New Google Tools

Today's "Google takes aim at Microsoft with new Web editing ( http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/02/28/google.websites.ap/index.html )tools" CNN article describes a brand new service from Google that allows people to quickly set up and update a Web site featuring an array of material, including pictures, calendars and video from Google Inc.'s YouTube subsidiary. This will compete with Microsoft's SharePoint software.
The new service is called Google Sites and does require users to sign up for a free Google Apps account. The advantage of big advantage here is that Google's tools are free, accessible from any Web browser, and the content doesn't expire when a class ends or a student graduates.
Details can be found at: http://sites.google.com/

Google Sites offers:

• easy page creation and templates for common types of pages
• allows you to upload files up to 10MB in size. Each Google Apps account
• receives at least 10GB of storage in Google Sites. Google Apps Premier and Education editions get an additional 500MB for each user account.
• can insert videos, docs, spreadsheets, presentations, photo slide shows, and calendars
• permission settings let you designate owners, viewers and collaborators (meaning they can edit pages) for your site.
• And you can make your Google Sites available to just a few people, your entire organization, or the world

(From Professor Mike Gibson, CIT, Athens State University)