Computer Tutor Computer Tips

Quickly Find Keywords

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 00:55:21 GMT

Don’t “eyeball” documents or webpages for words you’re looking for. Save yourself time and do a keyword search.

Find Keywords in a Microsoft Office Document (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

Home Ribbon > Find & Select (right side of Home tab) > Find. OR CTRL + F is the keyboard way to start a Find.
Type the word you’re searching for.
Click on [Find All] for a list of each instance of the word or phrase in your list.
Press [Esc] or click [Close] to clear the dialog box.

Searching a document will check all pages of the document.

On a website, use the keyboard: CTRL + F

Even on a banking website, you can use CTRL +F to search for a check number.

Do you like learning the shortcuts? Our Microsoft Word Shortcuts “Cheat Sheet” is now available. Click here to learn more.

What is a Blog?

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:51:36 GMT

Do you subscribe to any blogs? The word “blog” comes from the term “Web Log.” You can think of it as an online journal or magazine. The articles are known as “posts.”

You may have read blogs without realizing it. If you search for a topic online and find an article about the topic you searched for – it may have been a blog post. You can find blogs on about any topic you can think of. You can subscribe to receive all the latest posts. More on subscribing below.

According to Technorati™ Media, there are 5 types of bloggers: (From Technorati™ Media “State of the Blogosphere 2011.”, an annual study.)

1) Hobbyist: 60% of the respondents to this survey are Hobbyists, saying they “blog for fun” and do not report any income. Half of hobbyists prefer to express their “personal musings” when blogging. 60% indicate they spend less than three hours a week blogging, yet half of hobbyists respond individually to comments from readers. Because 72% blog to speak their minds, their main success metric is personal satisfaction (61%).

2-3) Professional Part- and Full-Timers: 18% of the total group. They are independent bloggers who either use blogging as a way to supplement their income, or consider it their full-time job. Most of these professional bloggers don’t consider blogging their primary source of income. This group primarily blogs about personal musings and technology

4) Corporate: Corporate bloggers make up 8% of the blogosphere. They blog as part of their full-time job or blog full-time for a company or organization they work for. These bloggers primarily talk about technology and business in their blogs. 70% blog to share expertise, 61% to gain professional recognition, and 52% to attract new clients. They have found that blogging has given them greater visibility in their industry (64%) and company (63%). 63% of corporate bloggers use their number of unique visitors to measure success.

5) Entrepreneurs: 13% of the blogosphere is characterized as entrepreneurs, or individuals blogging for a company or organization they own. 84% of these bloggers blog primarily about the industry they work in, with 46% blogging about business and 40% about technology. 76% blog to share expertise; 70% blog to gain professional recognition; and 68% to attract new clients for their business

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Know Where You’re Going? Use the Address Bar!

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:49:03 GMT

When going to a website you have the address for, do you just type it in the Google or Yahoo search box? You are creating more steps and possible confusion for yourself if you are not using the address bar when you have the address.

Address Bar versus Google Search

The address bar is at the top of the window. When you have the address of the website you’re going to, say for example www.Macys.com, go right to it by typing the address in the address bar. (Finish by pressing [Enter].)

You can use a Google or Yahoo search box to get there as well, but it is a SEARCH box that will show you search results first. You will have to locate the link you want in a cluttered screen full of search results.

A Google or Yahoo search box is best used for searching topics – when you don’t know where you need to go to find the information. For example, say you want to find out about the Academy Awards. You don’t have a specific address to go to – just a topic you want to search and explore.

In this Google search of Academy Awards 2012, Google finds 27,800,000 “hits” …

Top of a Google Search result indicates the number of results

The blue underlined text is a link to that site.

The green text is the address of the site. It can help you decide if it’s one you want to view.

Want to check several of the results without losing the search page? Right-click on the link > Open in New Window. The Search results remain open in the previous window.

Want to find an address or a property? Simply type an address and city in the search box.

Let us know some of your favorite search tips.

Excel – Work Quickly by Duplicating a Sheet for Your Next Report

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 14:52:16 GMT

A very common scenario in Excel is creating spreadsheets that report numbers for specific time periods. For example, weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annual reports. This means you will continually be re-creating the same spreadsheet going forward in time – other than the variance in reported data.

You don’t want to start from scratch. Make quick work of your next report – duplicate the sheet, then edit the details.

Some of you might be asking “Does she mean copy-and-paste?” NO! Though it can be accomplished by copying the info from the previous spreadsheet to a new blank sheet, it will take more work than the duplication method because there are several things that do not come over with the copy-and-paste, including:

Widened columns.
Changed row heights.
Print settings, including headers and footers.

To duplicate a sheet:

Drag the sheet tab to the right while holding the CTRL key down.
When you see a little black triangle appearing on the right side of the sheet tab, release your mouse before releasing the CTRL key. The new worksheet will be named the same with a (2) after it. Example: A duplicated March sheet will be March (2).
Now edit the details of the duplicate sheet. Change the sheet name, edit time period labels, input your new data.

Quick and easy you are done with your report and leaving your office early! (Until the boss decides they need to give you more work ��

QuickBooks Troubleshooter: Zero Balance on Open Invoices Report

Mon, 03 Jan 2011 14:16:37 GMT

One of QuickBooks’ useful reports is the Open Invoice report (Reports > Customers & Receivables > Open Invoices) to help you stay on top of money owed to you. The report lists customer unpaid invoices. Have you ever used this report and found a customer listed with a zero balance? Why is it showing up on the Open Invoice report? (See illustration below).

QuickBooks Open Invoice with Zero Balance

When entering a customer payment, the default in QuickBooks (in Edit > Preferences > Sales & Customers) is to Automatically apply payments. This means that when you enter the upper part of the payment window, QuickBooks will automatically checkmark a matching or older payment due in the payment window.

If you turn off this feature, QuickBooks does not enter a checkmark against open invoices. The user must do it.

