In todays world, blogging has become a big part of the way we share our experiences. A blog (short for weblog) gives individuals the power to publish anything they want to say to the world. The incredible simplicity of blogging is one of the things that makes blogging so popular. You don’t have to know anything about HTML or how to link from one page to another – only create a page within the software provided and upload it to a Web server.

In the 2007 Microsoft Office system, Word has become that software. Now you can create blog posts from within Microsoft Office Word 2007 with a few simple clicks of the mouse. This article shows you how you can start blog posts with Office Word 2007.

Follow these steps to start a new blog post:

1. Start Word 2007.
2. Click the Microsoft Office Button, then select New.
3. In the New Document window, click New Blog Post.

The Blog Post window opens, and you will receive a popup dialog box asking you to register your blog account.

If you already have a blog account with one of the blogging service provides (such as Windows Live Spaces, Blogger, TypePad, WordPress or other), then select Register Now button and select the service to enter the information for that account as shown below.

If you do not then click Register Later and you are returned to the Blog Post window.

The Blog Post window includes two command tabs: Blog Post and Insert. Mainly you will be working with the Blog Post tab, where you have tools for working with your blog, clipboard, entering basic text, applying styles, and proofing your entry. The Insert tab is available only if your blogging service enables you to include photos.

The work in the Blog Post is based on WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) technology, in which content displayed during editing appears very similar to the final output. It is the same as creating any other document—you click and type your text as you want it to appear.

Good luck in writing your first article!

Microsoft Excel – it’s just spreadsheets and formulas, right? Wrong – there’s much more to this super-smart Microsoft programme. With the right training you could get to know Microsoft Excel’s best-kept secret and be well on your way to making the most of your business information.

You may already know that Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet application that allows you to perform anything from basic mathematical computations to tasks involving massive amounts of data. But did you also realise that a training course could give you the tricks, tools and tips to really power up your business information? You’ll soon be able to create highly interactive spreadsheets that update as and when you add information – without having to become an expert in computer programming!

They may sound rather serious, but Excel Formulas and Functions can seriously liven up your business information. It’s time to think big. Very big. You can work with huge amounts of data, because Office Excel 2007 supports spreadsheets of up to 1 million rows by 16,000 columns! It’s better as well as bigger – Office Excel 2007 allows even faster calculation of formula-intense spreadsheets.

Imagine having to manually perform calculations on a worksheet that contains huge volumes of data. It’s dull, time consuming – with plenty of scope for human error. Cut out the complex manual calculations and use Formulas and Functions to quickly perform calculations on large data sets. Fast, efficient and free of headaches!

Monthly profits…business budgets…sales figures – whatever information you need to manage, you’ll find Excel is flexible enough to adapt.  Excel offers 10 choices of functions – from nice and simple like Summary to more complex functions like calculating financial data. You can even calculate data across different spreadsheets by using the Summary option and Three-Dimensional Cell reference! With training you’ll soon have the skills to create charts, graphs and other visuals based on all kinds of business data, whatever sector you work in.

Excel also allows you to see into the future!  Well, not quite – but it can help you plan ahead for different business scenarios. You can use its Logical functions to perform what-if analysis, for example to calculate a bonus for an employee if a sales target is met. There are also clever features like Date and Time Function for performing calculations on dates and Text functions to easily manipulate the look of your text.

Getting trained in Excel’s many smart features will give the skills to power up your data. Getting better control of your information is great for business. And that’s no secret.

It happens at the worst possible time. You are just about to finish that big project and something goes horribly wrong. Relax – whether there is a worrying error message or you just can not work out how to complete a task, there are sources of support online on all things MS Office.

Your first step – F1

F1 is a great start for all kinds of annoying software problems. All software applications are supported with help information. And it’s usually available for you to use just with one click of the F1 key or the help menu. Then simply browse the file to find your answer – or type a phrase into the search window to get instant answers.

Help files are very useful for basic or even advanced functionality. But they’re not so helpful when you’re trying to resolve a specific problem or if you’re not sure about the specifics of the software you’re using.

Get the knowledge

Most software manufacturers provide a wide range of information through online knowledge bases. These resources take the help file one step further. You can often find out what’s behind a strange error message by copying and pasting it straight into a knowledge base.

Find an official support forum

What’s a great source of up-to-date information? People of course – and you can access their experience and knowledge online through official support forums. The downside is that there just aren’t that many official support forums offered by software companies. The ones that do exist are often packed full of users, so you may not get the answer you need exactly when you need it.

