12 Tips for Creating Better PowerPoint Presentations

Ever wonder how to create a good PowerPoint presentation? Creating professional, unique PowerPoint presentations with the latest version of Microsoft Office is much easier than you think. This article will help you find the tools to create exactly the presentation you want.

Click here to continue reading this article at Microsoft at Work

Microsoft Word - Changing the Default Margins

Follow these steps to change your default margins in Word 2007.

1.     In the ribbon, click the Page Layout tab.
2.     Click the Margins tool in the Page Setup group.
3.     Click Custom Margins.
4.     Change your right and left margins to one inch.
5.     Click the Default button.
6.     Click Yes.

It's that easy.  Now all of your new documents will have this setting.

Camtasia Studio 8 Essential Training with Lynda.com

Join author Chris Mattia as he demonstrates how to set up, record, edit, and share a professional looking screencast that you can use for software demonstrations, interactive elearning projects, and more with Camtasia Studio.

Follow along as Chris creates an elearning project from start to finish with Camtasia Studio’s tools. Discover how to add animation, PowerPoint slideshows, quizzes, and other effects that boost the interactivity and visual interest of your screencasts. The final chapter shows how to incorporate your Camtasia projects into an overall teaching strategy.

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Microsoft Excel 2007 - Select All with One Click

There are several ways to select an entire worksheet:

1. Click on the little gray box in the top-left corner of the worksheet.
2. Press CTRL+A

This is very useful when you need to apply formatting to all cells or to copy an entire worksheet.

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.

All these solutions can help increase PC speed. However, what's to keep your newly blazing PC from slowing down again after a couple months or years? A badly fragmented hard drive will bring even a top-of-the-line new computer to a grinding halt.

Read full article.

Twitter for Business with Lynda.com

Join author Anne-Marie Concepción as she shows you how to leverage the power of tweeting for business promotion and customer engagement. This course reviews the basics of tweeting for business and shares smart ways to set up an account that reflects your brand. It explains how to tweet strategically in order to engage customers and attract followers. Anne-Marie also offers suggestions for creating a richer Twitter experience, managing your feed and activity using third-party apps and utilities, and integrating Twitter with other marketing endeavors.

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6 Smart Ways to Keep in Touch Online

We now have more ways to stay connected online than we ever imagined when email first entered our lives. With the right tools and know-how, you can stay tuned in to your friends, family, and colleagues—no matter how different your time zones, schedules, and pace of life.

Read full article.

Microsoft Excel 2007 - Date & Time Shortcut

Below are some quick keyboard shortcuts to add the current date and time to your worksheet.

• To insert current date, press CTRL+;
• To insert current time, press CTRL+shift+;

SEO: Link Building in Depth with Lynda.com

There are two sides to search engine optimization (SEO): on-page and off-page optimization. Off-page means getting links from other websites to point back to your site, which strengthens your site’s position in search engine results. In this course, author Peter Kent dissects the anatomy of a link, explains how links affect page ranking, and reveals the properties that make an excellent inbound link. The course also evaluates reciprocal linking; link building via press releases, blogs, and articles; and the importance of using quality links that are search-engine friendly.

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Microsoft Word - Applying Bullets from the Keyboard

Did you know that you can apply bullets by using a keyboard shortcut?

If you press Ctrl+Shift+L, Word will automatically apply the predefined bullet style to your paragraph.

To remove bullets, you could also use the Ctrl+Shift+N shortcut, which applies the Normal style.

Try it!

Personalize your Phone and PC with Ringtones, Emoticons, and Wallpapers

Tired of boring desktop themes and a blah ringtone? There are many options available in the Windows operating system to customize your PC and phone. Start with Windows 7 themes, or download free ringtones for your cell phone. You can even find emoticons for instant messaging, backgrounds for your Windows desktop, and clip art and photos to customize your folders.

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

Up and Running with Office Web Apps with Lynda.com

In this course, author and Office expert Curt Frye shows how to create, edit, and share Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote documents online with Office Web Apps. Each chapter addresses one of the programs, highlighting which features are available online and how they differ from the desktop versions. The course also includes information on integrating the Office Web Apps with SkyDrive and mobile, sharing online documents with other users, and embedding documents in web pages.

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Microsoft Excel - Widening Columns

Here is a quick and easy way to widen all your columns in your worksheet at one time:

1. Highlight all the columns in your worksheet.
2. Double click between any two columns.

Excel will now adjust all columns in your worksheet to fix the text.

It's easy and simple.  Try it!