Why would someone want to turn that off? QuickBooks sometimes applies the payment in the wrong place. It “guesses” which invoice to apply the current payment to. If the user is not paying attention, the payment can get applied to the wrong open invoice. This is potentially a problem for businesses that have multiple open invoices for any one customer.

By removing the checkmark for “Automatically apply payments,” the user must proactively place a checkmark next to the invoice the payment is intended for.

Occasionally the user may forget to checkmark the invoice being paid by the payment. In a simple scenario of one payment paying one single invoice, the result will be the payment is noted for the customer, but is not specifically applied to an invoice. Resulting in a zero balance for the customer, but the invoice is still considered “open.”

The illustration below shows a Payment that was entered, but notice there is no checkmark in the first column, which would apply it to that invoice. The customer gets “credited” for the payment, but the invoice is not cleared.

Fixing this is easy. Simply open the payment, and place the checkmark next to the invoice it pays in the lower part of the payment window. Now when you run Open Invoices, the invoice should no longer be in the report.

Top 10 Giveaways That You’re a Computer Dummy

Tue, 30 Nov 2010 13:08:10 GMT

As a computer trainer, I work with people at all levels when it comes to computer skills. Whether I am working one-to-one, or in a classroom situation, I ask questions about a student’s experience and goals to help me create a custom training plan.

I also make “quiet” observations that help me quickly assess how well-trained (or not) people are. It is not a judgment of how smart someone is, simply a tool to give me a starting point for helping my clients.

Co-workers or others may be more judgmental about some of the same indicators I use. That gave me the idea to write a post about it. See if any of these apply to you:

You have no idea which operating system you’re using on your own personal computer.
You do not know the difference between a right click and left click, or have trouble moving your pointer when you reach the edge of the mouse pad.
You turn off your computer by simply pressing the power button.
You do not know the difference between “Windows” and “Office.”
When using the internet, you do not know the difference between the address bar and the search bar.
You do not know what it means to minimize or maximize a window.
You think you must close your current program in order to open something else.
You use your email program as your permanent storage place for files and pictures you’ve received by email.
You are unaware that you can scroll down on a website to see more of the page.
You are clueless when asked to go to your documents or pictures folder.

I know many of my readers are NOT this basic – and may even be giggling at some of these. If you’re not giggling – if you’re tired of being a “computer dummy,” give us a call to schedule training.

Not ready for one-to-one training? The Computer Tutor offers easy-to-follow courseware that we use in our classroom. Many students ask me about the “Dummies®” series. Those books are fine, but we recommend the series called “Teach Yourself Visually.” Most people are visual learners and these books (they offer several topics) are packed full of color illustrations, rather than words, words, words.

Click here to see the Teach Yourself Visually for Microsoft Windows 10 .

I’ll provide the answers to these in future posts. Stay tuned!

Viewing Large Spreadsheets – Freeze Panes

Sun, 15 Aug 2010 13:03:17 GMT

When your Excel file exceeds the screen view, and you scroll down or to the right in order to view your data, the row and/or column labels also scroll away from view. Data becomes meaningless when you can’t see what it belongs to.

Freeze Panes allows you to “freeze” the row/column labels (for example, “Jan, Feb, Mar, Total”) in view so they continue to show on screen even as you scroll down through document. Freeze Panes does not affect printing (we’ll cover print-related issues later).

Where you click before you “freeze” is important. Excel will freeze above and to the left of where your cell selection is. For example, if all you need to freeze is your top row of labels on row 1, click on cell A2 when you Freeze Panes. If you also need the A column to stay in view when you scroll to the right in a wide spreadsheet, click on cell B2.

To turn on Freeze Panes: View > Freeze Panes. Choose rows or columns or both.

To turn off Freeze Panes: View > Unfreeze Panes

11 ways Social Media Makes Life Better – Plus 4 Things You Never Want To Do

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 12:55:31 GMT

Social Media may not be for everyone, but when I hear someone say “I don’t care what people had for breakfast!” I can’t help but think they don’t have the full picture. So here’s my list of ways that Social Media sites (such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube) enhance the day-to-day lives of people who love it. And I couldn’t keep it to 10 – had to go with 11! I’ll top off the list with some cautionary tips.

Stay connected with distant (and busy!) family without long-distance and time-consuming phone calls (and playing phone tag).
Reconnect with friends from your past without having to attend your reunion. Most social sites have tools to help you do this.
Get instant updates from school mom networks when emergencies arise at your children’s school.
Career connections –Your former supervisor could be the connection to your next job!
Be found (or ‘found out’ !) as a potential candidate by companies searching for employees on social sites such as LinkedIn.
Own a business ? Establish relationships and credibility – more cost-effective than traditional advertising, great potential for reaching YOUR target market. It’s a great way to develop relationships over time – a long term strategy.
Causes -Keep up with causes you care about but don’t have a lot of time for. From political, social, and legal causes to conservation, fundraising, and awareness.
Support, Fellowship,and Information : Find groups in the socialsphere that help you feel like you’re not alone. Moms, book writers, divorcees, veterans, dieters, medical issues of every kind, accident victims, crime victims, addicts (but remember the public nature of social), job seekers, travelers, musicians, entrepreneurs, hobbyists – just to mention a few!
Learning -There is so much out there to learn – and so much of it is free. Find lectures and webinars on topics of interest to you.
Know the new. “ Listen ” to what people are saying about trending topics that are “now.”
Entertainment -Games, pictures, videos, stories – some of it is just pure entertainment!
Ask a question – get 50 responses !

CAUTION – 4 things you NEVER want to do on social media

Do NOT ignore your Privacy settings – know where they are and how to remove yourself from a site if you need to.

Do NOT send money to someone who has contacted you through a social site – even a “friend” – without speaking to them by telephone or some other method outside of the site where they contacted you.

