Category Archives: How to…

Tips and more to help you when you’re using your computer and seeking to accomplish your computer-related project.

Finding Inspiration for Content

The Computer Spirit Posted on by

Whether you have writer’s block, you’re running out of time, or you’re simply looking for fresh content ideas for your e-newsletter, website, blog, or Facebook Page post, in this age of abundant information and great technology, there are plenty of sources from which to draw inspiration. However, let’s not forget meditation! Here are some additional avenues for finding inspiration for content. Keep an idea journal As you read catalogs, magazines, books, etc. – and simply go about living your life! – keep your eyes and ears open for ideas, then jot them down. Look to others in your field or … Continue reading →

WordPress Security

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WordPress security is serious business and what you don’t know can actually hurt you! A hacked site can wreak havoc on your search engine rankings for weeks or more without you knowing about it. And, you can lose sales if your customer notices your hacked site before you do. After I was notified that a visitor to one of my client’s websites had received a message from her anti-virus program about malware being on the site, I installed the Wordfence Security plugin in order to have the site scanned to see what was going on. I’m so glad I did … Continue reading →

Attach Documents to an e-Newsletter

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In Constant Contact, you cannot attach documents to an e-newsletter per se. However, they can be hosted online and then linked to your email. This allows your contacts, who may not  have compatible software, to read it and also keeps a large file size from making your email undeliverable. You have a few options for hosting your files online: Constant Contact – Upload any PDF, Word document, Excel file or PowerPoint presentation to MyLibrary. Your Own Website – Upload your file to the web and host it on your own website, or ask your Webmaster to do it for you. … Continue reading →

The End of Windows XP Support

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If you’re a Windows XP user, it should come as no surprise to you that effective April 8th, technical assistance for Windows XP will no longer be available, including automatic updates that help protect your PC. If you continue to use Windows XP after support ends, your computer will still work but it might become more vulnerable to security risks and viruses. Also, as more software and hardware manufacturers continue to optimize for more recent versions of Windows, you can expect to encounter greater numbers of apps and devices that do not work with Windows XP. Learn more at Microsoft’s … Continue reading →

The QQQ Trick for Word Formatting

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Have you ever copied and pasted something into Word, only to discover it inserts paragraph returns in odd places? [You’ll need to have your Show/Hide button on to see them and other Word formatting.] This commonly happens when you copy and paste text from an email or a web page into Word. If you have a lot of text facing this problem, you’ll love this trick! I learned it from Mark Coker, founder of Smashwords. He calls it the QQQ Trick. Press CTRL+H, search for ^p^p and replace it with QQQ Search for ^p and replace it with nothing. Search … Continue reading →

Excel: Split Text into Different Cells

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Back in the ’90’s, a client gave me a large Excel file that needed to be exported into an Access database. Thing was, each address had been typed into one cell, instead of separate cells, i.e., one cell each for street address, city, state, and zip code. I cringed at the thought of having to manually split the data into separate cells, and was frantic about how to proceed. I had a programmer friend, and he came to my rescue, creating some kind of formula or macro. Within practically a blink of the eye, the data got split into individual … Continue reading →

Tag Contacts in Constant Contact

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Now you can tag contacts in Constant Contact. Tags are a new feature of Constant Contact. They allow you to easily group people together for your own internal organization and then use that group for more targeted emails. They are just another way to classify your contacts so that you can segment them later. Here’s what you need to know… … Continue reading →

What Do You See When an Email Address is Clicked?

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You can choose what subscribers will see when your email address is clicked in your Constant Contact e-newsletter – and, you do not have to know HTML code to create it! Having info in the subject line automatically populated is beneficial to both the sender and the recipient: the sender doesn’t have to type a subject line, the recipient reads a subject line that is informative (and consistent). It’s fun to create, too! Here’s how… 1. Open the Insert Link window for the email address you wish to add a subject line to. 2. Click the More Options link. 3. … Continue reading →

Software Training

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Learning how to use your computer doesn’t have to be stressful – it can be fun! Joyce has a reputation of great patience and software training expertise, particularly with beginners and the senior population. In fact, for many years she was known as The Computer Therapist, “guiding people gently into the Information Age.” She still uses those therapeutic skills these days, making you feeling comfortable and providing encouragement. When you are guided and coached (hands-on) by The Computer Spirit, you can learn: Basics of the PC Windows Operating System Application Programs (i.e., Microsoft® Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access) How to … Continue reading →

Bulk Edit in WordPress

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There may be times in WordPress when you need to change the same value in multiple posts, i.e., author name. You can use ‘Bulk Edit’ to quickly implement the change. 1. Login into the WordPress admin area. 2. Click All Posts. 3. Select the posts for which you want to change the author by clicking on the box to the left of each title. A check mark will be inserted. 4. Go to Bulk Actions (near the top), and on the drop-down list select Edit, then click the Apply button. A Bulk Edit section will open up. 5. Make the … Continue reading →