July 2008 Newsletter

Office 2007
More and more of you are starting to move to Office 2007. I have upgraded one of my computers. It’s great!  However, there is a big learning curve because of Microsoft’s move from being menu driven to what they call “the ribbon.”  They’ve put many, many options for formatting photos, tables, etc. on the ribbon so you can do in one click what would have taken 5+ clicks in Word 2003, for example.

ExecuTrain has written 5 classes to help shorten the learning curve: Migration Overview, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook.  I’m going to teach them as online classes. Click here for more details.

ACT 11Sage is preparing version 11 for release. They won’t say when, of course, but my guess is for September. The last 4 versions came out in September so... I’m participating in the beta test. If you’d like a sneak preview, call me for a demo. The big improvement I see so far is the coordination with Outlook to handle email and to work with people in your office who aren’t on ACT.  If you haven’t updated from version 6 – 9 this may be your opportunity. Even version 10 users may want to consider the update if you’re a heavy email user.  They’ll drop the cost for the new version so you can upgrade at a lower expense.  I’ll keep you posted as I test the software and get more news.

Microsoft Office Specialist
On June 23rd, I passed the exam to become a Microsoft Office Specialist. This designation is a measurement of knowledge on Microsoft’s software. I took this first exam on Word 2003 – Expert level. I plan on taking the Outlook exam next.  Microsoft also has exams to measure the skill level of hardware technicians. The techs I refer you to are Microsoft certified. Stop by the office and I’ll show you my certificate!

What does this mean to you? It shows a technical skill level to back up my practical business knowledge. It also gives you confidence that I’m staying up to date on the latest technology so I can make the best recommendations for your business.

Word Tip – Better Bullets
Ever get tired of the little black circles that are commonly used for bullets? Me too! Here’s the path to find a whole new source.  You can also create your own bullets. That process is too big for a newsletter so here’s a link to the instructions on my web site.

1. Place your cursor where you want to start the bullets. Or if you’ve already created the bulleted list, select the entire list.
2. Click Format on the menu bar > Bullets and numbering
3. Click the Customize button in the bottom right corner of the window.
4. Click the Picture button on the right near the top of the new window.
5. Select the bullet you like.
6. Click OK 3 times to close the various windows.

Give your readers a break!  Show them something new.

ASBA Tech Salvage
I received this notice as a member of ASBA (Arizona Small Business Association) but it is open to non-members as well.  ASBA and Westech Recyclers have teamed up to offer a convenient, legal and secure way to recycle computer, medical, manufacturing and electronic equipment. On July 26th, 8 am – 12 pm, you can bring the items you wish to recycle to the ASBA office parking lot (4130 E Van Buren Phoenix) Free!!  If you have a large load, you can call Westech Recyclers and speak to Tom Holland at 602-256-7626. The pick up is free if you are an ASBA member.

This pick up is for non-functioning equipment or really, really old equipment (3 years+). If you have functioning equipment, here are some worthy organizations to donate to:

      Cell phones
      Computers, printers, etc.

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Create Your Own Bullets

Make your document stand out with custom bullets. Examples: We used a picture of a diver for a document about a swimming pool project. We used a leaf in a submital package on a building that we knew was going for a LEED certification. I use my logo as bullets in some of my project proposals.

1. The picture you want to use has to be saved somewhere on your hard drive so you can access it.
2. Place your cursor where you want to start the bullets. Or if you've already created the bulleted list, select the entire list.
3. Click Format on the menu bar > Bullets and numbering
4. Click the Customize button in the bottom right corner of the window.
5. Click the Picture button on the right near the top of the new window.
6. Click the Import button in the bottom left corner of the window.
7. Navigate to the location of the picture you want to use.
8. Select the graphic file. Click the Add button.
9. Your graphic will be added to the list of bullets.
10. Select your graphic.
11. Click OK 3 times to close the various windows.
12. A little bullet of your graphic will appear in your document.

You can use clip art or a photo to create bullets. You can change the size of the bullet by selecting the line the bullet is on and changing the font size. You probably need to change the font size of the actual text then to match the rest of your document.