Storming the Matrix: Can You Live Online?

In the movie, "The Matrix", the hero spends all his time trying to escape from living in a computer generated world.  It's funny to think that there are those of us who would prefer the opposite, and want to storm the matrix to get inside, living completely in a digital world.  We are coming very close to that with web apps that are improving each day to the point that it is very tempting.

Is it possible that one can do everything one needs to do to accomplish required tasks and achieve goals by using online tools only?  That question popped in my mind years ago when I read a quote from Bill Gates who said that the future would be oriented to an online world and that Microsoft would lead the way.  Since then, with the proliferation of WiFi hot spots, home wireless networks and wireless cards for laptops, as well as the new Google Gears that allow web applications to work offline, that future is close to being here.  However, Microsoft is not leading the way.  Instead, one of Microsoft's top officers stated that they are now years behind other companies in preparing viable web applications that Bill Gates promised.  Other companies, however, have blazed the way with webapps that promise everything that installed software promises -- but are available anywhere, anytime, on any computer.

Over the next few months, I've decided to see if I can completely live and work online, using only online tools.  From doing my banking (I'm a former Quicken guy), word processing and spreadsheets (I live in Microsoft Office), to communication, project management, data management and presentations, I'm going to give all the various webapps a good workout.  Some of the first up will be:

• Google Documents
• Wrike
• Google Calendar
• Various online email providers
• Zoho Writer, Spreadsheets, Project, Mail, etc.
• Online fax services
• Digital phone via computer

As I put these online bad-asses through their digital paces, I'll give you an assessment on their viability for professionals who work in a professional world.  If they come up short and amateurish, you'll know.  If they turn out to be superstars, you hear it here.  I'm not going to post on these daily, I'm just going to use them as if they were installed software that I use during the course of my management responsibilities and my business.  When I'm comfortable with their capabilities, I'll do a review.

The goal is to use online resources only.  However, during the course of my work, if any of these online tools fails muster, I may have to resort back to Word, Excel, Outlook, and Powerpoint.  Let's hope not.

Comments

[David Malouf]

I wonder what will happen when we all go online-only . . . will the farmers become the "geeks" we all need but don't understand?

I look forward to seeing how this works for you - such exercises allow some of us to try living virtual but doing it vicariously (virtually?) through, well, you!

[Barbara]

Good luck with this. Does this mean you'll be putting away the paper and pencil? How about the books?

[Bert]

David - I know that all vocations are not open to this kind of change, but...15 years ago, sitting in front of my little classic b/w Mac, I wouldn't have envisioned how much my professional life - and tools - would have changed because of technology. This *will* be interesting!

Barbara - Managing teachers in a public school, this will be fighting the tradition of paper, pencils, and books. The first change for tomorrow, the first day of school for teachers, will be the paperless Staff Handbook. What once was over 100 copies of a 70-page document is now completely online. I wonder how they'll take that...?

[SpiKe]

Good luck with this. I personally have never been keen on the idea of being tied to a computer for everything, never mind having to rely on an internet connection too. Sort of ironic considering I've spent the last 10 years working on/with computers :)

SpiKe
Organize IT

[Helen Gobs]

I'm deffinately looking forward to the results! And I will be very much interested to hear your opinion on such popular tools as Google Documents, Google Calendar and Wrike.

[Eric Mack]

The Office 2.0 conference (see my blog) is focused on living in the cloud. All conference prep, delivery, and management was done in the cloud using mostly free apps. It is possible. Now, is it practical....?