Spreadsheets 2.0

In the old days, sharing spreadsheets between volunteers at my kids' school or my family meant sending it out to them and collecting feedback. Or trying to keep track of versions by naming the spreadsheet v1, v2 etc...

I just recently started using Google Docs as a way to share a spreadsheet online. With Google Docs, you can set up access for collaborators or viewers. The access is assigned by email address. The spreadsheet URL can be sent out for any to review - or you can put in extra security.

Now Google has released new functionality called "forms".  Here is the info from the Official Google Blog:

"Create a form in a Google Docs spreadsheet and send it out to anyone with an email address. They won't need to sign in, and they can respond directly from the email message or from an automatically generated web page. Creating the form is easy: start with a spreadsheet to get the form, or start by creating the form and you'll get the spreadsheet automatically."

The forms functionality can be a useful way to gather feedback on a spreadsheet from a large group of people without giving them direct access to the spreadsheet. I want to take a look and see how it works and report back with more....