‘Discussion’ function adds a little conversation to Google spreadsheets

Élyse Betters | Sep 5 2012 - 10:36 am PT

Google Drive received an update today that makes it easier to collaborate and communicate, as Google’s popular discussion function, previously only available in documents and presentations, is now live in spreadsheets.

According Software Engineer Patrick Donelan on the official Google Docs blog:

Getting things done with others would be much easier if everyone was sitting right next to you. But since that’s rarely the case, we’re always updating Google Drive to make it easier to collaborate with others, no matter where you are or who you’re with.

Today we’re bringing the discussion functionality that’s already in documents and presentations to spreadsheets. If a cell has a comment in it, you’ll see an orange triangle in the upper right corner and when you hover over the cell you’ll see the full discussion.

Totaled comments are now at the bottom of the sheet tab’s screen, where a simple mouse hover on the comment icon will display a thread. Users can also +mention to include other people in the project’s discussion, which will send a notification to their email, and then they can choose to reply without even leaving their Gmail inbox.

Comments prior to today’s update are tucked away as saved “Notes”, which are still accessible in spreadsheets, and users can further take advantage of the black triangle in cell corners to differentiate them from the new-comment style. Moreover, users can create new notes or annotations in a cell from the “Insert” menu.

Go to the official Google Docs blog for more detailed information.

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