March 2004

Tech Tools and Tips

Kathie M. Thomas

by Kathie M. Thomas

One of the best known sources for Tips for Microsoft products is Woody's Window Watch at http://www.woodyswatch.com. There are a number of newsletters for which you can register to receive excellent up-to-date information on the use of various programs and their idiosyncrasies.

Making use of the User Groups and Newsgroups available for various software packages is an excellent way of learning from those who are experienced or perhaps those who work for the companies involved. Saves on cost of phone calls, waiting a long time on hold, going through voicemail options and so on. You register for most of these groups at no charge; post your message and then check back periodically for the reply - sometimes a series of replies as others get involved.

Many times I've used user groups to find out better ways of handling things like .css in Dreamweaver, scripts in FrontPage, different options in Outlook, handling a challenge in Excel and so on.

Some of the programs you might seek assistance with can be accessed via Outlook Express or Outlook (View, Go To, News). Initial entry into this area will present you with a window where you can subscribe to Newsgroups. Once the list has downloaded you can enter in a keyword, such as 'Outlook' and a list of all the newsgroups for Outlook will appear. Be aware that those with .de, .es, .fr in the names indicate they are in a language other than English. Double click on the one you're interested in and you'll be instantly subscribed and it will be added to your subscription list in the left panel. Then a large number of posted messages will be downloaded for you to view. You can conduct searches through postings for keywords, in case someone else has previously discussed the problem you want to address. You can also elect to have people respond to you directly or via the group.

Some other programs, Dreamweaver for example, have user groups on the Macromedia website. Theirs is more like a bulletin board but works very similarly and again has been extremely useful in times of need.

The great thing about this option for getting information is that you're learning from seasoned users of the programs - not just people who may be manning phone systems with a set of guidelines for answering queries.

It is worth doing a search online for various newsletters such as Woodys mentioned above - there is always a wealth of information to be gained that helps increase your own personal and professional learning.

Enjoy!

About the Author

Kathie M. Thomas, AFAIOP, MVA, ASO is founder of the Australian based network "A Clayton's Secretary" has 30 years secretarial/administrative experience and a background of working with computers for over 17 years. She can be contacted via her website at www.asecretary.com.au.