A small group of travellers appeared the excellent user case to explore Google apps streaming on the go. The characteristics of the group mirror conceptually any team collaboration on the go, framed schedule, and final goal.
Why do I take a journey analogy to team collaboration?
The people who participate have a definite behaviour, apply certain tools, approach, knowledge, skills, and devices. That said, our User case can be taken as a typical team in collaboration work, on the go.
Basics: seven people, seven mobile devices, seven days program on schedule, seven occupations, three industries, two nationalities, four cultures, two generations, four men, three women, three languages simultaneously applied. It’s more of a typical multi-culture team.
Our research and created program completed on focus within a week for preliminary preparation. Since we could work online only, being 2000 km away, the useful Google Apps in our support were:
- Google Maps, My Maps
- Google Docs online and offline
- Shared Album
Fast decision making with Google Docs
What most differed compared to previous travel planning is the online collaboration on one document, all in one place. It resulted in a focused sequence of the stages of the plan, no distraction about lost data and fast decision-making.
Complete and Detailed Information on My Maps
My Maps shared with the team took off any complications about the complete travel experience from the start till the end.
While on the go, we have established roles of organizers, who followed with the schedule and decision-making, depending on changed circumstances like the weather for example. Because of high temperature close to 40 deg C, a few of the initial items had to be omitted and better opportunities on the road experimented. This process involved local support offline only and the risk of the changes was turned to be advantageous for a better experience of the group. What concerns Google apps, on this stage, we used Google maps offline with 100% efficiency. For the 5 days on the road, there was just one wrong turn and the real reason we didn’t follow was the size of our vehicle since we traveled by minibus, not by a car.
The travel itself is documented with Google Plus Collections, a Google advanced tool beneficial for research, conversation and collaboration.
What are the most productive apps we used?
- Google Offline Maps & Navigation and Google Maps online made true guided navigation on the road.
- Google Photos and Shared Albums collected all the images we took along the travel and eased the shares.
- Google Translate as a tool for efficient communication between English, German and Bulgarian languages.
- WhatsApp for a private chat.
- YouTube to record and publish unforgettable moments.
- Google Maps and Google Photos for video upload on location
Social media for keeping up with online activity on our connected networks: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Google+
Streaming Travel with Video on Google Maps
Along the travel a number of 10 to 20 sec. videos were created and kept on Google Photos. With Local Guides introducing the option to upload a video on maps our short videos were handy to add to the locations we visited. If you check our Streaming Travel list, on each location, go to photos and scroll to see video captures from guided tours, curious experiences and picturesque scenery. The video insights are inviting and including the visitor on their online discovery in a very direct manner. The recording below is done with Lollipop Screen Recorder on Android.
Streaming Travel Extended by Google Lens Interacting with Google Photos
The magic moments captured along the travel are lost no more! Even after returning at home you can click Google Lens icon at the bottom right and the locations you didn’t even realize you captured are instantly recognized with Google’s advancement tools in computer vision and machine learning. Besides details about landmark or buildings, there are more items to where Google Lens will magically help you.
Conclusion:
- The preferred channel of communication for each member remained without change before and after the team travel.
- The digital skills in the process of communication on the go when the team is involved are a prerequisite for the efficient use of apps and for achieved goals.
- Beyond individual channels, long-term value is built in benefit of all parties involved in populating the travel destination from the storified experience. Note Data from Google Research
Watch The Tutorial “Location and Themes” (3:37min), excerpt from a live-streamed YouTube event.
Android is a trademark of Google Inc.
Discover Topic: All Things Google
I wrote an article about the first stage of our organizational work Google Apps Streaming Travel
Check my article on Local Guides 5 Top Android Apps For Travel Tips
Google is changing the travel experience with Google Flights
I’m keeping an updated interactive guide Go Local Online Benefits
Consider SEO in the mobile-first world: Understanding The Impact of Mobile First Indexing, Brighton SEO 2017
