Buzzing about Buzzword

Buzzword has been around for a while but I’ve finally given it a shot and I have to admit, it’s impressive. Basically Buzzword is a word processor done entirely in flash. That means that it lives in your web browser. "Okay" you say, "but what sets it apart from Google Docs?" Well, for one, an interface that is actually appealing to the eye. Don’t get me wrong I’m a Google Docs user, especially because Google Docs lets me do spreadsheets, but as a straight word-processing application Buzzword destroys Google Docs. It has all of the functionality you’d ever want from an application like Microsoft Word with a prettier interface that’s more intuitive. This is one of the first times I’ve ever seen a web app and wished some of its features were available in a desktop application.

Let me start out with the aesthetics – Buzzword is pretty. It’s so pretty that it’s almost a shame that I have to run it inside of Firefox which, let’s be honest, is kinda ugly. I don’t know if it’s the Mac fanboy inside of me coming out but I really like using software that’s not only easy to use but also looks like it was made in the 21st century. The interface is a nice streamlined black and green beauty which almost equates to the Web 2.0 of applications. That is to say it looks like a Web 2.0 website while at the same time providing functionality rivaling any desktop word processor out there. Plus, it’s not just the color scheme – because Buzzword was done in Flash everything has a nice smooth animation to it. My favorite part is the toolbar. It stays nice and small when you don’t need it and then slides out when you do. Have you ever been using a program like Photoshop where you have so many windows open you kind of become overwhelmed? Alternatively have you ever been using Word and you have to file through tons of different menus looking for that one simple feature you need? You don’t get any of that with Buzzword. There’s a total of 7 buttons on the toolbar, each with their own distinct purpose. Need to change the font? Go to the font button. Need to edit the paragraph layout? Go to the paragraph button. Need to insert an image? Go to the image button and so on.

(Click the image below to see a full-size screenshot of Buzzword)

Another great thing about Buzzword is you get all of the added benefits of using a web application. These days if you’re working on a document chances are you’re collaborating with someone. With an application like Word that means you’re attaching your doc to an email and sending it back and forth. With Buzzword (and to be fair, with Google Docs) you can simply share the document to other people that have Buzzword accounts. That way you both can work on it at the same time, the document is updated dynamically whenever someone finishes editing it, and you don’t have to worry about back-and-forth emailing. You can also give permissions to editors: Co-Authors have full permission which means they can edit to their hearts content, Reviewers can view and add comments to a document, and finally Readers (you guessed it!) have read-only access to the document and can’t change anything. The second benefit of Buzzword being a web app is that you don’t have to ever worry about losing your document. Today with viruses, hardware failure, so on and so forth it’s more important than ever to back up your files so as not to lose them. With Buzzword though, everything is stored on their servers so you don’t have to worry about that. Sure, if you want a hard copy of your document you can export it to .doc, .docx, and a myriad of other formats, but for the most part you get piece of mind knowing your dissertation won’t be lost.

Buzzword also has some pretty cool advanced features you wouldn’t expect from an online word processor. Features like ‘version history’ so you can look at previous versions of your document and restore an older version if you want, or some of the sexiest editor comments I’ve ever seen – and that’s just the start. There’s also a full-featured spell checker. That sounds pretty mundane but there’s even a personal dictionary so you can add new words or get rid of ones you don’t want. Plus there’s an indicator on the bottom status bar that shows you the current word count and number of misspelled words in your document, so you’ll never miss one. There’s also full-featured tables that make adding and removing columns and rows really intuitive…no more right click > rows > add row > add row above – instead you just click the plus sign above a row and bam, new row. Remember when I said I wish other word processors had features that Buzzword has? This is what I’m talking about.

I know I’m forgetting to talk about some important stuff but let me wrap it up by saying this – Buzzword is the first online word processor that I would gladly write a paper for class in. Google Docs is nice for lists or reminders, but it doesn’t even come close to Buzzword from an interface and functionality standpoint. Buzzword is so cool that Adobe decided to acquire the development crew, which is good news I think. That means that we might just see Buzzword come to the desktop after all – Adobe Air, anyone? I hope that happens.