilton Engage Your Community conference.

The benefits of Google Apps are clear: let Google do the heavy lifting of providing disc space, software, backups, anti-virus and anti-spam measures.

Google Apps is available to any individual, group, community organisation or business. Has your group used it? Leave a comment below with your experiences.

Google Apps Education Edition is a suite of Web-based applications that includes Gmail email services, Google Docs online documents, spreadsheets and presentations, Google Calendar shared calendaring, Google Talk instant messaging, Google Sites website creator and the Google Start Page feature for creating a customisable home page on a specific domain. With Google’s search technology built in, Google Apps enables students to easily sort through and find their emails and documents.

Students, staff and alumni at the University of Auckland will be able to access these applications on any computer with an internet connection, as well as share information and collaborate on work with classmates, colleagues and lecturers.

… This shift to Google Apps and online services by New Zealand Universities is part of a trend of schools and businesses embracing “cloud computing” - a move to web-based applications that allows for greater collaboration and access to information. By freeing up IT resources, cloud computing empowers schools to focus on education, rather than IT administration.

[Via : University of Auckland to roll out Google Apps for 50,000 users.]

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There’s a world of difference between emailing documents around for each contributor to have their say, and simply sharing a document in a place where all can access it, potentially working on it at the same time, and maybe discussing it as you go, through the same web page.

Read/WriteWeb carries a detailed feature comparison between Office Live Workspace and Google Docs (see below). If you collaborate with others on documents then you should definitely try out these online / web-enabled offerings, or others such as Zoho.

The screenshot shows me using Google Docs to chat with a friend about a spreadsheet she was using to evaluate some business ideas. I’ve disguised names and actual content so as to preserve her privacy. Because we were both online at the same time, with the document open, we were able to chat about it and discuss details.

Another possibility is to use Mac screen sharing, as explained by Adam Engst in a recent TidBITs column (see below). While Google Docs is completely open to any user and Office Live favours those who use Microsoft Office, the Mac screen sharing technique obviously suits Mac users.

Office Live Workspace vs Google Docs

Integration

Google Docs is the whole offering - there is no offline software to use, but if you needed to edit files with offline software, like Microsoft Office or Open Office, because you hit a wall with Google Docs’ current abilities, you could do so by downloading the file to your PC.

However, since Office Live Workspace is the web-enabled aspect of Microsoft Office software, integration is key. From within the workspace, you can click “edit” to open the file with the Microsoft Office program. The service also offers an add-in that works with Office XP, 2003, or 2007. The add-in allows you to open and save documents to and from the workspace via the software’s File Menu (XP, 2003) or Office menu (2007).

[Via Read/WriteWeb: Office Live Workspace vs Google Docs: Feature-by-Feature Comparison.]

Leopard’s iChat Screen Sharing Perfect for Quick Collaboration

Collaborative editing isn’t new to TidBITS. We’ve made plenty of use of SubEthaEdit, and Tonya’s mind was already in a collaborative space from playing recently with Google Docs and Zoho Writer. But iChat screen sharing adds voice contact, and you’re not merely sharing a document, you’re editing and reading the same document simultaneously in real time, so it’s perfect for quick, lightweight brainstorming and cooperation. Not to mention the instant gratification of solving, in five minutes, with excellent communication, a problem that might have taken our heavyweight email correspondence system two days, with far clunkier communication. In short, it was efficient, satisfying, successful, fast, and fun. You should try it!

[Via : TidBITS Business Apps: Leopard's iChat Screen Sharing Perfect for Quick Collaboration.]

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