“Fill-able Forms” for Google Docs spreadsheets

Think of this as the poor person’s “(Google) HotDocs” for data.

Here’s the context for today’s post: Last week at the 2008 TIG conference I joked during my presentation about how hard it was to keep up with the constantly enhanced features in Google Docs. Well, as if on cue, Google Docs did it again today. Now when setting up a “share” of a spreadsheet within Google Docs, you can create a form that allows others to provide the data you want entered into the shared spreadsheet, without their even having to go the spreadsheet itself. Read all about it in Stop sharing spreadsheets, start collecting information.

Here’s a real-world screenshot of a “shared” form dialog I created for the MCLE spreadsheet illustrated during last week’s TIG presentation. Yes, this new type of “share” means you don’t even have to really share the way I explained last week, i.e., giving others the ability to “view” or “collaborate.” Now you can just share a form accessed via a link in an email. They fill out the form and the data is automatically added directly to your Google spreadsheet.

Just think what you could do with this new feature when using Google Docs for event registration logs, or culling updated information from staff within your organization, or doing quick-hit surveys with in-house staff or outside lists, or … you get the idea. (Oh, if only we’d had this feature available when LSC a ways back requested “unable to serve” data for our clients!)

Like I was saying in Austin, it’s time for “Rethinking Collaboration.” No kidding.