by Technophobes;the Kicking;Screaming Is This Thing On?: A Computer Handbook for Late Bloomers
Once you’ve put an e-mail address in the book, try sending an e-mail (you can start with mine, [email protected], if you don’t have any others). You can either generate a new e-mail form when you have your address book open or you can open a new e-mail form and then access the address book from there. In either case, you must click on the address in the book and then click on either To: or Send Mail. Some services then ask you to click on OK to confirm your choice.
The real advantage of the address book is that you don’t need to remember or keep typing e-mail addresses. This is handy because it’s easy to make a mistake in even a short e-mail address, and just one wrong letter means your missive won’t arrive.
Deleting Old Mail
Again, there are several ways to delete old mail, depending on which service you use. When e-mail is open or even just highlighted, there might be a button with an X on it (not to be mistaken for the Close Box) or the word Delete. Click on whatever your service offers as a way to throw away read mail. It is wise to delete mail you don’t need, to keep things nice and tidy.
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“I love e-mail. The only thing I don’t love is getting all of those silly jokes. I wish I could ask my friends to stop, but I don’t want to be rude.”
—Virginia
* * *
E-mail Etiquette
E-mail is generally more casual than letter writing, but for some, e-mail’s code of conduct is right up there with the rules of how to behave at a wedding or which fork to use at dinner. Here are some guidelines on “netiquette.” Take what you want and leave the rest behind.
1. Generally you should respond to most e-mails received, even if it’s only to acknowledge that you got the message. Unless, of course, it is an unwanted solicitation—I delete these immediately.
2. Be selective about what you forward. Forwarding silly jokes you receive can be a bother for the recipient (ask if he or she wants them). Chances are, this isn’t the first time these jokes have gone’round the circuit.
3. DON’T SHOUT! When you type in all caps, it is the equivalent of shouting at someone.
4. If you send an e-mail to multiple recipients, unless you use Bcc:, you’re revealing the e-mail addresses of all the recipients. Some people prefer to keep their e-mail addresses under wraps. Ask before you release them into the world.
5. Be prepared to read e-mails without capital letters, a proper greeting, and creative grammar and punctuation. This is a very casual form of communication where you and others may take liberties with what Emily Post and your English teacher instructed.
6. Before you forward anything, try to clean it up by deleting all the gobbledegook that you may find at the beginning and end of the e-mail. Sometimes the list of who has seen the e-mail is longer than the message.
Again, when you join me in Chapter 17 we’ll go into more detail about responsibly sending on part of an e-mail you’ve received.
Junk Mail
Eventually your e-mail address will get on someone’s mailing list. Sad to say, even the Internet has junk mail. I delete junk mail right away. You can reply to the sender that you want to be taken off the mailing list, but I wouldn’t hold my breath. We discuss how to manage junk mail (also called spam) in more detail in Chapter 16.
Be Adventurous
Click on and read all the different parts of your e-mail system. You know how to get yourself out of an area that doesn’t appeal to you. (Hint: Close Box!)
I have complete faith in your ability to dig deep into what your e-mail service and the Internet have to offer you. You have all the tools at your disposal. Be brave and strike out on your own.
* * *
Q: Can I spell-check e-mail before sending?
A: Most e-mail services offer spell check. Look carefully at your e-mail template and see if you can’t find Check Spelling, Spell Check, or. Spell check may also appear in Tools. Try clicking there as well.
Q: Why do some e-mails get sent before I am ready?
A: Chances are you clicked on Send by accident. To prevent an e-mail from being sent prematurely, don’t put the recipient’s address in the To: box until you’ve completed the e-mail. An e-mail can’t be sent if there’s no e-mail address in the To: box.
Q: How can I correct an e-mail address after writing a long message?
A: Nothing you draft in an e-mail is set in stone until you click Send. To correct an e-mail address, click on the existing address and make any changes you want.
Q: Once I have clicked Send can I get an e-mail I’ve sent back?
A: Unfortunately, once you hit Send the e-mail is on its way to the recipient. That’s why it’s a good idea to move the mouse away from the word Send when typing an e-mail so you don’t accidentally click on it.
CHAPTER 15
Mind Your Ps & Qs
An introduction to word processing
Many of my students now have their lives stored on their computers. Some use word-processing software for correspondence, others are working on their memoirs, and others use it to keep track of dinner parties, birthdays, or travel plans. Even if you don’t see yourself as a “writer,” at some point it’ll come in handy and you’ll be glad to know how to use it.
