(Read the entire column on Office Online)
Sometimes you just need a little something to tide you over until a new version of Office is released: an add-in, an update, a white paper to prevent your Office programs from going all flabby on you. A nip here, a tuck there ... a quick visit to Office downloads can make you feel alive again.
Think of a trip to the Microsoft Office Downloads Web site like a trip to the bank, the grocery store, or even the cosmetic surgeon: Sometimes you just need to boost your power, stock up on necessities, or perhaps add a little fluff and well-being to your computing lifestyle. Office offers a variety of downloads designed to give you all of that and much, much more.
There's a significant difference between a trip to Office Downloads and a trip to, say, the plastic surgeon: All of our downloads are free. That's right: F-R-E-E. As in complimentary, gratis. On the other hand, as I view it, there are two parallels between plastic surgery and Office downloads:
- Certain cosmetic procedures (Botox injections, liposuction, chemical peels) and certain Office downloads (PowerPoint Viewer 2007, Office Sounds, and Microsoft Save As PDF or XPS) tend to be more popular than the other offerings among the general population.
- Conversely, certain cosmetic procedures (such as buttocks implants) and certain Office downloads (such as the Microsoft Visual Keyboard add-in, where you can type in more than one language on the same computer) are often overlooked, hidden gems — things that you should perhaps explore more fully before passing judgment.
Define the terms
If you're a regular Crabby reader, you know that I sometimes like to define some terms before jumping into the topic at hand. That way I know we're all on the same page. Rather than pelt all of you with that dry information, I've stuck it on a different page that you can refer to at your leisure: Gimme the lowdown on downloads: Defining the terms.
When you just gotta have it
If you feel you must have the Live Search Maps Add-In for Microsoft Office Outlook because you jealously noticed that your office-mate has it and you don't (known as "add-in envy"), you can just march right on over to the Office Downloads site and get it!
Add-ins are an example of a type of download that you can decide if you want to download or not; they tend to be yummy nuggets of enhanced features designed to make your life more fun, such as:
- Microsoft Math an add-in for Word 2007 that makes it easy to create graphs, perform calculations, and solve for variables with equations created in Word
- Get Started Tab for PowerPoint 2007 is an add-in for PowerPoint that gives you easy access to free content on Office Online that helps you learn PowerPoint 2007. (The Get Started Tab add-in is also available for Excel 2007 and Word 2007).
And let's not leave out the other sorts of downloads, such as viewers (that allow you and others to view Word, PowerPoint, Excel, or Visio documents without having those programs installed), publications (providing you with in-depth information on the various Office programs), demos (that let you see how a product, service, or feature works), and even audio downloads (hear The Crabby Office Lady talk about OneNote — why it's the program choice for taking notes).
The how, when, and where of downloads and installations
Now that we have some of the major terms figured out, when it comes to how to find, when to find, and where to find Office downloads, I'm here to tell you that there is more than one way to skin a cat. However, being a lover of all animals (except Lancey, the next-door-cat who snatched a baby bird from its nest right in front of my daughter), I won't be sharing that information with you today (even if I knew, myself — which I don't ... and isn't that a shame for baby birds everywhere). I can, however, give you some advice — or at least ideas — about the how, when, and where of Office downloads.
To learn more about what sorts of downloads are available, where to find them, and how to tell if your computer is up to date, read my Crabby Office Lady column on Office Online.
"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." — Thomas Edison
-- Crabby
(Office Hours columns are conceived and written by Microsoft employees -- for the times when only insider information will do.)
It takes time to get used to a new version of a product, particularly one with a revamped interface. Microsoft employees aren't immune to the productivity hit when called to upgrade. Anneliese Wirth aims to lessen that hit for you by offering tips for surviving the upgrade to Excel 2007.
Is upgrading to Excel 2007 a productivity hit you could do without? Yeah, I felt that way, too (although as a card-carrying member of the Office team, I'm probably not supposed to say so). But hey, I lived through the upgrade and actually became more productive as a result. And I want you to do the same.
This column contains a few tips for getting started with Excel 2007. It's particularly suited for those who are converting from Excel 2003, but a lot of it is just as relevant if you're switching from an earlier version. I found these tips by reviewing the comments you left about various Excel 2007 Help topics. (Yes, we really do read and appreciate your comments, even the ones where you yell at us in ALL CAPS. Heh.)
