Online applications - great idea, allows for sharing of documents with others, and being able to use them anywhere through the Internet. Also, the added bonus of not having to install software or buy software. There is the question of security, and confidentiality. I would not use this for any sensitive personal information; and I would make sure I have back-ups of files on a flash drive. Another concern is what happens when I have built a large volume of documents on these on-line services, and they start charging for the service. There is also the question of ownership - who actually owns these files, and if people do not really read the agreement and use policies, they may not realize what rights they have regarding their files and access to them, and the liability of the software vendor.
Of the two services - I prefer Google Docs - 1) because I already have an account, and one less user id/password to remember. Also, the interface is similar to that of the RTF editor for Hotmail.
On Google Labs and Trends - The two services I tried and like are: Related Links and Google Page Creators. The first one might be useful for the Library to help guide patrons to other sites or information that might be of interest to them during their searches. The second one, page creator, allows quick, easy creation of web pages with fantastic looks. This would be great in creating websites -- useful for blogs, program announcements, service alerts, and uses. One concern with these services - again is the nature of the service. Currently the service is free, but what happens if Google changes this to a fee-based service, and a library or organization has invested much work on their pages and its all on the Google site.
I tried Google Set - I don't really understand what use this would be other than a piece of trivia or a fun thing to do to see the Set generator can be stumped, or what kinds of things the Set generator will bring up.
I used Web 2.0 Award nominees. I found it easier to use that Webware. I looked under the Chart of Winners to see the different categories and the winners. The two services I tried were Goowy (online Desktop) http://www.goowy.com/index.aspx and Omnidrive http://www.omnidrive.com/- for storage. I think if you have set up your Desktop a certain way it would be helpful to be able to access it anywhere, and having access to storage is a great tool and its free.
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