#7

Tip #1 - Referring to Public Files in e-mails

Would you like to send an on-campus e-mail showing recipients a colorful flyer or document?

If you are using Netscape Messenger, as most WWCC staff members do, follow these steps:

• Create your flyer/document and save it to p:, our public drive. This will make it accessible to all on-campus staff. If it's a document that is only needed temporarily, save it to the folder called p:\transfer.
• In Netscape Messenger, create a new message and type the content as you normally do.
• Highlight the text in your message that you want recipients to click on to bring up your flyer/document.
• Right-click on the highlighted text and choose "Create Link Using Selected..."
• Click on "Choose File."
• Pop down the list after "Files of Type" and choose "All Files (*.*)"
• Browse to the file you saved on the p: drive and click on "Open," then "OK."
• You're back at your message and the text is now linked to your file! Go ahead and finish composing and addressing your e-mail, and send it off as you would any regular e-mail message. The recipient(s) will be able to click on the link in your message to open or save the document on the p: drive. If you feel uncertain, you can test it out first by sending the message to yourself.

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Tip #2 - Online Dictionary

Do you occasionally need a dictionary or thesaurus at your desk but don't have one handy? Try this website: www.dictionary.com

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Tip #3 - Where should I save my files? - WWCC's Local Area Network

You have some important files that would take many hours to recreate - what's the safest location to store them? The simple answer: WWCC's Local Area Network or LAN. Why? Because the files on our network drives are backed up daily onto archive tapes, unlike files on your computer's hard drive, which could be lost if the hard drive developed problems.

When you log in to the LAN by entering your password at the Novell Network dialog box that pops up when you first boot up your computer, you are letting the system know who you are. This determines what rights you have (e.g. read, write, erase) for working with files in different areas on the LAN. Your own U: (user) drive is an area to which you have complete rights - you can create, modify, and delete files on your U: drive. It's an ideal place to save your files.

If you need to share your files with other staff members, there are LAN drives for this purpose. Let's say I have a Word document on my U: drive and I need to share it with Bill Storms, but I don't have time to run across campus to his office with the file on a floppy disk. Instead, I can save my file to the P: (public) drive in the Transfer folder, and let him know where he can find it. Or, if he is a member of my work group, I can save the file to our G: (group) drive, where it is accessible to both of us.

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Tip #4 - Working with clip art and images in Microsoft Applications

Once you've learned to insert clip art and images in Word, you can do the same in many other Windows-based applications. I suggest launching Word and trying out these steps as you read through this.

Clip Art:

• Go to Insert > Picture > Clip Art.
  
• You can enter a word after "search for clips" or you can choose a category.
  
• Click on the picture you want. On the icon strip that pops up, click on the top choice, "Insert Clip."
  
• Close the "Insert Clip Art" dialog box and you have returned to your Word document. The picture is inserted!
  
• Select the picture by clicking on it once. "Handles" that look like small black squares appear on the corners and sides of the picture, and a floating picture formatting toolbar appears.

Move the cursor over the bottom right handle of your picture. When it's right over the handle, the cursor becomes a black double-ended arrow. Now you can click and drag the handle to make the picture larger or smaller.

The image can't readily be moved around on the page - this is because of the wrapping style. To change the wrapping style, on the floating toolbar you can click on the "Text Wrapping" tool, which looks like the silhouette of a dog with lines around it. Choose "Behind text."

Now you can click and drag the picture anywhere on the document.

Want to make your picture into a watermark to go behind your text? Click on the "Image Control" button, second from the left on the floating toolbar and choose "Watermark."

Another fantastic source of clipart is the Microsoft Design Gallery Live website: http://dgl.microsoft.com/.

Other Pictures:

In Word, go to Insert > Picture > From File.

Browse to your picture file, which probably has a file extension (want to know more about file extensions?) of jpg or gif.

Click on Insert.

You can work with this kind of picture just as you did the clip art, resizing it, changing the wrapping style, etc.

Bonus Tip!
Are you concerned about computer viruses? Our system is set up to deal effectively with viruses by updating our virus definition files daily. Each computer on our LAN has real-time virus scanning – when you open a file, it is automatically checked for known viruses.

If your computer alerts you that a virus has been found, call HELP (4357) before taking any action, and we will help you clean the file.

Many viruses are spread through e-mail attachments. How can you protect yourself from this mode of transmittal? Don't be quick to open e-mail
attachments, especially those from unfamiliar senders.