Microsoft Office - Short Cut Keys

Below are some great shortcut keys that you cans use in all Microsoft Office programs:

Ctrl + 0    Adds or removes 6pts of spacing before a paragraph.
Ctrl + A    Select all contents of the page.
Ctrl + B    Bold highlighted selection.
Ctrl + C    Copy selected text.
Ctrl + D    Open the font preferences window.
Ctrl + E    Aligns the line or selected text to the center of the screen.
Ctrl + F    Open find box.
Ctrl + I     Italic highlighted selection.
Ctrl + J     Aligns the selected text or line to justify the screen.
Ctrl + K    Insert link.
Ctrl + L    Aligns the line or selected text to the left of the screen.
Ctrl + M    Indent the paragraph.
Ctrl + P    Open the print window.
Ctrl + R    Aligns the line or selected text to the right of the screen.
Ctrl + T    Create a hanging indent.
Ctrl + U    Underline highlighted selection.
Ctrl + V    Paste.
Ctrl + X    Cut selected text.
Ctrl + Y    Redo the last action performed.
Ctrl + Z    Undo last action.

Cloud Computing First Look with Lynda.com

In this course, author David Rivers explains the essentials of cloud computing and answers the basic question: What is the cloud? The course then explores the benefits and drawbacks of cloud computing, including a candid look at balancing the sharing and privacy issues with the productivity gains of working in the cloud.

David also presents an overview of migration and common cloud technologies as you contemplate a move to the cloud, including Google Apps, Microsoft Windows Live, and more. The final chapter outlines how to evaluate the ongoing effectiveness of the cloud for your business.

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Microsoft Word: View Two Documents at Once

Word has a very neat trick that allows you to view two documents side-by-side. You can also synchronize the scrolling of the documents too so that you don’t have to change focus or jump between each one as you work through them.

Follow these steps to compare two documents:

1. Open the two documents you want to view at the same time.
2. Go to the View tab > Window command group.
3. Click View Side by Side.
4. On the Compare Side by Side window, select the document you want to compare this one to, then click OK.

The first document opens on the left and the other opens on the right. On the View tab of the left document, the synchronous scrolling button is automatically selected. Click it to turn it off and on.

Time Management Tips: 5 Beliefs that Limit Productivity

Productivity—both at home and at work—depends on multiple factors, not the least of which are time management and organization. Compiling to-do lists and wrangling the email in your Inbox are two basic time-management skills that promote productivity and organization.

Click here to continue reading this at Microsoft at Work. 

Google+ for Business with Lynda.com

In this course, author Lorrie Thomas Ross teaches you how to use Google+ to effectively promote a business. Discover how to set up an account for a business or client, and add company information, post photos and video, create compelling copy to market products or services, and improve your reach with contacts. Find smart ways to leverage the power of Google+ circles, blogging, and video sharing to make a real and lasting connection with an audience. This course also shows you ways to improve market visibility and open an online dialogue about your business.

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Microsoft Word 2007 - Changing the Highlighting Color

The Highlight tool is very helpful when you want to draw attention to different areas of a document. The default color used for the highlighter is yellow, but this can be easily changed to any other color.

To change the color of your highlighting:

1. On the home tab click the down arrow at the right of the Highlight tool in the Font group.
2. Select the color you want to use for highlighting.

Up and Running with Pinterest with Lynda.com

Pinterest is a social media tool that allows you to bookmark content around the web in a visually pleasing arrangement. In this course, author Justin Seeley illustrates the basics of setting up and managing a Pinterest account and explores ideas for finding inspiration. Fill out your profile, add friends, and start pinning. Discover how to share activity on Facebook and Twitter, add your own image and video pins, and plan for activities like a wedding or vacation. The course also covers pinning on the go with the iOS and Android apps.

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Microsoft Excel - Do Not Print

Sometimes you may not want to print some information. For example, you may have some confidential information (such as employee salaries) in a column.

To avoid printing specific rows or columns, just hide them before printing. To hide rows or columns:

1.  Select the rows or columns you want to hide.
2.  Right click your mouse.
3.  Click hide.

To unhide, follow the steps above, but click "unhide."

National Cyber Security Awareness Month

Every October, Microsoft recognizes National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM) in the United States through our partnership with the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA).

NCSAM was created to help increase awareness of online safety and security issues, and to help educate people about the best ways to protect their computers and other electronic devices.

Microsoft also supports NCSAM worldwide to help all of us foster the concept of digital citizenship and promote standards of appropriate behavior as we become an increasingly digital society.

Click here to read the full article.

Brand Building Basics with Lynda.com

In this succinct course, author, speaker, and marketing expert Lorrie Thomas Ross provides an overview of the basics of branding your business or yourself through consistency, communication, and effective collateral. The course shows how images, messaging, and market positioning can help you build visibility and credibility among customers. It includes real examples of successful brands and how aspects such as color, logos, and fonts, not to mention a strong web presence, contribute to their success.

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How to Organize Your Computer to Find Information Faster

An unorganized computer makes it more difficult to find information, and a computer that is cluttered with unnecessary files and email messages can be sluggish. So if you haven’t organized your computer recently and it’s running slower than you’d like (or you’re having trouble finding things), the tips in this article can help you delete or move old files and email and can even help you do a thorough cleanup.

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

Microsoft Excel - Why Are Hash Marks Displayed Instead of Cell Contents?

