- Sharing Your Project Online with Microsoft Office Web Applications
- Overview of Key New Features in Office 2010
- Using Social Media for Business and IT
- Appending an Access 2007 Form Using Email
- Create Your Own Social Network with Ning
- Microsoft to Users: You Need to "Survive" an Update
- Implementing Professional Design Principles in Your PowerPoint Presentations
- Implementing Professional Design Principles
- Twelve Things I Hate About Microsoft Office
- Lights... Camera... It's Digital Hollywood! How The Techies are Taking Over
- Using PowerPoint To Facilitate, Not Just Present
- Presenting a Narrated PowerPoint Show with Apreso
- Using a Visio Timeline Diagram in PowerPoint
- Creating a New Presentation
Easy Microsoft Office 2010
Easy Microsoft Office 2010, Portable Document
Solving the PowerPoint Predicament: Using Digital Media for Effective Communication
Easy Creating CDs and DVDs, 2nd Edition
Easy Creating CDs and DVDs, Adobe Reader, 2nd Edition
Easy Digital Music
Easy Digital Music, Adobe Reader
Sams Teach Yourself Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2003 in 24 Hours
Sams Teach Yourself Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2003 in 24 Hours, Adobe Reader
Make the Most of Your Digital Photos,Video & Music
Get More Out of Your PC and Add-Ons
How to Use Ulead DVD Workshop
- Windows 7 - Give Me a Reason
In a recent article in InfoWorld, Microsoft's Ballmer suggests (threatens?) that "Enterprise XP holdouts will get hell from users". I disagree, for reasons I write about in an upcoming article.
- ComputerWorld: Will user interfaces be the downfall of Microsoft?
In his piece Michael Horowitz seems to echo many of the points I made in "Nobody Asked Me But... (What I Want in the next versions of Office and Windows) and a soon to be published piece: Microsoft to Users: You Need to “Survive” an Update. I also began this topic in the summer of 2007, with a blog post entitled "Where's the Revolution?"
Michael takes a bit of a different slant but both of us, from the end user perspective rather than from Microsoft's, see the new versions as causing much grief and frustration with little in the way of real improvement. By the way, I have no axe to grind; like many of you I am bonded with Microsoft and have no easy path to Mac or OpenSource. But we all have a stake in not continuing the madness.
Here is the beginning of his piece:
"Microsoft has made, what I think are, mistakes in changing the user interfaces on their two most important products, Windows and Office. Each is doing it's best to drive away existing customers. The techies at Microsoft seem to lack an understanding of the needs of normal people and thus may have started the company on its inevitable decline."
- CNET: Early Screenshots of Office 14
Various Microsoft enthusiast sites were buzzing on Thursday about purported screenshots of Office 14, which is in early testing.
A Russian site, wzor.net, put up a bunch of screenshots of the individual products that make up the suite, as well as an about page and start menu that seem to show a whole lot of Office 14 products are on the way.
- InfoWorld: Google Challenge to Office?
Interesting articles at InfoWorld about the challenge of Google Apps to the enterprise.
My question is how much Microsoft may be hurting itself by releasing new versions that make end users struggle to adapt. In my opinion, Google Apps simplicity in addition to price may be its big attraction.
- InfoWorld: Recession Proof IT Jobs
Lisa Schmeiser has a short but interesting piece about which aspects of IT are still in high demand during the recession.
More
- InfoWorld: Resume Tips for Techies.
Tom Kanishige has written an in interesting piece on how to make your IT resume shine. Good for New Years' resolutions.
- Microsoft PDC 2008: Commitment to Office Web Apps
While I wasn't able to make it to this year's Professional Developers Conference, I was interested in the potential evolution of the suite to encompass web applications. Desire Athow of ITPortal.com provides an interesting overview of how this strategy was presented.
- IDG: Update: Microsoft to alpha test Office 14 before end of year
By Elizabeth Montalbano, IDG News Service - Blog posting by Microsoft employee calls for people to be part of a technology adoption program to test the monitoring and analytics components of Office PerformancePoint Server
- InfoWorld Study: IT jobs will drop in 2009
IT staff jobs are at increasing risk -- both for contractors and in-house workers -- according to a survey of top CIOs by Goldman, Sachs & Co released last week. Global services companies will also feel the pinch because of the slowing economy.
- From ITPro UK: Telegraph swaps Microsoft Office for Google Apps
the latest corporate customer for Google’s hosted office suite Google Apps Premier Edition.