Microsoft Word dominates the word-processing software market. It used to be computers came with Microsoft Word preinstalled. Now you must buy the software either through a trial version (which lasts 30 days before you are required to give it up or pay) or when you buy the computer. If you choose the latter, the store may be willing to install it before you bring the computer home. All computers come with either Notepad, WordPad, or Text Edit, which are pared-down versions of word processing software but will not ultimately serve your needs if you are doing anything more than simple note taking.
“Software suites” are integrated software programs that combine word processing, spreadsheets, a database, and graphics and/or communication options. Leading the market are Microsoft Office, Microsoft Works, and PerfectWorks. If you think that you won’t be doing a great deal more than word processing, there’s no need to spend the extra money for a software suite. Stick with basic word-processing software.
Even if you’re not planning on doing a lot of writing, some of the editing tips in this chapter will come in handy when you’re writing an e-mail. So take frequent breaks, but do complete the chapter.
Meeting Your Word-Processing Program
Word-processing software is used to write letters, make lists, and do whatever else a typewriter was used for in the past. We’re going to open your word-processing program, create a document, and then play around with the options available to you.
Owing to its ubiquitousness, I am talking about Microsoft Word here. Most other word-processing software is similar. Do your best to follow along.
Look at your desktop. Is there an icon for Microsoft Word or ? If so, double-click on the icon.
If not and you are using a PC, click on Start (bottom left) or , then up to Programs. A large menu opened for you. Move your mouse onto Microsoft Office or Word and click.
If there was no Word icon on the dock and you are using a Mac, double-click on the Hard Drive , then double-click on the Applications folder, then double-click on the Microsoft Office or Word folder. Once you see the Microsoft Word icon, double-click on that.
If you don’t see an option for Microsoft Word (or perhaps WordPerfect), it may be that you don’t have any word-processing software on your computer. That means you will need to purchase the software and install it. Don’t hesitate to ask someone to help with this.
USE THE TUTORIAL
A tutorial or tour will be included with your word-processing software. It may appear when you first open the software program or you can access it by clicking on the word Help. The tutorial will help you find your way around the program. Take the time to read the introduction it provides.
Starting from Scratch
Now we have a blank slate in front of us. Let’s see what the Menu Bar and Toolbar have
to offer, and then we’ll work with an actual document.
Make Word 2010 Look More Familiar
For those of you who already own a computer and have now purchased Microsoft Word 2010, the format of the program has changed from past versions. (Those of you who are new to Microsoft Word can skip this box entirely.) Take the following steps to customize it to be less confusing to view:
1. Click on the Customize Quick Access Toolbar.
2. Click on New.
3. Click on Open.
4. Click on Quick Print.
5. Click on Print Preview.
6. Click on Spelling and Grammar.
This will place an icon shortcut for each of these features in the title bar.
Slowly move the mouse arrow over the icons in the Toolbar. As the mouse rests on each icon, a small box or bubble, as it can be referred to, may appear that describes the task associated with that icon. Almost every task in the Menu Bar can also be accomplished with an icon in the Toolbar. This allows you to take an action through a text format (the Menu Bar) or through a graphic format (the Toolbar). Go with whatever suits you. I switch between the Menu and Toolbar randomly.
• Here are three samples of a Microsoft Word window. All contain a Menu Bar and Toolbar. These will be used to edit, format, and print documents.
Click File to see what the File menu offers.
• The File menu allows you to save your document, alter the page layout, and print, among other features. The icons in the Toolbar are shortcuts to items in the Menu Bar.
Move the mouse arrow onto the word File on the Menu Bar and click. Read the commands available in this box. You may not know what each of these many instructions refer to, but it’s valuable to be familiar with what’s available. When the time comes that you need one of the tasks offered in the menu bar, a bell may ring in your head that you saw it listed when you first got to know the software. (I don’t expect you to remember where you saw it, just that it exists.) Do the same for each word in the Menu Bar. Click on the word and read what is contained in the box below.
Nice to Meet You
Let’s try creating a new document:
• Move the mouse arrow onto the New (document) icon and click. Or you can move the arrow up to the word File, click, and move down to the word New or New Blank Document and click. A fresh clean page will now present itself. Type the word hi.
• The next thing we’re going to do is name the document. In the Title Bar the name of your software package appears, and next to it are the words Document 1 (or possibly Document 2). Keep your eye on the Title Bar. After we rename this document, the new name will appear there.
Oops—I Made a Mistake
If you make a mistake, you can erase your typing (from right to left) by using the BkSp (Backspace) or Delete key. (Either can usually be found on the upper right section of your keyboard next to the + = key.) Depress it once for each letter that you want to erase. You’ll see that it moves from right to left, deleting whatever precedes it on the screen. If you hold your finger down on the key, it will continue to move and deleteuntil you lift your finger up. You definitely have more control when you depress and release the key with each character than when you hold the key down.
