Google Photos Blog: Picasa 3.6 Now with Collaborative Albums

In Gaming with Picasa Web Albums, I mentioned a tip about using the Picasa desktop software to synchronize albums. I also mentioned the option to collaborate with albums. One thing I omitted was that Picasa 3.5 didn't properly support it. Well now Picasa 3.6 does. Read on to learn more.

Gaming with iGoogle

Now that we have accumulated a list of Google provided tools and services, we need a place to quickly access them all. iGoogle, Google's free personal and customizable portal, is the answer. In this article, we will look at how iGoogle will provide a dashboard interface for almost all of your needs when Gaming with Google.

Gaming with Google Docs Update: Sharing Folders

If you hadn't heard already, Google recently updated Google Docs to allow sharing of entire folders. Any file placed in that folder is automatically shared according to the permissions established for the folder. For example, if you share files with your gaming Google Group, simply create a folder, share the folder with the Google Group, and drag-and-drop any of the files into that folder. Google Docs will take care of the rest.

Gaming with Google Reader

We're getting close to the end of our Gaming with Google series with only two more articles after this (three if we get a Google Wave invite). In this article, we'll explore the use of Google Reader in relation to role-playing games. Actually, to be fair, there isn't much that directly applies to RPGs. What Google Reader does allow you to do is create a single place for you to review any new content published via some of the resources covered in the previous articles, specifically Google Groups, Blogger, and Picasa Web Albums.

Gaming with Picasa Web Albums

In Gaming with Blogger, we discussed using Google's Blogger to maintain a campaign or character journal. This week we'll add some images to the mix with Picasa Web Albums. With Picasa Web Albums, players and GMs can share character portraits, maps, illustrations, MapTool screenshots, tokens generated from TokenTool for use in MapTool, or photos of your face-to-face gaming session.

Sharing with Google Groups

Google implemented a new feature for its Sharing system in Google Sites, Calendar, and Docs that directly affects one of the core set ups in our Gaming with Google articles, making it even easier to share those resources with others.

Gaming with Blogger

Keeping a journal for your campaign can be extremely helpful to your gaming group, but it can also be yet another thing to add to your already crammed to-do list. Factor in higher priorities in your life such as taking time to pay the bills, spending time with your family, working on projects around your home, running errands, or enjoying time with your non-gaming friends; the next thing you know, your next game session is tomorrow night, and you've forgotten everything that happened in the previous session. The entire effort becomes a chore, and soon neither you nor anyone else in the group is able to keep accurate track of what's going on in the campaign, especially if you're not playing any more frequently than once or twice a month.

That's where a team blog in Blogger can come in handy. This article will show how you can collaborate on a team blog in a fun way to keep track of your campaign while also developing your character's personality further as the campaign moves along, all without having to take too much time away from your life away from the game table.

Gaming with Google Docs, Part 2

In Part I of this article, we covered some basic ways Google Docs can be used to facilitate and coordinate your role-playing game. Specific examples included handouts, campaign notes, and player character backgrounds as well as folders/tagging and mobile access to your documents.

In this article, we'll take a look at some of the more advanced tools available in Google Docs such as forms for collecting or archiving information, spreadsheets for basic accounting, using presentations for campaign intros and segues, using drawing tools for creating maps and illustrations, and accessing your material offline.

Gaming with Google Docs, Part 1

Google Docs is a flexible suite of online Office-like applications. Its list of applications includes spreadsheets, documents (including PDFs), presentations, and forms. Not only can you create original files in Google Docs, but you can also import files created in your favorite office application including OpenOffice.org and Microsoft Office (including 2007).

Google Docs also grants you the ability to save documents to a file on disk and includes formats such as HTML, DOC, PDF, and more. In this article, we discuss some of the basic uses for Google Docs and how they can apply to your RPG campaign.

Gaming with Google Calendar

It's probably challenging enough to keep your life organized as is with a full work schedule, keeping your home, spending time with family, errands, social occasions, and so much more. Add your kid's schedule into the mix, and you see your open time slots dwindling away. In between all of that, you want to be able to schedule a game with your gaming friends' who might have busy schedules of their own. Google Calendar to the rescue!

Gaming with Google Groups

For this article, we'll focus on Google Groups as a means for you and your gaming group to conveniently communicate. Google Groups is Google's version of mailing lists and community forums as it serves both purposes. It allows members to email the entire group with a single email address. Alternatively, you can post messages directly to the Google Group, and they will be sent as emails to all members. In addition to basic mailing list functionality, your Google Group can be used as medium for basic play-by-post role-playing games.