Last Wednesday, Docs.com, also known as Docs for Facebook was publicly launched at Facebook’s F8 conference. The online app was produced by Microsoft’s FUSE Labs, allowing users to create, edit, and share Microsoft Office documents with your Facebook friends.
The service is yet still in beta for now whereby users can only view documents, but will have to join a wait list in order to edit or create new ones. JR Raphael from PC World was able to take an early peek at the full functionality though. Here’s a look at what he has found out.
Getting Started
At a glance, Docs for Facebook seems awfully similar to Microsoft’s recently announced Office 2010 Web edition. And it is: The service is actually powered by Office 2010. However the main difference is the existence of the Facebook connection and the added sharing opportunities it presents. That connection starts with the very first step: users sign in to Docs for Facebook using their Facebook ID, either at Docs.com or within the official Facebook app. Once they’re signed in, user can create or upload new Word, Excel, or Powerpoint documents, or you can view documents created by any of their Facebook friends. The experience is essentially identical whether they’re accessing it via Docs.com or via the in-site Facebook application.
The actual viewing and editing interface will feel familiar to anyone who’s used Microsoft’s Office products: users will have a menu bar filled with formatting options at the top of their document, along with standard menus such as “File”, “Insert”, and “View”. Spreadsheets allow users to resize columns and perform most of the basic functions.
One plus of the program which is not present in other Web-based collaboration tools: Docs for Facebook allows user to move any document into their own desktop-based Office software for viewing or editing with just a single button click. The desktop viewing and editing functions are compatible with both PC and Mac versions of Office; however, user will need Office 2007 or a more recent version in order for them to work.
Getting Social
The sign-in and editing process is all fine and groovy, but Docs for Facebook’s biggest selling point, is its social component. Upon creating or uploading a new document, Docs for Facebook gives user the option to share the file with any number of friends on Facebook. Users can specify individual people as approved readers or editors, or they can opt to make the document public to all of their friends or to the entire Internet or have it posted on their Facebook Wall as well.
When it comes to the sharing, the appearance of Docs doesn’t look entirely different from what users are used to see: A shared document appears on their Facebook Wall and News Feed the same way a shared photo or status update would, except it says “via Docs” at the bottom. Anyone can click it to view it, and anyone can “like” it or comment on it, too. Docs for Facebook does offer a couple of options to expand its Facebook presence: Users can add a specialized tab to the top of their profile, making all of their created documents accessible in a single location, and also add a Docs bookmark onto their Facebook home page so they can access the app without having to search.
Final Thoughts
Generally speaking, Docs for Facebook is pleasant enough to use, though it did move a bit slowly during the author’s (JR Raphael) tests. A couple of errors are also encountered while moving through the program, and the documents shared on the Wall had an out-of-place-looking blank image where an icon should have been. However, the program is still in beta and is likely being bombarded with traffic right now, so these may or may not be long-term problems.
One can’t help but wonder whether Docs for Facebook will be able to hold its own next to an established and widely used service like Google Docs. Personally, it is suspected that it could end up attracting a largely different audience; the type of people using Google Docs for business-based collaborations seem unlikely to port their projects over to a socially oriented service like Facebook, even if the offering does bear Microsoft’s name. Businesses looking to use Microsoft Office online would be more apt to turn towards the standalone Office 2010 Web edition.
Make no mistake about it: Docs for Facebook makes its target clear, and it certainly doesn’t seem to be the business-based user. The service’s “Overview” document, written by Microsoft FUSE Labs’ Pat Kinsel portrays Docs as a “social-productivity experience” and indirectly addresses the obvious Google Docs comparisons. “There are other services out there that let you create and collaborate on documents,” Kinsel says, “and there are others that support sharing, discussing and discovering documents. But what makes Docs special is it’s the only service that supports the complete document lifecycle. That coupled with seamless integration of Microsoft Office 2010 and Facebook makes Docs the best possible document service for the Facebook environment.”
The question then becomes whether a “social-productivity experience” is something people actually need – whether collaborating on documents is an activity users want within their Facebook worlds. Microsoft and Facebook are clearly betting that it is. Only time will tell if they’re right.
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