Do NOT post anything you don’t want to be public knowledge. What you post is public and can be viewed by insurance companies, law enforcement, judges, and prospective employers. Not to mention your mom. ��

Do NOT assume that news posts are true. Plenty of fake online news stories lure people in with sensational headlines in order to drive traffic to underhanded web marketers. Consider the source. Is it from NewYorkTimes.com or SomeWeirdName.com?

Let us know how Social Media makes YOUR life better!

Insert a Word table.

Like knowing the shortcuts? Our Microsoft Word Shortcuts “Cheat Sheet” is now available. Click here for more information.

Create Quick Columns in Word Without the Columns Feature

Sun, 20 Jun 2010 12:52:40 GMT

Column Tip

Need a simple column look without the hassle of column formatting? Create a table with the number of columns and rows you need, hide the lines of the table, and you have a column look without the hassles of Word’s column feature.

Click on Table on the Insert Ribbon (Word 2007).

Highlight the number of columns and rows you want. Hold your mouse button down and drag if you need more columns or rows than showing on the grid. The illustration below will give me three columns and three rows.
Type your content and size the columns and rows as needed.
Hide table lines: Select the table. Make sure the Table Tools Design Ribbon comes in to view. If it doesn’t, try double-clicking on the table selector.
Select No Borders from the Borders drop-down box.

Note: the table may appear on screen to have light blue dotted lines still – but they will not print.

Insert a Word table.

Like knowing the shortcuts? Our Microsoft Word Shortcuts “Cheat Sheet” is now available. Click here for more information.

Calculate a Loan Payment with Excel

Sun, 20 Jun 2010 12:44:06 GMT

If you would like to figure out what a loan payment will be, use Excel’s PMT function.

=PMT(rate,nper,pv, fv,type)

Rate = Interest rate for the loan. Because the interest rate is per annum, you must divide it by 12.
Nper=Number of payments, expressed in years x 12.
Pv=Present Value, otherwise known as the principal or loan amount
Fv=future value, or a cash balance you want to attain after the last payment is made. If fv is omitted, it is assumed to be 0 (zero), that is, the future value of a loan is 0.
Type = (Optional) When payments are due. (Zero or omitted=end of period, 1 is at beginning of period).

The following is an example of a mortgage loan payment calculation:

The function typed in to cell B7 in this illustration is =PMT(B5/12,B6*12,B4). B5 is the interest rate, which must be divided by 12 because it is an annual rate. B6 is the loan term, which must be multiplied by 12 for the 12 payments per year. B4 is the loan amount. In this example, there is no need to include Future Value or Type.

Note: There is also a PPMT function. PPMT returns the principal portion of a specific loan payment; where PMT returns the full, fixed payment for a loan.

Microsoft Word Time Saver: Memorize Repeated Text with “Quick Parts”

Thu, 08 Apr 2010 07:04:17 GMT

Do you get tired of re-typing the same paragraphs or specially formatted text in your documents on a regular basis? Or maybe you have tried to solve that issue by opening previous documents to copy and paste text to your new document. No need to do that when you can “memorize” text passages with Word 2007/2010 Quick Parts.

Quick Parts allows you to create reusable formatted text, even tables, which you can insert instantly without recreating every time you need it.

A good example is the closing paragraph and signature in a letter. If your letter closing and signature is always the same, don’t re-type it or copy-and-paste it each time. Create and use it as a Quick Part!

Here is how you create your custom Quick Part. In this example I will do a closing paragraph and signature area. You only have to do this once, unless it changes.

Create the text in a Word document as you want it to appear in your documents. (Or you can open one that already exists). In the following example of a letter closing I have even used a picture logo.
Select the full passage you want included. In my example above, I will select from “We look forward… down to (and including) my website address.
Insert > Quick Parts > Save Selection to Quick Part Gallery.
Word will suggest a name for the Quick Part, but you can edit the name
Word will save it in the General category of Quick Parts. However, you can create a new category of Quick Parts by clicking on Create New Category from the drop-down. Category examples: LetterClose , or Disclaimers

To use your Quick Part in future documents:

Click at the spot where you want to insert the text.
Insert Ribbon > Quick Parts > select your Quick Part from the list.

You should now see your entire closing and signature line! Every time you need to use the text – that’s all you have to do. Saves a lot of typing!

Another component of Quick Parts is the Building Blocks Organizer (I’ll call it the BBO). The BBO includes a list of built-in “document parts” you can use for instantly professional looking documents. Examples of document parts include cover pages, headers/footers, tables, text boxes, and more. A great way to check out how you might use the BBO is to explore it, try some out. Insert > Quick Parts > Building Blocks Organizer…

There are so many cool features to help make your work fast and easy in Microsoft Word. Stay tuned for more time-saver tips!

Like knowing the shortcuts? Our Microsoft Word Shortcuts “Cheat Sheet” is now available. Click here for more information.

Getting good training is the single most important thing you can do increase your computer productivity. That’s where we can help! Sign up for our email list on our home page and give us a call today.

Stop Unwanted Startup Windows

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 05:36:30 GMT

Have you ever had a new window begin appearing every time you start your computer and find yourself asking “Where did that come from?”

This can occur after you have installed a new program, or when your computer has installed a Windows update.

In this illustration, a Windows Live Messenger sign-in screen began to appear every time I started my computer. This occurred after a Windows Update.

True, I could just close the window each time, but there is no need to do that if I remove it from my startup configuration. I could also close down the icon on my Task Bar by right-clicking and selecting [Exit]. But the program will appear again next time I start the computer.

SYSTRAY

The visual indicator of the programs opening and running in the background on your computer is an area called the Systray, which is where your computer clock is (lower-right corner of your screen).

Several of these programs need to be running, such as the sound, your computer network, your anti-virus software, and perhaps some programs that you use regularly. But the more icons you have in this area:

1. The longer your computer start-up takes.

2. More memory resources are being used by your computer for those programs running in the background.

You have the option of removing these programs from the Start-Up without removing them from your computer.

In this demonstration, I’m on a Windows Vista computer, though the process works similarly with Windows 7.

