OK, before I begin, let me apologize if the title is a little misleading…What I mean to say is that I found a tool through Twitter that is one of the most productive and efficient tools I have come across in years. A friend of mine on Twitter is the developer, so that is what I mean when I say Twitter increased my productivity.

Now, let me ask you this, how you ever come across a concept that made you ask yourself “How did I not think of this?” or better yet “How did no one think of this?” This is one of those moments. When I first found out about OffisSync, I will be honest, it did not grab my attention. Most new services that enhance Microsoft products in general, and Microsoft Office specifically, do not really speak to me. However, throw the word Google, Google docs, and online sync in there, now you already have my ear.

So, I was just minding my own business on Twitter and I got a DM from a good friend to check this new product out, so I did, and let’s just say, I was so impressed, I broke some of my Twitter rules and tweeted about the product at least 3 times over the next hour. So what is this new Microsoft Office add on and how could I possibly be so excited about it?

A little background. Any writer will tell you two things about Microsoft Office. First of all, it is a buggy and frustrating program, and second of all, everyone uses it. So, there are two ways around this predicament. You can either use another tool and deal with all the inherent compatibility issues, or you can enhance the tool and make it a great application. OffiSync does the latter. It enhances Microsoft Office by turning it into not only a highly efficient tool, but I would go as far as to say, it turns it into an exciting application that even cool people might want to use, and it is fully compatible with Office 2003, 2007, and 2010

Enough babbling, here is what this brilliant piece of software gives you:

• Search Google from Within Microsoft Office: The possibilities of how to use this feature are almost literally endless. You can make use of Google Images right from within Office, you can search the Web and easily copy texts or terms from anywhere on the worldwide Web, you can research a topic without ever closing Word, and much much more. I do not know if this functionality is possible with other programs, I am sure it is, but it is so simple and brilliant that I do not know how Microsoft did not incorporate this in their original offering.
• Save your Word Files Online: Once again, how was this not available before? OffiSync integrates Microsoft Office with Google Docs. OffiSync is available for Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, the three primary Office tools people use. Pure genius. Save your file online seamlessly, transfer it to a co worker to view or edit, see their corrections in real time, and access the document from ANY computer connected to the Web. Brilliant.
• Collaborate with Others: By making use of the today’s big buzz word, Cloud Computing or Services, OffiSync combines the convenience of Google’s Cloud Services with the familiarity of Microsoft Office. Many people, myself included, like Google Docs. They use it in very specific cases, but cannot make it their primary work tool due to their long lasting familiarity with the market dominating Microsoft Office. With OffiSync, there is no need to make that choice. You can literally get the best of both worlds.
• Publish to Social Networks/Blogs: OK, this is obvious. A one click solution to post any content in your file to your favorite social network or blog.

Someone tweeted the other day about a very interesting concept. They said to imagine if you could drag and drop files or text between the Web and your desktop. OffiSync brings that concept one step closer to reality. The potential of OffiSync is endless. Among the other countless advantages of OffiSync, it will no doubtingly solve the bugginess that accompanies placing graphics in Word files. This way, you simply select the image from the Web and place it in your document (of coursewhile taking copyright into account). Completely seamless.

All this amazing functionality in a small and light toolbar that sits on top of your Microsoft Office interface. I for one installed it already and I would suggest to anyone who is reading this to do the same. It will enhance your usability and productivity that are severely damaged by the glitches that accompany Microsoft Office. One more thing I forgot to mention, OffiSync only costs…NOTHING! Totally free!

Watch the demo below, I am sure you will agree that we have a breakthrough product on our hands!

-Hillel