Tip 1: Add a Get Started tab to the Ribbon
In Excel 2007, toolbars and menus no longer appear along the top of the window. Instead, you'll see the Ribbon, which is part of Microsoft Office Fluent user interface. When you first start using Excel 2007, you'll probably have questions about where to find Excel 2003 commands and toolbar buttons. To help answer those questions, I recommend that you download a free add-in that adds a Get Started tab to the Ribbon.
You can use the commands on this tab to get to training courses, video demos, newsgroups, and other content designed to help you learn Excel 2007. The most useful tool for those who are new to the Ribbon is the Interactive Guide (the button on the far left), which shows you exactly where to find Excel 2003 buttons and commands in Excel 2007. Trust me, it's a lifesaver.
You can download the Get Started Tab for Excel 2007 from the Microsoft Download Center. If you don't want to add the Get Started tab to Excel 2007, or if your company prohibits you from downloading the add-in, you can access the Excel 2003 to Excel 2007 command reference guide directly.
To get tips 2-6, read the full column on the Office Hours blog.
-- Anneliese
Dear readers and job seekers, veterans from Iraq start coming home this month and there will be many of them searching for jobs as they transition to civilian life. I'd like to welcome them back with some resources to help with new challenges.
Helmets to Hardhats - Military, reservists, and guardsmen can transition from active duty to work in construction. With stimulus money officially on its way out, there is local infrastructure work to be done! On this site, you can learn about construction work and education assistance.
Veteran Employment - In partnership with Monster.com, veterans, active duty, guard and reserve can search for thousands of jobs for veterans from employers who value military experience. Check out the Microsoft - Monster partnership for resumes, career advice, and instructional videos.
Military Stars - A company run by veterans and seasoned professionals; try this site to learn about career expos near you.
The Department of Homeland Security has scholarships, fellowships, and internships for students, and is hiring.
Transition to the classroom from the battlefield is not always easy. Take a look at some useful resources here.
Do you qualify for Veterans Administration (VA) benefits? Find out.
Locate a VA facility near you.
Filipino veterans: sus necesidades.
Welcome home,
- Ed
If you are using Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, or Excel, SmartArt graphics are the answer to illustrating 
your documents, e-mail, slideshows, or worksheets.
Here are five video demos, including the top-ranked family tree demo, to get you started with SmartArt graphics:
1. Create a family tree Format a family tree graphic just the way you want.
2. Move shapes in your SmartArt graphic Modify a SmartArt graphic by moving or stretching the whole graphic, positioning individual shapes, and ordering and layering your SmartArt graphic with other graphic objects.
3. Create a chevron list Illustrate a workflow or sequence of events by creating a chevron list in a SmartArt graphic.
4. Create an organization chart with pictures With the help of a template, you can illustrate your company hierarchy and include pictures of each person in the management chain.
5. Create a hierarchy I don’t believe in hierarchies (or is that oligarchies), but if you do, you can illustrate a hierarchy or chain of command as a SmartArt graphic.
Don’t miss the SmartArt theme page that connects you with all of the resources you need to master SmartArt graphics.
Do you have any graphics tips of your own? Leave me a list.
--leslie
Whether planning a summer sale or a company picnic, Office Online Templates help maintain a business presence with both your customers and associates during the vacation season.
Consider the Summer Event Flyer (left) for Publisher which, via the software, is both printable and can be sent through email. There is also the Email Message: Summer Event Invitation (right) for Outlook.
Browse our template collections to develop a business event for any time of year: see the seasonal event, small business, and finance and accounting pages. And for those planning your next event (business or otherwise) consider these key-word searches when browsing through the Office Online Templates library: address books, advertisements, business cards, calendars, coupons, databases, envelopes, flyers, gift certificates, planners, postcards, and signs.
To keep up with new Templates information, visit the Templates Team blog and Templates home page.
--Aaron
Heads Up: You can pre-order Windows 7 today at Microsoft Store. You'll get it for at least half off and be one of the first to have it. Hurry, quantities are limited.*
It's pretty simple
Windows 7 is coming on October 22, 2009. To get it fast and save a bundle, pre-order a Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade for $49 or a Windows 7 Professional Upgrade for $99 at Microsoft Store. That's about half off the estimated retail prices.
Want more info? Go to the Windows team blog for all the details.
* The offer begins on June 26, 2009 and will continue while supplies last, or until July 11, 2009, whichever comes first.
Ever wish you could actually hear the Crabby Office Lady? Envelope yourself in her dulcet tones while receiving the communion of her tips and tricks? Of course you have – who hasn’t?
