Magic in the cloud! | Passey.info

Yes indeed, there is a magic in the cloud destined for us all!

I was on cloud nine… or whichever cloud is best when you are feeling ecstatic! This travel to the clouds happened when Specky came to me and said, ‘Don’t fret, don’t worry, and don’t ever put your ideas on little pieces of paper that can fly away to the lostland!’

I had looked at her with an expression that was clearly and totally confused and replied, ‘I didn’t get you? My idea is untraceable.’

‘Your idea is untraceable because you had jotted it down on a piece of paper which was probably blown away by the fan form the table to the dustbin… and must be a part of the heap of garbage somewhere by now.’ She paused for a while and then continued, ‘In simpler words, it is time you thought of switching over to Microsoft Office 365.’

I was experiencing emotions that were a mixture of sadness, irritation, and desperation… good ideas don’t come so often to writers and when they come they need to be captured immediately! That is precisely what I had done – but the old fashioned way! Now here was Specky, my wife, suggesting me that I jot down even ideas on a Word file.

‘What?’ I said, ‘You want me to run to my laptop in the Study, open MS Word, and write down small words or phrases or lines that jump into my mind? You’re out of your mind!’

Wives are extremely calm creatures when they are dealing with jumpy husbands. Specky too displayed this trait and calmly replied, ‘I don’t mean the Office applications on your laptop. I mean the ones that Microsoft has decided to make available on the cloud.’

‘Cloud?’ Well, monosyllables have this endearing capability to convert automatically into longer queries… and I’m sure my wife must’ve interpreted my single word exclamation as a blitzkrieg of questions that would sound like:

Is the entire Office going to be a part of cloud computing now?
You mean I can access Word even through my smartphone?
Now don’t tell me there will be no format disturbances in this cloudy business?
You mean I can also upload my articles directly to my blog?
Will I also be able to collaborate with my editors if I wish to?

Office 365: full of unique features.

Specky answered, ‘Yes.’ However, husbands aren’t so intuitive and monosyllabic answers remain monosyllabic to them. She could see from my expression that a mere ‘yes’ would be insufficient and she proceeded to explain to me the answers in detail.

Well, I was fascinated with the effortlessness with which she explained how Microsoft Office 365 would make my life as a writer and blogger so much easier. I wish I could have captured her explanations in a video clip and shared it with you guys, but I was obviously too engrossed in listening to her.

To come back to my ecstatic state now… yes, I am riding a cloud because I am now absolutely fascinated by this magic in the cloud: Microsoft Office 365. Let me explain to why I think so.

Is the entire Office going to be a part of cloud computing now?

Yes, and I need not get into the details of the applications here. But for a writer it is important to be able to access a worthy and dependable word-processor any time anywhere. The presence of the Office components on the cloud makes sure you get this without any ambiguity or hassle.

You mean I can access Word even through my smartphone?

Well, why just Word… you can access any of the Office applications on the cloud. Make your presentations, write your articles, do your accounts… and even make little notes. The more charming aspect is that you can do all this even from your tab or smartphone or iPad or whichever device you happen to have that has the ability to connect to the net and allow you the benefits of a browser.

Now don’t tell me there will be no format disturbances in this cloudy business?

I know that this has been a really sore point for me as a blogger and as a writer. I remember I had once begun writing a poem (on my office PC) that was supposed to take up a particular shape… you know it was one of those very emotive ones where if you’re talking about a ball, the shape of the poem is that of a ball. Well, the shape that I had achieved in that poem was more complex than a mere ball… and I copied it on my pen-drive and downloaded it on my laptop at home. The shape had disappeared. My poem appeared so dis-oriented and shattered! So was I, of course. I realised that this was because of version incompatibility and ever since I had been a worried writer.

Microsoft Office 365 solves this issue once and for all. No incompatibility issues will crop up… as you are on working on the net, saving in the cloud, and emailing or uploading in the virtual space! Wow! This is something bloggers and writers are going to literally fall in love with!!

You mean I can also upload my articles directly to my blog?

Now isn’t the facility of uploading articles on your blog directly from your device an absolute charmer? I know I would love to be known as the Galaxy-blogger once I have finally stepped into the 365-arena! This is because I will be in a position to swype away my intended post fast on my Galaxy Note II and upload it even as I sit and sip a cup of hot coffee in a cool coffee house.

I’m sure blogging is going to become much more dynamic and current once bloggers warm up to this feature. Imagine sitting in an Indiblogger Meet and thundering away a post right away to upload it on your blog and even tweet about it or share with relevant people on Lync even before others have realised that a post is up there to read! Let me tell you that this is going to make the making and propagation of vital posts speedier and convert blogging into a formidable communication tool! I have actually loved the 365 edge to blogging, as I now fondly call it.

Will I also be able to collaborate with my editors if I wish to?

When my wife explained this feature I listened without letting either of my cerebral hemispheres go wobbly, so to say.

‘Just imagine,’ Specky had told me, ‘there are four people sitting in different parts of the globe wanting to make sure that your article that is to be published, has all the elements in the right place. One is a scientist who will see that the facts are correct; the other is an editor to see if all the commas and apostrophes are in the right spot, the third is a source who wants to make sure that the quotes are all correct and you are the fourth person. How long will it take the four of you to finalise an article?’

I impersonated a hollow laugh and said, ‘Ages. It is going to take ages!’

‘Wrong,’ she said, ‘Office 365 will make it happen in real time if all people are awake and available. And anyway you can always ‘poke’ them on facebook to bring them to attention!’

So you see, collaboration is pretty smooth in this office in the cloud concept and helps the completion of a task be better as well as faster. And no version clashes, remember? You should also consider using a virtual office if you run your business from home, as it’s far better to keep your personal home address private. We have a few businesses in Cardiff and use an excellent virtual office in Cardiff which works so well and offers all of those advantages, so for such a low cost it’s a no-brainer.

I love this magic in the cloud

No wonder, I have actually fallen in love with this magic in the cloud!

Dedicating these few lines to this dynamic young concept:

If you want
Your creativity to travel
At the speed
Of your thoughts
It’s time for MS 365.
So say aloud:
Magic in the cloud!