Try an unofficial user group support forum

The lack of official support forums has led to the growth of many user groups with their own support forums. Visit them for access to experienced users who can provide up-to-date information on resolving your query. They’re independent so there’s no guarantee that your question will be answered quickly – or even at all. Nor is there any certainty that a particular forum will have the contacts you need.

Ask the expert

Who has access to the most up-to-date information on MS Office? Your training centre. Whether it offers a User Support Forum or one-to-one support on all kinds of issues, your Microsoft trainer is a great source of support. You can often get your question answered on a Microsoft product, usually within just a few hours.

There’s no time consuming browsing or stressful working through reams of online information. Just a certified expert with all the right information to help you solve your problem.

And do not forget! If you came to one of our courses you have the right to ask relevant questions for a month since you’ve trained with us!

In business, information is everything. But what are the best ways to manage it, communicate it and keep it safe? Simple. From sensitive documents to online marketing, these five smart features in Word 2007 will put you in better control of all kinds of business information.

1) Build documents easily

Do you get fed up of repeatedly typing out the same phrases or content in different documents? In just a few clicks, Office Word 2007’s Building Blocks feature allows you to pull documents together from frequently used content or a predefined gallery – everything from disclaimer text and pull quotes to sidebars, cover pages, and other types of content. You can even create your very own Building Blocks for your business to easily add custom content such as legal disclaimers. No more time wasted on recreating content or copying and pasting between documents! This handy feature also helps you keep all your business documents looking consistent and professional.

2) Share documents effortlessly

Want to share project information with colleagues? Office Word allows you to do this without the need for specialist software. You can convert your Word documents to Portable Document Format (PDF) or XML Paper Specification (XPS) format to help you reach out to your contacts – whatever platform they’re on.

All you need to do is install a simple add-in and then save the document as a PDF or XPS file from 2007 Microsoft Office.

3) Be a brilliant blogger

Blogging is fast becoming an essential part of online business marketing. Communicate easily with your customers on the net by composing and publishing your blog from within Office Word 2007 to many different blog services, including Office SharePoint Server 2007, MSN Spaces, Blogger, Typepad and Community Server. You can configure Office Word 2007 to link directly to your blog site – and use the rich Word experience to create blogs with images, tables, and advanced text formatting features.

4) Keep sensitive information safe

Preparing business documents often involves sensitive information such as comments on edited text and personally identifiable data. It is vital that this is kept safe. Office Word’s Document Inspector allows you to check every document you produce and send out for potentially sensitive information. Whether it’s unwanted comments or hidden text, this feature will ensure sensitive information doesn’t escape when your documents are published.

5) Keep track of document changes

Keeping up with changes to a document in development can be confusing. But Office Word 2007 makes it easy to stay up to date. Its great new tri-pane review panel helps you see both versions of a document with deleted, inserted, and moved text clearly marked.

Microsoft Access isn’t only a big plus for business – you can put it to all sorts of great uses in your personal life, too. With the right Microsoft Access training this database software can help you take control of information on everything from your finances to your favourite pastimes. It’s so versatile that you can create the database you want from scratch or make use of existing templates.

Never forget another birthday again!

It’s true – Microsoft Access can help you remember every important date. Its personal address book feature allows you to create a database with useful information about your nearest and dearest. It provides an individual record for each one of your contacts which includes name, address, telephone number, email and other details including birthdays, anniversaries and upcoming social events. Want to plan ahead?  You can even use Access to generate reports of birthdays or other special events for a particular month.

Keep track of your home contents

You might not want to think about it, but it’s important to be prepared for the worst. If you were burgled would you have the information you need to give to your insurers? With Microsoft Access training you could learn how to use Access to create a database or inventory for insurance purposes. This will allow you to keep key information together – manufacturer, model, purchase price and more. You can even create reports to list your home contents in order of value.

Get a taste for a database

Keen to keep up with a healthy eating plan? Try adding a nutritional database into your daily routine. Used properly it can help you to keep track of your weight, calorie intake, exercise regime – and even record your favourite recipes.

Keep tabs on your collections

Got a hobby? Whether you collect antiques or AC/DC records, Access allows you to keep track of all the vital information on your prized possessions.

