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Google Docs Vs. Adobe Buzzword
By Aurora Brown
Expert Author
Article Date: 2008-06-17
While there are various online document editing and sharing problems, the front runner for a long time has been Google Docs, but it may have found its match in Adobe Buzzword.
Lets take a look and see what is similar about these apps, what is different, and what they have to offer the user.
Adobe Buzzword
Buzzword is a flashed based online word processing application developed by Adobe. Buzzword was built on an Adobe Flash platform and allows you to display, manage and share any document you create in a deluxe, graphic-based environment that is feature rich and engaging.
Google Docs
Google Docs is an HTML application that lets you create documents as simple, text-centric web pages. It is user-friendly and easy to learn, allowing you to both share and collaborate on documents online.
Similarities:
Both are web-based word processing applications geared towards making sharing and creating documents easier for users.
Adobe Buzzword and Google Docs are free and quickly growing in popularity. Moreover, both allow you to provide access to your collaborators - fellow students, employees, teachers, business partners, committee members and much more.
Both programs allow for total access to your documents online and facilitate better collaboration and sharing of documents online. No longer do people have to shoot harried emails back and forth; they can contribute the document or project and leave a comment about the status or update. Both apps also allow multi-user access.
Differences:
Layout and pagination: Google Docs is a simple app, essentially with the capability of Notepad and not much more. For example, while Google Docs does have a preview function, it doesn't preview your document accurately (e.g. you can't see page breaks unless you actually print a page out). In contrast, Adobe Buzzword displays the page exactly as it is dispayed to you. There is no preview option, because what you see is what you get.
User Experience: this is huge, as the majority of writers or creators look for a nice environment to work in. Using Google Docs is like using Notepad; the user experience is skeleton-like and fairly boring. Using Adobe Buzzword is different; the smooth, elegant environment makes you feel like you're doing something important, even if you're just composing a grocery list.
Additionally, what really got me excited is that Adobe Buzzword offers Adobe ConnectNow as an add-on function. You can set up meetings with the ability to share screens, chat, share notes, collaborate and view each other via web cam, set up phone conferencing and more. It's super simple and one of the easiest online-meeting apps I've used and Google Docs can't meet that.
So the million dollar question: Google Docs or Adobe Buzzword?
I would have to say Adobe Buzzword all the way. Good bye Google Docs! My user experience was much better with Buzzword, it has a variety of options I don't get through Google Docs and its a lot easier to use.
Comments
About the Author:
Aurora Brown is the Social Media Manager and Editor-in-Chief for Authority Domains online marketing
company. She currently authors the Authority Domains Search Engine
Marketing Blog and is working on her first novel.
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