Google Alerts

Posted on May 3, 2012 by Vivienne Porter | Permalink 0

What are Google Alerts?

Google Alerts are emails sent to you when Google finds new results — such as web pages, newspaper articles, or blogs — that match your search term. You can use Google Alerts to monitor anything on the Web. For example, people use Google Alerts to:

  • find out what is being said about their company or product.
  • monitor a developing news story.
  • keep up to date on a competitor or industry.
  • get the latest news on a celebrity or sports team.
  • find out what’s being said about themselves.

 

How to setup Google Alerts

1.  First you must have a gmail email address.  If you do not have a gmail address just go to gmail.com and create an email address.

2.  Next go to http://www.google.com/alerts

3.  If necessary, log into your gmail email address account.

4.  The Google Alerts window appears

5.  Click the “Create a New Alert” button to create an alert.

6.  The new alert window appears

7.  Fill in the information for your query.   Here is an alert I created to find information on QuickBooks.

 

  • I put my key words in the “Search query” box, this is what I am looking to find with my google alert.  Everyone should have an alert for their name (including nick names, each name should be in its own alert), and one for your company name.  Use quote marks around your name so that your query finds your whole name as one string of text.  ie:  “Vivienne Porter”
  • “Result type” can be “everything”, or just “news, blogs, discussions, books, or videos”.
  • Next, specific, setup “How Often” you would like to receive your alert, you can choose from “as-it-happens, once a day or once a week”.
  • And lastly there is “How Many“, “Only Best Results” is what I normally use but you also have a choice of “all results”.

 

8.  Here is what your alert will look like in your account.

 

9.  You can always click the “Edit button” to modify an alert an any point in time.  To return to the Google Alerts window, just go to http://www.google.com/alerts

10.  Here is an example of a Google Alert delivered to my inbox.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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WordPress: How to Link to a PDF in a Post

Posted on April 24, 2012 by Vivienne Porter | Permalink 0

Below are instructions on how to upload a PDF file to your WordPress server, and then create a link to that PDF file in a post.

1.  Starting in the Post window open

image:add-media.png

3.  The “Add media files from your computer” screen appears

4.  Click on the “Select Files” button

5.  Locate the PDF File to be used in the link and click the Open button.

6.  Once the PDF uploading/crunching process has completed the PDF is now stored with your other website files.  In the Link URL text box you will find the complete link for your PDF File.

7.  Click in the Link URL text box and drag over the entire line.

8.  Right-click on the URL Link and choose Copy.  You will need to close the Add Media dialog box by clicking on the “X” in the top right corner of the dialog box

9.  Now go to your post and type in the text for the link for the PDF file.

For Example:  Event Flyer

10.  Drag over the words to link the PDF to, and click on the  Insert/Edit Link button on the toolbar.

11.  The Insert/Edit Link screen appears

12.  Right-click on the URL text box, and choose Paste.

13.  The PDF Link will appear in the URL text box.

14.  Type in your Title text, check the “Open link in a new window/tab” box  and then click Add Link button to complete the link.

Your PDF file is now linked to your text, and when the reader clicks on that link the PDF file will open in Adobe Acrobat Reader.

 

 

 

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WordPress: Creating a Link in a Post

Posted on April 24, 2012 by Vivienne Porter | Permalink 0

Typing a link into a WordPress post does not automatically create an active link in your post.  Below are instructions on how to create an active link in your WordPress posts.

First this example we will take a link to my website and make an active link.

1.  Type out the website address in the post

For Example:

http://ChicagolandSoftwareCoach.com

2. Drag over the website address and click the   Insert/Edit Link button on the toolbar.

3.  The Insert/Edit Link dialog box appears

4.  Type in the URL (web address) for your link and in title box type in the text you would like to appear when your reader hovers the mouse over your link.  I also like to check the “Open Link in a new window/tab” option.  This will open the link in a new window, leaving your website open in its own separate tab.

5.  And now your link appears with the blue underline, indicating it is an active link in your post.

http://ChicagolandSoftwareCoach.com

 

Note:   You can also use text as a link by repeating the steps above but instead of typing the web address into the post you can type:  “Click Here”  And then turn those words into an active link.

