Adding the Path to Your Filenames

If you work with content development team like I do, chances are that you are continually sharing versions of files and improving on each other's work. Content management at its best enables you to all work with a single document without duplicating or accidentally replacing or losing earlier changes. One simple way to manage versions is to ensure that everyone is drawing their file from the same place. (Yes, there are more sophisticated ways of doing this, including using Office Live Workspaces or SharePoint to check files in and out, but when you work in an office that is slowly deploying and warming to high-end features, sometimes simple is best.)

Here's a simple little technique that has saved us a lot of hassle. Add the file path to the filename in the footer of your document. That way you can ensure that people are using the same file and any stray versions can be weeded out. Here are the steps:

1. Open the document you want to use.

2. Click the Insert tab and click Footer.

3. Click Edit Footer.

4. Click in the footer at the bottom of the page. In the Insert group on the Design tab of the Header & Footer Tools, click Quick Parts, and then click Field.

5. In the Field Names list, click FileName. Click the Add Path to Filename checkbox in the right side of the dialog box. Click OK.

There. Now you're one step closer to that smooth content development process you've been dreaming about. :)

Single Labels in Word 2007

Here's a super simple tip, just in case you're getting ready to do one-off labels in Word 2007. When I opened the label template yesterday, Word 2007 shows me a blank screen. Oh great, I thought. How do I tell where one label area stops and another starts?

Suddenly a little whisper of intuition said, "Turn on paragraph marks."

So I clicked the Show/Hide tool in the Paragraph group on the Home tab, and clicked inside the little label marker (after the open bracket and before the end-of-paragraph mark) and typed the data for the label. All things should be so easy!

Fresh Out of Properties

As the managing editor for a professional journal, I work with lots of versions of manuscripts in all sorts of states. Early submissions, revisions, reviewer copies, and so forth. I need to be able to easily discern which versions are which. Although our numbering system is reliable and effective, I always want to double-check versions before they go out to reviewers. Today I went to do that second look and had to go on an adventure hunt to find Properties. Just in case you're wondering where they went too, here you go:

1. Click the Microsoft Office Button.

2. Click Prepare. (Why Properties are under "Prepare," I have no idea--not very intuitive, imo)

3. Click Properties (at the top of the submenu).

The Properties header appears so that you can find things like author, title, location, and so forth. But if, like me, you want to check the creation date. You have one more step. Click Document Properties at the top of the Properties header area and choose Advanced Properties. This pops open the old-fashioned Properties dialog box so that you can get the rest of the story.

Think Convergence

I knew if I just continued to write about technology long enough it would move in a graceful way into the whole rest of my life. In 20 years, computers have gone from these big clunky gray boxes that covered half the desktop to slick little fit-in-your-pocket (sometimes) items that enable you to stay connected to people anywhere in the world. And connected how? Through email, phone, instant messaging, gaming--almost anything.

I've just finished writing a new book for Microsoft Press called Take Your Business Online and it's about Office Live Small Business, a completely Web-based set of tools that helps you create, post, and manage a Web site (free!); organize all sorts of contacts, projects, and relationships; use search advertising, shopping carts, and more. It's really a slick set of utilities--and most of it is free. You pay only for the search advertising (and you can set your own budget, whether you want to spend $30 or $3,000 a month in web ads) and the Store Manager feature, which enables you to create product listings and sell, track, and report on your sales on your Office Live Small Business site or on eBay.

Another piece to this great convergence puzzle is Office Live Workspaces, now in beta from Microsoft. This is also a free, web-based utility that enables you to create a shared workspace for all sorts of groups and projects. And it plugs right into Office Live Small Business without any action from you, so you can move seamlessly back and forth, using your 2007 Office Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents with everything you need for your business.

So technology has done wonders (so far) in bringing us convenience, efficiency, and flexibility. Now if only it could make Spring arrive a little faster...

Want to be interviewed (again)?

Thanks to those of you who helped out with the first set of interview questions for my new book on the dynamics of conversation! Here's the link to the second (and final) set of survey questions: Conversations survey, part 2

I appreciate your help! :) k

Want to be interviewed?

Hi! I'm beginning to research a new project on the dynamics and effects of conversation. I've created a simple survey--would you be willing to participate? It shouldn't take more than 5 minutes or so. All responses are confidential (I don't ask anything scary, anyway) and if I choose to quote you, I'll send you an e-mail message asking your permission first.

Here's the link, and thanks for helping!

Click here to take the Conversation survey

Customize your QAT

Okay, well, the tech editor on my last book suggested I not use that term, but I think it's kind of hip. [Sorry, Richard. :)] Just in case you don't know, the QAT is the Quick Access Toolbar, that friendly little collection of common tools that appears just to the right of the Microsoft Office Button (formerly known as the File menu).

That little shelf of goodies can really be a great time-saver. Not only can you add your own tools to the QAT, but you can also customize it for specific documents. This means that if you've got to go through a 100-page document today to fix all the formatting that somebody else messed up, you can easily add the formatting tools (Font, Size, Style, Indents, what-have-you) to the QAT for this document only. That saves you who knows how many clicks of various tabs and command groups. Very cool.

Here's how to do it:

1. Click the Customize Quick Access Toolbar button to the right of the toolbar and click More Commands.


2. Click the arrow on the Customize Quick Access Toolbar control at the top of the right panel.


3. Choose the name of the file you want to add the tools to.


4. Click a tool on the left and click Add to add it to your customized QAT. Repeat as needed.


5. Click OK to save the new toolbar.

Now, start planning the fun thing you're going to do when you're done with that file, because you'll be done in no time. :)