• Move the mouse arrow up to the word File, click, and move it down to the words Save As and click. A window will appear where you can rename the document. (Take notice of where the window says it will save the document. My bet is it says “My Documents” to the right of Save. It’s important to notice the location so we can go find your document at a later date.)
CLICK AND GO
1. Click on File in the menu bar.
2. Click on New.
or
1. Click on New Document icon in the toolbar.
• Type the word smile, and hit Enter, Return, or click on the Save button. The Title Bar has now changed to reflect the new name of the document. Nicely done.
It’s always best to name the document right at the beginning. If you get distracted or exit the program quickly and forget to name the document, you’ll be stuck sifting through a bunch of Documents 1, 2, 3, and so on. It’s easier to sort through documents whose names give a clue as to what they contain rather than a generic name.
CLICK AND GO
1. Click File.
2. Click Save As.
3. Type smile.
4. Click on Save.
See You Soon
I want you now to close the document that you renamed “smile.” I’m having you do this so that you experience what it’s like to open an existing document.
• Close the document by using the Close Box or . On some word-processing programs there are two sets of Close Boxes. You’ll have to be careful where you place the mouse arrow. The bottom (in the Menu Bar) is for the document; the top (in the Title Bar) is for the software program itself. Don’t close the software, but do close the document. Or, you can move the mouse to the word File, click, and move down to the word Close and click. Poof! Your “smile” document is stored.
Welcome Back
To open your “smile” document back up, do the following:
• Move the mouse arrow onto the Open icon and click. Or move the arrow to the word File, click and move it down to the word Open and click again.
• Now you need to double-click on the document titled “smile.” If the double-clicking still proves troublesome, you can single-click on “smile” and then hit the Enter or Return key or click Open. Your “smile” document should appear.
• Another way to open your document with some programs is to move the mouse arrow to the word File, click and move down to the bottom of the file box. The most recent documents that you’ve worked on may be listed here. Click once on “smile,” and it will open on the screen. If you want to try this technique, you can close the “smile” document and reopen it this way.
ICON ALERT!
may be at the top left, instead of File, depending on which generation of Word is installed on your computer.
Let’s Get Typing
Open your “smile” document if it isn’t already on the screen. You will see a flashing vertical line in the left corner of the window. This is called the cursor. It indicates where typing will begin.
• Please type the following:
My summer vacation
Make sure that the M is in uppercase. To do this, use the Shift key.
• Notice that when the mouse arrow is in the text box, it changes to an I-beam (vertical cursor—see What It Means, page 109) instead of the arrow; this makes it easier to position between characters. Now insert the word “hot” before the word “summer” by moving the mouse just before the “s” of “summer” and clicking once. The cursor is now before the “s” of “summer.” Another way to change the location of the cursor is to use the arrow keys beside the right Shift key.
• Once the cursor is properly positioned, type the word “hot.” Did you notice that “summer” wasn’t typed over but instead moved to the right to accommodate the new letters? (If this is not the case, depress and release the Insert key located on the top right of the keyboard.)
Now your screen should read:
My hot summer vacation
Save Me!
As I mentioned earlier in the book, it’s very important that you regularly save the document you’re working on. If the computer shuts off unexpectedly, the “Smile” document would exist, but the new text that we just typed would be lost.
• Move the mouse arrow onto the word File, click and move the arrow down to the word Save and click, or click on the Save icon in the Toolbar. Such an important task and such an easy thing to execute.
EVERYTHING IS IN CAPS. WHY?
Beware. Above the Shift key is the Caps Lock key. If your finger accidentally depresses Caps Lock, you will need to depress it again to deactivate it. For example, I HIT THE CAPS LOCK KEY AND EVERYTHING IS IN UPPERCASE. i just hit it again and everything is in lowercase.
Now we’re goin
g to move on to some editing tools. This is where the computer proves much more efficient than a typewriter. If you made a mistake with a typewriter or changed your mind about how you wanted your document to look, you would have no choice but to retype it. Not with a computer; it allows you to edit within the document before you print it out.
• The word “hot” is now highlighted. This means the computer is waiting for your instructions for what to do with the word “hot.”
What if you decided that you wanted to move the first paragraph of a letter to the end of the letter? This would be accomplished by “cutting” the text from where it is and “pasting” it to a different location. Follow along and you’ll see what I mean.
• Move the cursor to the left of the word “hot.” Do this with the mouse (remember to click) or with the arrow keys. Before the text can be altered, you must inform the computer of what text you want to change. This is accomplished by highlighting the text.
You can highlight the word “hot” several different ways:
Option 1. Click and drag the mouse arrow over the word “hot” and then release the mouse button. (This is tricky at first, but it becomes easier with practice.)
