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Issue #2 |
The 5 Minute Bulletin Board
a FREE-zine from Tiiu
Kai Creative
Tips, tricks, and tools for a more efficient
home office in 5 minutes or less
In this Issue
- Master Microsoft Incompatibility Issues
with Just One Click
- It's Not Just for Eggs Anymore
- Test Your Knowledge
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Dear Tiiu,
Thanks for joining me once again
for The 5 Minute Bulletin Board.
If you're brand new to us, pull
up a chair and grab a cup of
coffee.
In five minutes or less, any
solopreneur can find some
helpful hints to save time and
money.
As always, you can find major
dates of importance for each
month at my website. I can't
possibly list every one, so I've
chosen to list only those that
are most commonly observed here
in the United States.
Oh, and if you opened up this
ezine but the header or pictures
didn't appear, see the tiny link
at the top that says: Having
trouble viewing this email?
Click here?
Just click on that and all
should appear normally.
Let's go!
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MS Incompatibility Issues - Resolved! |
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Master Microsoft Office Incompatibility
Issues
Once and For All - With a Single Click
of the Mouse
Does this ever happen to you? You
eagerly await a document that arrives
from a colleague in your in-box - only
to find that when you try to open it, it
looks like hieroglyphics. No matter what
you try, there's nothing but a bunch of
illegible symbols.
Now imagine you prepare taxes for a
living. An important client sends you
plenty of information and - you guessed
it - same thing. Do you call the client
and hope they don't drop you like a hot
potato when you explain they need to try
again (and again and again)?
The problem is likely an incompatibility
issue. In plain English, their version
of Microsoft Word is newer than yours,
so you can't read it.
There's as easy way to fix the problem
on your end - causing no inconvenience
to your clients. They don't have to know
a thing about your version differences.
Personally, I've been struggling with
this issue for a long time, until Mark
D., a reader of this ezine, emailed me
with an easy and FREE solution. Best of
all, it only takes about five minutes to
implement.
For this example, I'm talking Microsoft
Word, although it applies to any of the
programs contained within Microsoft
Office.
So let's say you have Word version 2003.
Big Client Corp uses version 2007.
Instead of pleading ignorance and hoping
they won't mind resaving all their files
in the older, compatible format (yeah
right - might as well just say "buh bye"
to THAT client), just try this.
Click on the link below or copy and
paste it into the address bar at the top
of your browser (such as Internet
Explorer) to download the FREE
"Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for
Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File
Formats".
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=941B3470-3AE9-4AEE-8F43-C6BB74CD1466&displaylang=en
Follow the directions carefully and in
less time than it takes to finish your
latte, you can easily read and edit
documents that until now didn't "talk"
to yours. And best of all, you don't
need any special computer knowledge to
get it up and running.
This has been a lifesaver for me. I hope
you find it helpful, too, if you've been
struggling with that headache.
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Products I Like |
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It's Not Just
for Eggs Anymore...
the
Kitchen Timer
An inexpensive productivity
manager with all the bells
and whistles - that's what
I've got for you this issue.
Legendary writer Gene
Schwartz immortalized the
concept of continuous
writing for a set amount of
time. His favorite?
Thirty-three minute blocks
of time.
But while I want to time my
writing so that I make sure
to get a certain amount
accomplished each day, I
also want to keep track of
how long I work on the
particular project in front
of me.
I need to be able to start
the timer, and then when I
get interrupted, stop it -
only to resume the count
whenever I return to work on
that same piece.
And let's not forget I have
two projects on my desk at
the moment.
Finally, I realize I have
ten minutes before I have to
rush out the door for an
appointment... and so I need
to count down from ten
minutes to none so that I'm
not late because I'm so
crazy busy writing all these
projects. Whew!
A while back I decided to
research some timers. I
found out that they range
from just a few dollars to
$50 or so, they come in all
shapes and colors, and they
all can do the job.
But I wanted the following
features:
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the ability to count up,
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the ability to count
down,
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the ability to count
four assignments,
- the ability to use
it as a clock (or
alarm clock).
AND,
I wanted it to be
inexpensive. Oh
okay, cheap. Really
cheap.
What I discovered was the Salter
timer, model #330. It does the
job quite nicely, and is just
2.75 x 2.50 inches in size.
On the back are both a stand and
a magnet, so it's real
convenient. Hang it on the file
cabinet, or set it next to you
on the desk.
Of course, you don't have to be
a writer to get loads of benefit
from this small little
appliance. Like I said, it also
serves as a clock and alarm
clock so I take it with me when
I travel. It helps keep me on
track.
While it may have been
originally designed for the
kitchen, it's terrific if you
see clients in person for an
appointed time and need a way to
let them know their time is up.
And how about that
long-winded friend who gets
you on the phone? Just set
the timer and when the
ringer goes off, tell them
you have to hang up.
There are countless ways to
use this little gem. And at
just $12 a pop it literally
has the bells and whistles
you need.
You can order it at
www.salterhousewares.com
I'm all about products that
give me convenience,
efficiency, and help me
maximize every minute I
spend in the office. This
product does just that. I
like it so much I gave one
as a gift last Christmas.
If you decide to purchase
one, let me know how you
like it. I bet you'll be
glad you did.
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From My Bookshelf |
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Test Your Knowledge
Which Is Correct?
Let's see how you do today. Thing
is, if you get it wrong - WONDERFUL!
Because in a minute, you can learn
it the RIGHT way, right AWAY!
1) Lay vs. Lie: These two words are
often used interchangeably. Do you
lay down or lie down? A) lay; or B)
lie.
2) Spelling bee: Which is correct,
A) accommodation; or B)
accomodation?
3) Which sentence is correct? A)
Young and inexperienced, the task
seemed easy to me. B) Young and
inexperienced, I thought the task
easy.
ANSWERS:
1) According to Judy Parkinson in
i before e, remember this
phrase to help with these words:
You'll lay an egg if you don't lie
down. The answer is B.
2) The answer is A. This one trips
me up personally. While I often
forget to use spell check, I always
use it if I type this word.
3) The answer is B. A participial
phrase at the beginning of a
sentence must refer to the
grammatical subject. So the word
that follows that first comma after
the participial phrase must be WHAT
is being modified BY the phrase (The
Elements of Style, Strunk and White,
4th Ed.)
If you're like me, you might not
ever remember the wording of the
rule (sounds Greek to me), but you
might recognize what just sounds
correct when you read it.
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Thanks For Visiting - and a FREEBIE is
coming soon! |
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Thanks for sharing a few minutes
with me as we solved one of those
computer mysteries, checked out a
great productivity product, and
consulted my reference books.
If you're not already on our
mailing list, please
join! There's a red link at the
bottom of this ezine; just click
on it for instant access to free
tips and helpful hints.
And while you're at it, share
this with a friend. There's
another link at the bottom for
doing just that. They'll
appreciate the info - and you
for sending it to them.
In the last issue I told you
to look for a coupon
at the bottom of the ezine
redeemable for a
FREE Bonus Report
from someone who's run a home
business for years - and knows
what she's talking about.
(I'll keep the name a secret
for the moment,
but keep posted...)
Best of all, she's willing to
spill the beans to T5MBB readers
(that's you!)
on some great success secrets
for your own home office.
I hope to have it ready for you
by the next issue, so thanks
and see you next time at The 5
Minute Bulletin Board.
With every
wish for your small business
success, Tiiu
The
5 Minute Bulletin Board
Free,
Fun, and For You
FEEDBACK: Feel free to share
your thoughts on this issue or
ideas for future issues by
emailing me at:
tiiu@tiiukaicreative.com
Please put the word Feedback
in the subject line.
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