Long before Microsoft started running their "to the cloud" ads, those of us on Google Docs were sharing documents, spreadsheets, and presentations in real-time. I watched as a member of my team was adding or editing information in a document that I was also editing.. Me in my office in Southern California. She in her office in Washington D.C.

That alone should intrigue you.

But until recently, I did not use Google Slides. Their recent addition of the ability to embed unlisted videos has changed all that. In the past, you could only embed YouTube videos that were public and searchable on YouTube. This was problematic for my application.

In short, I want to be able to create videos that are specific to a presentation. Ie: perhaps it is me talking about the slide that is being viewed. For instance, a slide that describes how to use a particular feature or plug-in for Wordpress.

I did not want that video, one that only made sense while looking at the rest of the slide, to be listed on my YouTube channel. Imagine, me explaining how the viewer can see an image of the Wordpress screen below my video. I might actually be pointing down to it and explaining key elements of what they are seeing.

That video on my YouTube channel makes no sense.

Now, with the ability to add unlisted videos to a Google Slides presentation, I can create short videos for each slide in a presentation. Even better, let's say, one feature or screen changes. I don't have to republish my Google Slide Presentation. I simply create a new descriptive video, edit that one slide in the presentation, embed the new unlisted video and delete the old video from my channel.

Voila!! My presentation/tutorial can always remain perfectly up to date.

I could, of course, do the same on a web page.. ie: swap out video and other content. But the editing, organization, and collaboration tools of Google Drive are much simpler for me to share with others I work with.

It is easier to drag and drop images, add and edit text, and move and resize videos in my presentation than on my website.

Here is a Google Slide presentation with several unlisted embedded videos. I also have an example of exactly how to embed the unlisted videos in your Google Slides presentation.

Where do I see this feature being used:

* An application user guide with a easy to navigate menu system;
* Presentations and narratives for speakers on a given topic/subject matter;
* Trainers who want to provide an always updated manual with videos specific to their
application;
* Authors who to self-publish a topic with video and ensure that the information is always timely;

I'm sure there are more applications you can come up with.. Please feel free to share your ideas!