Well, you’re in luck: Every week Crabby records and publishes a 2-minute podcast. It’s an abbreviated version of her current columns; an audio preview of what you get when you settle down to read her weekly column.
Try out this sample of one of my most recent podcasts; then if you like what you hear, visit the Crabby’s Office Lady's podcasts and subscribe to the RSS feed.
I spend a lot of time managing and updating Web pages on our internal Microsoft Office SharePoint Web site. MOSS is great for displaying lists, libraries, and calendars of shared items and events using Web parts. When I first starting creating pages, though, it wasn’t clear to me how to do things like add headings, add explanatory content, or use formatted text to make a page look more appealing. Then I found the Content Editor Web Part, which is now one of my favorite Web parts. It allows you to add HTML, formatted text, tables, and images to a page to help clarify, explain, or add emphasis to whatever you’re trying to communicate. For example… here’s a typical default SharePoint page with an Announcements Web part and a Calendar Web part at the top of the page.
This a good start for a page, but it doesn’t quickly communicate what the page is about, grab the attention of your audience, or look very appealing. That’s where the Content Editor Web Part comes in. You can use this versatile Web part to add a heading, graphic, and introductory paragraph to your page, like this:
Want to know how to do this?
To learn how to create something similar with a Content Editor Web part on your Microsoft Office SharePoint Web page, and for a list of awesome tips and tricks, visit this blog entry on the Get to the Point blog
For more information and related topics, see About the Content Editor Web Part on Office Online.
--Loreen
I like to keep up with environmental news and thought I’d share this little tidbit with you. Microsoft Hohm is a new software program which will be available in beta only in the U.S., that is designed to help you understand your home energy useage and how to conserve. Sign up for the beta here and be one of the first to test it out.
For other energy saving ideas, learn how to green your office.
--Nancy
Dear readers and job seekers, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has been in business for 125 years. Don't care? Me neither, but they have very good information for managers, students, teachers, and yes, job seekers.
Managers, stakeholders, and decision makers - Are you considering long-term contracts, looking for markets for your products, or seeking to compare your business with similar businesses? Get yourself informed.
Job seekers - You don't want to hate your job, do you? Of course you don't. Take some time to find out the nature of the work you're seeking, salary information, and what's available according to your education level. Search for public and private vacancies, nationwide and you know what, the Bureau of Labor Statistics is hiring: IT and math geeks wanted!
Students - I'm here to tell you, soon you will need to be gainfully employed. Good news: You have options. Read through this information to compare what you like to do against what's out there for you. It's a bit like studying, but you might find this article about Tomorrow's Jobs useful. Learn about the rules for young working people at Youth Rules.
Teachers - Give your students the real thing: information about what their adult job lives could look like. This page on Bureau of Labor Statistics has several resources.
Speaking of things Federal, today there are 47, 391 job opportunities with the US government. There could be one for you. Word of advice: start with a regional search and get to know how job titles are worded.
Enough about work. Encourage your friends and relations to organize several BBQs this summer with these cool templates.
- Ed
I was surprised to learn that my job is not ranked one of the three top occupations in the United States. Hint: The top three jobs involve knowing your numbers. 
Even PowerPoint has a top three list. Here are the top PowerPoint questions and answers:
1. Why won’t the audio/video play in my presentation? On his PowerPoint FAQ website, MVP Steve Rindsberg provides an exhaustive set of audio and video troubleshooting solutions. One key tip? Make sure your audio, video, and slideshow files all live in the same folder.
2. How do I insert slide numbers into my slides? Two things have to happen first: You must have the slide number content placeholder on the Slide Master, and under Text on the Insert tab, you must click Slide number, and click the checkbox next to Slide number. For a full procedure, see Add slide numbers, page 
numbers, or the date and time.
3. How do I remove all of the slide notes before I distribute my presentation? You can remove all of the slide notes at one time. On the Office button, point to Prepare, click Inspect document, make sure the checkbox next to Presentation Notes is selected, and then click Inspect. Click Remove all next to anything you don’t want in your document. For more information, see Inspect presentations for hidden data and personal information.
If you’re new to presentations and PowerPoint, check out one of our Office Online PowerPoint training courses.
What is your top PowerPoint question?
--leslie
(Read more Crabby Office Lady columns)
When you work for a living, you MUST get away from the office once in a while. With a few of my tips and some helpful templates, create a vacation plan, prepare your colleagues for your time away, and then make a smooth return.
A couple of years ago I wrote a column called Crabby's get-away-from-it-all checklist. Since we recently celebrated Memorial Day, heralding the unofficial beginning of summer, I thought it time to revisit the topic of how to prepare to go on vacation.
