diff --git a/app/index.html b/app/index.html
index 6d9d78c2..6f52251e 100644
--- a/app/index.html
+++ b/app/index.html
@@ -157,7 +157,7 @@
             <select name="backend_type">
               <option value="csv">CSV</option>
               <option vlaue="excel">Excel</option>
-              <option value="gdoc">Google Spreadsheet</option>
+              <option value="gdocs">Google Spreadsheet</option>
               <option value="elasticsearch">ElasticSearch</option>
             </select>
           </div>
diff --git a/src/backend/base.js b/src/backend/base.js
index 9c027d87..2758f51e 100644
--- a/src/backend/base.js
+++ b/src/backend/base.js
@@ -6,180 +6,108 @@
 this.recline = this.recline || {};
 this.recline.Backend = this.recline.Backend || {};
 
-(function($, my) {
-  // ## recline.Backend.Base
+// ## recline.Backend.Base
+//
+// Exemplar 'class' for backends showing what a base class would look like.
+this.recline.Backend.Base = function() {
+  // ### __type__
   //
-  // Base class for backends providing a template and convenience functions.
-  // You do not have to inherit from this class but even when not it does
-  // provide guidance on the functions you must implement.
+  // 'type' of this backend. This should be either the class path for this
+  // object as a string (e.g. recline.Backend.Memory) or for Backends within
+  // recline.Backend module it may be their class name.
   //
-  // Note also that while this (and other Backends) are implemented as Backbone models this is just a convenience.
-  my.Base = Backbone.Model.extend({
-    // ### __type__
-    //
-    // 'type' of this backend. This should be either the class path for this
-    // object as a string (e.g. recline.Backend.Memory) or for Backends within
-    // recline.Backend module it may be their class name.
-    //
-    // This value is used as an identifier for this backend when initializing
-    // backends (see recline.Model.Dataset.initialize).
-    __type__: 'base',
+  // This value is used as an identifier for this backend when initializing
+  // backends (see recline.Model.Dataset.initialize).
+  this.__type__ = 'base';
 
+  // ### readonly
+  //
+  // Class level attribute indicating that this backend is read-only (that
+  // is, cannot be written to).
+  this.readonly = true;
 
