Tips and Tricks for Mastering Your PC
by Jean Caldwell, Executive Assistant & Business Administrator

Here are some simple, effective tips and tricks for mastering your computer that I have found invaluable.

• Do you have more than one program open on your PC at a time? Navigate quickly using "Alt/Tab" - no more mouse work or closing / opening of programs to get where you want.
  
  
• Want to access your desktop but have tons of programs open? Just click on your 'Windows' key and then on your 'desk top' icon. All your programs will remain open and assessable using "Alt/Tab".
  
  
• Do you forget birthdays, anniversary's and other once in a blue moon events? Use your M/Outlook calendar. Enter the key event, click as "all day event" then select "recurrence" and your diary will remember it until the end of time if needed!
  
  
• Do you have more than one email address? Do you get lots of junk mail? Just download, for FREE, Pop Peeper (www.poppepper.com) . As long as you are on line this program will check your emails every 5 minutes and let you know which messages are waiting to be downloaded and from were. Best of all you can delete the messages you don't want directly, so all you get on "send/receive" are the emails you want!
  
  
• Diary your appointments and confirm with your attendee's in one step. Enter your appointment in M/Outlook and click "invite attendees" - an email will be sent to all parties at the meeting or event.
  
  
• Putting together an important proposal for a client? Add the company logo by visiting their website, right click on their logo and save the image. You can now insert their logo into your proposal or presentation for a professional look.
  
  
• Do you often want or need to share you contacts between one PC and another or with another person? Easy - just right click on the contact 'box' and select "send as vCard". Full contact details will go via email and can be saved in the recipients contact folder just as it was sent.
  
  
• Are you unable to get Jetstream yet? Worried about people trying to call you when you are on line? Or do you sometimes forget to divert your phone? Use your Telecom Call Minder service menu to page your mobile when a message is left on your land line voice mail.
  
  
• How well does your website rate? Ever wonder exactly who is visiting your site and what it takes to get them there? Go to www.yahoo.com and type in linkdomain:followed by your website address (linkdomain:www.yourcompany). You'll find all the pages linking into your website. This is of key importance in getting both a top Google ranking and to see links coming into your site.
  
  
• Are you concerned about what you children are looking at on your home PC? "Watch Dog" is a parent’s best friend! This download program (US$35) is what all parents have been waiting for, allowing you to monitor and control your children's computer time and Internet access without nightly stand over tactics. With a host of features built in, it can be installed on up to 3 PC's and is also compatible with PC's that are networked to each other. Read more at www.watchdogpc.com
  
  
• Do you post out all your invoices? With a Free PDF Converter Download you can convert any document from any program to a PDF format and send as an email attachment www.pdf995.com
  
  
• Do you process your GST returns manually? Save time and do it on line at www.ird.govt.nz - a rebate will be credited to your account in just a few working days!
  
  
• Save your Office Suite documents quickly using "F12" on your keyboard.
  
  
• Spell check your documents in one step using "F7".
  
  
• Transform your Powerpoint presentation into a slide show in one step using "F5"
  

ABOUT THE WRITER – JEAN CALDWELL Executive Assistant & Business Administrator

Jean Caldwell is a freelance Executive Assistant and Business Administrator assisting owners, and managers, across a wide variety of business sectors and enterprises. Jean is also the Auckland Executive Club administrator and welcomes the opportunity to assist all members, or guests, with any aspect of their business administration – whether large or small.

Email: jean@pa2go.co.nz
Website: www.pa2go.co.nz