December 30, 2010

Find Information Faster: Organize Your Computer

If you've been using your computer for more than 6 months, it's probably safe to say that you don't need all the files and email messages stored there. When left untreated too long, an unorganized computer will perform slower and make it more difficult for you to find the information you need. If that's the case, it's a great time to make sure your computer is cleaned up and ready to roll for your next upcoming project or assignment. This article can help you get started.

Clear out your old, unnecessary files
So how long should you keep old files on your hard drive? It's kind of like cleaning out a closet—if you haven't used a particular file (or sweater) in a year, you're pretty safe storing it somewhere else.

How can you tell how old a file is? Rest your mouse cursor over the file to see when it was last modified. For more information right-click the file, and choose Properties. You can see when the file was created, last modified it, and most recently accessed. If a file is old, not important, and hasn't been accessed in more than 6 months, it might be time to clear it out.

You're the best judge to determine which files to keep, but here is a list of items you might want to consider saving:

• Tax and legal information

• Project-related files

• Favorite digital images from the year

• Plans you could leverage for future projects

• Important email messages

• Customer information

This article is written by Microsoft at Work

December 28, 2010

Microsoft Excel 2007 - Print Gridlines and Headings

Printing gridlines and row and column headings often makes it easier to read data in a large spreadsheet.

Follow these steps to add print gridlines as well as row and column headings to your spreadsheet.

1. Click on the Page Layout tab.

2. Check the Print box under Gridlines on the ribbon.

3. Check the Print box under Headings on the ribbon.

4. Click on the Print Preview button to preview your worksheet
    before printing it.  The gridlines appear as dotted lines outlining
    the cells containing data in print preview.

The row numbers and column letters for those cells containing data will also be present along the top and left side of the worksheet in print preview.

To turn off this feature, go back into the Page Layout tab and “unclick” these options.

December 23, 2010

Microsoft 2007 - Moving Text Using the Mouse

Word incorporates many different tools you can use to edit your document. One of the least used, but most unique methods of editing your document uses the mouse entirely. You can use your mouse to move text, the same way you would move another element, such as a graphic. To move text with your mouse, you need to first ensure that the feature is enabled.

To do this, follow these steps:

1.  Click the Office button and then click Word Options.

2.  Click Advanced.

3.  Make sure the box beside the Allow Text to Be Dragged and
     Dropped
option is selected. (The option is in the Editing section.)

4.  Click OK to close the dialog box.

Once enabled, you can use the mouse to move text by following these steps:

1.  Select the text you want to move.

2.  Click on the text with the mouse and drag it to where you want
     it moved.

3.  Release the mouse button.

December 21, 2010

Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 - Use a Keyboard Shortcut to Make Screen Black or White During a PowerPoint Slide Show

While you are presenting, sometimes it is necessary to pause for a few minutes either to ask or answer a question. Instead of leaving the current slide on the screen you can blank it out.

Your options are to choose to make the screen either black or white. The choice usually depends on how your screen will look due to the available lighting in the room.

•  During a slide show, press the B key on the keyboard to make
   the screen black.

•  During a slide show, press the W key on the keyboard to make
   the screen white.

When you wish to return to the slide show, press the B or W key (as the case may be) to return to the slide last shown.

December 16, 2010

Microsoft Excel 2007 - One Touch Excel Charts

Have you ever wanted to create a chart in a hurry or you just want to check on certain trends in your data? Would you be surprised to know that you can create a chart in Excel with a single keystroke?

Follow these simple steps:

1. Select the data you want to use in the chart.

2. Press the F11 key on the keyboard

The chart that is produced uses all the current defaults. If this isn’t the type of chart you want to produce when pressing F11 you need to change the default chart type.

December 14, 2010

Microsoft Word 2007 - Experiment with Paragraph Placement

Sometimes one paragraph might work better above or below its current location. You don’t have to cut and paste to move paragraphs around. Just follow these easy steps to move a paragraph around in your document.

1.  Hold down the Shift and Alt keys together

2.  While holding those keys down, then use the up and down arrow keys
     to move the paragraph around in the document.

3.  Release the Shift and Alt key when you have the paragraph in the
     correct location.

It’s a neat trick. Try it!

December 13, 2010

Holiday Cheer

Get a tissue before you watch this video! You'll cry happy tears. It's Deck the Halls sung by various and sundry animals. The cats, of course, steal the show!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-0WVfj76bo

December 9, 2010

Microsoft Tip - Clean Out Your Email

Do you have a system for weeding out and organizing your old email messages? Here are a few quick ideas for taming your Inbox and getting ready to handle those messages in the months to come:

•  Create folders to store messages according to sender, topic,
   or date.

•  Create email rules to file and manage your messages automatically.
   For example, you can create a rule to send all messages from your
   manager to a special folder.

•  Go through your Sent folder in Outlook in and delete items you
   no longer need (especially those with large file attachments).

•  If you're sure you no longer need email you've deleted,
   empty the folder that contains it.

This article is written by Microsoft at Work

December 7, 2010

Microsoft Power Point 2007 - Coordinate Your PowerPoint Presentation with Design Themes

Design themes are a new addition to PowerPoint 2007. They work in a similar way as the design templates in earlier versions of PowerPoint.

A really nice feature of the design themes is that you can immediately see the effect reflected on your slides, before making your decision.

1.  Access the Design Ribbon

2.  Click on the Design tab to access the Design ribbon.

3.  Hover your mouse over any of the design themes shown.

4.  The design is reflected immediately on your slide.

5.  Click the design theme when you find one that suits your needs.

December 3, 2010

Microsoft Excel 2007 - Change Text Orientation

When creating your spreadsheet you may want to change the orientation of your text. Sometimes you have those Excel tables where you have narrow columns but the title has a group of words and word wrapping will not look right. For problems like this, you can change the text orientation within that cell.

To change text orientation:

1. Select the text you want to rotate, angle, or switch to vertical.

2. Click Alignment in the Home Ribbon.

3. Choose how you want to format your text.

December 2, 2010

1 Woman with 0 Budget Gets 20 Million Views

Amazing!  One woman has had 20 million views on YouTube and has 20,000 Facebook Fans.  If she can do it, you can do it. It's the content!

Read the article and be inspired!

December 1, 2010

Microsoft Word 2007 - Using the Spike to Edit

Word has a feature that allows you to collect groups of text and paste them in another location. It is different than the Clipboard, which allows you to work with only one item at a time. The Spike is named after an old-fashioned paper holder onto which people poked papers as they were done with them.

To collect information in the Spike, simply select the text and press Ctrl+F3. This cuts the information from your document and places it in the Spike. You can continue this process, and Word will add all the selected text to what already exists in the Spike.

When you are ready to paste the information somewhere, simply press Ctrl+Shift+F3. All the information in the Spike is deposited in your document at the insertion point.

Try it!

Why Your Advertising Should Not Lead with Price

Every day we're tempted to cut prices to gain a sell. This article is a good reminder of why that is a bad practice. I know we're all struggling to get every piece of business we can. But we still have to think long term and structure our businesses for the coming economic upturn.  Read the article.

PS Marketing Profs have a free newsletter that I've found very helpful. You can subscribe.

The Power of Right Clicking on Your Mouse

This is a great article full of tips on how and where to use the right click button on your mouse to utilize the features of Office. Could it be true?!?!  You don't have to use the ribbon anymore? You can right click only!! The article has lots of time saving steps too.

Read the full article!