14 DAY TRIAL // Even if the Google Docs presentation feature isn't quite an old function on the web, users adopted the function pretty well and this only encouraged the Mountain View company focus more on its development. A few days ago, Google rolled out what seems to be the first important update for presentations as it released two new features which would obviously provide better functionality to Google Docs users: speaker notes and YouTube support.
The speaker notes are mostly useful if you're one of those people who use the Google service to create presentations and share them to the entire audience. Using the new function, you're able to write down special notes or information that wouldn't be revealed to the ones viewing the presentation. "Seasoned presenters keep their slides simple and use slides to help illustrate their points, not to present all of their information. They jot down their talking points, examples, and supporting evidence in speaker notes," Dave Young, User Experience Designer, commented the new function.
The second important update is the YouTube support which obviously lets you insert YouTube clips into the presentations you create. The implementation of YouTube support into other Google services is not something new because other products, including Google Maps, have also received this feature.
"Videos can help you make a point, command the attention of your audience, or even add humor to your presentation. Now in presentations, you can insert one or more YouTube videos onto your slides and play the videos while you're presenting," the Google employee added.
The Google Docs presentation feature was released in September 2007 and regarded at that time as a potential killer for Microsoft's PowerPoint, a more popular application developed by Microsoft. However, Google Docs is still a web-based service although the parent company has made efforts to bring support for Google Gears, a special technology which would help the application migrate into the offline industry.