What do you do when multiple people need access to the same document? You could e-mail the file back and forth with CCs going to everyone involved, but that can get very messy very quickly. A suitable alternative could be Google Documents.

It doesn’t offer much when it comes to version control, but it could be a great way to share a “living” document among collaborators. For instance, multiple authors working on the same e-book can work on the same document so that they can check on one another’s progress.

Another possible application is for time-tabling. Creating a spreadsheet in Google Documents, the file can be shared with all employees to see the different schedules. This way, if shifts need to be swapped, it is easy to see who is and is not available. It’s up to the administrator whether employees have only “view” access or if they can edit as well.

The great thing about Google Documents is that it is absolutely free and anyone with a Gmail account already has access. Further still, contributors don’t even need a Google account; they just have to keep the special access link that would be contained within the invitation e-mail message.