1. Click the Start button (lowerleft) and type “run.” This will find a program called RUN. Click on that.

2. Type msconfig, press [Enter].

3. In Windows Vista, you may be asked permission to continue. Click [Continue].

4. In the System Configuration dialog box, click the Startup tab.

You will see a list of checkboxes and programs running in the background.

The Startup Item column can be widened if it’s difficult to see the program name.

5. Remove the checkmark from the program you want to disable from Startup. Sometimes it can be difficult to identify which program that is. The command column can sometimes provide some clues.

In this illustration, I want to remove the checkmark from Windows Live Messenger.

You may need to restart your computer. If you are ready to restart, click that button. Otherwise, you can [Exit without restart] to continue working with your computer and restart your computer later.

After going through these steps, the Windows Live Messenger window no longer opens automatically on my computer. However, the program is still on my computer, so I can open it when I need it.

Excel – Correct Data Entry Errors

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 03:28:45 GMT

Everyone makes data entry errors. You need to correct errors quickly so you can move on with completing your work. In Excel, here are some ways to do that.

If the error just occurred:

1. [ESC] key on the keyboard. If you are still typing and have not hit [Enter] yet, press [ESC]. This cancels what you’ve begun to type in to a cell, but have not confirmed yet. (If you have already hit [Enter], see instructions below).

2. Click the Red X on the formula bar. This is the same thing as pressing [ESC]. The red X will not be available if you have already entered the data. This is only if you are still typing in the cell.

3. UNDO: If your error is recent, you can Undo. To undo:

Keyboard method – CTRL Z; (This one works in almost all programs)

Toolbar method – Undo Button (Left-facing blue arrow)

Menu method = EDIT > UNDO

If the error has already been entered, you have 2 options:

1. Click on the cell and simply re-type the correct entry. You do not have to press delete first, though that would work as well. The correction can be re-typed in the cell or on the formula bar.

2. Delete: Highlight the cells to delete data from, press [DELETE] on your keyboard.

Remember – UNDO is your best friend!

Outlook Drag-and-Drop

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 03:10:01 GMT

One of the things I love about Outlook is its drag-and-drop features. For example, creating email subfolders for categorizing emails by subject, I can drag emails I want to save in to the appropriate folder.

But I can also drag emails to my calendar. Sometimes you receive an email for something that must go on your calendar. All you have to do is drag the email from your Inbox to the Calendar icon in the Navigation Pane (left side of screen). An appointment window opens where you fill in the date and time – Save & Close. If you check your calendar you’ll see the appointment with all the details in the email included!

You can go a step further and color code your appointments. Here is an example. Let’s say I color-code all of my travel related calendar items red. I receive a flight confirmation email from my airlines, so I drag and drop the email on my calendar icon. When the appointment window opens, I set the date/time of the flight and color code it red by clicking on the Categorize drop-down button on the Outlook 2007 ribbon (click on the Categories drop-down box in Outlook 2003). Save and close. An example is pictured below.

Copy and Paste, Cut and Paste

Sat, 30 Jan 2010 03:16:05 GMT

Cut/Copy and Paste are computing essentials, giving you the ability to edit quickly and easily. Because it is such a basic yet important skill, many of you already know the drill. However, many of my readers are still learning the basics, so this is for those of you unsure of your Cut/Copy/Paste skills.

Difference between Cut versus Copy

CUT and paste removes text or objects from the original location to move it elsewhere.

COPY and paste leaves the original in place while you copy it to another location.

There are 5 Methods for Cut/Copy/Paste. We’ll use Microsoft Word 2007 as our program example here, but the keyboard and right-click methods can be used in any program.

Keyboard
Right-Click
Ribbon (toolbar)
"Drag ‘N Drop”
Quick Access Toolbar can be customized to include Cut/Copy/Paste. (Next to Office Button in upper-left corner of screen, must be customized first)

4 out of the 5 COPY or CUT actions happen in four steps. What varies is the command method.

Highlight the text you are copying or moving.
Activate COPY or CUT command
Place cursor where you want to place the text.
Issue PASTE command.

Here are the specifics for each method. Try them to see which one you prefer. Remember to highlight the text first.

1. Keyboard Method: CTRL + C to copy; CTRL + X to cut; CTRL + V to Paste

2. Right-click method: Right-click > Copy or Cut; Right-click > Paste

3. Ribbon Method – on left side of the Home Ribbon

Click Copy button or Cut button (scissors). Click at your destination, then click Paste button (clipboard button at far left of Home Ribbon).

4. Drag-and-drop: Highlight text to copy or move. To move: Point at the highlighted text, use the mouse to “drag” the highlighted area to your destination.

To copy: Hold CTRL key down while you drag

5. Quick Access Toolbar Method

Copy and Paste commands must be added to the toolbar first by clicking on the customize drop-down arrow

Some examples of places to use Cut/Copy/Paste: Email, Internet, Windows, Excel, Photo editing… and much more!

Like knowing the shortcuts? Our Microsoft Word Shortcuts “Cheat Sheet” is now available. Click here for more information.

QuickBooks: Making a Vendor Eligible for a 1099 Form

Sun, 03 Jan 2010 02:34:46 GMT

As long as you are setup correctly to do so, it’s easy to print vendor 1099 tax forms from QuickBooks. There are 4 essential steps leading up to accurate 1099s: Setting up the vendor as a 1099 vendor (including their tax id), mapping the expense categories related to those vendor expenses, properly paying the vendor using those expense categories, then buying the 1099 tax forms (forms can be purchased from our link to Intuit Forms & Supplies on the QuickBooks training page) and printing the forms through Vendors > Print 1099s…

These are the steps for marking vendors (people or entities you buy products or services from) as 1099 eligible:

From the Vendor Center, choose Edit Vendor.
On the Address Info tab, make sure:
The vendor’s legal name appears in the First Name, M.I., and Last Name fields.
The vendor’s address, city, two-letter state abbreviation, and zip code are complete.
Click the Additional Info tab.
Enter the vendor’s Tax ID number. If the vendor is a sole proprietor, enter the vendor’s social security number. Otherwise, enter the vendor’s nine-digit tax identification number.
Select the “Vendor eligible for 1099” checkbox.
Click OK to close the Vendor record.
Repeat steps 2-8 for each Vendor that needs a 1099

The additional steps for completing the 1099 process will be covered in a future post.

