With Windows Vista, I can now plan and manage my own activities, as well as coordinate the rest of my family's activities, in a single calendar. Windows Calendar is built right into Windows Vista and offers automated integration features that make it the easiest calendar I've seen for groups of people to use. Windows Calendar lets you set up multiple calendars, and then gives you the option of viewing one calendar at a time or comparing multiple calendars. Calendar setup is fast and easy; you just select different colors for each person. When compared side by side, this color feature makes it easy to see who's doing what at any given time?a literal lifesaver for anyone who needs to manage a variety of schedules.
Set up and compare family calendars I have set up a calendar for each person in my family, and the integration aspect of Windows Calendar lets me compare our day's activities side by side, which has been an immense help to me. Now, for example, when I need to know whether my husband can take our daughter to an activity, I just glance at the calendar to check his schedule. Setting up your calendar is very logical and simple.
Here's how to create calendars for each person in your family in Windows Calendar:
Click the Start button in Windows Vista. Type "Calendar" in the Start Search box.
Click Windows Calendar from the results under Programs.
A calendar will open with the name of the person assigned to the computer. If the calendar that opened doesn't have your name attached to it, that's okay. Just follow the remaining steps to create a new one for you or anyone else in your family who needs one.
In Windows Calendar, click File, and then New Calendar.
When the new calendar appears, type a name for it in the Calendars task pane on the left. Click Enter.
Note: All calendar names will appear in the Calendars task pane. Placing a check mark next to one allows you to see it along with other calendars. Remove a check mark and you won't see the calendar.
In the Details pane on the right, select the color that you want to use. This color will help you identify various calendars quickly. If you can't see the Details pane, click the View menu and then click Details Pane.
That's it! Now you're ready to create appointments and tasks. Click New Appointment or New Task in the toolbar and fill in the required information. When the details for tasks and appointments are filled in, the calendar will populate with the information in the appropriate color for the person involved.
There are lots of cool things you can do with Windows Calendar. Read the full article by S.E. Slack to find out how you can:
Import information from calendar Web sites that use the iCalendar format
Publish your own calendar to the Web
Send e-mail appointments and invitations to friends and family directly from your calendar
Who says you have to be stuck at the computer in order to post to your blog? If you have a mobile phone or PDA with e-mail capability, you can post blog entries to your MSN Space while you're on the road following two simple steps.
1. Create your MSN Space If you don't yet have your own MSN Space, you can create one by going to http://spaces.msn.com and clicking Create your space. Or if you prefer, you can sign up for your space using your mobile phone. Just use your Web access setting on your phone to go to http://spaces.msn.com, and MSN Spaces will display a text menu that will walk you through the process of creating your space. Note If for some reason the page doesn't load correctly on your model of cell phone (all cell phones are not created equal!), navigate to http://mobile.spaces.msn.com/ to access the Get your own space option.
2. Set up mobile posting Posting to your MSN Space is really as easy as sending a message?including text and photos?from your phone to your MSN Space. Once you've set up your space to receive posts by e-mail, the rest is simple. Here are the steps for setting up your MSN Space to receive mobile posts:
Sign in to your MSN Space
Click the Settings tab.
Click the E-mail Publishing tab.
Click the Turn on e-mail publishing checkbox.
Enter the e-mail address from which you'll be sending your blog posts. You can type up to three different addresses.
Enter a secret word that is at least five but not more than 10 characters long (for example, secretwd). This word will be used to create an e-mail address that only you will know.
Let MSN Spaces know whether you want to save the received messages as drafts or post them directly to your site.
Finally, copy the e-mail address that MSN Spaces gives you and add it to the address book that you use on your mobile phone. Your e-mail address will look something like this: 1234567890.secretwd@spaces.msn.com (this is used as an example only).
Click Save to save your changes. Now you can capture your thoughts and photos and e-mail them directly to your MSN Space?whenever inspiration strikes.
Read the full article from Katherine Murray and Mike Torres.
There's only one thing better than getting a brand-new PC?getting a brand-new PC set up exactly the way you want it. Take the time up front to do some simple customization and you'll get a PC that truly reflects who you are?and that organizes all your information so you can spend more time on the things that matter.
5 tips for customizing your desktop
Tip #1: Change your desktop background Right-click anywhere on your desktop and select Personalize. Then choose Desktop Background. If the picture you want to use isn't displayed, simply navigate to the correct folder. Alternatively, you can select any picture on your PC or the Internet, right-click, and select Set as Background.
Tip #2: Customize your theme To choose the theme that you want to use, right-click on the desktop, select Personalize, and then choose Windows Vista or Windows Classic. Want something completely new? No problem. You can download many different themes from the Internet?simply search for Windows Vista themes (and make sure that you're downloading from a site you trust). Then, when you're choosing a theme, select Browse, and navigate to the folder where you've saved the theme.
