Google Docs Opens Template Gallery To The Public

At the moment, there are exactly 725 alternatives available in the Google Docs Template Gallery, and that’s a rather large number.  But if you check back at this time next week, there are liable to be a whole lot more, because Google’s now letting everyone submit templates.

In an email to WebProNews, a Googler explained, "[W]e are opening up the template gallery so that anyone using Google Docs can create and submit a template for inclusion in this public catalog.  If you submit a template to the gallery, other Google Docs users will be able to view a preview, create a copy for their own use, and rate your template to help others find the most useful templates."

This crowdsourcing effort represents a clever move.  After all, it’ll cost Google very little, and people like participating in communities and showing off their creations.  Also, this is a way in which desktop-bound software will find it difficult to compete.

Google doesn’t even have to worry about the Template Gallery filling up with junk, since sorting options like "Hottest," "Most Users," and "Highest Rating" should keep individuals from wasting their time.

So consider showing your creative side – or at least see what other people have to contribute – on Google Docs.