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Tip #5 - Using Netscape Messenger
Most WWCC staff currently use Netscape Messenger to receive and send e-mail when they are on campus. Webmail is used for off-campus e-mail access and for times when Messenger is unavailable. Well cover Webmail in next week's Tips.

Your Netscape Messenger “preferences” file is located on your u: (user) drive, and controls the way your incoming and outgoing messages are handled. Unless you are logged into the LAN, you will get an error message that Messenger cannot find your preferences. (See Tip #3 for more details about WWCC’s LAN.)

Launch Messenger and take a look at the folders on the left side of your screen. The top item shows the server: either wwcc.ctc.edu or po.ww.cc.wa.us. Under that, you should see your Inbox, and folders for Trash, Sent, Drafts and Templates. These items are stored on our web
server, the HP9000.

Below these folders you will see the Local Mail folder. These “local” items are stored on your u: drive and contribute to the amount of disk space you are utilizing.

Trash – Holds deleted messages that are not completely gone yet. To empty your Trash, have the trash folder selected and go File > Empty
Trash on Local Mail.
Sent – View messages that you have sent out. It's good to go through and delete old/unnecessary messages.
Drafts – Not ready to send but want to save your message? File > Save As > Draft.
Templates – For messages you want to edit and re-send, File > Save As > Template.

You can also create your own folders under Local Mail for sorting and storing your messages. Have the Local Mail folder highlighted, click on File > New Folder and type in a name for the folder. To scoot messages from your Inbox into your new folder, select a message, then click and drag it into the folder, or right-click on the message and choose Move Message, then select a destination folder. You can select multiple messages to scoot by holding down your keyboard's Ctrl button while selecting them.

Messenger's Address Book is a great tool for finding staff and student names. There are four address directories in WWCC’s Messenger setup: WWCC Employees, Personal Address Book, WWCC Offices/Mail Lists and WWCC Students.

To try out the Address Book in Messenger: Click on New Message, then on Address. On the left side of the dialog box, choose WWCC Employees and in the “Show Names Containing” line, enter a few letters of a staff member's name. All employee names containing those letters in that order will display. Double-click on one of them and click on OK. Your message is now addressed.

Another quick way to address a message is to start typing the staff member's name in the message's to: line. If the name is entered correctly, the system will find it and finish entering the address for you. Using this technique, you must watch the green or red letters that come up to make sure the correct recipient is found in the system.

To easily add addresses to your Personal Address Book, select a message in your Inbox that is from a sender off-campus. Right-click on the message and select Add Sender to Address Book and OK.

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Tip #6 Working with Shortcuts/Icons in Windows
You probably know that those little pictures on your computer's desktop are called shortcuts or icons. They are a handy way of launching your most frequently used applications. When the Technology Department sets up your PC, they place the most commonly needed shortcuts on your desktop. If you need others, here is the method for adding them:

Let's try it out with Notepad, which is found under Accessories on your Start Menu. Go to Start > Programs and find Accessories at the top, then Notepad. Right-click on the Notepad's link, and choose Send To > Desktop (Create Shortcut.) You will get a message: “The new shortcut will be placed on the desktop.” Click on OK.

What if you don't want to keep that shortcut on the desktop? Select the shortcut (single left-click) and press the delete button on your keyboard. Don't worry – you won't be deleting the program itself from your computer. Shortcuts are like elevator buttons – removing the #2 button won't remove the second floor. We do suggest that you leave the standard shortcuts in place.

Have your icons gotten messy? Right-click on the desktop and choose Arrange Icons > Auto Arrange. They will all go neatly to the left in an orderly pattern.

At the bottom of your screen is a special Quick Launch toolbar with three sections:

1. The left section, next to the Start button, contains a few icons that only need a single click to launch. “Show Desktop” (looks like a blotter pad with a pencil & paper) is an especially handy one. When you click on it, all open windows are minimized and you are instantly back at your desktop.
   
   Want to add a favorite program to your Quick Launch selection? You can drag an icon from your desktop down onto the Quick Launch toolbar. Decided you don't want it there? Right-click on it and select Delete.
2. The center section shows programs you currently have open. You can maximize and minimize these by single-clicking on them in the Quick Launch toolbar.
3. . The right section has several little programs; the most notable ones are the volume control, which looks like a little speaker horn, and the clock/calendar. If you double-click on the time, a calendar will pop up. You can look forward and backward at other dates, but when you are done, click on Cancel rather than OK so you will not change your computer's system date.

