Microsoft updates Docs tool in time for school

Docs.com allows users to collaborate on documents through Facebook

Microsoft has announced a series of updates to its Docs programme that allows Facebook users to collaborate and share documents online through the popular social networking site.

In time for the return to schools and colleges, the new updates will allow users to more effectively tag and search for documents, as Pat Kinsel, a member of the Microsoft Fuse Labs, explained in a blog posting.

"It’s now easy to tag a document with any keyword. As a result, you can then sift through your own docs to find exactly what you’re looking for," he said.

"Tags help you discover docs in numerous ways. For example, when viewing your friends’ docs, you can drill down to see only those about a particular subject. Or, when viewing your own docs, you can discover other docs about the same subject."

The firm has also improved the ability to search for docs on the site, with Kinsel explaining how users can now more effectively find work by friends or on specific topics.

"No matter where you are on Docs.com, you can now search for people, pages and tags. If you’re familiar with how search works on Facebook, search on Docs.com should be simple and intuitive," he wrote.

"If you’re looking for docs authored by a specific friend or Facebook page, simply type the name and select the correct suggestion. If you’re looking for docs about a specific subject, type the subject and select the appropriate tag. "

The tool remains in beta mode, despite these updates, and no word was given on when this status may end, but Microsoft will no doubt be hoping the latest additions help the Office platform compete with Google Docs in the cloud collaboration space.