A cluttered and unorganized mailbox can make it difficult to find the email you need. This messy situation can be remedied. Microsoft Outlook offers great tools that help you sort your email and organize your messages in meaningful, easy-to-control ways. Outlook can even help increase your efficiency and productivity. Whether you're using Outlook 2010, Outlook 2007 or Outlook 2003, you'll be better able to stay on top of your mail.
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February 24, 2012
Microsoft Word – Microsoft Power Point - Easily Changing from Caps to Lower Case (or Vice Versa)
All of us have done this. We accidentally have the CAPS locks on and type in all CAPS. Let me share a secret I learned today.
Highlight the text that you want to change, and click Shift+F3 until it changes to the case style that you like. Clicking Shift+F3 toggles the text case between ALL CAPS, lower case, and Initial Capital styles.
Highlight the text that you want to change, and click Shift+F3 until it changes to the case style that you like. Clicking Shift+F3 toggles the text case between ALL CAPS, lower case, and Initial Capital styles.
February 23, 2012
Microsoft Office - Quick Access Toolbar
Did you know that you can move your Quick Access Toolbar below the Ribbon? Yes, you can. It makes perfect sense to move the toolbar closer to you.
To move your Quick Access Toolbar:
- Click on the drop down arrow on the Quick Access Toolbar, and Click, Move Access Toolbar Below the Ribbon.
- To move it back, do the same, but it will show above instead of below.
February 22, 2012
Online Time Management
With more and more collaboration occurring between teams, between different locations of the company and even between companies, it is becoming increasingly difficult to manage time data that you desperately need in order to control costs. You can’t allow overtime to eat away the profit margin on a project. You certainly want to bill for all billable hours. You also need reliable data in order to quote for the next similar job. One answer is online time tracking software.
Consistency
If everyone on the project is using the same system, data gathering and analysis becomes instantly easier. I work with a lot of independent contractors. Each of them sends me their invoice or time slip in a different manner. I have to figure out how to translate that info into my invoicing system. One works in 6 minute increments; another works in 15 minute increments. One can’t add worth a darn so I have to correct her timeslips all the time. And since I’m not the best bookkeeper in the world myself, I have to deal with her errors compounded by my errors!!
Real Time View
If I can log in to a system and see exact data that is up to the minute, I have better control over my projects. Are we approaching the 40 hours I estimated but only half way through the job? Are we ahead of schedule on Project A so I can shift people and time over to Project B where the deadline is close? When I only see timeslips at the end of the week or every two weeks, I lose opportunities to make adjustments that could save a project. Or save my profit on a project.
Payroll Management
The four software packages I narrowed my search to all offer some type of report to assist you with filing payroll taxes. However, these are not payroll firms that cut checks and file the taxes for you. You take the data from the system. You cut your payroll checks. You file your own taxes. TimeClock Online will create a file that you can import into your QuickBooks software. For a small firm or a firm where the payroll is fairly consistent, this isn’t a problem. For a more complicated payroll, I encourage you to look into one of the companies that handles the whole process for you. Their fees have dropped considerably over the years and their advantages are many.
Security
The four companies I selected all offer SSL security. Tsheets and Track My People provide daily backups of your data. The software varies in the amount of personal data they ask for about your users but it is always good to confirm that your data is protected.
Online
The future of software is online. The services will only get better. The advantages even today though are worthwhile: no “minimal” hardware requirements, no updates to install, lower IT personnel needs, access from any computer with a browser, access 24/7. This allows me to keep my hardware costs down since I don’t have to buy more powerful computers every time a new, larger version comes out. I can keep my IT personnel costs down since I don’t have to have someone on staff to fix all the glitches between hardware, software versions and user errors. Note: You will never eliminate the need for an IT person. They are as necessary as your banker, your mechanic, your doctor. But you can lower the need for them so that instead of a full time staff person, you can do well with an on call consultant.
Costs
For one user, the software fees run from free to $10 per month. For 5 users, fees go from $21 - $40 per month. Ten users are between $29 – $65 per month. Twenty users will range between $59 - $115 per month. Another advantage of online software, particularly the four I’ve chosen is that there is not a set up fee or cancellation fee. These are monthly services that must constantly earn your trust and your business. That makes them eager to please. Your implementation costs are going to be lower since you don’t have to buy software licenses, have your IT person do the installations then train the users. The learning curve is shorter as the software does one thing. Unlike Microsoft Word which can do everything except Windows (a little computer humor there!), time tracking software just tracks time. Your users will pick up on the process easier.
Your Computer Lady has prepared a comparison chart of the features of the four software packages. Email me for a free copy.
Software Possibilities
Written by: Pamela Bir, Your Computer Lady
As published in Sources+Design Magazine December/January 2011 Issue
February 16, 2012
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 at Microsoft at Home.
Click here to continue reading this article at Microsoft at Home.
February 14, 2012
Microsoft Word - Changing ScreenTips Settings
Have you noticed that when you hold your mouse over a button, the name of the button appears. Additionally, Word displays a brief description of the button.
ScreenTips are designed to make your work in Word easier. They’re especially helpful to those who are new to Word. But, advanced users may find ScreenTips annoying.