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Tip # 7 WWCC's Webmail
Most WWCC staff members use Netscape Messenger while they are on campus, but Webmail makes it possible to access our e-mail from off campus. Here's the scenario: you are strolling along in Paris (France or Missouri) and remember that you need to send an e-mail to your supervisor. You find a trendy Internet Cafe (or a public library with Internet access), sit down at a computer and wonder, "How do I get into my WWCC Webmail?" Here's how:

• Launch a browser, probably either Internet Explorer or Netscape.
  In the "Address:" line near the top of the browser window, type: www.wallawalla.cc to get to WWCC's website.
  
• On the WWCC homepage, click on the Webmail link.
  
• On the login screen, type in your e-mail address: firstname.lastname@wwcc.ctc.edu, enter your password and click on login.
  
• You're in! From your Inbox, you can open and read incoming messages by clicking on their subject lines.
  

Want to attach a file to your message? Click on the "Attach" button at the top of your message, browse to the file, and click on "Attach" at the bottom right of that dialog box.

From the Webmail interface under Options, you change various Webmail settings and you can set a Vacation Message that will automate a reply to people who e-mail you during your absence.

If you have created any folders under your Local Mail in Netscape Messenger, you will notice that they are not available here, because those Local Mail is on your u: (user) drive, and with Webmail you are accessing messages on WWCC's web server.

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Tip #8 Saving pictures from the Web
Did you ever notice a picture on a web page and wish to save and insert into a document of your own? Here's how:

• In your browser window, right-click on the image and choose "Save Picture As.." (in Netscape: "Save Image As..")
  
• The "Save Picture" dialog box pops up. Browse to the appropriate folder and save your image. Don't change the filename extension or file type (after "Save as type") because this tells the PC which program to use for opening the file later.

Now, ready to insert your image into a Word document? Launch Microsoft Word and take the following steps:

• Insert > Picture > From file
  
• Browse to the file that you just obtained from the Web and click Insert.

It's as easy as that! Review Tip #4 if you don't recall how to work with the image in your Word document. Next, you may want to know how to edit your picture a bit, maybe resize it or crop away unwanted areas.

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Tip # 9 - Filtering out messages with Netscape Messenger
Especially in light of Forrest Baker's message today describing an e-mail borne virus that can infect your PC even if you do not open the attachment, we all need to be aware of this important method of filtering out potentially dangerous messages.

In Netscape Messenger, go to Edit > Message Filters (3rd menu item from bottom.) Click on New. Give the filter a short name. You can choose to filter out messages that have certain words in the subject line, or from certain senders, or various other criteria. To filter by multiple criteria, click on the More button. Then you can choose to have the message moved to your Trash folder or simply deleted.

Because the subject line of the message with the newly identified virus that Forrest described contains the word "hii" I chose to filter out messages with that attribute and have them deleted automatically. Also, next time I receive a message from one of those irritating promotional places, if it does not include a method for "unsubscribing" to their list, I can go in and edit my filter, setting it to delete messages from that sender from now on.

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Tip # 10 - Using Format Painter
The Format Painter is available on the Standard Toolbar (normally the top toolbar) in Word, Excel and other MS applications. It resembles a leaning paintbrush and is quite a little timesaver if you like to use font formatting in your documents. Here is a test document with instructions so you can try Format Painter.

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Tip # 11 - Which kinds of e-mail attachments are particularly dangerous?

E-mail attachments that have filename extensions of exe, scr or vbs should NEVER be opened. These extensions signify the following:

exe - an executable file. Files with exe extensions launch programs.
scr - a screensaver file.
vbs - a visual basic file. Visual Basic is the programming language behind Microsoft applications.

Any of these file types can be designed to infect your PC with a virus or cause other kinds of trouble. Don't expose yourself to unnecessary risk by opening unsolicited attachments or any attachments at all with these three file types.

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Tip # 12 Yahoo Get Local & Driving Directions

Yahoo Get Local is a great resource for travelers or people who need address information on exotic locations around the U.S. Visit this link and follow the steps for a quick tutorial.

From this page for Walla Walla, browse to another location in the U.S. by choosing the "Change Location" link on the far right and typing in a location name or zip code.

• Type in the word "Aloha" and press enter to visit Aloha, Oregon's page.
• In the "Consumer Yellow Pages" line, type "school" and press enter.
• Choose Aloha High School, the second link down. Now you can view the full address and phone number for Aloha High School. Easy to copy and paste this info into a word document or e-mail if you like.

