iWorks iCloud, Office We Apps collaboration great for publis

Google Docs had the online collaboration game to itself for years. Then in the space of a few days Apple added collaboration to the cloud versions of its iWorks apps and Microsoft pulled similar features into the Office Web Apps.

All three sets of software allow co-workers to co-operate on the same documents making changes in real time.

Although I've investigated the iCloud version of iWork's - or more accurately Pages - and the Word web app, I've not needed to use either yet for serious production work. I have worked extensively in the past on collaborative Google Docs documents.
This kind of approach is well suited to modern publishing where colleagues often work from home or remote offices.

Significantly all three online suites are free - which means publishers get full access to sophisticated tools for no more than the cost of a computer, phone or tablet and a data connection.

It's partly a matter of taste and partly to do with practical matters, but I've always found, collaboration aside, Google Docs is a second rate tool for serious writing. In comparison, Both the iCloud version of Pages and the Word Web App are powerful, elegant writing tools. I know of friends and colleagues who are perfectly happy with Google Docs.

Either way, publishers, editors, journalists and bloggers now have real choice when it comes to online collaboration.

[digitl 2013]

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