If you don’t like the ScreenTips feature, you can turn if off . To change ScreenTips settings in Word, follow these steps:
1. Click the Office button
2. Select Word Options
3. Open the Popular section
4. Locate the drop-down box labeled ScreenTip style
5. To disable Screen Tips entirely, select Don’t show Screen Tips
6. To disable button descriptions only, select Don’t show feature descriptions in ScreenTips
If you later decide you would like to see ScreenTips, repeat the above steps and select Show feature descriptions in ScreenTips.
February 9, 2012
February 8, 2012
RSS Feeds 101
RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. Also called: XML feed, syndicated content, web feed. Podcasting is a special type of feed that is used to distribute audio files. A podcast could be music or a narration for your tour through a museum.
A feed is frequently updated content that is published on a web site or blog. The purpose of RSS is to allow the content to be distributed. If I have a standard web site or blog, I am dependent on you coming to my web site to read my new information. A feed allows me to send information to you. You control the information you receive by subscribing to the feed. A feed is typically a small piece of information on a specific topic. Instead of sending a newsletter to ALL of my clients about ALL of the software I work with, a feed allows me to send just Salesforce articles to just Salesforce users. I would compare RSS feeds to a clipping service. You're saying, "These are the topics I'm interested in. Search them out and deliver them to my reader."
A feed is frequently updated content that is published on a web site or blog. The purpose of RSS is to allow the content to be distributed. If I have a standard web site or blog, I am dependent on you coming to my web site to read my new information. A feed allows me to send information to you. You control the information you receive by subscribing to the feed. A feed is typically a small piece of information on a specific topic. Instead of sending a newsletter to ALL of my clients about ALL of the software I work with, a feed allows me to send just Salesforce articles to just Salesforce users. I would compare RSS feeds to a clipping service. You're saying, "These are the topics I'm interested in. Search them out and deliver them to my reader."
This symbol tells you that the web site you're viewing offers RSS feeds.
Most subscriptions are free. A subscription will automatically pull new posts from the RSS feed and let you view them in your reader. Most readers give you the ability to tag posts for later searches. You can build your own library of information about your favorite topics.
Most readers allow you to choose to receive new posts only or posts and their comments. The original post may be an editorial, a link to an article on the topic, a link to an interesting web site, a photo. Really anything that can go on a web site can be a post. Comments are from the visitors to the web site or blog. It could be a question to clarify something the author said in the original post. It could be an opinion, a disagreement, another perspective, etc. The whole point of blogs is to encourage discussion. The author wants to hear from you!
There are many readers available to you including Internet Explorer version 7+, Microsoft Outlook version 2007+, Google Reader, RSSReader, Snarfer, GrabIt. Some like Outlook store the posts on your hard drive. Others like Google Reader store everything in the cloud thus saving your hard drive space and making the information available from any computer. Like any other type of software, the readers have different features and benefits. Try out two or three to find the one that suits you best.
A relatively new development in RSS is the ability to have an email subscription. (See an example on the Your Computer Lady blog.) Instead of using a reader, a visitor can sign up to receive posts via email that will come right to their Inbox. So each Tuesday and Thursday you could automatically receive a new tip about Microsoft Office from Your Computer Lady. If you’re marketing to an older audience who aren’t familiar with RSS Readers, this is the way for you to get in touch with them.
For your web site or blog – It’s important to offer an RSS feed to encourage your visitors to stay involved with you. Promote the feed along with your other marketing and social media efforts. You want to build a community of people interested in what you’re saying.
For you as a professional – Sign up for feeds that give you educational or industry news. Stay on top of new products or trends.
Take a look at these sites which offer RSS feeds:
www.YourComputerLady.com
Take a look at these sites which offer RSS feeds:
www.YourComputerLady.com
www.npr.org National Public Radio has multiple feeds including my favorite “StoryCorps”
http://www.office.microsoft.com/ - information about Microsoft's Office Suite
http://www.webmd.com/ - medical information site
http://www.wallstreetjournal.com/- podcasts and news feed
Written by: Pamela Bir, Your Computer Lady
As published in Sources+Design Magazine February/March 2011 Issue
February 7, 2012
Microsoft Word 2007 - Inserting a Caption in a Word Document
When you insert tables, pictures and other objects in your Word 2007 document, you can add a caption to it. The caption can help you refer to the object within the document.
- Select the object
- Click on the Reference ribbon
- Click Insert Caption
- Click New Label
- In the Position box, specify the placement of the label
- In the Caption box, insert any additional information
- Click OK
Once the caption appears you can change the font, add color, bold or italicize the caption.
February 3, 2012
Who Took my Mouse Pointer?
3 Ways to Keep your Cursor in Plain Sight
Is your mouse pointer, also called the “cursor,” always disappearing from your screen? Not a problem. You can customize your pointer so you can find it in a snap.
Click here to continue to Microsoft at Home to read the full article.
February 1, 2012
Microsoft Excel 2007 - Convert One Column into Two
Sometimes you may have a list of names in a column, and you need to separate the first names from the last names. This is easy to do in Excel.
- Highlight the column that you want to split into two columns.
- Click on the Data tab
- Select the Text to Columns button
- Click Delimited, then Next
- Click Space, then Next
- Click Finish
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