What is Windows versus Office?

Fri, 01 Jan 2010 02:22:56 GMT

Any Microsoft product that starts with the word “Windows” is referring to the Microsoft operating system (OS). The Operating System is the software that makes the computer work. It is also the “interface” between we humans – and the machine! Without the operating system, the computer would not work. Other operating systems (not Windows) include Mac, and Linux.

Windows 7 is the most current Microsoft OS, and there are several versions, including Home, Business, and Ultimate. If you need a computer for business purposes, the Professional version is recommended.

Home Edition is not a “managed” OS, meaning it’s not typically managed by technology professionals. The Professional edition has more tools for a business in an IT-managed environment. Vista Professional is a business- and power-user oriented superset of Home Edition and includes features that may be too complex for the typical home user. One difference is security, which is vastly simplified in Home Edition.

What is Office?

Word – Word processing – letters, memos, reports.
Excel – Spreadsheets – financial data, simple data base, number crunching.
Outlook – Email, calendar, contacts, and organizational program.
PowerPoint – Presentation software – for creating overhead projection presentations, slideshows, or handouts.

The Key to Understanding Microsoft Word

Sat, 05 Sep 2009 02:13:33 GMT

By what I often hear from people or see posted online, Microsoft Word seems to be the most hated of the Microsoft Office programs, and I think I know why. In many cases, it boils down to a lack of, or poor training. Not that Word is perfect – no program is. But let’s take a look at the big picture.

Word is a word processor, with features designed around formatting words on a page organized in to sentences, paragraphs, pages, and sections. So it’s used for reports, letters, memos, books, handouts, invitations, flyers, and more. It’s all about text editing.

Because text editing occurs in almost any other program you use, including email and internet, much of what you learn carries over to everything you do on the computer. So Word is a great place to start with your training. You even learn to use the keyboard more effectively.

I’ve noticed that Word haters who never got training (or inadequate training) don’t understand that Word has four levels of formatting. Even when I started my training career, I never saw it taught this way, but after a few years of using and teaching Word myself – it occurred to me that understanding this concept tends to clear up a lot of confusion.

Word’s four levels of formatting:

Character formatting

This is usually the level that people with minimal training “get”. The problem is there’s an assumption that everything else works the same way. This is why they may have trouble formatting their document.

Character formats apply at the text character level – letter-by-letter. Examples : fonts, font size, font color, bold, italics, underline. You select the text and apply the format.

Paragraph formatting

Paragraph formatting applies to whole paragraphs. Paragraph formatting is key – so it is important to understand how Word recognizes a paragraph (I’ll get to that later). Examples of paragraph formatting include

Indents, line spacing, paragraph spacing, alignment, bullets and numbering, tabs, and heading controls.

If applying to a single paragraph, you click ANYWHERE in the paragraph to apply the paragraph format. If applying to multiple paragraphs, you must select all of the paragraphs.

Understanding this level of formatting is HUGE. For example, you can create any type of indent to as many paragraphs as you like when you learn how to use the ruler to work with paragraphs. Many other intermediate to advanced features that help you automate your document depend on well-defined paragraphs and text relationships. Examples: Styles, Table of Contents, Outlines.

Page/section/document formatting

Applies to whole pages, sections, or the entire document.. Sections can be defined in order to have multiple page layouts that would normally apply to the entire document.

Examples of page/section/document formatting: margins, page orientation, headers and footers, page numbering, page borders, columns.

These formats will automatically apply to the entire document unless you define sections (covered in intermediate or advanced Word). When you have sections, you apply formats to sections through the appropriate dialog box (depending on the format you are applying).

Object formatting

Objects are things you insert to your document that “float” on the page. Objects have their own formatting dialog box, which you can access by double-clicking on the object.

Examples of objects: pictures, clipart, text boxes, arrows, AutoShapes, WordArt.

Examples of object formatting: line or no line (around edge), color, shadow effects, size.

How Does Word Know What a Paragraph Is?

Any place in the document you press [ENTER] .

Each time you press the [Enter] key on the keyboard, a non-printing paragraph character like this: ¶ is entered on your document, marking all text between there and the previous paragraph mark as a paragraph. In a future post, I will talk about non-printing characters.

There is a lot more to learn about Microsoft Word, but I hope this information makes your Word learning experience go a little easier!

Our 2-sided, laminated Word Shortcuts “Cheat Sheet” is a handy card you can keep by your computer as a quick reference for shortcuts in Word. Click the following link to order your copy:

http://www.computertutornews.com/store/

Melissa Guzzetta

The Computer Tutor

Computer Training and more

QuickBooks-Set Default Invoice Date

Sat, 05 Sep 2009 01:55:37 GMT

Are you having trouble with QuickBooks when creating a new invoice that it seems to have a random date instead of today’s date? You can set QB to default to today’s date when opening a new invoice form.

Go to Edit > Preferences
Click on the General category > My Preferences tab
Near the bottom, under Default Date to Use for New Transactions click “Use today’s date as default.”

Now you should be able to open a new invoice that is automatically dated with today’s date.

See you in class!

Melissa, The Computer Tutor
Computer Training and more

Hide Slides in PowerPoint

Sun, 09 Aug 2009 01:49:44 GMT

Why hide a slide?