Tip #3: Check out Sidebar If you've recently gotten a new PC running Windows Vista, you'll probably notice the icons running down the right side of your desktop. Each of the icons you see is a Gadget, or a mini program that pulls information straight to your desktop. Delete any Gadgets you don't want by clicking the X on the left side of the Gadget. Add more by right-clicking the plus sign at the top. You can choose from Gadgets already included in Windows Vista, or view hundreds of Gadgets available for download by clicking Get more gadgets online.
Tip #4: Personalize desktop icons Sometimes it's fun to shake up how desktop icons look, too. Right-click on the desktop, select Personalize, and then click Change Desktop Icons under Tasks on the left-hand side. Then choose the icon you would like to change and click Change Icon. From there, you can view your options. And just like themes, you can download many different icons from the Internet. You can also change the size of your icons by Right-clicking on the desktop and selecting View. Decide whether you want to display icons on the desktop, and then choose between large, medium, and classic (small) icons.
Tip #5: Take advantage of Quick Launch If there are programs you use regularly, think about putting them on your Quick Launch bar, located right next to the Start icon. To add applications, you can either drag the icon onto your Quick Launch bar, or you can right-click on the icon and select Add to Quick Launch.
Next step: Take the deep dive on personalizing your PC If you thought customizing your desktop was the only way to stake a claim on your PC, think again. From screensavers and skins to calendars, interacting with your computer has never been easier. Get more tips by reading the full version of this article at http://www.microsoft.com/athome/moredone/personalizevista.mspx.
A day of running errands can be stressful for anyone. A simple journey around town can involve a great deal of coordination, from planning what you need and where to go to finding a simple route around town that hits all the necessary destinations. Technology can help you get organized and reduce some of this stress.
Tip #1: Plan ahead using the Web Before you set out, use the Web to check the local weather and possible traffic around town. You might also want to check the hours of operation for the stores you plan to visit; many times stores will post this information on their Web sites. You can use MSN for most planning needs.
Tip #2: Know your budget Errands usually involve spending money, so double check to ensure that you have sufficient funds for your transactions. Determine your balance before you head out so you know how much you can spend. Personal finance software, like Microsoft Money, can help save you time.
Tip #3: Use a PDA to help you stay on track A Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) or Smartphone can be very helpful while on the road. You don't want to forget anything while you're out and about, so use your PDA to keep track of your different lists for shopping. Be sure to install Windows Mobile software and you will also be able to access Internet Explorer.
Tip #4: Travel efficiently?map your shopping route There are several devices available for in-car navigation. If you're looking for something affordable and easy to use, software might be the way to go. Microsoft Streets & Trips with GPS Locator can turn your laptop into a powerful navigation system.
Tip #5: Keep the kids entertained Spending a lot of time in the car can be boring for children. To help alleviate their boredom, bring along some toys or travel games to keep them occupied and entertained. Consider bringing a laptop with Microsoft Encarta, which is both educational and entertaining, and doesn't require an Internet connection.
Having your finances in order, understanding your credit report, and maintaining a good credit score are key ingredients to financial success. You can set yourself up to achieve that success by taking a few simple steps.
First, everyone has certain fixed income and expenses each month. However, it is important to set aside money to save for big purchases, like the down payment on a house, emergencies like unexpected medical bills, and of course retirement. Anything left after that becomes your disposable income. Planning your lifestyle so that you spend no more than that amount every month is one of the keys to financial success.
"It's hard to live within your means if you don't know what your means are," says Maxine Sweet, vice president of public education for Experian, a global information solutions company. Take some time to sit down with your computer and analyze your accounts and spending with a software program. With Microsoft Money, for example, you can automatically download all of your financial information from different accounts into one place. You can even view historical information for those accounts to help you better understand your past spending trends. Microsoft Money also lets you track your spending in categories that you want to watch closely, such as dining out, entertainment, or shopping. This will help you allocate your money in an easy and effective way.
Find more tips for achieving financial success by viewing the rest of this article. From Amber Marquez-Moore.
No doubt you've opened an e-mail and thought, "Hmmm, not sure what to do with this. I'll deal with it later!"?and promptly closed the message. If you do this over and over again, it doesn't take long to end up with several hundred (or thousand) messages in your Inbox.
Developing a new approach to processing your Inbox will help you to gain more control, improve your response time, and keep up with critical actions and due dates.
Tip #1: Set up a simple and effective e-mail reference system
The first step toward an organized Inbox is understanding the difference between reference information and action information.
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Reference information is information that is not required to complete an action; it is information that you want to keep in case you need it later.
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Action information is information you must have to complete an action.
Most people receive a considerable amount of reference information through e-mail. Sometimes as much as one-third of your e-mail is reference information. So it is essential to have a system that makes it easy to transfer messages from your Inbox into your e-mail reference system. An E-mail Reference System is a series of e-mail file folders where you store reference information to ensure you have easy access to it later. Learn more about setting up an E-mail Reference System. Once you take care of filing your reference information, you can use the next three steps to handle e-mail you have to do something with, your action information.
Find three more tips for claiming victory over your email at the full article on Microsoft At Work, here.
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