Do you know why Excel displays the # signs instead of the your text or numeric value?

There are several reasons, but the most common reason to see hash marks is because the cell is too narrow to display the value.  This happens a lot when you are trying to display a date or a sum. 

The solution - make the cell wider and your numeric value will display and the # signs will go away.

Negotiation Fundamentals with Lynda.com

Coach, negotiation expert, and author Lisa Gates demonstrates the skills empowered communicators use to achieve mutual benefit at the negotiation table. The course delivers repeatable strategies for negotiating common issues such as asking for a raise, setting fees, promoting teamwork, and bringing out the best in those you manage. Along the way, discover how to use interest-based negotiation, distributive bargaining, diagnostic questioning, and conflict resolution to handle both simple and complex negotiations.

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Tips to Remember When Sending Presentations to Other People

If you are creating a PowerPoint presentation that you will distribute to several people, below are some tips to help prevent others from not being able to view the presentation.

1. Use the fonts that were installed with Windows; Fancy fonts that appear on your machine will cause problems if everyone else doesn't have them.

2. Avoid embedding sounds and videos: these will not go from Mac to Windows.

3. Try looking at the presentation on a different platform (Mac vs Windows); be prepared for some visual changes in your file--the version or platform may not support some of the features you've put in, so be sure to sanity check your file on several different machines and versions BEFORE you distribute it!

Microsoft Excel 2007 - Short Cut to Wrap Text

When you are entering titles or long paragraphs of text, the Enter key will move to a new cell. Instead, press Alt + Enter to automatically wrap the text in the cell.

Quick and easy.  Try it!

Effective Public Speaking with Lynda.com

Develop the skills you need to prepare and deliver an outstanding speech or presentation. Author Laura Bergells offers practical insights that can help presenters prepare, open, deliver, and close their speeches. Along the way, discover how to project confidence, storyboard a speech, take questions, respond with thoughtful answers, and develop the creative story that adds life to a speech.


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Inserting Bookmarks into Word 2007 Documents

If you're working on a long Word document, navigating through it can be a hassle. Did you know that in  Word 2007 you can bookmark specific parts of your document? 

To insert a bookmark in Word 2007, follow these steps:

1. Select the portion of your document you'd like to bookmark

2. On the ribbon, click the Insert tab

3. Click Bookmark in the Links section

4. Type a name under Bookmark name. Bookmark names must begin with a letter and cannot contain spaces

5. Click Add

After you inserted your bookmarks in your Word 2007, now you need to know how to open them:

1. Click the Insert tab on the ribbon

2. Click Bookmark in the Links section

3. Select the name of the bookmark you would like to open

4. Click Go To

How to Optimize Battery Power on your Laptop

Have you ever run out of battery power on your laptop, notebook, or netbook during a meeting or a class? Sufficient battery life is a persistent challenge for mobile PC users. You can take simple maintenance steps to extend the life of your laptop battery. The Windows operating system also offers several ways to help maximize the battery life of your mobile computer.

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

Sales Skills Fundamentals with Lynda.com

In this course, author Christopher Matthew Spencer shares his techniques for effective sales. Because a sale starts with finely honed communication skills, the course begins with communication and listening skills, and then explores the application of sales traits in everyday life—an ideal primer for making deals in business settings.

This course also covers the basics of connecting with prospective clients, making convincing presentations, understanding and maximizing the sales cycle, measuring sales abilities, and practicing sales skills in role-playing scenarios.

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Get More from the Notes You Take Every Day and Everywhere

If you’re like most people, your notes can be essential parts of virtually any kind of project. You may take notes for brainstorming, planning, research, or reference. Essentially, your notes represent your ideas. But do you still take notes on a legal pad or type them as a simple text file? 

Continue reading this article at Microsoft at Work.

Empty your Inbox: 4 Ways to Take Control of your Email

If your email Inbox is out of control, you might want to rethink your methods for organizing your email and emptying your Inbox. Developing a new approach to processing your Inbox can help you to gain more control, improve your response time, and keep up with critical actions and due dates.

Continue reading this article at Microsoft at Work.

Google Drive Essential Training with Lynda.com

Google Drive incorporates the document creation features of Google Docs with a cloud computing solution that keeps your content updated and synchronized across the web, your computer, and your mobile device. In this course, author Susan Metz teaches the essentials for creating, formatting, sharing, and editing Google documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and forms. The course also introduces the new Google Drive homepage, the Google Drive sync folder, and file management on the online web drive.

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Did You Know?

If you place a wooden spoon over a pot of boiling water, it won't boil over.

Take Files Wherever You Go

Between the increasing demands of family, friends, work, community and life in a 21st-century world, today’s Windows user is always on the go. But just because balancing your schedule’s a juggling act doesn’t mean the process of transporting vital documents and files wherever you travel has to be a three-ring circus.

