Monday, February 21, 2011
Cheat Sheet: 10 Tips and Tricks for Microsoft Word
gizmodo: "Microsoft Word. The name's practically synonymous with 'productivity app.' If you're reading this article at work you've probably got a Word doc open right now, and you might think you've got a good handle on Microsoft's word processor. We'll bet you don't know as much as you think you do. Don't believe us? Read on for 10 quick tips and tricks for Microsoft Word.
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10 comments:
I thought that I was going to know most of the tips, but I only knew two or three. I think that some of them are not terrible nifty (like how to select a single sentence, and that there were some things missing that people don't always know. But, as sometimes happens, I was more interested in the discussion that took place in the comments. People really hate the ribbon. I know I do. And it's related to the article loosly, because the article is about user-friendly, efficient ways to use MS, and the ribbon is in contrast to that.
Additionally, I was fascinated by the extension of the free trial. I wonder if you can do that on other products....?
I know 2 of the 10 tips. Though I agree with Emily that some of them are not that great. I have never wanted to select text vertically. However, the bookmarks tool will come in very handy in writing a thesis when you want to be able to jump to sections.
The extension of the free trial... NICE. but you are either going to get used to it or hate it forever and I don't think extending is going to be necessary. Cough up the dough.
I am going to disagree with Emily. I love the ribbon bar. It can navigate it faster that the older versions of MS word. Really I think it comes down to preference of the user, like most things do.
I am thoroughly in love with the bookmark feature. I can just imagine using it to mark the beginning of scenes or acts for easy 'flipping.' Not all the tips seem incredibly useful but they are interesting. I gotta say though that for most of them I'd have to spend the time to find the article before using them. Maybe not so useful then.
Wow, I never realized how much I don't know about Microsoft Word. Even the things they said I should already now I didn't know. Of course like Emily and Cody said some of the tips are the best tips in the world but they are still helpful to know about at least. It was nice to read an article on something I thought I knew pretty well. And the free trial that's awesome but I already have the 2011 software so that didn't really interest me but I can recommend it some of my friends who need it. And I have used the ribbon bar since I own this version and its fantastic. It makes everything so much easier to access. I love it! It's not for everyone but it works for me!
I also thought I'd know at least 7 of the 10 tips but i only knew maybe 4. I'm glad now to know that I can begin a bullet list without clicking around, even if the manual method only takes seconds, its true that when you're on a role switching from typing a stream of thoughts to picking up the mouse can throw you off. I don't know how useful it is to use the bookmark feature for the purposes that i'm using word. But the screen shot feature is certainly useful.
I'd like to read articles like this for other programs. Like excel, or photoshop. Although, I do think this is an article directed toward an audience that already thinks they know everything about Word as it is. Someone trying to learn the program would still be fairly frustrated even knowing the easiest way to select text vertically.
Most of the items on the list were common practice for me. However, over the summer I really got a sense on how little most people know about Microsoft office. Even some of the interns still in college had only basic skills in the programs which was surprising. That being said people more apt in the programs have to be careful when sharing files. For example, marking up a rough draft for a friend with all those neat tools can be efficient and effective. However, if the person does not know their way around Word enough they can become frustrated on how to get rid of those notes and highlights or strikes when they are revising them. Also, it's not uncommon for people to have older versions of Office. NBC Philadelphia is still working on 2003 which felt foreign and limiting after working with 2007 for so long. So, some of those changes you made to the document may not translate. Being savvy with Microsoft Word is great for personal use but for shared files it can be incompatible, whether with the user or the version. I do think that no matter how fluent you are everyone should learn to password protect documents because that one comes in handy more often than not.
I can't believe that I've used Microsoft Word for every single essay I've ever written, and I didn't know most of the tips.
I actually think the "creating a bullet" tip is the best for me because I've always been hesitant to take notes on a computer because it would take so long to format. It's simple, and it really might help. I don't know if I'll switch to taking notes on a computer anytime soon, but this might give me more reason to.
In our industry, little tidbits of information like this always come in handy. Knowing shortcuts can make the difference between an hour long work period and a half hour work period. For anyone doing paperwork or budgeting, or even compiling research this could cut their time down just enough to make a difference in the overall project. I'm glad I read this one!
This is a terrific article. I already knew a few of these tips and the ones I didn't (like adding comments) I can already see that they are going to be extremely useful. It's good that this was published, as many people don't know these tricks and they can really help to speed up one's interactions with Microsoft Word.
I didn't know all of these, but i definitely knew of some. Word is a remarkable tool, oft belittled, but mighty useful. Mighty mighty useful. The entire face of modern computing and office culture would be different without this program.
These tips are good things to have in your back pocket if you use this program all the time, or have a massive document (such as a thesis...or script) that you are putting together. That being said, they need a version of this shortcut list for people who don't use PCs, because believe it or not, PCs and Macs are different, and these programs function differently within them... just sayin'.
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