The publisher of The Daily Telegraph will migrate 1,400 seats over to Google’s enterprise version of its business productivity software before the end of this year, after successfully completing a trial with 10 per cent of its users during May and June.
- CNET: Online Subscription Office Screen Shots and Info
Microsoft is offering an online version of Office along with OneCare security for $70/year - it's called Equipt and will be read later this month.
- ComputerWorld: Rumor of Office 14 in 2009 - Plus My Comments
There is a short article on the ComputerWorld web site about a reference to the next version of Office posted on an MS web site and later removed.
- ZD NET on Second Open Office Suite
Do we need two open source office suites? by ZDNet's Dana Blankenhorn -- Do we really need two open source office suites?
- A Windows 7 Wish List: The Impossible Dream?
To me it is amazing that people are actually wondering what Microsoft is hatching for Windows 7; I guess in some ways there is a parallel in waiting hopefully for a new OS and a new administration in Washington.
But after dealing with the sloth, lack of compatibility and outright idiocy of Windows Vista (new ways to reprogram yourself to do almost everything) I guess some people are anxious to go through the process – again.
- Tech Republic Tips for IT Managers
Nice feature at Tech Republic: "Moving from a purely technical net admin role to a managerial position can be a long and winding road full of pitfalls. Steven Crane has become quite familiar with that road during his long career in the IT industry.
For eight years, he was an IT manager for major blue chip “fast moving consumer goods” (FMCG) companies such as Gillette and Parker Pen. In that time, Crane faced and overcame many management challenges."
- ZDNet:: Office SP1 Expected in June
According to Mary Jo Foley -- Systems administrators: Mark your calendars. Microsoft is going to start pushing the first service packs for Office 2007 and SharePoint 2007 next month.
- InfoWorld: 5 IT skills that won't boost your salary
Technical skills may never die, but areas of expertise wane in importance as technology advances force companies to evolve and IT staff to forsake yesterday's craft in favor of tomorrow's must-have talent.
- Windows 7? I Cannot Wait!
I found a ditty in my email this week from PC Magazine that Bill Gates is "superenthused" about the impending release of Windows 7 in early 2010.
- Visio Guru to Provide Instruction on Best Practices
Visio Pioneer Chris Roth to Offer Visio Best Practices for D-Tools SI Users
- InfoWorld's Vista Alternative
InfoWorld has an interesting article on using Windows Server 2008 as a workstation or Vista alternative.
- ZDNet Benchmarks Vista v. XP
In a series of benchmark tests ZDNet compared Vista SP1 to XP SP2. (Hint: XP won - check the graphs on page 5)
- Vista SP1 Details from ZDNet
Ed Bott at ZDNet details what's under the hood of Vista's first service pack.
- Looking Into Windows Vista SP1?
Microsoft has published documentation on what is in the new service pack for Vista.
- Desktop versus Web Based Apps
CNET's Elsa Wenzel offers a thoughtful commentary on the new web based applications and whether they pose a threat to shrink wrapped software.
- Vista Screenshots from Hell
I've complained about Vista before but these two examples of file transfer and DVD burning are ridiculous
- Staying with or Downgrading to Windows XP
InfoWorld has a comprehensive article about your options for getting Windows XP after this year's June 30 cutoff. link
- Want Info on the Next Windows?
While many of us are scratching our heads about Vista, others are speculating on the next Windows
- Visio Conference & Toolbox Updated
Probably in time for the upcoming Visio Conference in Redmond I am told the Toolbox site, which we covered recently, is updated. Have a look here.
- Printing Posters with PowerPoint
Steve Blass of Network World comes up with a great tip for PowerPoint Users on large format printing.
- Microsoft Confirms Excel Flaw - and Suggests Defenses
Information available from ZD Net on how to fight Excel security vulnerabilities in Office 2003
- OneNote 2007: Package a Saved Notebook
Backup and move your OneNote Notebook with a single file.
- OneNote 2007: Create Tags for Quick Searches
OneNote 2007 has a huge number of pre-set tags, or you can create your own with Customize.
- OneNote 2007: Send Flagged Tasks to Outlook
When you flag items in OneNote as Tasks, you can instantly send them into Outlook where they are calendared Tasks.