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

Microsoft Excel 2007 - Save Shortcut

Did you know that you can quickly save data using a shortcut key in Excel? 

The key combination that can be used to save data is:  Ctrl + S

Try it.

Did You Know?

Cereal canisters make the perfect trashcan for your car.

Microsoft Word 2007 - Comparing Document Versions

Did you know that Word has a tool that allows you to compare two documents against each other?  You can do a comparison as follows:

1. Display the Review tab of the ribbon.
2. Click the Compare tool and then choose Compare. Word displays the Compare Documents dialog box.

When the comparison is done, Word shows the original documents and the compared document, which contains revision marks to indicate what has changed.

This tool is great when you have more than one person working on a document.

AutoCAD Essentials 5: Working with References with Lynda.com

Join author Jeff Bartels as he explores the world of references—a tool that allows you to link and reuse external content in AutoCAD. The course covers creating and leveraging block symbols, linking to external drawings or Xrefs, and inserting images into projects. The final chapter includes a drawing challenge, where designers are asked to incorporate references into a drawing, and a demo where Jeff shows how to solve the challenge.

Watch the Trailer.

Create Strong Passwords

A strong password is an important protection to help you have safer online transactions. Here are steps you can take to create a strong password. Some or all might help protect your online transactions:

• Length. Make your passwords long with eight or more characters.
• Complexity. Include letters, punctuation, symbols, and numbers. Use the entire keyboard, not just the letters and characters you use or see most often. The greater the variety of characters in your password, the better. However, password hacking software automatically checks for common letter-to-symbol conversions, such as changing "and" to "&" or "to" to "2."
• Variation. To keep strong passwords effective, change them often. Set an automatic reminder for yourself to change your passwords on your email, banking, and credit card websites about every three months.
• Variety. Don't use the same password for everything. Cybercriminals steal passwords on websites that have very little security, and then they use that same password and user name in more secure environments, such as banking websites.

Click here to finish this article at Microsoft Safe and Security Center.

Did You Know?

If you break your blender jar you can replace it with a mason jar.

Personalize your phone and PC with Ringtones, Emoticons, and Wallpapers

Tired of boring desktop themes and a blah ringtone? There are many options available in the Windows operating system to customize your PC and phone.  Start with Windows 7 themes, or download free ringtones for your cell phone. You can even find emoticons for instant messaging, backgrounds for your Windows desktop, and clip art and photos to customize your folders.

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

Managing Your Career with Lynda.com

What do you enjoy doing, and how are you uniquely qualified to build a rewarding career out of your interests, skills, and experience? In this course, author Valerie Sutton guides you through the process of proactively managing your career by identifying your options, needs, and interests.

Discover how to assess your experience, work-reward values, and qualifications, all with the goal of creating a robust career profile that charts your future growth. The course also shows how to fully investigate career options and perform a gap analysis in order to find key opportunities.

Watch the Trailer.

The Longest Password Ever!

We laugh, but her ID is safe.

During a recent password audit by a company, it was found that an employee was using the following password: MickeyMinniePlutoHueyLouieDeweyDonaldGoofySacramento

When asked why she had such a long password, she rolled her eyes and said, "Hello!  It has to be at least eight characters long and include one capital."

Microsoft Word 2007 – How to Remove Recent Documents from Your Drop Down List

In a past blog post, I showed you how to “pin” important or frequently used documents.  But did you know that you can remove recent documents from your drop down list?

1. Click "Word Options" from the Office button.
2. Click "Advanced".
3. In "Advanced Options for working with Word" scroll down and enter a value of 0 in "Show this number of Recent Documents" in "Display.

Now go back to Word.  You will see that there are no recent documents displayed.

Did You Know?

You can mail anything that will take a stamp and weighs less than 13 ounces without a box?

Microsoft Excel 2007 - Converting Text to Its Proper Case

Sometimes a client sends me an Excel file where all the data is in CAPS.   Did you know that there is an easy way to convert that text to the "Proper" format?

In any column, use this formula:

=PROPER(A1)

A1 would be the cell that you want to reformat.

Windows Phone SDK Essential Training with Lynda.com

Discover how to build professional apps that encompass the 17 major feature areas of Windows Phone, from XAML to multimedia to network access. In this course, author Michael Lehman details the standard hardware device configuration, teaches how to navigate the development environment, and explores the Windows Phone APIs. The course shows how to build sample applications while learning Windows Phone concepts and frameworks, including the Metro design language.

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6 Ways to Work More Effectively on a Virtual Team

The number of people working virtually is growing day by day.  This article from Microsoft at Home has some great tips to follow when working virtually.

Working on a virtual team can be a challenge. Communications on global teams, with team members in different time zones, can be difficult. Managing remote teams and keeping track of where people store critical information can be tiresome. Here are some suggestions to help with virtual team management and to help your team work more effectively.

Full article.

Did You Know?

You can run a paper bag through your printer.

