Friday, April 28, 2006

 

Big Changes in Office OneNote 2007


Hi everyone--I'm working on the Office OneNote 2007 chapter in the First Look book right now, and the changes in this application really rock! We each have different note-taking styles; some of us talk it out, some draw it out, some diagram, some write phrases or characters, some do all of the above. One thing we most likely have in common is that we jot our notes in different places and often have trouble finding them later. Or we scribble them on the back of another report that winds up on someone else's desk down the hall. Or (I do this all the time) carefully take notes about a new idea or project and then file it away in the appropriate file folder--never to be seen again!

Office OneNote 2007 gives you a way to capture your thinking no matter how you're comfortable doing it. And the notes are kept in notebooks you can sync among your various systems and devices, which means that you can get to them easily at any point (and the fast search capability in this new release makes that better than ever). Add tables in the middle of a note; use ink to sketch it out; even do calculations (as easily as typing "125/6" in the middle of a note!). Plus there are dozens of templates you can use as the basis for your notes...and notebook sharing...and the ability to have multiple notebooks going at once. There's a lot here.

Office OneNote 2007 is included with Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 and Microsoft Office Enterprise 2007; you can also get it as a standalone application. (Click here to get more information about the various suite configurations.)

Thursday, April 20, 2006

 

Microsoft Office Sweepstakes--Win an HDTV!


Well, why can't it be you? Microsoft just announced the Microsoft Office Work & Play Sweepstakes, an enter-to-win contest that only asks you to register for an Office Tips & Tricks on-demand webcast (which means you can watch it when the time is right for you). Here's the link: http://www.microsoft.com/office/greattips/workplay/default.mspx. Good luck! :)

If you win, write in and let me know! I'll post a story about you (if you're willing) in this space. :)

Monday, April 17, 2006

 

Preview the 2007 Microsoft Office System


The 2007 Microsoft Office System preview site is now up and running! Click this link to go to the site to read the FAQ, watch a video, and explore the capabilities of the program divided up by role (developer, IT professional, partner, small business)--a smart way to introduce the changes.

Also, here's a link to a whole list of Office 2007 blogs, written by Microsoft program managers. Great resource! And really just interesting reading, if you are curious about Microsoft culture. :)

I'm writing about Office Publisher 2007 right now. It's got many great new features (doesn't share the "Ribbon" UI, tho). Think reusability and flexibility--and of course, more new design options than you can shake a stick at. [For international readers--that's a colloquialism and I have no idea where it originated! :)] I've always had a soft spot for Publisher, ever since I first wrote a book about it--way back, oh, sometime in the 90s! :) I think it's one of the unsung heros of the Office System--it often doesn't get the press it deserves but it sure saves many people a lot of time, effort, and money--and gives us a friendly tool for creating some great looking publications.

Thursday, April 13, 2006

 

This is the Excel for me!


I always try to be very careful and conscious of my NDA, so I'll say less rather than more (and point you to an awesome public blog written by the Office Excel 2007 PM, David Gainer), but I just finished writing the Excel chapter of First Look Microsoft Office 2007 and I am totally jazzed about the changes in Excel. As a writer, I have dealt with numbers only when I had to--I've been in business 18 years and I do track financial information in Excel, organize data and client information in Excel (although I did begin using Outlook with Business Contact Manager last year to do that--it rocks!). But this new version of Excel will give you a reason to get up in the morning if you want bigger, better, more powerful, and more visual opportunities for working with your data--numeric and not.

If you're an Excel enthusiast (or even if you're not--but want to get more comfortable with your worksheets), be sure to visit David Gainer's blog. He's doing a great job of introducing not only the new features but explaining how they are relevant to what we need to accomplish during the day.

Yesterday I posted some information on this blog about updates to our MSN Spaces Book Space, but it looks like some of the subscriptions didn't go out last night--so if you didn't get an update notification and MSN Spaces--or learning to blog--is an interest of yours, stop by BlogOffice for more info.

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

 

Express Yourself with MSN Spaces



One of the exciting things we're finding with the success of MSN Spaces is that business teams are using it to keep customers, the public, and each other up-to-date on what's happening in their groups. The IT department can use an MSN Space to post simple how-to information for common tech mishaps. The sales group can use MSN Spaces to provide bios and photos of different team members and put a human face on their business mission.

We are getting ready to do some exciting things on our MSN bookspace and we hope you'll stop by and say hello! Already we're posting book excerpts in the form of articles (actually Microsoft At Home and At Work has posted the articles and included them in their newsletter). So far, you can find the following articles/excerpts online:
If you haven't yet taken a look at MSN Spaces, visit http://spaces.msn.com and see what you're missing! It's free, it's fun, and it can add a lively and real voice to your standard business communications. Come by our MSN bookspace and we'll give you pointers to get you started.

And if you're really not sure how your company could benefit from blogging, drop me a note. I'm a good blog coach. :)

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