Archive for category: General

Microsoft to VARs: Never Mind

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In a major shift, Microsoft has changed its mind and backtracked from its decision to allow VARs to bill directly for SaaS solutions. Here is the story.

Google Docs now has Footnotes

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Google Docs now supports footnotes! Here’s how …

Publish Results with Forms and Spreadsheets

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When you create a form, associated with a spreadsheet, you can now elect to share results — a summary of responses — with your collaborators, or with everybody that fills in the form.

Learn more here.

“Spreadsheet Lite” Improves Access from Mobile Phones

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Google has added “List View” to Google Spreadsheets. List view is a basic, fast-loading view of a spreadsheet, with simplified editing features. It makes it easy to access Google Spreadsheets:

  • On a slow Internet connection
  • From some mobile phones
  • When there are more than 50 users trying to access a spreadsheet at the same time

Learn more here.

Google Spreadsheets Get Data Validation

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Google has added data validation (lenient or strict) to Google Spreadsheets. You can now:

  • Validate numbers, dates, and text.
  • Prevent users from entering text that doesn’t match your criteria, or show them a comment on the cell when the data doesn’t match the validation rule.
  • Add text to the cells you add validation to, to help your collaborators enter the right type of data.

Learn more here.

Microsoft Changes Controversial SaaS Billing Policies

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After a generation of confusing and frustrating licensing policies, Microsoft may actually be listening to its channel partners. Reported by ChannelWeb, Microsoft will let channel partners bill customers for SaaS services.

Google Starts Down Certification Path

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Google announced that they are offering on-line courses and a certification test for Google Analytics. This is a good start in helping business owners understand if they are engaging qualified resources.

We look forward to Google expanding the program to their other product lines. We also encourage Google to consider a practicum or customer references to further validate skill sets.

Microsoft Gives Hosting Firms Toolkit and Ability to Build More Infrastructure

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As reported in Web Host Industry Review, Microsoft has released a Data Center Toolkit designed to help web hosting firms host and manage other services on the MS Platform.

In doing so, Microsoft is asking web hosting firms to further expand their capital infrastructure. Why not provide web hosting firm with access to a cloud on which they can provision and offer services?

Google Provides Blog Converters

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As part of it’s open source initiatives, Google has released Google Blog Converters 1.0.

Kudos to Google for helping users move from as well as to Google’s Blogger service.

Google Leaks Sneak Peak at Offline Tasks

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An avid Google-watcher, Google Blogoscoped caught a glimpse of offline Tasks when Google temporarily allowed access beyond their Trusted Tester network.