RSS 101: Get Online Articles Delivered to You

Have you felt overwhelmed by the information thrown at you when opening your web browser to your home page or other favorite websites? Have you ever wondered how you could pare down what you see to only what you really care about? Worry no more! You can indeed raise your efficiency to a whole new level by consuming web information using Really Simple Syndication, or RSS.

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

Print Production Fundamentals with Lynda.com

Join author Claudia McCue on a journey that introduces the printing process and reveals the keys to designing a document that prints as well as it looks onscreen. This course takes you on the floors of two commercial print houses (BurdgeCooper and Lithographix), to better understand the life cycle of a print job and observe printing presses in action. Along the way, discover how to better communicate with your printer, choose the correct paper, inks, colors, and fonts for your project, and how to correctly lay out your documents in Adobe Illustrator and InDesign. This course is designed to help you and your printer produce a professionally finished print job, whether it's a business card, brochure, or multipage magazine.

Watch the Trailer.

Click on the Lynda.com logo to sign up for Lynda.com and start learning today!

Basics for Safer Downloading

Whenever you download a file—whether you open a spreadsheet attached to an email message, grab a cool little screensaver or mouse cursor from the web, or download music or video files from someone else's computer—you could be putting your computer at risk.

To continue reading this article at Microsoft at Work, click here.  

Microsoft Excel 2007 - Moving a Cell

Everyone knows how to cut and paste information from one cell to another cell, but did you know that you can drag a cell to a new location?

1.  Click on the cell that you would like to move.
2.  When the four arrow symbol appears, drag the cell to anywhere on your worksheet.

It's easy.  Try it!

Google Calendar Essential Training with Lynda.com

In this course, Google Apps trainer Susan Cline demonstrates how to use this web-based calendar to manage both your personal and professional schedules. The course shows how to invite attendees and assign resources for any event with the scheduling tool, and how to monitor attendee responses. Tutorials on setting up tasks and troubleshooting errors are also included.

Watch the Trailer.

Click on the Lynda.com logo to sign up for Lynda.com to get started.

Wi-Fi: 8 Tips for Working Securely from Wireless Hot Spots

Wireless (also known as Wi-Fi) hot spots, are changing the way people work. These wireless local area networks (WLANs) provide high-speed Internet connections in public locations (and at home). You can access them with a wireless-ready mobile PC, such as a laptop, netbook, smartphone, or any other mobile device equipped with a wireless card.

Continue reading this article at Microsoft at Work.  

Did You Know?

Stuffing a dryer sheet in your back pocket will repel mosquitoes.

Microsoft Office - Undo and Redo Shortcut

The "Undo" and "Redo" buttons were the greatest tools ever created by Microsoft.  Here is the keyboard shortcut:

• CTRL+Z = Undo an action.
• CTRL+Y = Redo or repeat an action.

Try them .

Editing Video in Photoshop CS6 with Lynda.com

With the release of Photoshop CS6, Adobe introduced the ability to edit video footage. Author Rich Harrington guides you through this brand-new workflow, from building a sequence to working with audio and exporting your video in a variety of high-quality formats. The course also covers how Photoshop's strongest feature, its image enhancement toolset, translates to video, from fixing under- or overexposed footage, performing color balancing, and adding vibrance and contrast to special effects, such as converting to black and white and using Smart Filters to soften skin.

Watch the Trailer.

Click on the Lynda.com logo below to sign up for Lynda.com and start learning a new skill!

Gaming Can Make a Better World

My only gaming experience comes at the hands of my nephew, Cole. Each time I visit him, he has a new game to humiliate me. I’ve crashed luxury race cars, fallen over cliffs racing cows and been boo’ed out of the guitar band. Don’t even ask about flying airplanes! So this TED talk fascinated me. Gamers can save the world?!

Games like World of Warcraft give players the means to save worlds, and incentive to learn the habits of heroes. What if we could harness this gamer power to solve real-world problems? Jane McGonigal says we can, and explains how.  “My goal for the next decade is to try to make it as easy to save the world in real life as it is to save the world in online games.” (Jane McGonigal)

Jane McGonigal TED presentation.

5 Productivity Tips for Windows

Here is a great article I've found on Microsoft at Work that has some tips for Windows.   Read the article to find out how to print more easily, find files faster, and send email right from your desktop.

Read the full article.

Did You Know?

The color on the bread tab indicates how fresh the bread is and those colors are in alphabetical order: b, g, r, w, y.

6 Useful Windows Tricks

You know that feeling you get when your friends or family see you do something on your computer that they've never seen before? If you’ve had this experience, you know that “world's coolest power-user” feeling. But if you haven’t, start here. Knowledge is power!

Read these six tips for Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP that will keep you schoolin' your friends and family.

Read full article from Microsoft at Home.

PowerPoint 2010 Power Shortcuts Videos from Lynda.com

Discover the power shortcuts the pros use to navigate PowerPoint 2010 with ease. Author Alicia Katz Pollock shows how to customize views, work with text, format slides, and publish your final presentation. The course also includes her top 10 tips for working with presentations, including autofitting text, creating custom bullets, and using shapes to mask images and video.

