Late September 2009, Google Docs introduced an API for Google Sites. All that is kinda geeky so if you don’t understand it that’s OK. Basically, it allows developers to create companion applications for Google Sites or work Google Sites into their existing applications. One developer quickly jumped on this API to create a much needed import/export tool.
For me, this is great because I like the simplicity of using Google Sites to create a Wiki of our organization’s work flow, operating manuals and how-to’s. But the fact that the data is ’stuck’ on Google Sites made us re-think it because it takes a lot of my time to write these manuals and while I’ve not lost anything on Google yet, that’s the keyword – yet. Besides, what if something comes along I like better and want to switch? Data portability is crucial.
With the import/export tool, I can finally resume using Google Sites and create a backup of our documentation in HTML microformats. It is written in Java – which means you have to have Java (not to be confused with Javascript) installed. It is open source and you can download it here.
