Crabby Office Lady

Use this: Say it, don't spray it (using the Bcc line)!

2010-08-31T13:00:00Z

Today's "Use this!" tip is a bit of a lecture. I'm begging you, once again, to refrain from sending out rumors, jokes, links to adorable kitten videos, and hoaxes (even those that you don't yet know are hoaxes but most definitely are) without hiding the names of the 137 recipients who simply MUST know about whatever it is you're sending.

And what do I mean when I talk about hiding the addresses of all your recipients from one another? Am I telling you this to encourage you to be sneaky? Not really. What I'm doing is saving your email receivers from possible spam and computer viruses and worms (and other nasty stuff).

I recently became a beneficiary of a certain type of virus sent to me by some creepy spammer who got my email address from a certain acquaintance of mine who shall remain nameless because I like to have friends.

So! Let's talk about making use of the lonely, underused Bcc line.

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Crabby's Monday favorite: Using the right program for the job

2010-08-30T13:00:00Z

Ever feel stuck in a rut, using the same program over and over but not getting the results you want (or getting them but at the expense of everything, including family time and your sanity) ? If so, it's time to open your eyes to what else is out there—expand your horizons, step outside your comfort zone, think outside the box (and perhaps get some new clichés).

Listen, I know that when you get comfortable with one program, you tend to use it as much as possible. Little kids are notorious for wanting to wear the same outfit every day of the week (and this often means a Superman cape or a ballerina tutu), but people, it's time to put away childish tendencies. A tutu is made for dancing; it's not so useful for soccer. And a cape, well, I suppose one could make the case that a cape is good for just about anything, but if it were my kid, and bike riding were involved, the cape would have to go.

Yes, Office programs can be pretty flexible. But if one program could handle every task, there wouldn't be the need to offer 10+ different ones. For today's tip, I'm going to give a few examples of tasks you might have to undertake and then compare whether to use Access or Excel to accomplish them.

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Dear Crabby: Celebrating the control freak in all of us

2010-08-27T13:00:00Z

Security is a pretty loaded word. When I was a kid, it meant my blankie—period. Now it's something totally different; it could have to do with money, relationships, my job, and my computer. I just asked my 8-year-old and she gave me a one word answer, "Safe."

"Safe." We all want to feel it, and we want others we love to feel it too. As you can imagine, safety and security are at the forefront of priorities when talking about computers. In one way or another, computing has become so widespread that whether or not you have a computer, have access to one, or have even used one, you are impacted daily by computers. A few examples: Your bank, the stores you shop at, street lights, and utilities all use computers to keep them going.

(As an aside, just this week, Intel, the chip maker ["chips" being, essentially, the tiny little engines that make computers run] is buying one of the leading security software maker companies, McAfee. I personally think this is an exciting prospect. Soon our hardware—not just the software we've chosen to install on our computers—will be the one dealing with the more and more sophisticated threats coming our way.)

But okay! Let's lighten up! Security in computers can also mean just securing a document, a spreadsheet, a Visio drawing, a presentation. You've made one and you don't want anyone changing it. Is that so wrong? No it isn't, and this week's "Dear Crabby" letter comes from someone who is thinking about just that.

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Crabby's Thursday tip: I know what I mean! (AutoCorrect)

2010-08-26T13:00:00Z

Some things we just can't do without in life: love, friendship, a bathroom door that locks. With Office, the same is true: Some features should not be overlooked.

One of the complaints we get around here is that some of the Office programs have so many features that you can't figure out which ones would be the most useful for you. This week I'll clue you into one of my longtime favorites: AutoCorrect.

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Visions & concepts: Forgotten attachment detector

2010-08-25T13:00:00Z

Back in June, I wrote a post about a free Outlook add-in called the Missing Attachment Power Toy, a little program that reminds you, before you send your email, that you've forgotten the file or photo or whatever you promised you'd be sending along. Smart, huh? The company that makes this program, Fortis Software, is a Microsoft Office Marketplace Partner (see the Browse Office Marketplace heading halfway down that page) and I'd spent that entire week in June introducing you to some of the free services and programs that our partners offer.

Well! Someone named Vaibhav told me in a comment on that post that Office Labs (Microsoft's internal "sandbox" of sorts where smart people explore, experiement, and research new things) has something called Forgotten Attachment Detector that does the same thing as the Missing Attachment Power Toy, AND it's free too, AND it works with Office 2010 (while the Fortis program does not).

And so, today's post is all about OUR free attachment reminder program, something I'm guessing many of you could really use.

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Get a load of this: Earn a certificate, & prove your Office prowess

2010-08-24T13:00:00Z

Although you may be expecting me to write something timely about back-to-school, I won't be doing that (today, anyway). That being said, this IS sort of a push toward education—for older kids and adults alike.