 

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Adding Special Effects to Your Photos Using Picasa

Posted on April 11, 2012 by Vivienne Porter | Permalink 0

Use the following technique to add some fun special effects to your photos.  We are going to start with this photo and then add some special effects to this photo.

Starting with your photo displayed in Picasa’s home screen the Picture Library.

1.  Double click on the photo to edit.

 

 

 

 

 

2.  Click on the “Paint brush” tab to display the first set of special effects.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3.  Click on the effect you would like to apply to the photo.  For this example will be applying the “Soft Focus” feature.

4.  The Soft Focus setting appear in the left window panel.

 

 

 

 

 

5.  Use the “Size” meter to adjust the size of the “soft focus” area, and how out of focus that area will be by using the “Amount” meter.

 

 

Here is the next special effects tab.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is the final special effects tab.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And here is the final version of the photo with soft focus, sharpen and focal black & white applied to it.

 

 

 

 

 

To get Picasa go to picasa.google.com and click here for instructions on how to download Picasa.

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Cropping Photos using Picasa

Posted on April 11, 2012 by Vivienne Porter | Permalink 0

Cropping is the process of cutting away the outside boarder from around a photo.  Below are instructions and tips on cropping a photo using Picasa.  To get Picasa go to picasa.google.com and click here for instructions on how to download Picasa.

Starting with your photo displayed in Picasa’s home screen the Picture Library.

1.  Double click on the photo to edit.

 

 

 

 

 

2.  The photo will now be displayed in the Picture Tray

 

 

 

3.  Click on the Crop button in the “Commonly needed fixes” tab

4.  The Crop Photo window appears

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5.  Select the dimension to use for the cropping of the photos.

6.  Drag over the photo area you would like to keep as the new photo.

 

 

 

 

 

7.  Once you release the mouse, click the Apply button to set the new photo dimensions.

Note:  You can recrop the photo by clicking the Recrop button and repeating the steps above.

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Importing Photos with Picasa, Google’s Photo Editors

Posted on April 5, 2012 by Vivienne Porter | Permalink 0

Importing Pictures – How to Transfer your Pictures from your Camera to your Computer

1.  Plug in the USB cable into the computer and the other end into your camera

2.  The computer should already be on, now turn on your camera

3.  The “Auto Play” message box will appear on your computer screen (it may take a minute, be patient.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4.  Click the line that states:  Copy pictures to your computer using Picasa

5.  Picasa will now start; and the Import window will be displayed with a thumb nail view of your photos.

 

 

 

 

 

6.  The “Clock” button next to the set of pictures will select all the pictures taken on a specific date.  This is an excellent technique for selecting all the pictures taken at your daughter’s birthday party or your day at the zoo.

NOTE: When the clock button does not work properly.   What usually happens is two events get lumped together as one.  Use the following technique to select a series of pictures: to select just one event’s set of pictures.  Click once on the first photo in the series, and then hold down the Shift key and while holding down the shift key click once on the last photo to select the entire series.  All those photos will be select, you will know this because there is a little blue outline around each of those photos.

7. Next you will need to decide where to import the selected pictures.   Type in a name  in the “Folder Title” box to create a new folder off of your My Pictures folder,

 

or

To place these pictures in an existing folder on your computer, do the following:  Under “Import to” click on the down arrow next to the “My Pictures”.  From the menu that appears, click on “Choose”

 

 

 

 

The”Browse for Folder” window appears, click on the arrow to the left of “My Pictures to expand the folder list in the “My Pictures” folder of your computer.  Click on the name of the folder you would like to add the import photos to, and then click the “OK” button

Note: the folders are in alphabetical order

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8.  Next you will need to decide if you want to leave your photos on your memory card or delete them off the card.  Note: that the “Delete” feature will only remove the photos once all the photos are copied onto your computer, and it is confirmed by the program.

 

 

The “Delete Everything on card”, will delete all the photos off your memory card and then reformat the card.  Great for those memory cards that are not working properly anymore.

9.  At this point you will want to click on the “Import Selected” button, this will now transfer the pictures you selected onto your computer.   FYI: the number on the button indicates the number of pictures that will be transfer into the folder you have specified in the earlier steps.

 

Your pictures are now transfer to your computer.

Happy Photo Editing with Picasa.  ~~  look along the right side of my website under, “Picasa” in the Newsletter Categories for more tips on using Picasa.

