Blog Posts From Google Docs

Google Docs keeps getting better and better. I can now create a Google Docs (or upload) document and have the content and formatting of that document appear as a post in my blog. In fact, what you’re reading now I created in Google Docs. The original document still resides there and takes advantage of Google Docs’ automatic save feature. So if my computer or web browser were to crash unexpectedly, I’d still have my work.

Details on how to do this are located at this website. These instructions are specific to WordPress (the platform we use here), but other blogging engines are just as easy, if not more so.

Downsides

If I update my original file in Google Docs, it does not appear to automatically update in my blog. I would have to re-publish it to my blog, effectively creating two posts.

Also, we are still limited to the size constraints for storage on Google Docs (5,000 documents & presentations and 5,000 images). While this still is much more than adequate for my purposes as a teacher, it still is l imitation. I used to think I would never possibly fill up my computer’s two 500MB hard drives. But then I began playing with digital photography. You just never know when you’ll reach that limit.

Alternatives

Currently (for WordPress anyway) there is a plugin that allows embedding of Google Docs directly into a post or page. This allows any changes to your doc to be reflected automatically in your post/page. I have used this, and it works as advertised, but I don’t make much use of it. Documents that I want my students to view, I rather maintain as a PDF. If I want them to view these documents, I probably want them to print them out and remain formatted for the paper. I don’t need part of my website to be printed as well.

What I do use this plugin for is Google Docs forms. They are directly embedded in my website while still “live” for filling out. Students are therefore not confused by jumping around to different websites.