Want to know exactly how to get to Aloha High School?

• Select the "Driving Directions" link below the little map. Aloha High School's address has been automatically entered in the "Destination Address" section.
• Fill in WWCC's address, 500 Tausick Way, 99362, in the "Enter a starting location" section, and click on "Get Directions.”

Check it out! You have a route map, a neighborhood detail map, and below, you have turn-by-turn driving directions that take you from WWCC to Aloha High School.

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Tip # 13 - WWCC's telephone system
Our WWCC telephone system is very useful but if it's been awhile since you used some of its features, you may have forgotten the commands. We provide complete information on our website under Staff Technology Resources including a printable reference sheet. Here are a very few of the most commonly used telephone commands:

Redial last number called, *9
Forward calls to another extension, *2, Destination Extension
Cancel forwarding of calls, #2
Pick up a call in your group, *7

The WWCC voicemail system is accessed by dialing 1877 on campus or 527-1877 from off-campus. You will be prompted to enter your extension first, then your password. If you are checking your voicemail from your own extension on campus, after dialing 1877 you can simply press # instead of entering your extension number and #, then enter your password.

This web page has the menus and commands that work within the voicemail system. At the Helpdesk we have wallet-sized reference cards with this information.

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Tip# 14 - Adding Autoshapes to Microsoft Word documents
Want to make a really emphatic point in your Word document? Add a big red arrow or a colorful text box!
Launch Word. If the Drawing toolbar is not visible, go to View > Toolbars and select Drawing. This toolbar usually displays at the bottom of the window. Let's add the arrow first:

• On the Drawing toolbar, click on Autoshapes.
  
• Choose Block Arrow and select an arrow style.
  
• Now click and drag on your Word document to draw the arrow. Don't worry about the initial size of the arrow; it is an image, so when it's selected, the resizing handles are visible on sides and corners.
  
• Click and drag a handle to make the arrow larger/smaller, thinner/fatter, longer/shorter.

Want to add text to your arrow? Right-click on it and select Add Text, then type your text. To add text formatting, just highlight the text, right click on it and choose Font. Here you can change the text color, font and size. You may prefer an elegant text box instead of the blatant red arrow. From the Insert menu, choose Text Box, then click and drag on the document as you did for the arrow. Go right ahead and type some text into your box. Now for the formatting - here's where a text box is a bit trickier than an Autoshape:

• Click inside the text box and you will see lines around the margins of the box. When the text box is selected on this level, you can work with the text, editing and formatting it.
  
• Now move the cursor over the lined margin until the cursor becomes an arrow cross, then click. This is a second level of selection, where the margin is dotted instead of lined. At this selection level, you can right-click on the margin of the text box and choose Format Text Box. Here you can choose colors and lines for your text box.
  
• One nice thing about Autoshapes and Text Boxes is that you can click on them while the cursor is in the arrow cross shape and drag them anywhere within your document.

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Tip # 15 - Anti-Virus Software available for WWCC staff
Virus protection is becoming very important as we come to depend more on our PCs and some increasingly insidious viruses are being distributed. Viruses can wreak severe computer damage, causing loss of information, time and money. WWCC staff can be proactive about this threat for virtually no cost. If you need an anti-virus program for your home PC, you can download both the program itself and the constantly updated definition files that allow the program to detect the newest viruses. From WWCC's home page, follow the links: Library & Technology > Technology > Virus Checker.

If you would like to obtain the program for your home computer and do not have a home Internet connection, you may visit the WWCC Bookstore and get the program on CD for a mere $3.00. Both the web page and the CD have full instructions for installation and use of the program.

Another important key to avoiding virus damage is to never, ever open an e-mail attachment that is unfamiliar or unsolicited. E-mail is the primary route for spreading viruses. Tip # 11 in the Tips Archive describes three dangerous attachment file types.