Slide show presentations can be used over and over again, with minor edits to customize as needed. There may be times when a slide is not necessary or appropriate for a particular presentation, but you don’t want to delete the slide as you may need it for a future presentation. Hiding selected slides temporarily suppresses the slide during the presentation, skipping over it to the next. But don’t worry, you can still see the slide while editing the presentation, and it’s easy to turn on/off. To hide a slide:

Right-click on the slide to be hidden > Hide Slide.
To Unhide: right-click > Hide Slide. (It’s an on/off switch).

In PowerPoint 2007, there is also a Hide Slide button on the Slide Show ribbon. When a slide is set to hidden:

The slide is still visible in the Slide Sorter and Normal views.
The slide number has a slash through it.
The slide will not come in to view during a presentation.

If you don’t want the hidden slides to print, make sure to remove the checkmark on Print Hidden Slides from the Options button in Print Preview.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Sun, 02 Aug 2009 01:42:13 GMT

The more you can use the keyboard for getting around or doing tasks in programs or online, the faster you will be. Also, the same keyboard commands often work in situations where you can’t find the command elsewhere in the program you are using. So get to know some of these shortcuts gradually. Commit to picking out one a day to focus on. You’ll be amazed at how quickly you remember and use them.

These are the shortcuts I teach in my beginning Word class.

Getting around a document or a page using the keyboard:

Selecting text:

Other cool shortcuts:

Are You “Intermediate”?

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 19:44:35 GMT

Have you been using Microsoft Word or Excel without formal training – and thinking of taking an intermediate level class?

The beginning level training covers key foundational concepts you may have missed without training. Here is a checklist to help you decide if you’re ready for intermediate. But first, let’s start with your basic Windows knowledge before we take a look at your Word and Excel skills. Are you able to…

Navigate Windows through icons, folders, and menus.
Open programs – including Word and Excel.
Use window controls (close, minimize, restore), toolbars, menus, and scroll bars.
Use window views.
Identify which window or program you are in.
Create, save, and name files.
Find and open files you created.
Send a file as an email attachment.

These are basics a beginner should know using any Microsoft Office program:

How to set margins.
Select text and navigate documents.
Copy and paste.
Spell check.
Change the look of text (change font, make it bold, underlined, or blue).
How to use help.
How to create page breaks.
File > Save, Open, or Close.
Undo.
Print

Microsoft Word

Specific concepts and features you should know in Word . You can…

Jump directly from top to bottom of your document without scrolling .
Select words, sentences, paragraphs, lines by methods other than click and drag.
Use the Show/Hide button on the toolbar and know what it is for.
Name two examples of text formats .
Name two examples of paragraph formats . (Formats that apply to paragraphs).
Describe how Word knows what a paragraph is .
Create three types of indents using the ruler.
Describe what AutoCorrect is and what it does.
Double space your text.
Switch between Normal View, Print Layout View, and Print Preview, and know the difference between them .
Turn bullets and numbering on/off.

EXCEL

You may be ready for Intermediate Excel if you know the following:

How to widen columns , change row heights .
Design a basic spreadsheet .
The formula bar and its function.
Create basic formulas , to add, average, subtract, divide.
How to automatically fill months of the year across columns.
Move cell contents by drag and drop.
The affect on formulas when copied to other cells.
How to add/remove decimal places .
Format a number as a percent .
Center a spreadsheet on the printed page, and other print settings such as landscape/portrait orientation.
Excel’s pointer modes and what tasks they are for.
AutoSum .
AutoCalculate for a quick total, average, or count without a formula.
How to write a formula with multiple operators (i.e. adding and multiplying in the same formula).
How to add, delete, rename sheets .

If you find yourself unsure about 1/3 of these features, consider taking the beginning class. You will be amazed at how much you learn.

See you in class!

Create a ClipArt Hyperlink in PowerPoint

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 01:14:51 GMT

There are several types of hyperlinks you can create in PowerPoint for jumping to other slides, websites, or documents. Here is how you can turn a clipart in to a “button” to jump to another slide.

In this example, I have drawn six rectangles on a slide and inserted a clip art on each one. I applied a hyperlink to each clip art to jump to a specific slide on that topic.

To hyperlink a clip art or drawing object:

Insert the clip art and place as desired on the slide.
Right-click on the clipart > Hyperlink…
Select [Place in this Document].
Select the slide to jump to when you click on that picture.

Now test the hyperlink by going in to SlideShow view > click on the clipart. You should end up on the slide you selected to jump to.

See you in class!

Getting Started with Microsoft Office

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 19:24:32 GMT

Where should you start when you want to learn Microsoft Office?

As I mentioned in an earlier post to beginners, having clear goals is the best place to start. You should also make sure you have basic Windows skills, which includes knowing how to navigate your computer, adjust settings and preferences, get to the internet, create folders, open programs, and manipulate windows.

Microsoft Office includes a group of programs for tasking. The core programs include:

Word – Word processing, for creating letters, memos, reports, and book writing.

Excel – For creating spreadsheets, tracking data, mailing lists and other simple data lists, and graphs.

PowerPoint – For creating and displaying presentations, flyers, and handouts. You can also create computer photo albums.

Outlook – For email, calendar, contacts, and task lists.

Other programs may be included, depending on which version of Microsoft Office you have.

In general, the best place to start is with Microsoft Word, since so much of what you learn will carry over to all other programs, as well as on the internet. Many of the tips and tricks you learn in Micosoft Word will also help improve your productivity (make you speedy) and keyboarding.

From there, evaluate what you need. For example, if you are job hunting, watch for what the job posts are asking for. Outlook is often a good next step, since Outlook is the #1 email and schedule program used by businesses.

Excel is a versatile and popular program, and many jobs require at least a basic knowledge of Excel. PowerPoint may not be required in many jobs, but it’s one of the easier and fun programs to learn. In an upcoming post I’ll describe and compare learning Word versus learning PowerPoint. Stay tuned!

Excel-Get a Quick Total or Count

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 05:22:00 GMT

Need a quick total or count without having to write a formula? Excel’s AutoCalculate will show you a total, a count, an average, or other calculations by simply selecting the cells you are calculating. Look on the lower right hand portion of the status bar to see the calculated result.