Watch trailer!

Click on the Lynda.com logo to sign up for Lynda.com to get started.

 

Excel 2007 - Navigate Between Worksheets

Sometimes you have multiple worksheets and moving between the worksheets can be difficult, especially if not all the worksheets are visible.

Did you know there is a keyboard shortcut to move between worksheets?  Press CTRL and Page Down  to show the next worksheet to the right. Pressing CTRL and Page Up to show the next worksheet to the left.

Did You Know?

You can flip a toaster on its side and grill cheese in it.

Microsoft Word - Displaying the Ruler

Did you know that you can turn the ruler on and off?  The ruler is used to adjust formatting and align elements of your page.

To turn the ruler on, simply select the Ruler option from the View menu. This is a toggle; every time you select it, the display is changed.

AutoCAD Essentials 3: Editing and Organizing Drawings Training with Lynda.com

Properly managing a drawing is essential to being productive in AutoCAD. In this course, author Jeff Bartels concentrates on the Autodesk AutoCAD tools and features dedicated to organizing and editing geometry. The course covers making selections, creating and adjusting layers, identifying objects with hatch patterns, and scaling, exploding, and joining elements. It also includes lessons on creating fillets and chamfers, copying existing objects into rectangular or circular patterns, and accessing specialized tools that make measurements and calculations a lot easier.

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Click on the Lynda.com logo to sign up for Lynda.com and start learning a new skill!

 

It’s All About Attitude

A little boy was overheard talking to himself as he strutted through the backyard, wearing his baseball cap and toting a ball and bat: "I'm the greatest batter in the world," he announced. Then, he tossed the ball into the air, swung at it, and missed. "Strike One!" he yelled.

Undaunted, he picked up the ball and said again, "I'm the greatest hitter in the world!" He tossed the ball into the air. When it came down he swung again and missed. "Strike two!" he cried.

The boy then paused a moment to examine his bat and ball carefully. He spit on his hands and rubbed them together. He straightened his cap and said once more, "I'm the greatest batter in the world!" Again he tossed the ball up in the air and swung at it. He missed. "Strike Three!"

"Wow!" he exclaimed. "I'm the greatest pitcher in the world, too!"

Excel 2007 - Worksheet Copy

Here's an easy way to copy an entire worksheet.

Click on the sheet name tab and hold down the Ctrl key and simply drag it to the position you want it.

It's as simple as that.

Word 2010 Power Shortcuts with Lynda.com

In this course, author Alicia Katz Pollock shares the keyboard shortcuts, workflows, and commands that can transform the casual Word 2010 user into a pro. This course covers helpful and lesser-known techniques for making document navigation, content creation, formatting, layout, working with data, graphics integration, and publishing easier. Alicia also includes her favorite top 10 formatting tips in Word, from clearing existing formatting to inserting lines and creating abbreviations with AutoCorrect.

Watch trailer!

Click on the Lynda.com logo to sign up for Lynda.com and start learning a new skill!

6 Smart Ways to Keep in Touch Online

We now have more ways to stay connected online than we ever imagined when email first entered our lives. With the right tools and know-how, you can stay tuned in to your friends, family, and colleagues—no matter how different your time zones, schedules, and pace of life.

Click here to read this article Microsoft at Home.

6 Quick Tips to Improve Your Survey Response Rate

Surveying your clients and prospects is an excellent to find out what they think of your products or services. It is a good way to spot trends in your industry.  But getting people to answer the survey is hard. 

I’ve found that you have to build a reputation over time to eventually get good survey results.  Send 2-4 short surveys. Talk about the results in your social media, newsletters, web site, etc. to show how the information is being used. Be sure to explain why participating in a survey benefits your respondents. The old “What’s In It For Me?” question.   After your clients see results from the initial surveys, they will be more likely to participate in future surveys.

Read the Constant Contact article

Latest Benchmarks Prove Email Still an Effective Marketing Channel

Good news for small businesses!  I’ve been an email proponent for a long time. It’s effective. It’s cost efficient. Read this article from eMarketer to see the research results.

Note that their averages for Open Rates and Click-Through Rates are lower the Constant Contact’s.  Compare your most recent email traffic reports to see how you are doing.

Microsoft Word 2007 - Use Reading Highlight

Reading Highlight lets you search for words and highlight them even after you have closed the Find box.  So the next time you need to find a word or phrase, use "Control" and "F" together and select "Highlight All" from the Reading Highlight drop-down menu.  Now your target phrase will be highlighted in a color.

This is a neat "trick".   Try it.

Check out MailStop Mobile

Take a pic of junk mail, & they'll get it stopped! How cool....and green is that? 

Check out this application on the App Store.