-    // ### readonly
-    //
-    // Class level attribute indicating that this backend is read-only (that
-    // is, cannot be written to).
-    readonly: true,
-
-    // ### sync
-    //
-    // An implementation of Backbone.sync that will be used to override
-    // Backbone.sync on operations for Datasets and Documents which are using this backend.
-    //
-    // For read-only implementations you will need only to implement read method
-    // for Dataset models (and even this can be a null operation). The read method
-    // should return relevant metadata for the Dataset. We do not require read support
-    // for Documents because they are loaded in bulk by the query method.
-    //
-    // For backends supporting write operations you must implement update and delete support for Document objects.
-    //
-    // All code paths should return an object conforming to the jquery promise API.
-    sync: function(method, model, options) {
-    },
-    
-    // ### query
-    //
-    // Query the backend for documents returning them in bulk. This method will
-    // be used by the Dataset.query method to search the backend for documents,
-    // retrieving the results in bulk.
-    //
-    // @param {recline.model.Dataset} model: Dataset model.
-    //
-    // @param {Object} queryObj: object describing a query (usually produced by
-    // using recline.Model.Query and calling toJSON on it).
-    //
-    // The structure of data in the Query object or
-    // Hash should follow that defined in <a
-    // href="http://github.com/okfn/recline/issues/34">issue 34</a>.
-    // (Of course, if you are writing your own backend, and hence
-    // have control over the interpretation of the query object, you
-    // can use whatever structure you like).
-    //
-    // @returns {Promise} promise API object. The promise resolve method will
-    // be called on query completion with a QueryResult object.
-    // 
-    // A QueryResult has the following structure (modelled closely on
-    // ElasticSearch - see <a
-    // href="https://github.com/okfn/recline/issues/57">this issue for more
-    // details</a>):
-    //
-    // <pre>
-    // {
-    //   total: // (required) total number of results (can be null)
-    //   hits: [ // (required) one entry for each result document
-    //     {
-    //        _score:   // (optional) match score for document
-    //        _type: // (optional) document type
-    //        _source: // (required) document/row object
-    //     } 
-    //   ],
-    //   facets: { // (optional) 
-    //     // facet results (as per <http://www.elasticsearch.org/guide/reference/api/search/facets/>)
-    //   }
-    // }
-    // </pre>
-    query: function(model, queryObj) {
-    },
-
-    // ### _makeRequest
-    // 
-    // Just $.ajax but in any headers in the 'headers' attribute of this
-    // Backend instance. Example:
-    //
-    // <pre>
-    // var jqxhr = this._makeRequest({
-    //   url: the-url
-    // });
-    // </pre>
-    _makeRequest: function(data) {
-      var headers = this.get('headers');
-      var extras = {};
-      if (headers) {
-        extras = {
-          beforeSend: function(req) {
-            _.each(headers, function(value, key) {
-              req.setRequestHeader(key, value);
-            });
-          }
-        };
-      }
-      var data = _.extend(extras, data);
-      return $.ajax(data);
-    },
-
-    // convenience method to convert simple set of documents / rows to a QueryResult
-    _docsToQueryResult: function(rows) {
-      var hits = _.map(rows, function(row) {
-        return { _source: row };
-      });
-      return {
-        total: null,
-        hits: hits
-      };
-    },
-
-    // ## _wrapInTimeout
-    // 
-    // Convenience method providing a crude way to catch backend errors on JSONP calls.
-    // Many of backends use JSONP and so will not get error messages and this is
-    // a crude way to catch those errors.
-    _wrapInTimeout: function(ourFunction) {
-      var dfd = $.Deferred();
-      var timeout = 5000;
-      var timer = setTimeout(function() {
-        dfd.reject({
-          message: 'Request Error: Backend did not respond after ' + (timeout / 1000) + ' seconds'
-        });
-      }, timeout);
-      ourFunction.done(function(arguments) {
-          clearTimeout(timer);
-          dfd.resolve(arguments);
-        })
-        .fail(function(arguments) {
-          clearTimeout(timer);
-          dfd.reject(arguments);
-        })
-        ;
-      return dfd.promise();
-    }
-  });
-
-  // ### makeRequest
+  // ### sync
+  //
+  // An implementation of Backbone.sync that will be used to override
+  // Backbone.sync on operations for Datasets and Documents which are using this backend.
+  //
+  // For read-only implementations you will need only to implement read method
+  // for Dataset models (and even this can be a null operation). The read method
+  // should return relevant metadata for the Dataset. We do not require read support
+  // for Documents because they are loaded in bulk by the query method.
+  //
+  // For backends supporting write operations you must implement update and delete support for Document objects.
+  //
+  // All code paths should return an object conforming to the jquery promise API.
+  this.sync = function(method, model, options) {
+  },
+  
+  // ### query
+  //
+  // Query the backend for documents returning them in bulk. This method will
+  // be used by the Dataset.query method to search the backend for documents,
+  // retrieving the results in bulk.
+  //
+  // @param {recline.model.Dataset} model: Dataset model.
+  //
+  // @param {Object} queryObj: object describing a query (usually produced by
+  // using recline.Model.Query and calling toJSON on it).
+  //
+  // The structure of data in the Query object or
+  // Hash should follow that defined in <a
+  // href="http://github.com/okfn/recline/issues/34">issue 34</a>.
+  // (Of course, if you are writing your own backend, and hence
+  // have control over the interpretation of the query object, you
+  // can use whatever structure you like).
+  //
+  // @returns {Promise} promise API object. The promise resolve method will
+  // be called on query completion with a QueryResult object.
   // 
-  // Just $.ajax but in any headers in the 'headers' attribute of this
-  // Backend instance. Example:
+  // A QueryResult has the following structure (modelled closely on
+  // ElasticSearch - see <a
+  // href="https://github.com/okfn/recline/issues/57">this issue for more
+  // details</a>):
   //
   // <pre>
-  // var jqxhr = this._makeRequest({
-  //   url: the-url
-  // });
+  // {
+  //   total: // (required) total number of results (can be null)
+  //   hits: [ // (required) one entry for each result document
+  //     {
+  //        _score:   // (optional) match score for document
+  //        _type: // (optional) document type
+  //        _source: // (required) document/row object
+  //     } 
+  //   ],
+  //   facets: { // (optional) 
+  //     // facet results (as per <http://www.elasticsearch.org/guide/reference/api/search/facets/>)
+  //   }
+  // }
   // </pre>
-  my.makeRequest = function(data, headers) {
-    var extras = {};
-    if (headers) {
-      extras = {
-        beforeSend: function(req) {
-          _.each(headers, function(value, key) {
-            req.setRequestHeader(key, value);
-          });
-        }
-      };
-    }
-    var data = _.extend(extras, data);
-    return $.ajax(data);
-  };
+  this.query = function(model, queryObj) {}
+};
 
-
-}(jQuery, this.recline.Backend));
+// ### makeRequest
+// 
+// Just $.ajax but in any headers in the 'headers' attribute of this
+// Backend instance. Example:
+//
+// <pre>
+// var jqxhr = this._makeRequest({
+//   url: the-url
+// });
+// </pre>
+this.recline.Backend.makeRequest = function(data, headers) {
+  var extras = {};
+  if (headers) {
+    extras = {
+      beforeSend: function(req) {
+        _.each(headers, function(value, key) {
+          req.setRequestHeader(key, value);
+        });
+      }
+    };
+  }
+  var data = _.extend(extras, data);
+  return $.ajax(data);
+};
 
diff --git a/src/model.js b/src/model.js
index 180fb926..b1ec858b 100644
--- a/src/model.js
+++ b/src/model.js
@@ -44,8 +44,6 @@ my.Dataset = Backbone.Model.extend({
   initialize: function(model, backend) {
     _.bindAll(this, 'query');
     this.backend = backend;
-    this.backendType = 'memory';
-    this.backendURL = null;
     if (typeof(backend) === 'string') {
       this.backend = this._backendFromString(backend);
     }
@@ -135,7 +133,7 @@ my.Dataset = Backbone.Model.extend({
     if (recline && recline.Backend) {
       _.each(_.keys(recline.Backend), function(name) {
         if (name.toLowerCase() === backendString.toLowerCase()) {
-          backend = new recline.Backend[name]();
+          backend = new recline.Backend[name].Backbone();
         }
       });
     }