Stay on top of your finances

Staying in control of your personal finances is more important than ever these days. But it’s not always easy to keep track of your spending. Why not use Access to create a database and keep a closer eye on your personal account transactions? You could also create regular reports to see exactly what’s going in and out of your account at particular times.

Despite the bank holiday weekend and many people being away on holiday, our first seminar – Microsoft Project 2007 – What Can it Do for You, which we held last Tuesday went very well.

After a networking session over the buffet lunch we had a presentation followed by a questions and answers session.

We received some very positive feedback:

‘Good quality of information and Good overview of software.’

Janet Lang

‘The Microsoft Project course was very useful. For a professional who needs the manage one or multiple projects, this software improves organisation and communication.’

Fernanda Rizzo

‘Really helped me to get my head into project management and line management. 10 out of 10 for presentation.’

Lesley Brown

We also had requests to continue seminars and offer other topics. The first in the list to continue is Microsoft Access.

All kinds of good things can follow Microsoft Office training. From increased productivity to better sales pitches, you’ll find the training will help prepare your business for the future.  But with so many options, how do you choose the right course for you or your employees?

We all like having choice, but where do you start? The best kind of learning (i.e. the kind that sticks!) takes place in an environment that supports you and suits your own particular needs. So you need to think carefully about your choice of program and version, your level of experience and the style of course.

The first step is choosing the right training course for a specific application in the Office suite, from Windows to Microsoft programs such as Microsoft Project and Frontpage.

Your next step is deciding what level you’re coming in at. Know a little bit already or looking to move on to an advanced level? Most levels for Microsoft Training can be easily divided into Introduction, Intermediate and Advanced. You can work out what level you’re at by checking the course details or speaking to your trainer.

Your training – your way

It’s not just what you’re learning that matters, but how you learn it. What’s your style? Need a one-to-one to get to grips quickly with Microsoft Office or wanting to update your employees on a particular program? It’s your choice.

Public schedule

Book the course, walk in and learn a new skill. Public schedule training courses provide a straightforward way to learn about popular and business-critical programs like Microsoft Excel and MS Project training. These instructor-led classes usually have an average size of six to eight.

On-site

On-site training brings learning direct to you – at home or at the office. You have the flexibility of covering a structured public schedule syllabus or adapting the course to suit your own particular needs. You can also combine syllabuses from different courses, which may include intermediate and advanced levels or two totally separate programmes.

Closed company

A fresh environment can really boost your learning. With closed company training you can complete a training course away from your work place and outside a public schedule course. Your trainer can suggest suitable venues. And again, you can adapt the courses to bring together all the topics you want to cover.

One-to-one

It’s time to get personal. One-to-one training provides a highly individual, tailored and personalised form of learning. Like on-site and closed company training, it can be done at your workplace or at a venue organised by your trainer. You can choose the topics to cover and you get to learn at your own pace.

Consultancy

Think your business could benefit from tailored training? Then why not consider the mentoring support you’d gain from consultancy? With consultancy your business can quickly get to grips with a new application or adapt an already existing one. One-to-one consultancy around Excel for example could help your business with spreadsheet design or re-design and development to improve efficiency.

E-Learning

We’ve all got too much to do these days. So how about a flexible package of training that fits around your work and personal commitments? The E-Learning option is designed just for you to help you sharpen your Microsoft Desktop and general IT skills.

Now you know what’s on offer, you’ll find it easier to pick the best Microsoft Office training course. There are plenty of options for boosting your business performance with Microsoft Office training. Whether you want a refresher course, a tailored training day for employees or you need that vital new skill to complete an important project, the choice is yours.

People are much more likely to buy into something when they can see and hear it. That’s the difference between telling your potential customers about your product or service – and showing them, with Microsoft PowerPoint. We all know that making a sale is about winning people over. A powerful presentation can play a big part in influencing and inspiring your potential customers. As humans we’re much more likely to take in and remember information when we can see and hear it. After just a short Microsoft PowerPoint training course you’ll be well on your way to making the most of this resource to bring your business to life and increase your sales.

Power up Your Sales

The more you learn about PowerPoint the more you’ll realise its potential for improving your sales. A PowerPoint training course will give you the skills to create a multi-dimensional sales pitch that you can duplicate and deliver many times to lots of different audiences. These presentations aren’t just great for a “live” audience! You can send PowerPoint presentations direct to clients – or even build them into your business website.  Static text is no match for a powerful combination of images, sounds, and movement.