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Tip # 16 - A Microsoft Excel Tutorial
Now for a real bonus - a three-part tutorial. Here's the test sheet to try them out on. Helpdesk files are on p:\public\transfer\helpdesk.
1. Line Break Within a Cell - Have you ever wanted to enter more than one line of information in a cell but when you press the Enter button it just takes you to the next cell down? Here's how to add a line break: Type your first line's content. Hold down the Alt button (there are two of them, just right and left of your space bar) and press Enter. Type in your second line's content and then press Enter. Your row height should resize to fit the content.
2. Creating Formulas - Check tab two of the test sheet to learn how to make easy formulas to find the sum or average for set of numbers, or find the smallest or largest number in a range. This is just a tiny taste of the power and functionality of Excel.
3. Using the Fill Handle - Here's a simple way to enter a series of words (e.g. days of the week) or numbers into a set of cells. After typing your initial word or number, move your cursor over the little black box (fill handle) at the bottom right of the active cell and drag it across or down. If you enjoy shortcuts that eliminate extra typing, this feature will become your favorite.

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Tip # 17 - WWCC LAN Contexts
When you log in to WWCC's Local Area Network (LAN) using the Novell Network dialog box that pops up when you start your PC, your username tells the network who you are, what drives you can access, and what permissions you have on those drives. As mentioned in Tip #3, each user has full rights to his/her own U: (user) drive, but rights to other network areas vary.
If you use the same PC every day and you're the only user of that machine, you probably only have to enter your password and press enter, because the most recent user's name appears in the login dialog box. But what if you are across campus at another staff member's office and you want to log in and retrieve a document from your own U: drive? We'll tell you how, but first here's a little background:
Do you know your own context? In my context, sc_green.cis.staff.main, my name comes first, then my department (CIS), then the designation of staff or fac, and then my campus (main.) Here are some other Walla Walla campus contexts and their associations:
.BO.STAFF.MAIN - Business Office
.TC.FAC.MAIN - Tech Center
.VE.STAFF.MAIN - Vocational Staff
.AE.FAC.MAIN - Academic Ed
.PE.FAC.MAIN - Physical Education
.CIS.STAFF.MAIN - Technology Services
.M&S.FAC.MAIN - Math & Science

So - I'm at Cathy Goodall's PC over in the Vo-Tech building and I want to log in. First I enter a dot (period) which serves to clear the previous context, because Cathy's context is VE.STAFF.MAIN, which is different from mine. Then I type my username and context (sc_green.cis.staff.main) and tab down to enter my password. Voila! The network recognizes me and runs the script that gives me access to my network drives. When I am finished and Cathy wants to log back in as herself, she will have to type the dot, then her username and context. Then the next time she logs in, she should only have to enter her password. Here's an example of the Novell Network Login dialog.

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Tip # 18 - More Fun With Excel
There are so many things you might enjoy knowing about Excel. Here are three more features of value and your test sheet:
1. Writing Formulas the Lazy Way - You can write formulas with minimal typing by pointing and clicking with your mouse. After pressing the = button, you can select cells you want to include in your formula instead of typing those pesky cell addresses.
2. Creating a Chart - Column charts and Pie charts are such a breeze with Excel. Have your numerical data entered in your spreadsheet first, highlight the cells containing the data, and use the Chart Wizard to walk you through the steps of chart creation.
3. Setting your Default File Location -
Go to Tools > Options and choose the General tab.
In the Default file location line, type u:\ or the name of any drive where you keep your most commonly accessed Excel files.
You can also include a folder, for example: g:\syllabi\
Next time you select File > Open, Excel will begin at the location you have selected.

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Tip #19 - Netiquette
What do you get when you cross the Internet with etiquette? Netiquette! Here are a few of the most basic rules and standards for common courtesy in e-mail use:

1. Don't use ALL CAPS because it gives the impression that you are shouting.
2. Check the following before you click on Send:
   a. Addressing - When responding to an all-campus e-mail, be careful not to select "Reply All" unless you want to share your thoughts with the entire college. Also, if one member of the original conversation is no longer involved, remove them from the list of addressees. If an additional person is involved, add them to the list so others don't have to perform as your go-between.
   b. Spelling/grammar - This is your chance to make a good impression. The spell check utility won't catch grammatical errors, so give your prose some careful scrutiny.
   c. Message/attachment size - Keep your message brief and pithy. Large attachments are inconvenient for the recipient, so please make an effort to minimize the file size. Bitmap image files (*.bmp) are especially large but can easily be converted into jpeg or gif files that are high quality but far smaller.
   d. Attitude - Try to avoid sending messages in the heat of the moment. There's no way to un-send a message so it's wise to take some time to consider your content carefully.
   e. Privacy - Internet communications have no guarantee of privacy. Always consider that anything you send may be forwarded to others.
3. Temper your tone - Many important cues from vocal or face-to-face conversations are missing from e-mail interactions. A comment intended as a joke could cause offense because the recipient couldn't see your smile. Many people use the following common "emoticons" (in moderation) to help convey feelings:

:) or :-) Happiness, sarcasm, or joke
:( or :-( Unhappiness
:D or :-D Jovial happiness
:I or :-I Indifference
:-/ or :-\ Undecided, confused, or skeptical
:O or :-O Surprise, yelling or realization of an error ("uh oh!")