9 Tips to Manage Your Files Better

You work with documents, presentations, graphics, and other files all day—and chances are, you have a lot of them. That means it takes some time to find the documents you need. Even if it's just a couple of minutes here and a couple of minutes there, it all adds up.

Click here to read the full article at Microsoft at Home.

Up and Running with Online Surveys with Lynda.com

Have you ever wanted to get employee or client feedback quickly, without having to print and collect forms? In this course, author David Rivers shows how to create surveys online, while explaining when surveys are useful and how they can help collect the input needed to drive key business decisions.

The course also gives an overview of top online survey tools, including SurveyMonkey, Google Forms, QuestionPro, and SurveyGizmo. The final chapter shows how to use SurveyMonkey to create a survey from start to finish, as well as smart ways to collect more responses.

Watch the trailer.

Click on the Lynda.com logo to sign up for Lynda.com to get started.

7 Things You're Doing Wrong on LinkedIn

Good article by Tom Searcy of Hunt Big Sales from Inc. magazine

Microsoft Excel 2007 - Quickly Copying Worksheets

Did you know that there is a quick way to copy an entire worksheet?  All you need to do is follow these steps:

1. Select the tab of the worksheet that you want to copy.
2. Hold down the CTRL key and use the mouse to drag the worksheet tab left or right. A small plus sign should appear next to the mouse pointer.
3. Release the mouse button when the pointer is between the tabs where you want the worksheet copy to appear.

It's that easy!

7 Design Mistakes That Make Readers Trash Your Emails

It’s heartbreaking to think that people are making snap judgements about whether or not to read your emails based on a quick glance.

Click here to continue reading this informative article from Constant Contact.

10 Ways You Should Never Describe Yourself

Another great article by Jeff Haden from INC. magazine. I love Jeff's down-to-earth advice.  This article pertains to the words you use in your brochures, web pages or other marketing literature. He explains why these 10 words are "no-no's."  Any of you who write copy for your company (or for yourself) should review this list!

The ALT - TAB Fast Switching Window

Have you ever used  ALT - TAB?  

ALT - TAB switching is a quick way to move between open documents and programs in Windows.  When you press ALT - TAB, you can see everything that is up and running on your computer.

Using the keyboard to accomplish a task on a computer is usually much more efficient than using a mouse or other pointing device, and ALT - TAB Fast Switching is one of the most used of these keyboard shortcuts.

Try it!

Twitter Essential Training from Lynda.com

In this course, author Maria Langer explains how to use Twitter, the social network for sharing short bites of information instantly. The course walks through building and customizing an individual profile, reading and sending Twitter updates (called tweets), and building a network of followers. The training also describes how to get the most out of Twitter by following trending topics, configuring privacy settings, establishing a business presence, and tapping into third-party resources that make it easier to follow, send, and schedule tweets.

Watch the trailer.

Click on the Lynda.com logo to sign up for Lynda.com and start learning today!

Mobile Phones are Changing the World of Retail – at a Remarkable Speed

This is an important trend to watch. First mobile phones will change the way retail businesses function then it will trickle down to other businesses. You need to stay alert and be ready to move when your time comes!

Click here to read the article.

Vacation Checklist: Prepare your PC

Whether you're leaving the office for the holidays, going on vacation, or taking a business trip, there are a number of things you can do to prepare your computer for your time away.

Great article from Microsoft at Home for all of us getting ready to take our summer vacation.

Microsoft Word 2007 - Changing the File Save Location

By default, Word 2007 stores your documents in the My Documents folder in Windows XP.

However, you may want to store your documents in a different location, such as an external hard drive. In that case, using the Save dialog box's navigation controls to navigate to a different folder can be a hassle.

You can specify a new default save location that will save you time, and you can be certain that your documents will be stored in the folder of your choice.

To change Word 2007's default file save location, follow these steps:

1. Click the Office button.
2. Select Advanced.
3. In the General section, click File Locations.
4. Select Documents in the File types list.
5. Click Modify.
6. Use the navigation controls to select the new location for your files.
7. Click OK on each of the dialog boxes to close them.

The Secret Reason People Aren’t Liking Your Facebook Page

Please read this article by Blaise Lucey with Constant Contact.  It will help you in putting together future social campaigns.

Traveling? 10 Tips to Protect your Laptop from Theft

These days, it seems that just about everybody uses a laptop or notebook computer to get work done away from the office or on the road. Unfortunately, the pervasiveness of laptop computing has made portable systems an easy target for theft. If your laptop computer is stolen, or if someone gains access to your files while your back is turned, your company information—not to mention your personal and financial data—can be exposed.

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

HouseTalk Show - Marketing Support

For the past 3 years, Your Computer Lady provided marketing support for The HouseTalk Show, a weekly radio program Saturday mornings on KKNT.