Advanced Features

Lots of us have seen and used PowerPoint at some stage, but most people aren’t aware of how much they can get out of it. PowerPoint training will show you how to create professional-looking visuals – without the expensive graphics or fancy production software. A training course will also equip you to time presentations so that they run automatically, use special effects, embed sounds, add interactive controls, and even integrate Microsoft Word and Excel features.

Bring Your Business to Life with Embedded Video Files

Imagination is the most powerful sales resource of them all. So why not encourage your customers to see themselves having a great time using your particular product or service? You could include a video of real people enjoying your products and services in your presentation. Integrating video files to add depth and professionalism to your presentation is easy with the right training.

Share Your Message with a Narration Soundtrack 

A PowerPoint training course will give you the skills to embed a sound file and time your slide presentation to automatically follow along. PowerPoint puts you firmly in control of the order of your pitch. It allows you to maintain the flow and order of your presentation to suit you. You can build up the ideas in an way that will inspire your audience.

Get Interactive  

Get trained and you’ll find out how to add extra features to make your presentation stand out even more. You could add in some interactive features at the end of your timed presentation to build on the main information. Sending your presentation by email? Here’s an idea. If your presentation highlights three different products, why not add clickable images and link them to slides with further information, pictures, and video demonstrations about the products?

We’ve all seen dull presentations given by people who haven’t been trained how to use PowerPoint’s many great features. Make sure your presentations keep your potential customers interested – instead of sending them to sleep!  With a short PowerPoint training course you can inform and engage your contacts and stand out from your competition.

Like many things in life, a project can seem straightforward from the start – and very quickly become a lot more complicated. Even a relatively small project demands careful planning. You’re working to coordinate resources, people and tasks – all to meet specific timescales. No wonder so many projects end up being completed late – and with an excess of stress!

But believe it or not, with the right software and training, pain-free projects are possible. MS Project is the secret to successful project management – from allowing you to see at a glance exactly how a project is going, to helping you to manage every single part of the process. Having the right MS Project training can prepare you to manage all kinds of projects effectively.

Know What Comes Next

Projects are often made up of lots of little tasks. Some flow from one to another and others end up being rather more difficult to plan ahead for! An MS Project training course will show you how to establish project dependencies. Put simply, this means you will be able to see what order tasks should happen in. By applying your MS Office training to your project you’ll be able to spot potential problems and issues as you go along. And you’ll be able to share this information easily with others.

Your Project at a Glance

Need to know at a glance exactly how your project is progressing? MS Project allows you to do just that. Its Gantt charts feature shows you visually how your whole project is going. With just one visual overview you’ll be able to see which activities are moving along nicely – and which are behind schedule. Gantt charts give you an all-in-one perspective, making it easy to recognise potential problems or delays before they start to slow your project down.

MS Project also allows you to respond to the unexpected. And let’s face it, what project ever went exactly to plan? It’s simple to adapt MS Office in response to budget changes, additional tasks or to a specific issue you’ve spotted in your Gannt chart. Seen a possible problem? Just reshape your project plan with simple steps learned on an MS Project training course.

MS Project is so versatile you can apply it to all kinds of projects. Whatever your goal, you’ll find it much easier to achieve with the right tools and training

We all know a successful company is only as good as its information. The secret of every thriving business is definitely in the detail. So how can you manage your business information to get more out of it?

It’s one of the best-known features of Microsoft Office, but many people still aren’t making the most of Excel. O.K, so you might already know you can create spreadsheets on Excel. But did you know the level to which Excel can help you use, share and show your business information? It works for all kinds of business activities too – from creating timesheets to generating invoices to tracking your business income.

It’s great for everyday business activities, but Excel can also help you plan for the future.  And that’s a must in today’s tough financial climate. After an advanced training course you could use Excel to see exactly what’s ahead for your business by creating detailed financial forecasts. You can even change the financial model with updated information to view the results of different business scenarios!

Here’s another smart Excel secret. Ever wished you could get more out of your business information? Of course you have. This powerful tool is called a pivot table and it allows you to drop in your data and rearrange it to answer all kinds of questions.  Want to know your sales levels for a specific product range?  Looking to check which parts of your business are performing best? The pivot table helps get much more out of your business information. And it’s simple – once you know how to use it.

Excel can’t run your business for you. But, with the right training, it can help you boost your business planning – long into the future.