On that note, preparing for time away from work is almost as important as the getting away itself. I want you to be able to concentrate on fun, frolic, and not falling off those water skis. And I also want you to come back to work relaxed and refreshed and not freaked out about the loose ends you didn't tie up before you left.
Therefore, I wrote a column that tackles this issue in three parts. Part I tackles preparing for your vacation, Part II is about preparing yourself and your colleagues for your absence, and Part III offers a couple tips on how to ease back into things after you've returned to the office. Ready? Let's hit the road, Jack (and yes, we have to come back).
Part I: Let's go on vacation
Planning for vacation can be a bit of a job in and of itself. Luckily for you, there is a variety of tools and resources you can use to map out any type of getaway plan, whether it's a big family camping trip or a four-star tour through Europe (where a currency rate calculator could come in mighty handy). Our template designers (and even some of our customers, who submitted templates) have thought of everything…so you don't have to.
General planning and to-do lists
Figuring out what to bring, what to leave behind, and where you're going to be from day to day is a job in and of itself. Keeping these lists separate can make this a bit easier and more useful to you.
For the people staying behind
You can't bring everyone with you on the trip (and you certainly wouldn't want to). But it's a good idea to give those staying behind some of your travel information (such as your passport number, emergency contacts, where you'll be when, and things like that). And, if your pet is staying with a friend, a dog-sitter, or even at a kennel, we have a form detailing how to treat him in the manner to which he has become accustomed.
Photo management
I take a lot of photos — especially while traveling — and it's hard to keep them all organized. We have templates to help you organize your photos — before, during, and after you've taken them.
Note While nothing says "I love you" like agreeing to sit through someone's three-hour slide show of their trip to the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, the least you can do is present your photos using one of our presentation templates.
Read my column on Office online to access the “Let’s go on vacation templates” I’ve mentioned above.
Part II: Get it together before you leave
First, it's good to make sure you can have the time off. And if you're a manager, you can help your employees (and thereby yourself) to do so. We have templates designed to help managers (and employees) figure out who's going to be gone when and for how long.
Now that you know who will be gone when, here are a few things you can do to ensure that you won't return to face a mob of angry, red-faced people, milling about your office, wondering where in the heck you are and why this or that didn't get done on time.
- Set your out-of-office message
- Decline standing meetings
- Cancel meetings you hold or ask someone else to run them
- Check in files
- Notify your customers
- Do some delegating
Read my column on Office online to access the “Get it together before you leave” templates” I’ve mentioned above.
Part III: Return without angst
When the time comes to return to the office (and that time will come) don't expect to hop back into the swing of things and immediately pick up where you left off. If you do, all that post-trip bliss just may be washed away when you take one glance at your Inbox. My advice is to get your feet wet the first day and then work your way up to full steam ahead as the week progresses.
A couple of tips:
- Rephrase your out-of-office message
- Let your coworkers know you're back
Now: Fly away...be free
I hope you have a great time, wherever you're going. And remember: Vacation is vacation — it does not mean telecommuting. It's good and healthy to have some time off. Just don't forget to write.
"No man needs a vacation so much as the man who has just had one." — Elbert Hubbard
Crabby
Feeling lucky and creative? Do you love PowerPoint? You can enter a contest to create PowerPoint templates that zillions of people will see and use.
Spell checking is not perfect, but I would not have made it through school without it. Despite my love for spelling and grammar checking, I'm aware of its limitations.
Basically, Word will tell you when you have misspelled a word or made a grammar error, but will not help you if you spell a word correctly in the wrong context. For example, think of the times you have been typing away and left the "y" off of "they" or hit the spacebar too early and typed "some time" instead of "sometime." It's never fun to send an e-mail telling someone "Jon and Angela told me that the will meet us at 7 p.m. Some times they are late though."
In these cases, your sentence/phrase could have benefited from some type of Word's squiggly underlines. Unfortunately, previous versions of Word didn't squiggly underline these types of error because nothing was misspelled or grammatically incorrect.
This type of spell checking limitation is epitomized by Jerrold Zar's poem "Ode to My Spell Checker":
Eye halve a spelling checker
It came with my pea sea.
It plainly marks four my revue miss steaks eye kin knot sea.
Eye strike a quay and type a word and weight for it to say
Weather eye yam wrong oar write.
It shows me strait a weigh as soon as a mist ache is maid.
It nose bee fore two long and eye can put the error rite.
