Yes, You CAN Work With Spreadsheets

Mar.14, 2008 in Techniques

I just got started on a somewhat comprehensive Case Study and techniques series of posts when I realized I was already violating the educational principle of "known to unknown". You need to begin at the beginning if you are going to be of any use to those who want to learn, so I will correct that oversight here, from time to time, whenever I see the problem arise.

I wanted to write about a very simple technique to find out how profitable and existing website ought to be, and also to use to make decisions about focusing on or expanding existing sites.

The technique requires some simple manipulation of data with a spreadsheet and then I realized … I’ve been hearing about this problem for more than 10 years now, long before most of us were even online.

The problem? "Oh, woe is me I can’t learn this technique because I don’t have Excel on my machine." (believe it or not, 10 years ago there essentially was no Excel, the problem then was "I don’t have Lotus 123 on my machine." The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Well, you can work with spreadsheet data, including Excel spreadsheet data right now, today, without spending a dime. getting a free, legal spreadsheet program into your arsenal of tools is going to help with a lot more than the simple profitability analysis I was originally writing about, believe me. Choices:

Excel Viewer 2003: This is a free tool from Microsoft that lets you open, view and do limit3d work with Excel spreadsheets from the version in Office 97 up to the latest versions. It is not the same as having Excel on your machine but it is very useful for looking at and learning from data … and the price is right. (Microsoft also has viewers for free for Word, PowerPoint and Access … never use that "I don’t have" crutch again.)
OpenOffice: A better choice than limited capability Microsoft-specific viewers. OpenOffice is a totally free alternative to Microsoft Office which emulates and often exceeds the capabilities of the MSFT Office suite. Really hard to beat … OpenOffice "Calc" does) what Excel does and more.
Google Docs: I have definitely saved the best for last here. Just go to Google Docs and presto, you have essentially an Excel, Word and PowerPoint equivalent tool online. totally free, no downloads, you can even use it at a friend’s computer, Internet cafe, work from work and home alternately, etc. The power of the spreadsheet tool is easily the equal of Excel for our purposes … even nicer in some ways .. and you will never lose data or forget where it is on your hard drive. Working with a friend, business partner or mentor? Then just sign them up for access and you can work on the same spreadsheet at the same time … ha, try that with Excel.

Okay, there’s my recommendations. Stop making yourself the ‘before’ poster in the race for online knowledge. Instead of using lack of money, tools or time as an excuse, learn how to improvise, adapt, overcome … profits will follow.

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