Let's talk security and why you should take advantage of Gmail's recent SSL feature, and why you might want to be careful using other non-SSL webmail services. But first, make sure your connection is secured using SSL. How do you know a connection is secured by SSL? The handy "s" after "http" will tell you. For example, https://mail.google.com is encrypted while http://mail.google.com is not. You can force an encryption by adding the "s" yourself, or by turning on "Always use https" from the Browser Connection settings of your Gmail account.

Firefox only (Windows/Mac/Linux): The Send to Google Docs Firefox extension adds an entry to your right-click menu to send supported filetypes directly to Google Docs. The new entry is context sensitive, so it only appears when you right click supported filetypes, which include Word docs, PDFs, PowerPoint, Excel, and every Open Document format. You've been able to open Gmail attachments in Google Docs for quite a while now, but this extension bridges the gap and makes Google Docs that much more of a viable, web-based Microsoft Office replacement. Send to Google Docs is free, works wherever Firefox does.

You can create a form from the Docs list or from any spreadsheet.

Google Docs is an easy-to-use online word processor, spreadsheet and presentation editor that enables you and your students to create, store and share instantly and securely, and collaborate online in real time. You can create new documents from scratch or upload existing documents, spreadsheets and presentations. There's no software to download, and all your work is stored safely online and can be accessed from any computer

Nice web page by a teacher using Google apps and lots of other cool tools

With hours of being launched Monday, Cuil - a new search engine created by former top Google engineers - was already being touted in the blogosphere as the next Google killer. But unless Cuil (pronounced 'cool') can develop an ad platform to rival Google's, Cuil will have a difficult time challenging the search giant.

This tutorial will show you how to use Google Docs word processor for blogging a live event - it could be a keynote address or a conference call with media or someone speaking at a local BarCamp in your city. To get started you would need a laptop computer, a free Google account and few inches of free space to sit (or stand) in the conference room. OK, we are now ready to roll.

This comprehensive and easy-to-follow new book teaches you how to use the new web-based applications from Google that are providing a viable alternative to Microsoft Office for many businesses. While Google's office suite shows a lot of promise, navigating...

Anyone hoping that Google Apps can rival Microsoft's products in the enterprise marketplace will have pause for thought after reading the astonishing testimony of development manager Sergey Solyanik, who has just gone back to Microsoft after a stint working at Google. In the best-informed blog on software-as-a-service and on-demand business applications, Phil Wainewright cuts through the vendor spin, analyzes the trends to watch and adds his thought-provoking insights.