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Downloading Picasa, Google’s Photo Editor

Posted on April 5, 2012 by Vivienne Porter | Permalink 0

Picasa is a free photo editor from Google.  It is one of my favorite free editors out there.  Here are instructions on how to download Picasa.  Look along the right side of my website under, “Picasa” in the Newsletter Categories for more tips on using Picasa.

1.  Go to the website  http://picasa.google.com/   (just click on this link :) )

2.  Click on the Download Picasa button

 

 

 

 

 

3. The Open File – Security Warning dialog box appears

 

 

 

 

 

4.  Click on the Run button, and wait for the file to download.

5.  At this point you may be prompted by your virus program to confirm the download of this program.  You will need to confirm the download to continue.

6.  Now you will be see the Picasa 3 Setup dialog box.

 

 

 

 

 

7.  You will need to click the “I Agree” button to begin the installation process.

8. Next the Picasa 3 Setup – Choose Install Location dialog box appears.

 

 

 

 

 

9.  Click the “Install button”, the location is set for the standard for windows programs.

10.  When the installation is complete you will see the next dialog box.

 

 

 

 

 

11.  On the Picasa 3 Setup – Completing the Picasa 3 Setup dialog box appear.  The two check boxes are what I recommend for use of the program.  You are free to make your own selection if you like, but again this is what I recommend.

12.  Click the Finish button.  And now you are ready to use Picasa.

 

Happy Photo Editing with Picasa.  ~~ Again, look along the right side of my website under, “Picasa” in the Newsletter Categories for more tips on using Picasa.

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Excel: Freeze Panes

Posted on March 19, 2012 by Vivienne Porter | Permalink 0

Freeze panes is a great feature to use with larger worksheets.  It locks down the titles on the screen, allowing you to scroll through the data area with the titles always showing.  This feature also goes very nicely with the Print Titles feature.

For this example I am going to show how to lock down the title rows, this feature can also lock down column titles or do both rows and titles.

Start by opening your worksheet.

1.  Click the mouse below the title row.  In this example it would be cell A6.

 

2.  Click on the View tab, and choose Freeze Panes.

 

 

 

3.  The Freeze Panes drop list appears.

 

 

 

 

 

 

4.  For this example choose Freeze Top Row.  And now rows are frozen.  Try scrolling down your worksheet and note that rows 1-5 stay fixed on the screen.

 

To Turn Off the Freeze Panes feature, just click Freeze Panes button again, and click on Unfreeze Panes.

 

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Excel: Print Titles

Posted on March 19, 2012 by Vivienne Porter | Permalink 0

Print Titles is a great feature for larger worksheets.  What print titles does exactly what the feature name says,  you specific which row across the top a worksheet you would like to print across each page of your print out.   Once the feature is turned on you no longer have to worry about copying the same titles to the top of every page.   The second page titles will only appear on the print outs and in print preview.  If you like this feature it is best pair with the Freezing Panes command.

Starting with your worksheet open:

1.  Select the Page Layout tab, and choose Print Titles

 

 

 

2. The Print Titles window will appear

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3.  Click on the red button off to the right off “Rows to repeat at top”

4.  Your cursor is now “jumped” into your worksheet.  Drag over the rows that should be repeat on the top of every page.  Don’t worry it will not double the lines on page one.

 

 

5. You will see the number of the rows in the window.  Click the red button on the right side to return to the Page Setup window.

6.  Click OK to save the new setting.

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Microsoft Excel: Scaling a Two Page Sheet to Print on One Page

Posted on March 12, 2012 by Vivienne Porter | Permalink 0

Here is a great command to use when you want to fit your worksheet onto one page.

This feature will take your two page sheet and print it onto one.  Remember that this feature will adjust, margins, font, column width all to get your sheet to print onto one page.  This feature is not a miracle feature.  If your sheet really is 2 full pages of text, than this feature can’t work a mirage for you .  …But if you have one or two lines of your sheet printing on a second page, than this feature will solve that problem.

Starting with your sheet open

1.  Click on the Page Layout Tab.

2.  Click on the square in the lower right corner of the Page Setup section (see graphic below)

 

 

 

 

3.  The Page Setup dialog box appears

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4.  Under scaling select “Fit to” and select 1 page wide by 1 page tall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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