Photo by Rubaitul Azad on Unsplash
Coexisting v. Collaborating in Google Sheets
– Rebekah Hedge
Are you actually collaborating with your coworkers in Google Workspace – or are you just coexisting? Have you ever used a note or a comment in Google Sheets? Did you know that these even existed? If the answer to any of these questions is no then you are not reaching your full workspace potential.
To begin adding either a comment or a note you will start with the same first step. Simply right click the cell that you wish to add the note or comment as seen below.
Before you click that mouse again, your next question needs to be, “Why am I adding this?” Are you adding in informative information to let you coworker know what happened with that cell, or why the content of that cell is what it is? OR are you adding this information because you need your coworker to respond to you and determine a conclusion, change or action to that cell?
Adding a Note
Let’s start with the informative answer first. If this is the case, you will choose Insert Note. Adding a note to a cell leaves a piece of information for anyone else working in the sheet. Google Sheets denotes this with a black triangle in the corner of the cell containing the note as seen below.
Hovering over the cell with the note will allow you to see the comment that was left by anyone working within the sheet.
Adding a Comment
Leaving a comment on a cell is used more for collaboration purposes. When adding a comment you are doing so because you have a question or an action that is needed.
When adding comments you are able to tag coworkers within your workspace as well as assign cells. When you assign cells to a peer they will be alerted through email.
A yellow triangle in the corner of the cell denotes a comment has been added.
When you select the cell that has had a comment added, you will be able to see who the cell is assigned to and the previous comments. This feature also allows anyone with access to the sheet to add additional comments regarding the cell.
True collaboration is priceless within a company, especially in the age of remote offices. Hopefully, using these features will help your Google Workspace become a collaborative workspace with your peers!
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