- OneNote: Send Web Pages from IE
With OneNote installed you can use the Tools menu in Internet Explorer to send any web page to OneNote
- OneNote: Use SideNotes and Organize Them In OneNote
You can add a SideNote item to the System Tray that instantly opens a OneNote Window
- Outlook: Make a Send to Blocked Senders List Button
Use the Tools > Customize Feature of Outlook to create a button that sends a selected message to Junk Mail and blocks the Sender
- Outlook Search Folders
You can either use the pre-set Outlook Search Folders or create your own to organize you items and email
- Outlook 2007: Color Categories
Outlook 2007's new color categories are a great way to sort and filter contacts, tasks and email
- Outlook 2007: The To-Do Bar
You can review your most important calendar appointments and tasks instantly in the To-Do Bar.
- Outlook 2007: View RSS Content
Outlook 2007 has an RSS Aggregator that lets you view RSS feeds and subscriptions in you Email folders
- Use the Visio ShapeSheet
The Visio ShapeSheet is one of the most powerful features of the program - learning it can accelerate your productivity immensely.
- Visio: Hide and Show Layers
A very effective way in Visio of making a complex diagram easier to understand is placing items on different layers and making them visible or invisible depending upon the situation.
- Visio Timeline Template
Using the Visio Timeline template is a great way to summarize a project visually.
- Visio 2007: New AutoConnect Options
In Visio 2007 there are three options to automatically connect shapes in your diagram and space them evenly.
- Access 2007: Form and Report Pre-Set Designs
In Access 2007, Forms and Reports can be quickly reformatted using the pre-set galleries in the Design view and Design Tools.
- PowerPoint 2007: Use the Intro Template
If you want to quickly see all of the powerful features of PowerPoint and apply them to your own presentation(s), use a template pre-set that contains them all.
- PowerPoint 2007: Multiple Masters and Layouts
Besides multiple masters, PowerPoint 2007 also has a set of layouts attached to each master.
- PowerPoint 2007: WordArt Effects
If you liked WordArt before you'll love it in PowerPoint 2007 - you can apply PhotoShop like effects to text.
- PowerPoint 2007: Convert Bullets to SmartArt
PowerPoint 2007 has a quick way to turn boring bullets into more meaningful SmartArt diagrams.
- Office 2007/PowerPoint: SmartArt Diagrams
If you want to convey information visually, the new SmartArt diagrams in the Insert tab can provide a wide array of options.
- Office 2007/Excel: Use Themes to Reformat Your Document
Themes are a quick way to make your worksheet or document look different quickly, and particularly to apply a different set of colors and effects to a graphic element, like a chart.
- Excel 2007: Pivot Tables to Reorganize Data
In Excel 2007 the Pivot Table feature has been made a lot easier and it's a great way to look at your data from a different perspective.
- Excel 2007: New Conditional Formats
Excel 2007's new conditional format, available in the Insert tab, can visually highlight important data and made it easier to analyze and present.
- Excel 2007: New Chart Layouts and Effects
In Excel 2007 the Design tab when you select a chart lets you instantly choose a different layout for the chart without doing a lot of reformatting.
- Customize the Quick Access Toolbar
If you are missing something from the Ribbon in the Office 2007 apps, you can add it to the Quick Access Toolbar.
- Word 2007: Full Screen Reading View
Word 2007 has taken a page from E-Book with full screen reading view
- Word 2007: The References Tab
Check out the References tab to apply professional styles and manage sources
- Enable the Developer tab
The Developer tab on the Ribbon is optional, but you can enable it using the Office Button and clicking options for the program you are using.
- Word 2007: Using QuickParts
The Insert tab on the Ribbon lets you quickly add QuickParts to your document or save a block of text as a new QuickPart
- Compare Document Versions
Use Word 2007 to compare versions and make changes to similar documents.
- Tips on Upgrades to Office 2007 from Computerworld
From Computerworld comes an expert consultant's take on upgrading to Office 2007
- Vista Revolution Continues
Following up to a recent post, it seems that the people are rebelling against having Vista shoved down their throats.
- Excel Calculation Bug Fix
Read about fixes for this Excel problem covered in an earlier blog.
- Multiplication Bug in Excel 2007
Excel Newsgroup Member IDs bug in Excel 2007
- ZDNet on SP1
ZDNet has an interesting article on the effects of the beta of SP1 for Vista on those contemplating deployment.
- Where's the Revolution?
Is anyone else fed up with new OS and Office adjustments?
This chapter is from the book
Sams Teach Yourself Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2003 in 24 Hours
So far, we've used a canned presentation from the AutoContent Wizard to become more comfortable with the PowerPoint interface and to experience the very important distinction between the editing and presenting modes of the program. It was also helpful to get a preview of the Slide Sorter view and the Slide Layout task pane—for those of you adventurous enough to venture forth on your own.
