Facebook docs

Thanks to Google, many of us are familiar with the concept of online document sharing – a savior for businesses with geographically diverse workforces. Documents are stored in ‘the cloud’ (is that term catching on, do we think? I see it a lot in posts like this one, but I have never yet referred to ‘the cloud’ in conversation with a colleague, other than when the view outside our window moves me to comment that it looks like rain), allowing for collaboration across the miles.

None but the most zealous Google fan would claim that the system is perfect, though: it’s not entirely intuitive, and documents often lose their formatting. Now Facebook announces that you will be able to share your documents through their system, too. Docs.com uses Microsoft Office technology to allow you to create and share documents, using those familiar Office interfaces, across the Facebook platform.

If you’re finding it hard to visualize just how this will work, think of how photos are uploaded and shared on Facebook: apparently this uses much the same technology. It could be useful for small businesses who have an existing Facebook network – but, just as you need to be careful that your great aunt Em doesn’t see the wrong kind of photos of you, you’ll also need to make sure you have the right filters in place to keep any business-sensitive documents as private as you want them to be.