Google Sites Creates Team Web Pages

Google's latest online application allows users to create collaborative hubs for anything from projects to classes.

After gaining steam with Google Docs, Google’s Web-based alternative to Microsoft’s traditional Office suite, the Menlo Park giant rolled yet another Microsoft competitor onto the Web on Thursday. Google Sites challenges Microsoft Sharepoint by offering a simplified way to build team Web sites where groups can easily collaborate and share information with one another.

“Creating a team web site has always been too complicated, requiring dedicated hardware and software as well as programming skills,” said Dave Girouard, Google’s vice president of enterprise, in a statement. “Now with Google Sites, anyone can create an entirely customized site in minutes and invite others to contribute. We are literally adding an edit button to the web.”

Google envisions Sites being used to manage team projects, build employee profiles, and even work as a virtual classroom where teachers can post homework assignments and notes. Users can create pages with the click of an edit button, without knowledge of HTML or other programming languages. Sites also allows users to import content from other Google services, including YouTube, Google Docs, Google Calendar, and Picasa.

All Google apps users, including holders of Team, Standard, Premier and Education editions, can immediately sign up to Google Sites.