Sum is the default calculation. To change the type of calculation, right-click on the status bar and choose from the pop-up menu which calculation you want to perform.

Create an Instant Chart in Excel

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 01:21:00 GMT

Charts are a great way to visually represent and compare data. In Excel, the key ingredients for a meaningful chart are:

Accurate data selected correctly for preparing the chart.
The right type of chart for the type of data to be displayed.

QuickTip for an instant column chart

Select the comparison data (and labels for the data) to be charted. Example: Sales figures for Jan through June
Press [F11] at the top of your keyboard.

If you selected the correct data, you should now have a column chart!

The number one thing you can do to increase your personal productivity is to get training – and then practice what you learn!

QuickBooks – Top 5 User Errors

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 22:54:00 GMT

As a QB ProAdvisor, I visit with many people using QuickBooks and see many common errors over and over again, particularly among businesses who did not get training. Here are my top five:

1. Not using the Open Windows panel for easy navigation.

This one is simple, yet I see relatively few people using it. In order to easily switch between multiple windows already open in QuickBooks, use the Open Windows list. Activate this on the View menu: View > Open Windows List.

2. Failure to regularly reconcile bank accounts AND credit card accounts.
If you don’t keep up with reconciling your accounts, including credit card accounts, QB can’t help you keep in touch with your financial status. It’s easy to miss deductions made by the bank – and trying to play catch-up on several months worth of statements is no fun!

3. Improper handling of credit card expenses.
Expensing a credit card payment as a “credit card expense” is not the proper way to track expenses charged to a credit card. There are two methods here – the right one for you depends on whether you pay off the entire balance each month or if you ever carry a balance forward. If you ever carry a balance forward, set your credit card up in the Chart of Accounts, and reconcile the account each month. Make the credit card payment at the end of the reconciliation, “expensed” to the credit card in your chart of accounts.

4. Confusion over bill paying versus check writing.
A symptom that this confusion has occurred is an Accounts Payable that’s not accurate, with your QB showing you still owe a bill you know you’ve paid. If you enter a vendor’s invoice as a bill, you must pay it as a bill, which is not done by the “Write Check” method (even though you’ll be issuing a check). If you have done this, and you see that you have written a check to pay for the outstanding bill, simply delete the bill. Open the bill, click Edit > delete bill (or you may void the bill, also on the edit menu).

Is it necessary to enter a bill for everything? No. If you are going to be paying an invoice immediately on receipt,
simply “Write a Check” (in QB). It is not necessary to enter it as a bill first, unless your accountant or company policy requires everything go through QB Accounts Payable.

5. Improper handling of customer invoice payments.
The symptom of this problem is an Accounts Receivable that shows customers still owing you money when you know you have deposited their payment. If there is an invoice for a customer, you must “Receive Payment” on the invoice in QB. After receiving payment, make the QB deposit from Undeposited Funds for all checks being deposited that day.

Remember – the single best thing you can do to improve your confidence and productivity at your computer is to get training. We can help.

Computer Tutor Message to Beginners

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:01:00 GMT

At Computer Tutor we have a passion for helping people use their computer to get stuff done, to keep in touch with people, and to learn or be entertained. Even for beginners.

Start by identifying your goals. Be more specific than “I need to
learn how to use a computer.” I hear this a lot, and my next question is always “why?” Are you trying to get a job? Is some one telling you to get computer training? Do you want to be able to email family and friends? Shop online? Sell on eBay? Run a business? Maybe you just need to feel less frustrated when using your computer.

Here is what we suggest:

1. Have specific training goals.
2. Use your time wisely by focusing on those immediate goals.
3. Take it a day at a time – and practice practice practice!

You could spend years learning about computers, but you don’t have
to. It is an ongoing process, and you only need to know what you need to know. I have been teaching Windows, Email, Microsoft Office, and QuickBooks for many years, and I am still learning new stuff every day myself.

So don’t stress if it seems like a lot to learn – have fun!

If you are in Southern California and would like personalized training, click on the link on the right side of this page to the Computer Tutor Schedule of Classes.

False Friends on Facebook

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 06:54:00 GMT

Note from Melissa: I wanted to share this article about ID thieves and social networking.

By Sid Kirchheimer, AARP Bulletin June 2009

When Bryan Rutberg first appeared on Facebook last December, he joined millions of other boomers, who are the fastest-growing users of social networking websites.

A month later, the 47-year-old tech industry executive became a victim of a scam that is increasingly occurring on websites like Facebook, MySpace and class reunion sites.

On Jan. 21, Rutberg discovered his Facebook page had been hacked with this alarming message: BRYAN IS IN URGENT NEED OF HELP! He tried to access his page to remove the warning, but his password had been changed. When he tried to alert his friends from his wife’s Facebook account that he was OK, he says, the scammer had “de-friended” her, blocking any messages he sent. Meanwhile, Rutberg’s Facebook friends who had posted “what’s wrong?” messages were getting replies from the hacker, who posed as Rutberg and claimed that he had been robbed in London and needed money to get home.

One concerned friend, Beny Rubinstein, wired $1,200 overseas, which the trickster quickly collected. In e-mail exchanges, the hacker had provided enough personal details to convince Rubinstein he was Rutberg. “If you’re looking to impersonate someone, Facebook is a good place to start,” Rutberg says. “My page has the names and photographs of my wife, kids, parents, friends, where I went to high school and college—all kinds of personal information.”

With such details readily posted, identity thieves “are clearly investing time and resources on social networks,” says Ryan Naraine of Kaspersky Lab, an online security firm.

A common ruse: tricking users into downloading a program that records their keystrokes. It’s likely that Rutberg inadvertently downloaded one such program, providing his Facebook e-mail and password to the identity thief.