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Tip #20 - Alt Key Combinations
Special characters, including the inverted question mark (¿) or exclamation point (¡), and letters with diacritical marks such as umlauts and tildes, take some extra effort to include in your e-mail messages or Word documents. To insert these special characters, you can hold down your keyboard's alt key (there are two of them, just to the right and left of your spacebar) and type a combination of numbers. Helpdesk now has a Web page with the most commonly used codes. You could also copy and paste the special characters from our Web page into your document or message. Macintosh users may visit this site for codes.

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Tip # 21 Getting Computer, Telephone and A/V Equipment Help at WWCC
HELP (4357) is the only phone extension you need to get help with any computer or A/V equipment issues. The Technology Services staff is glad to hear from you; we want to know about the problem as soon as possible, so don't hesitate to call right away.

Many smaller problems are solved simply by rebooting (restarting) your computer. If that does not help, we may be asking you:

1. What program were you using when the problem started?
2. What specific symptoms or error messages are you getting?
3. When did it last work correctly?
4. What has changed since it last worked correctly? (e.g. new printer, office change)

On a different (but still technical) subject: Have you ever lost an important file through accidental deletion or a computer problem? First double-click on your Recycle Bin icon to see if the file is there. If the file was saved to a network drive, Technology Services can probably retrieve it from our archives. We also have utilities that can help retrieve files from bad floppy disks or from your computer's hard drive, but as mentioned in Tip #3, your important files should ideally be saved to a network drive.

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Tip # 22 Word Tricks
Three more fabulous Word tricks for your enjoyment:
a. Displaying Filename and Path - Are you a former WordPerfect user who liked to insert the filename and path in your documents? Displaying the file location on the printed copy makes it easy to locate the file later. Want to know how to do this in Word documents? First have your file saved to the network drive, then:

If you want the filename and path in the header or footer of your document, go to View > Header and Footer and use the Insert AutoText pop-down button on the Header/Footer toolbar and insert Filename and Path.
If you want to insert the filename and path directly in the body of your document, choose Insert > AutoText > Header/Footer > Filename and Path.
b. Setting your Default File Location - Several weeks ago we talked about setting the default file location in Excel. This setting determines where the program will start looking for files when you choose File > Open. If you keep the bulk of your Word documents on your u: drive, that would be a good default location. In Word, go to Tools > Options and choose the File Locations tab. Under File Types, choose Documents and click on the Modify button. Type in U:\ or click on the folder where you keep Word documents. Click on OK and OK again. You're done!
c. Adding Buttons to your Toolbar - Do you have a favorite Word function with no corresponding button on your toolbar? Here's a quick way to add buttons to your toolbars to make your computing time more delightful.
In Word, choose View > Toolbars > Customize. Select the Commands tab. Click on Format under Categories, and scroll down the list of buttons on the right side. Here's one I think you will like - Grow Font 1 Pt. It looks like the letter A with a small up-arrow next to it. Click on the icon, drag it up to your toolbar, then release the mouse button. You may also want to grab its mate, Shrink Font 1 Pt. Click on Close. If you would like to test out your new buttons, type some text in your Word document, highlight the text and click on your new Grow and Shrink buttons.

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Tip #23 - WWCC's Mail Lists
Would you like to send an e-mail to all WWCC faculty in Clarkston? All Student Development staff? In Tip #5 we went into some detail about using Netscape Messenger's address book, but did not describe the wide array of mail lists available to users.
To send a message to members of a mail list in Netscape Messenger, select New Message and click on Address. On the Select Addresses dialog, you should see a WWCC Offices/Mail Lists directory on the left. Click on it once. In the "Show Names Containing" line, type the word classified. Three mail lists for classified staff are presented:
All Classified Staff: classified.all@wwcc.ctc.edu
Classified Staff in WW: classified.ww@wwcc.ctc.edu
Classified Staff in Clarkston: classified.clk@wwcc.ctc.edu

Now you can guess what to type in the "Show Names Containing" line to find all Faculty mail lists, all Business Office mail lists, all Clarkston mail lists! To complete the addressing of your message, just double click on the mail list of your choice and OK, then finish composing your message and click on Send. These mail lists are also available when you're using Webmail.

