Microsoft Excel 2007---Shadows on Text Boxes

The only problem with using Microsoft Excel is that it can appear boring.  Did you know that you can add shadows to text boxes?

Once you've drawn your text box, click on the "drawing tool" located on the drawing toolbar. Select your text box then click on the "shadow tool" located on the toolbar. A list of shadows will pop up allowing you to place a shadow and to customize a shadow.

Try it and add some "pop" to your spreadsheet.

Word 2010 - Enable Editing

Microsoft is "helping" us by protecting us from viruses with the new Protected View of documents. But it gets irritating! Really! The doc is from my sister who has keys to my house and car, PIN numbers for my bank accounts and responsibility for my cats should that MAC truck get me. But I have to click on the ugly yellow bar to "Enable Editing" every time I open her family letter.  NOT!!

This first article tells you how to turn off the protection for a single document.
How to Turn Off "Enable Editing" from ThriveNetworks

Or you can change the protection settings for all documents in your Word Options.
Enable Editing for All Office 2010 Documents from How-To Geek

I would NOT recommend doing the last step in the instructions - "Disable Protected View from Registry."  First, you and I don't have any business messing around in Registry. Too many potential disasters there. Secondly, there is a reason Micosoft is offering us protection. You don't want to ignore the potential for viruses coming through a Word document.

Just edit the settings for a document or in general to make your computing a bit less irritating.

Protect and Purge your Personal Files

Eliminate private documents permanently from your hard drive.

When you stop and think about it, your home computer holds a lot of information about you— credit card numbers, bank account details, passwords, medical information, websites you've visited, and those deep, dark secrets you share with your best friend via email.

Click here to go finish reading this great article on Microsoft at Home. 

Speed up your PC: Automate your Computer Maintenance Schedule

Most people do one of the following when their computer begins to slow down (besides get angry):

1. Speed up their computer by buying more memory.
2. Try to tweak their computer's settings.
3. Give up. They figure that their computer is old, there's nothing else they can do, and it's probably time to buy a new computer.

Click here to continue reading this article at Microsoft at Home.

How to Clean your Computer

This is a great article I found at Microsoft at Home.

I have a dirty secret. I've never cleaned my computer. Sure, I've dusted my monitor, but I haven't taken off the cover or tried to reach the crumbs lurking inside my keyboard. And I honestly don't know the difference between pressurized air dusters and compressed air cleaners.
clean your computer

"Your computer could fry if you don't keep it clean," says Jonathon Millman, chief technology officer for Hooplah Interactive.

Click here to continue reading this article.  

Microsoft Excel 2007 - Excel Merge and Center Cells

The merge and center formatting feature in Excel is a handy option to quickly format titles and headings in Excel spreadsheets.  It allows you to center titles evenly above your data by merging a number of cells into one and then centering the title in this one cell.

This option is located under the home tab under the alignment box.

Microsoft Word 2007 - Showing or Hiding Formatting Marks in Word 2007

One great feature that WordPerfect had was "reveal codes"   Reveal Codes enabled you to see your formatting marks in your document and make any necessary corrections.   This feature is available in Word 2007.  The formatting marks will show you spaces, returns, tab characters, and more.

You can enable formatting marks in Word 2007 from the Home ribbon. In the Paragraph section, simply click the paragraph symbol. Clicking it again will disable the formatting marks.

You can also have greater control over the formatting marks you see. For example, you can display just the spaces or tab characters, if you’d like.

1.  Simply follow these steps:

2.  Click the Office button

3.  Click Display

4.  Select the formatting marks you’d like to display

5.  Click OK

To disable the formatting marks, open the options again and deselect the formatting marks you want hidden.

Forwarding is the New Networking

OK. The title is a teaser and a mis-statement. Forwarding has been going since the first printing press. But social media is changing the way we forward information and the types of information we share. Read this article for some clarification about networking by sharing info and some tips.

Full article from Harvard Business Review by Tom Davenport

Forwarding (sharing) pamphlets is credited with being a strong influence in the American Revolution. Printing presses were more common and therefore the cost to print was lower. Benjamin Franklin and many others published pamphlets explaining why the 13 colonies needed to be independent. The pamphets were passed hand to hand to reach more people. Their writing educated and motivated people to take a stand.

How A Typo Can Hurt Your Business

OK, I'm on my soapbox!  I think proper spelling, punctuation and grammar count. In your web site. In your emails. In your marketing literature. Yes, even text messages.  I did find an Urban Dictionary that explains all of the acronyms and shortcuts used today but you won't see me using them. Words matter!

And Marketing Profs agree with me! Read their article about typos and their effect on your business.

Marketing Profs has a great email service giving you good market research and information. Sign up if you haven't already.

Harvard Researcher Links Happiness to Success

Ha! I knew it. Being happy is better than being blue, cranky, negative or cyncial. Those of you who know me well know I'm a big proponent of "tending your joy."  Here is an article validating not only that happiness is a better choice than the alternatives but it also makes you more successful and better able to handle stress. Who doesn't have plenty of that on their plates today?!

Read the article!  And just do it!

Microsoft PowerPoint - 10 Font Tips for Presenters

Presenters use PowerPoint or other software for the thousands of presentations that are given daily around the globe. Text is an important part of a digital presentation. Why not make the best use of the fonts to get the job done right? These ten font tips for presenters will help you make a successful presentation.

To continue reading this great article from About.com, click here.  

New Web Site for Treese Counseling Service

Dr. Treese has been a client of Your Computer Lady for a long time: web site, forms, web hosting, personal training.

We were very pleased when he came to us and asked for assistance expanding his one page web site into a full site with a blog!  Dr. Treese had two goals for the new site. 1) Serve as a gathering spot for his articles and exercises that he uses with patients on a regular basis.  2) Blog to add fresh information to the site that would be of value to his clients.

Check out the results!

• Clinical Model page - Describes briefly Dr. Treese's counseling philosophy
• Articles - There are only three articles today but Dr. Treese will be adding new articles on a regular basis. Since this site was built in WordPress, Dr. T can add articles at his convenience.
• Blog - Again, Dr. T can make blog posts on his own schedule when he has writing time. Keep your eyes on this page for very interesting information.

Visit the site and see what is available in a WordPress site!