Each Tuesday I make it a point to talk about what I consider to be an underused and/or underappreciated tool, feature, or program...and today is no different. In the spirit of back-to-school, I want to tell you about "Microsoft Certification," a program that, to be perfectly frank, makes you look good at the workplace OR on your resume. It tells everyone that you're a specialist, an expert, someone who knows what's what, and someone who knows how to get it DONE.

Interested in being at the head of the class, at the top of your game? Maybe be known as the superhero of your company? Keep reading. Obi-Wan Kenobi has much to show you, young Office Jedi.

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Crabby's Monday favorite: Sparklines (this time they get the whole post)

2010-08-23T13:00:00Z

Last Thursday, my colleague, Holly, wrote about some of the new and updated features coming with Office for Mac 2011: Excel Sparklines, PivotTables, photo editing, and some other stuff.

Today I want to focus to sparklines (for the PC; I'll address this for the Mac when it's all ready for the prom).

First of all, I like the name; you don't really hear of developers giving groovy, trendy, fabulous monikers to software features—particularly for data-related, spreadsheet features. And secondly, sparklines are such a great idea when you're someone who plays show-and-tell with important data...

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Dear Crabby: Watch out for clickjackers and tabnappers!

2010-08-20T13:00:00Z

Today is Friday so that means I'll be addressing a comment or e-mail from a reader who has something to say or offer. A Crabby reader, calling himself (maybe rightly so?) "Curmudgeon" commented on my post about strange Internet terms.

In that particular post, I mentioned pharming and phishing, two ways Internet thieves attempt to get personal and private (usually phinancial) inphormation from you.

Curmudgeon clued me (and now you) into a couple of other vile, underhanded, and contemptible ways crooks are trying to get their hooks into your private information.

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Crabby's tips for surviving performance reviews

2010-08-19T13:00:00Z

Yep, it's that time of year again, the dreaded season when every conversation with your coworkers and your manager is laden with innuendo and suspicion, causing your paranoid tendencies to bubble to the surface....

That's right: It's the season of performance reviews. And whether you're the fly-under-radar type of employee, the show-off star performer, or the manager who has to deliver bad news, reviews can be scary and downright nerve-wracking.

Well, Office and I are here to share some of the burden and ease your troubled mind. (Of course, if you have nothing to worry about, why are you so troubled?)

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Visions & concepts: StickySorter

2010-08-18T13:00:00Z

I like Wednesdays (sometimes referred to as "Hump Day," a term I'd never heard til I got my first *real* job—a term anxious parents tend to use) not because they're some sort of indication of the weekend coming, but because I get to research and share with you something new, something different, something that a few somebodies are trying to make a difference with over at Microsoft Office labs.

For my August 4th post, I introduced you to the Canvas for OneNote and on July 15th, Search Commands. Today we're going to talk about something called "StickySorter" which is this neat little program that helps you organize what USED to be those physical yellow (or other colored) sticky notes—often randomly stuck all over the place—into useful groups on your computer screen.

Think about the possibilities: Collaboration, organization, lack of frustration...

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Crabby's effective meeting mantra

2010-08-17T15:43:00Z

It's your meeting and you have every right to run it how you please, right? I suppose so, and everyone has a unique style of leading a meeting. I think you know what I mean:

The headmistress Stands at the head of table with her arms crossed and silently waits until all eyes are upon her before calling the meeting to order. Great technique for keeping order and scaring your attendees; lousy if collaboration and brainstorming are part of the plan.
The free-wheeler Lets everyone shout out their ideas, go out for snacks, talk amongst themselves, and make paper airplanes out of the handouts. Fun times? Heck, yeah. Organized and productive times? Probably not.
The stickler Total control freak; keeps a copy of Robert's Rules of Order on hand and is constantly thumbing through it to ensure there are no infractions. Orderly? Of course. Successful? It depends on what your idea of "successful" is...

Whatever type you are, you could probably benefit from a quick overview of some guidelines to help you get the most from your meetings. I've outlined three steps to creating and running a successful meeting.

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Quick flash Publisher tip: Transparent & opaque backgrounds

2010-08-13T13:00:00Z

I love this tip; now I no longer have to go to some complicated image editing software just to do this simple task. Ready? Wait for it …

Add a transparent area to a picture:

Select the picture that you want to create transparent areas in.
On the Picture toolbar, click Set Transparent Color .
In the picture, click the color you want to make transparent.

Note: The Set Transparent Color option is available for bitmap pictures that don't already have transparency information. It's also available for some, but not all, clip art.

To change from transparent to opaque:

Select the picture.
Press CTRL+T.

Love it!