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Tip #24 - MS Word's Mail Merge
Mail Merge is a Word utility that can draw information, such as names and addresses, from a data source into a new document to produce form letters, address labels or envelopes. The data source can be a Word document, an Access database or an Excel spreadsheet. All three types are provided at P:\TRANSFER\Helpdesk. We'll start with the easiest merge process:

Creating Mailing Labels Using a Word Table as Data Source
Launch Word and go to Tools > Mail Merge. On the Mail Merge Helper dialog box:

Step 1 Main Document - Click on Create > Mailing Labels
Step 2 Data Source - Click on Get Data > Open Data Source.
Browse to P:\TRANSFER\Helpdesk, choose College Addresses.doc and click on Open.
Word alerts you to set up your main document, so choose Setup Main Document
We will use the Avery Standard label type, and under Product Number choose 5662 - Address.
Now on the Create Labels dialog box:
Insert Merge Field > College Name. Press Enter to go to the next line.
Insert Merge Field > Address. Press Enter to go to the next line.
Insert Merge Field > City. Type a comma and press space bar
Insert Merge Field > State. Press space bar twice, then finally...
Insert Merge Field > Zip, then click on OK.
Now behind the Mail Merge Helper dialog box you can see the merge fields on the Word document.
Step 3 Merge the Data with the Document - Click on Merge and again on Merge. Voila! Your address labels are ready to print.
Get details on using the two other data sources to produce Form Letters and Envelopes on the Mail Merge page.
Curious about where I obtained the addresses for our data sources? I didn't type them up myself! I went to this CIS web page: http://www.cis.ctc.edu/pub/colldir.htm and copied the contents of that table, then pasted it into an Excel spreadsheet. From there it was simple to copy and paste it into an Access table and a Word table, so I could provide three different data sources for us to play with.

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Tip #25 - Scanning Documents
There are several flatbed scanners available for staff use on the Walla Walla campus, one in both drop-in computer labs, and one in the Learning Center in the Library. It's rumored that one is available on the Clarkston campus as well!

What can scanning a document do for you?

1. Avoid retyping a document if you have only a hard copy of it
   Scan the document and use OCR (Optical Character Recognition) software such as Omnipage to save it as a new Word document. Omnipage even does a good job with documents that have tables, columns or images intermingled with the text. You will still have to work on the formatting, and if quality of your hard copy is not good, your scan may require some proofreading. Even so, for long and wordy documents you may save hours of typing by using a scanner.
   If you just need the raw text, it's even easier - save your scan as a text document (*.txt) and then you can copy and paste your text into an e-mail or Word document.
2. Archive information
   Scan the document and save it as an image (*.gif or *.jpg) or as an Adobe PDF document. This is a good way to save things like newspaper clippings where you don't need to edit the text. Watch your file size though - images files tend to be very large.
3. Make an un-editable copy of your document available to others
   Scan the document and save it as an Adobe PDF document. Share it with people by saving it on the Public drive or attaching it to an e-mail. Recipients will be able to read your document even if they do not have the same software you originally used to create the file. They'll only need Adobe Reader, which is easily available and free of charge on the Adobe website.

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Tip #26 - Using Screen Captures in your documents
Sometimes the best way to provide simple instructions is by providing graphics. Showing students and staff how to log into Webmail was a perfect Helpdesk use for screen captures. Here's how to do it:
Let's pretend we want to provide instructions for using the computer's calculator. Did you know it had one? Go ahead and launch it:

• Start > Programs > Accessories > Calculator
  
• Now hold down your keyboard's Alt button and press the Print Scrn button, which is usually just above the Insert key.
  
• Now the image of the Calculator window has been saved in the computer's virtual Clipboard.
  
• Launch Word to provide a place to paste the image.
  
• Choose Edit > Paste or hold down the Ctrl button and press V.
  
• The image of the Calculator window is pasted into your Word document! It looks just like the active Calculator application but is just an image.
  
• You can work with the image as you do with any other picture or clip art - resize it by selecting it, then clicking and dragging the handles to make it larger or smaller. Try adding some additional screen captures to your Word document. Each time you press Alt + Print Scrn, it saves the active window in your virtual Clipboard and you can paste the new image into the Word document. You may want to add text among the images and of course, use AutoShape arrows to point out important items.