Collaborating without Google & Co.

30 min Easy

Eine Illustration von einem weißen, rechteckigen Porzellanteller, auf dem drei Sushirollen liegen, aufgeteilt in mundgerechte Sushi-Stücke. Über das Sushi sind Schnörkel aus brauner Sojasoße gelegt, die an Schreibschrift erinnern. Neben dem Teller stehen zwei Schalen mit Sojasauße. Von drei Seiten reichen Essstäbchen auf den Teller, die offenbar kollaborativ das Sushi essen.

Collaborating on a document with several people: Google Docs and Microsoft 365 (via OneDrive or SharePoint) do offer this feature. But the content ends up on the servers of the big tech companies and is sometimes analysed by them as well. If you don't like the taste of this, then this recipe will show you how you can cook with others on your spreadsheets and documents without relying on Big Tech.

Different ways to cook

Our digital switch recipes provide an easy, simple way to give Big Tech the push, but there are other options available. We have tried to make it easy by focusing on a single approach and a small number of options, but there are other alternatives that are just as good. After all, what we mean by ‘good’, ‘not so good’ and ‘bad’ is open to debate: DI.DAY is about easy ways to give Big Tech the push (without getting into purism or being preachy). Our decisions are based on advice from our advisory panel.

An overview of the alternatives is available on the next page:

Alternatives to Big Tech

Ingredients

1 handful of openness

for new tools

2 tbsp of patience

while getting familiar with the tools

1 pinch of curiosity

when trying things out

1 cup of team spirit

for collaborative use

Preparation

1 Choosing a cooking pot

Choose a collaborative document tool that meets your needs.

CryptPad (France)

For simple, fast collaboration: end-to-end encryption, no login required, real-time editing. However, CryptPad doesn't support offline use and offers only limited formatting options.

Etherpad (Great Britain)

Run by a charity. Easy to use for real-time collaboration on texts.

Nextcloud Office

If you’re already using Nextcloud (see switch recipe Nextcloud), you should take a look at the new Nextcloud Office, which is based on Euro-Office! In Nextcloud, you can also collaborate using Collabora Online – with great apps for mobiles and desktop computers.

Due to the sanctions against Russia, OnlyOffice is not recommended (see switch recipe Office solutions).

2 Give it a go!

Open CryptPad or Etherpad in the browser (e.g. cryptpad.fr or etherpad.org).

Nextcloud: Set up a test instance (e.g. Nextcloud on your own server or with a provider such as Ionos; see switch recipe Nextcloud). Or try out the relatively new Libre Workspace, which is suitable for individuals, families and small businesses.

Work with two or three colleagues to test how the tool in question fits into your workflow. Upload a sample file (e.g. a Word document) and edit it together. Also test importing and exporting files (e.g. .docx, .odt, .txt).

3 Transferring your files to their new home

Which text documents need to be transferred (‘migrated’)? Where are they currently stored (e.g. Google Drive, OneDrive, local files)? You can also use our data clouds recipe to help with the transfer.

Work with both the old and new tools side by side for 1 to 2 weeks. Use the new tool for new projects and the old one for existing work.

Dessert

Real-time collaboration on documents only works if everyone uses the same tool! Otherwise, complex formatting (e.g. tables, macros) often has to be edited manually.

Just in case something goes wrong: keep backups of the old documents handy.

Enjoy your meal! You have just taken a big step towards a more independent digital existence.

Once you #DIDit – share our post about the digital switch and inspire others to take control of their own digital lives!

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