One common virus on social networks is called Koobface (from the word “Facebook”), which infects computers when a “video” link is clicked. It can steal personal data and also prompt users to download an updated version of Adobe Flash. “By clicking on that link, it attempts to trick you into buying fake antivirus software for $30,” Naraine says.

Facebook spokesman Barry Schnitt says that in five years, less than 1 percent of 200 million users had “security issues.” He says his company has bolstered its efforts to respond quickly to such problems. However, Facebook provides no phone contact number for members, and Rutberg says e-mails to Facebook reporting his hacking went unanswered for several days.

To avoid problems on social networks—or anywhere else online:

Don’t click on links provided in messages—even from friends—unless you check them with a phone call or off-website e-mail.
Get program updates by going to the company’s website, not through a provided link.
Make your Facebook account private so that only friends can see your details.
Scan your computer regularly with an updated antivirus program
Be suspicious of anyone—even a “friend”—who asks for money over the Internet.

Report suspicious activity on social networks to that website and to the Internet Crime Complaint Center. www.ic3.gov
—————————————————————-

Sid Kirchheimer is the author of Scam-Proof Your Life (AARP Books/Sterling).

Windows Vista – “Breadcrumb” Navigation

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 22:55:00 GMT

For those of you who previously had a computer with Windows XP, and you have purchased a new computer with Windows Vista, there is always an adjustment to learning a new environment.

And, if you received training from The Computer Tutor, you learned about the Up One Level button for navigating through your Windows XP file system.

Where has it gone in Windows Vista? No worries – you can still easily navigate “Up One Level” with Vista’s “breadcrumb” navigation. Simply click on a folder on the address bar where you can see the “path” that you have taken to get to where you are. OR there is a drop-down arrow next to each folder name for a list of other locations to jump to.

Even Hansel and Gretel could find their way home again!

Find the Right Words

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 06:59:00 GMT

Have you ever struggled to find just the right word(s) in your PowerPoint presentation or Word document – and then wondered where that dusty old thesaurus is?

You can bring up a thesaurus on-the-spot in Word and PowerPoint. Simply right-click on your existing word and select synonyms> for a submenu of similar words you can choose from to replace what you have.

Cool beans! (Or chilly legumes, as my thesaurus would say).

Microsoft Office – Version Incompatibility

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 06:53:00 GMT

I receive a lot of questions from students with new computers complaining that when they send document attachments, the recipient is unable to open it. What is going on?

Simple. The sender has Microsoft Office 2007, while the recipient is on version 2003. But it doesn’t have to be a problem.

2007’s default document format is not readable in 2003. Even file exensions are different.

App File Extensions
2003 2007

Word .doc .docx
Excel .xls .xlsx
PowerPoint .ppt .pptx

To save a file in a format readable in both versions, you have two options: Saving indiviual files in the older format as needed or you can change the SAVE settings to save all files in the older format by default.

To save in the older format on a file-by-file basis:

Office button > Save As…
Select the Word 97-2003 format.
Name the file as you normally would.

To save ALL files by default in the 2003 format:

Office button > Word Options…
Click the Save category (at left).
Under Save documents, click on the drop-down box for Save Files in this Format:
Select Word 97-2003 Document .doc
Click [OK].

All future documents will automatically save in a format that both versions can read.

NOTE: Saving documents in the older version makes the newer formatting features unavailable in the document.

Outlook-Create a Single Address for a Group

Sun, 14 Jun 2009 06:20:00 GMT

When you have groups of people you email on a regular basis, you can create a distribution list for easy email addressing.

To create a group distribution list, you are in the Inbox:

Open the Address Book. If you don’t see the Address Book button on your toolbar, go to Tools > Address Book…
Click File > New Entry in the Address Contacts window.
Click New Distribution List
Name the List (we’ll call ours “Managers”
If you want to add members from your existing address book, click [Select Members…] and double-click on the names to be included in the list.
Click Add New to add email addresses not in your address book

To send a message to your Distribution list, choose the list like you would any individual from the list after clicking on [To:] in your message compose window.

Computer User Training in Small Doses

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 03:26:00 GMT

Welcome to Computer Tutor News! We’ll have tips and chats about everyday computer user stuff – to help make you be a better daily computer user.

Computer Tutor Computer Tips

Quickly Find Keywords

Find Keywords in a Microsoft Office Document (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) ﻿

What is a Blog?

Know Where You’re Going? Use the Address Bar!

Excel – Work Quickly by Duplicating a Sheet for Your Next Report

QuickBooks Troubleshooter: Zero Balance on Open Invoices Report

Top 10 Giveaways That You’re a Computer Dummy

Viewing Large Spreadsheets – Freeze Panes

11 ways Social Media Makes Life Better – Plus 4 Things You Never Want To Do

Create Quick Columns in Word Without the Columns Feature

Column Tip

Calculate a Loan Payment with Excel

Microsoft Word Time Saver: Memorize Repeated Text with “Quick Parts”

Stop Unwanted Startup Windows

Excel – Correct Data Entry Errors

Outlook Drag-and-Drop

Copy and Paste, Cut and Paste

QuickBooks: Making a Vendor Eligible for a 1099 Form

What is Windows versus Office?

What is Office? ﻿

The Key to Understanding Microsoft Word

How Does Word Know What a Paragraph Is? ﻿

Any place in the document you press [ENTER] .

QuickBooks-Set Default Invoice Date

Hide Slides in PowerPoint

Keyboard Shortcuts

Are You “Intermediate”?

Create a ClipArt Hyperlink in PowerPoint

Getting Started with Microsoft Office

Excel-Get a Quick Total or Count

Create an Instant Chart in Excel

QuickBooks – Top 5 User Errors

Computer Tutor Message to Beginners

False Friends on Facebook

Windows Vista – “Breadcrumb” Navigation

Find the Right Words

Microsoft Office – Version Incompatibility

Outlook-Create a Single Address for a Group

Computer User Training in Small Doses

Find Keywords in a Microsoft Office Document (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

What is Office?

How Does Word Know What a Paragraph Is?