Today I am introducing my first vlog (video blog post) on how to use Microsoft OneNote. If you are using Office 2010, it is most likely already on your computer. OneNote is so much more than just a note-taking program. I use it to organize everything from craft projects, like Halloween costumes, to my blog redesign. In the video, I demonstrate how to get started using OneNote and offer a few tips that I have found useful. Please let me know what you think.
Geeks to the Rescue
Mar 21 2012
Even a self-proclaimed technology geek needs some help sometimes. As with any small business I have to wear multiple hats, including IT staff. I do have some technical support, but he (brother-in-law Paul) lives in Sacramento making issue resolution more difficult.
One thing Paul has taught me is that every year or so it is good to reformat your hard drive and reinstall clean versions of Windows and your programs. This helps clean up any speed issues you may be having and gets rid of extraneous software. It usually takes me a day or two to get it complete and the machine working again, even if everything goes well.
Both of my laptops, (yes I have 2 — if you saw my main machine you would understand why) have been in serious need of this work. I just haven’t been able to find the time to allocate to it. So I went in search of someone to help me.
Enter The Geek Squad. I stopped by my local Best Buy (love that there is one about 10 minutes from my house) to see how much it would cost. I wasn’t prepared for the amazing deal they have. For $200 you get one year’s worth of tech support for both computers (actually up to three). This included OS restoration (as they call it) for both laptops and any other software issues that come up during the year. All I could think was “Why didn’t I know about this before?”
Later that day I dropped off the small laptop. Even though they said it would be a couple days it was actually ready in 24 hours. They reformatted the hard drive, installed Windows 7 and a few other programs and updated the drivers. When I got home all I had to do is reconnect it to my network and set-up a few things.
A few days later I took the big one down. This one took two days, but was still completed before it was promised. I brought it home and had some trouble getting it on my wireless network. After trying a couple things I contacted their online tech support. Luckily the wired network connection was working, so he was able to work on the machine remotely. Two hours later he still couldn’t make it work, so back down to Best Buy it went.
I was greeted by two guys who were the poster children for Geek Squad staff. When I think of the Geek Squad these guys are who I picture. They were impressed by my geeky, gamer machine (I am not a gamer, I just wanted a fast machine) and were determined to figure out what was wrong. The online guy thought my wireless card might be failing, which wouldn’t be covered under my tech support plan (I don’t have warranty coverage anymore). Nate took this on as a personal project and the next day I got a call that he had figured out what was wrong.
It turned out to be some strange way the wired and wireless cards were connected to the motherboard, so the wired card was telling the wireless one to turn off. He was able to fix it and I have a working laptop. I would have encountered this problem on my own if I had done the reformat myself, with no way to resolve it. Thank God and Geeks I was not acting alone.
So needless to say I am a huge fan of the Geek Squad and happily recommend them to anyone else in need of tech support for small businesses.
New Cell Phone Quest
Jun 22 2011
I have been on a quest for a new phone for nine months, give or take a month. As a Verizon customer my only options until February were Blackberry or Android. I had a Blackberry, and while it was acceptable for sending and receiving email, there wasn’t an easy way to sync my contacts and calendar. Since I wasn’t on a corporate Microsoft Exchange server Blackberry doesn’t really care about me. I know it is hard to hear, but it is true.
So here in lies my problem; I want to be able to get my email AND sync my contacts and calendar without having to stand on my head, count backward from 100 in Russian, and sell my soul to Blackberry in five complicated steps. I am confident that I am not the only one in the world that needs to do this without being on an exchange server. Before all of you jump up raising your hands saying use gmail and Google tools, I have my own hosted email and I use Outlook.
There are very good reasons why both are important. First, I like having my own email address that doesn’t end in gmail, Hotmail or some other host. It gives me more credibility with my clients and allows me to build brand equity. Second, I don’t want to manage my email through a browser – there are too many moving parts and potential issues, especially for business email. Finally I send my husband meeting requests to block time on his work calendar for family and DeNike business meetings. This way he only has to accept them and we are able to keep calendars up to date.
Now that you understand my issues (yes some are of my making and some are out of my control), feel my pain. No offense Blackberry but I was SO over you a long time ago. So in January the debate began, do I get the Verizon iPhone when it comes out in February, wait for the Verizon Windows Phone 7 (whenever that will be) or get an Android now? For some reason I have never been drawn to the Android phones. Several people I know have them, but I haven’t really played with them, so I ruled that out at least for now.
My thought was that the Windows Phone 7 would be the best option. Even though there aren’t as many Apps, it is a Microsoft product so it should solve my syncing problems… Or so I thought. I know several people, including my Dad, sister and brother-in-law, who all have iPhones, so I have played with them and for some reason I can’t type on them. Yes I have been told that you learn to make it work, but who needs the added hassle of learning to type all over again. And I hate being tied to iTunes.
Are you seeing the writing on the wall? I decided to wait for the Windows phone. So I waited and waited and waited, almost giving up several times. Finally in mid May Verizon announced the release date and I could hardly wait.
A few days before the release date I decided to start figuring out the sync software (remember I assumed that a Microsoft product would sync with another Microsoft product.) Instead of finding sync software I found message boards with endless complaints about how the phone doesn’t directly sync with Outlook. WHAT?!? Seriously? This prompted a desperate email to a friend who works on the Windows Phone only to confirm what I feared. Now, days before its arrival, I concluded it wasn’t even going to do what I needed it to do.
This prompted several days of hand wringing and searching, four visits to Best Buy and so much stress. I reopened my search and quickly was told no Android. That left the iPhone and the Windows Phone 7 (déjà vu anyone?) So again I decide that the Windows Phone was probably the best bet, but I wanted to get it through Best Buy. However they don’t have it in stores yet. Again more days of checking, visits, phone calls and stress, when I finally gave up and went to Verizon.
I walked into the store and walked out with a new HTC Trophy Windows phone 7 in about 25 minutes. It doesn’t directly sync with my Outlook, but with Windows Live I am able to sync them. So it takes an extra step, but for now it works. The phone has been in my hands for about two weeks now and so far so good. The return window has passed so for better or worse we are in it together.
I am in the process of researching Office 365 and using their exchange service for people like me. Stay tuned for my findings and experience with that product.
Note: I have not been contracted to review any of these products and was not paid for making this post.