• Schedule guests
• Weekly email to listeners promoting the upcoming show
• Site updates with Vault of Knowledge articles and audio files of each week’s show

Microsoft Excel 2007 - Wrapping Your Text

You know that you can widen a column to display all the text, that may not always work for your needs. Did you know that you can wrap the text within the cell, so that the cell height is increased to display all the text. Follow these steps:

1. Select the cells.
2. Choose Cells from the Format menu. This displays the Format Cells dialog box.
3. Click on the Alignment tab. 
4.  Make sure the Wrap Text check box is selected.
5. Click on OK.

Lights Up Arizona Email Marketing

Lights Up Arizona continues its email marketing program with above average Open Rates and Click-through Rates. Their monthly newsletters keep clients and prospects up to date on new lighting products and industry trends. Lights Up Arizona works diligently to use the newsletter to educate its readers with valuable information. For a visual product like lighting to a visual target market like architects, email marketing is a critical piece of Lights Up Arizona’s marketing plan.

May 2012 Newsletter
March 2012 Newsletter
January 2012 Newsletter

Arizona Pediatrics New Web Site

It was a pleasure to work with Arizona Pediatrics to create their first web site. It was Your Computer Lady's first bi-lingual site which was an exciting challenge also.

Microsoft Word 2007 - Creating and Saving Templates

1. Click the File tab, and then click New.
2. Click Blank document, and then click Create.
3. Make the changes that you want to the margin settings, page size and orientation, styles, and other formats.  You can also add content controls such as a date picker, instructional text, and graphics that you want to appear in all new documents that you base on the template.
4. Click the File tab, and then click Save As.
5. In the Save As dialog box, do one of the following:
   
   • On a computer that is running Windows 7, scroll to the top of the folder list, and under Microsoft Word click Templates.
   • On a computer that is running Windows Vista, under Favorite Links, click Templates.
   • On a computer that is running Windows XP, under Save in, click Trusted Templates.
6. Give the new template a file name, select Word Template in the Save as type list, and then click Save.
7. Close the template.

Garden of Glass Web Site Update

A proprietary software increased the difficulty level but Your Computer Lady was able to update the Garden of Glass site. The company didn’t want to take on the workload or expense of creating a brand new site. The update was an interim measure to improve the design and page content.

Your Computer Lady always encourages clients to use software that is widely used instead of proprietary software. A web host may offer you a “great price” for using their software but it ties you to their hosting, it increases the cost of editing your site and limits the options you have to expand the site when you need to.

How to Add Polish to your PowerPoint Presentations

Microsoft PowerPoint is a terrific medium because it allows you to reinforce your message with visual prompts. But too often, the power of PowerPoint is lost because the speaker doesn't use it to help viewers focus on the message. Instead, PowerPoint itself becomes the focus.

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

It's All About Attitude

A little boy was overheard talking to himself as he strutted through the backyard, wearing his baseball cap and toting a ball and bat: "I'm the greatest batter in the world," he announced. Then, he tossed the ball into the air, swung at it, and missed. "Strike One!" he yelled.

Undaunted, he picked up the ball and said again, "I'm the greatest hitter in the world!" He tossed the ball into the air. When it came down he swung again and missed. "Strike two!" he cried.

The boy then paused a moment to examine his bat and ball carefully. He spit on his hands and rubbed them together. He straightened his cap and said once more, "I'm the greatest batter in the world!" Again he tossed the ball up in the air and swung at it. He missed. "Strike Three!"

"Wow!" he exclaimed. "I'm the greatest pitcher in the world, too!"

Using Twitter to Build Your Company

Here is an interesting article describing how a woman has used Twitter to build her company.

 

“How Twitter Changed My Life” by Melinda F. Emerson.

Microsoft Word 2007 - Remove Extra Space Between Paragraphs

Have you noticed that in Word 2007, Word will add a space between paragraphs by default. This space cannot be removed by using the backspace key.

If you don’t want Word to add the extra space, you can turn it off. However, you will need to turn it every time you open a new document unless you alter the Normal.dot template.

To turn off the space between paragraphs, follow these steps:

1. On the Home ribbon, find the Paragraph section.
2. In the bottom right corner of the section, click the button to show the Paragraph dialog box.
3. Select “Don’t add space between paragraphs of the same style”.
4. Click OK

Eco Bay Home Database Creation

Using a mixture of lists from industry magazines and the Internet, Your Computer Lady built a database of wineries for Eco Bay Home to use marketing their new products.

Microsoft Excel - Changing Gridline Color

Gridlines help you track information on the screen easier and to locate cells quickly. Normally the gridlines are shown in black, but you may want to make them some other color. If you want to change the gridline color, follow these steps:

1. Click the Office button and then click Excel Options.
2. Click Advanced.
3. Scroll through the options until you see the Show Gridlines check box; select it.
4. Click the Gridline Color control and choose a color you want to use for the gridlines.
5. Click on OK.

Phoenix Deposition Services - LinkedIn Profiles

Your Computer Lady assisted Phoenix Deposition Services by creating a personal profile for President, Mark Miller and a company page spotlighting the firm’s services.