Its rare lea ever wrong.
Eye have run this poem threw it,
I am shore your pleased to no.
Its letter perfect awl the way.
My checker told me sew.
With these limitations in mind, in Word 2007 we partnered with the Microsoft Speech & Natural Language group and added contextual spell checking.
For example, in Word 2007 we'll catch errors in each of these sentences, not just the first two:
As always, the red squiggly underline indicates a spelling error and the green squiggly underline indicates a grammar error. Word 2007 introduces blue squiggly underlines to flag words that are likely inappropriate given their context. In the third sentence, when you right-click on "loose" we suggest "lose." Here are a few more examples of what I am talking about:
The Microsoft Speech & Natural Language group that created this technology has a great blog and a specific blog post on contextual spell checking here.
To wrap-up, contextual spell checking is a step in the right direction, and, I am somewhat embarrassed to say, it is my favorite new feature in Word 2007.
-- Jonathan Bailor
Dear readers and job-seekers, Good news: your tax dollars are being put to good use by the US Dept of Labor and US Dept of Education, which collaborated to generate a list of the top-50 occupations that are expected to be needed for quite some time. These are the top ten:
1. Registered nurses (RN) - Median wage is $29 per hour, plus you don't have to wear the little white hat anymore. Empathy and quick thinking are necessary skills.
2. General and operations managers - Median wage is $43 per hour and less higher education is needed for this kind of work. Organizational and people skills needed!
3. Physicians and surgeons - They make a lot of money and you have to go to school for a long time. My advice: marry one and get free medical advice forever.
4. Elementary school teachers - Annual wages range from $31K - $74K. Yes, a college degree is needed, but this country needs good teachers. Only the patient and dedicated should apply.
5. Accountants and auditors - The hourly range is $17 - $47 an hour. Yes, it's bean counting, but reliable bean counters will be needed for all eternity. Meticulous about details, numbers, and rules? This is your profession.
6. Software engineers - You can make up to $60 an hour in this profession and not one dime need be spent on a tie or a suit. Problem solvers and the technically inclined (geeky) wanted.
7. Lawyers - We all know lawyers make good money, if they want to. In addition, there are flexible hours (outside court), you get to dress up and you can help people. You need a very good memory. Laws change constantly.
8. Sales reps (wholesale and manufacturing) - The top 10% make about $50 an hour. What's most important here is that you have a great deal of optimism. Eeyore never made top sales figures.
9. Computer systems analysts - The range is $21 - $55 an hour for this type of work. Less education is needed than other professions. You must love love love problem solving.
10. Management analysts - Wow, you can make up to $63 an hour telling people what's wrong with something. I joke: this profession helps organizations implement smarter ways of working. Do you make giant, color-coded spreadsheets on your own time? Consider this profession.
There are forty more occupations to learn about, which you can see at careervoyages.gov. You'll find job descriptions, wages, projected growth, education needed, and videos/descriptions of the jobs you want to learn about.
Here at Office, we have a great new site for resumes, career advice, news, and job-search videos.
Best of luck in your search!
- Ed
Feeling lucky and creative? Do you love PowerPoint? You can enter a contest to create PowerPoint templates that zillions of people will see and use.
A bad economy is good time to put your best foot forward, whether that means becoming the Office products expert in your workplace, or adding new job skills to your resume. 
Office Online offers a catalog of free training courses, each one anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour long, a perfect fit for most lunch hours.
Here are the five top-ranked Office Online training courses to get you started:
- Reduce spam! Get your Junk E-mail Filter in top condition In 15 – 20 minutes, learn how to optimize the Junk E-mail Filter provided with Microsoft Office Outlook® 2007.
- Queries V: Use "And", "Or", and "In" to set multiple conditions In this 20 – 25 minute Access 2007 training course, learn how to use conditions with the "And", "Or", and "In" operators for queries with multiple conditions.
- Audio course: So that's how! Great Excel features Take 40 – 50 minutes to learn five great Microsoft® Excel® features that will help you to work faster and easier.
- Table of Contents I: Create an automatic TOC In just 15 minutes, learn how to automatically create a table of contents, or TOC, in Microsoft Word 2007.
- Put your photos into PowerPoint, and make them look their best. Take 40 – 50 minutes to explore ways to insert photos; use picture tools to crop and resize them; and use picture styles to add frames or other border effects.
If you want to enhance your resume with a rigorous training program and certification, look into becoming a Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS).
What training have you added to your resume? Leave me a list.
--leslie