But what if the AutoContent Wizard has nothing that appeals to you as you begin your project? In that case, it's time to create a brand new presentation. In this hour, we'll learn how to
-
Work with a new blank presentation
-
Format or number our bullets
-
Replace and change font color
-
Create a text box
-
Use handy editing tips
Beginning from Square One
When you open PowerPoint from scratch, you get a new blank presentation and the Getting Started task pane. As we saw earlier, you can switch from the Getting Started task pane to the New Presentation task pane and access the AutoContent Wizard (see Figure 3.1).
)
Figure
3.1 When PowerPoint opens, it gives you a blank presentation named Presentation1
in the Title bar.
You begin working in PowerPoint with a blank Title slide and the newly named Presentation1 on the Title bar.
TIP
To begin another presentation if you already have one open, click File, New on the main menu and you get the New Presentation task pane. Or you can click the New Presentation icon on the Standard toolbar and get the Slide Layout task pane.
In either case, this becomes the next consecutively numbered and named Presentation (1, 2, and so on).
Notice that on the Getting Started task pane, you can
Instantly access your most recently saved presentation(s)
Create another new (blank) presentation
Open other presentations stored in your computer, usually in My Documents
Search Office Online for help, news, and templates
You can also go online to Microsoft to find design templates, which we'll get to shortly.
The first slide of a new blank presentation is, by default, a Title slide, as shown in Figure 3.1. Remember that in the AutoContent presentation, our first slide was a Title slide with a subtitle.
TIP
The Title slide is a good way to introduce a presentation. As we'll learn in Hour 12, "Customizing Your Presentation," the Title slide has some special attributes.
Just as we did when we revised the existing presentation, we can now click in the title and subtitle placeholders and add the text we want, as shown in Figure 3.2.
)
Figure
3.2 Remember to click outside the placeholder when you've finished
entering text (don't add a carriage return).
Great—we've got our Title slide. Let's create our next slide. Select Insert, New Slide, or click the New Slide icon on the Standard toolbar (see Figure 3.3).
)
Figure
3.3 It's easy to add a new slide and advance past the Title slide.
Just select Insert, New Slide on the main menu or press Ctrl+M.
Notice that the Slide Layout task pane pops up to replace the Getting Started task pane, as shown in Figure 3.4.
)
Figure
3.4 Remember that you don't press Enter between the title and bullets.
Just click in the bullet placeholder to add the first one and press Enter for
the next and subsequent bullets.
TIP
If you need the Getting Started task pane, you can always click the little home icon on the task pane to return. You can also use the forward and back arrows to navigate between task panes (refer to Figure 3.3).
You should already be familiar with the Slide Layout task pane from the previous hour, when we created a new slide in an existing presentation. We won't need the task pane right away, because by default, a new slide is created with the Title and Bullet layout.
Let's create a simple slide with the title Main Concept and the bullets Topic 1, Topic 2, and Topic 3. This simple slide is shown in Figure 3.4.
Last hour, we edited the text within the bullets by changing the font color and underlining a specific bullet. Let's see what options we might have with respect to the bullets themselves. With the bullet placeholder selected (just click it), select Format, Bullets and Numbering, as shown in Figure 3.5.
)
Figure
3.5 Use the Format command on the main menu to change the look of your bullets
or numbered lists.
The Bullets and Numbering dialog box gives you a number of options to reformat the bullets:
-
You can simply select the check marks for your bullets and click OK. The check mark becomes your bullet image for this particular slide, as shown in Figure 3.6.
You can refine the choice by color.
You can change the size (percent of text).
)
Figure
3.6 Select one of the icons for your bullets or click Customize or Picture
to choose from other options.
If you click the Customize button, you can access the symbol library in a special Windows font called Wingdings (see Figure 3.7) to create even more of your own special bullets.
)
Figure
3.7 Clicking Customize gives you a wide array of symbols to use for bullets.
CAUTION
If the bullet format you select is mistakenly applied to only one bullet, go back and drag through the entire bullet placeholder to reselect all the bullets before changing the format again. Remember the two selection modes for a placeholder, which we discussed in Hour 2, "Diving into PowerPoint."
TIP
You can use your own pictures for bullets by clicking the Picture button. Doing so brings up the Picture Bullet panel of the Clip Organizer, which gives you even more choices. We'll cover pictures and clip art in the Clip Organizer in Hour 9, "Image Is Everything."
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