— Crabby

Who’s falling for Internet scams? Not my readers

2010-08-12T13:00:00Z

I've written about five basic scams—a few of my favorites—that have been circulating over the years. Most of these are bona fide financial scams designed to empty your bank account and rid you of any goodwill you had toward your fellow man or woman. Some of these scams and rumors have been around a long time, some play with new riffs on an old idea, and still others are so creatively concocted that one must almost give credit to the "artists" who created them.

My top 5 list

Helping someone get money out of a foreign country, in exchange for which you'll get a bundle…for a large fee.
Phishing scams—people trying to get your personal information—that can lead to serious debt and identity theft.
Lots of credit…for a small fee.
Lottery winnings…for a small fee.
A buyer of your item for sale (on, say, craigslist, or eBay) who wants to pay by wiring you money or using a fake money order or cashier's check.

Now, let me give you an example of #4:

You've won a foreign lottery! Now what are you gonna do?

You're going to Euro Disney! No, actually, you're not going anywhere. This lottery scam has been popping up a lot lately and strangely enough, many people have fallen for it.

Ah, everyone dreams of winning the lottery—who wouldn't? You'd quit your job (and yes I'd quit my job, but of course I'd do the right thing and give the company two weeks notice so they could search worldwide for another Crabby Office Lady), pay off your mortgages and our college loans as well as those of your family's, travel the world, by a Siberian tiger...

But here's the thing: If you haven't bought a lottery ticket in France or South Africa or wherever, how could you have won it? You can't win if you don't play, right? And of course, whoever heard of having to pay money before you can gather your fabulous earnings?

So...how do you avoid this trap? Uh, people, COME ON!

Here is how a lottery works: You buy a ticket. You check your ticket. Either you win or you don't. It doesn't work any other way.

Take a gander at the full Crabby Office Lady column for more useful tips on how not to get taken.

"The world wants to be deceived." — Sebastian Brant

— Crabby

That bandied buzzword: Efficiency

2010-08-11T13:00:00Z

You have two hands, two eyes, two ears, one brain … and 17 things that must get done before the end of the day. If you're like me, you try to tackle nine of them all at once, eventually losing track of what got done—and what didn't. I've figured out a few ways to manage all my tasks by making the most of my time and using the tools that I have access to. I have yet to achieve perfection through efficiency, but I'm darned close.

Perhaps we need some tools to help us achieve that perfect sense of efficient-osity...

Dying to know what those tools might be? Read the Crabby Office Lady’s full column to get real tips about:

Making use of the Outlook To-Do bar
Letting a template be your guide (or starting point, anyway)
Recycling with building blocks in Word
Putting the things you use most in easy reach with the Quick Access Toolbar

Read my column Boost your efficiency with Crabby's suggestions.

"Do not be awestruck by other people and try to copy them. Nobody can be you as efficiently as you can." — Norman Vincent Peale

— Crabby

Act like your mom is watching

2010-08-10T13:00:00Z

A while back I wrote a column about e-mail etiquette. Since many of us spend a lot of time in e-mail (more time than we really should, probably), this particular column has become one of my more popular ones. And while I still get e-mail messages that are written IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS and even ones with a blank subject line (*heavy sigh*), there isn't much I can do about that.

That being said, you and I both know that there is more to workplace etiquette than just e-mail manners. Of course, since I am the Crabby Office Lady, you may think that manners are not my specialty, and, to be honest, they're not. But it is that time of year when you and I may want to consider cleaning up our act a bit at work and start cultivating a better overall image for ourselves. (Well, you, anyway; I make my living cultivating a different sort of attitude.)

So let me give this general workplace courtesy thing a go and see if anything sticks. Here is an example of one of my favorites; if you like what you've read, go on and read my column Crabby’s etiquette guide for working ladies and gentlemen.

Gossip: Remember the wounds of junior high

Get folks together, and gossip will happen. Perhaps it's just part of our nature, or perhaps, for some folks, it makes them feel better about themselves to talk smack about other folks.

If you're going to talk about someone, you need to realize that the chances of your words getting back to that person are pretty good, and gossip often finds a way to come back to bite you at a most inopportune time: You repeat a rumor you've heard about Erika to Marcie; Marcie repeats it to Phil; Phil makes a beeline for Yvonne's office. Now Yvonne, who's been looking for just the right opportunity to get on Erika's good side, spills it. And Erika (being the resourceful schemer she is) finds out, in about two minutes, who set this unsubstantiated (but completely true) rumor free: you.

But, as human beings, some of us believe that we do have free will and can make the choice not to be sneaky and mean at work. So, let me make this short and sweet, my children: Don't gossip. It makes everyone—especially you—look bad.

Crabby’s etiquette guide for working ladies and gentlemen.

"To have respect for ourselves guides our morals; and to have a deference for others governs our manners." — Laurence Sterne

— Crabby