One of the things about being a geek is that we like finding odd ways to use existing technology. Google Docs has been around for a little while now and I am a fairly avid user. Part of the Google suite I don’t use much, though, is Spreadsheets. But, what uses might there be that one might not have thought of?

To Do List

It continues to boggle the mind why Google has not yet released a to-do list application. Integrated with Gmail, it would be awesome. But, until Google gets with the program, you could use Spreadsheets as your todo list.

Just add a todo on each row. You could even add categories and other features to your document, with sorting by due date, location, etc. Set up properly, it could make a nice to do list, accessible from anywhere. You can even use it as a full project planner (they have a gadget for Gantt charts, for example).

Radio Call Screen

When I have been an in-studio guest for SOS Computer Talk here in the Tampa Bay area (on 1040AM WWBA), I have seen that they use Spreadsheets as their call screen. Pretty creative and economical, if you ask me. Due to the collaboration features of Google Docs, the call screener can enter the name of the caller from the control room and it will automatically appear in the studio on the same document. Once the call has been taken, it is just removed from the top of the spreadsheet.

Surveys

When I got back from Gnomedex in Seattle, I got a link to a survey from Chris Pirillo asking my thoughts on the event. That link pointed to Google Spreadsheets.

Using the forms capability, I could fill out the survey just as I would any other web survey form, and the results would appear in spreadsheet format automatically for Chris. It might not equal the power of something like SurveyMonkey, but it is free and very functional.

Prop List

From this blog post, I found how Charlene Li uses Spreadsheets:

Prop list. My daughter participates in children’s theater and I act as the prop mistress for the shows. I have to coordinate with a co-prop mistress, director, assistant director, set designer, costume designer, and producer. The worst is figuring out if anyone’s found that pitchfork for Scene 1. To keep track of what props are needed and who’s gotten what, I’ve posted the prop list online. (So if anyone has an old lute that they can lend, let me know!)

Interesting.

Got Some Of Your Own?

With the collaborative capabilities, a myriad of different uses for this web app are possible. It just depends on your own needs. If you have any, feel free to post a comment.