Elevate - Computer Learning

Holiday Gift Ideas

2011-11-27T08:37:00.001-05:00

Some of you are thinking about holiday gift ideas right now. My first recommendation is to buy local if possible, and to consider some handmade gift items. Here are a couple of my favorites:

Mountain Spirit Flutes – Handmade Native American Indian art items, such as Flutes, craved Shell Necklaces, and craved Gourds. Art by Daniel Bigay.
Thoseshoes – Handmade shoes, purses, and chaps. Awesome and colorful work. Artwork by Mik Wright.
With the Spirit of the Horse – Handmade horse hair jewelry by Barbara Volk.
Back to Earth Products – Handmade soaps, salves, and lotions by Bobbi Rae Moose.
Two Suns Bronze – Amazing bronzes sculptures by Ray Moose.

But this is a computer learning blog, so some of you may be looking for a technical gift for that special someone or for yourself. If your budget is $200.00 or less, you may want to consider the Echo Smartpen. It is great for work and personal use. I have one and I just love it. I use it for note taking, writing letters and then emailing them, for drawing, and creating wireframes for new website designs I’m creating. This works just like a regular pen or pencil and I’m very happy with mine.

If you have a larger budget, you may want to consider an IPad 2. I love mine (I bought it on time and just paid it off). I had wanted something I could use for reading ebooks on and I came close to getting a Kindle and I’m sure I would have been very happy with a Kindle, but the IPad offers so much more than just reading ebooks and it is so convenient.

I use it for reading ebooks, email, surfing the internet (I love the Dolphin browser and its gestures features), the tons of Apps (I love my Starwalk App – it shows me the star constellations real time for my sky) you can download and use, music, videos, and many more tasks.

I have been a Windows users for 25 years and I love windows and I still use it extensively and it is how I make my living, but I have to say that I love the IPad and I find that I’m read more with it, because it is so convenient for me and I’m not lugging around a bunch of books with all my other stuff. I’m on the go a lot, and it is much easier dragging out my IPad at meetings than it is to drag out my laptop for note taking or a quick demo of websites.

The hardest thing for me was not having a mouse and a real keyboard. The IPad comes with a virtual keyboard and I’m learning to use it, but I love the tactical feel of a keyboard. You can purchase an external keyboard for the IPad, and maybe I will down the road, but for now I want to learn to use it as is.

I did recently purchase a Bamboo stylus for it. I use if for some of my drawings and note taking. It is quicker and easier for me to use than using my fingers for drawings and for certain note taking that I’m doing.

I would highly recommend a smart cover for the IPad. This will help to protect the display and it can be used to stand up your IPad.

The other thing I would mention, it is a good idea to purchase a microfiber cleaning cloth – one that is lint free and soft (click here for Apple’s recommendation). This will keep your display clean and free of oily finger prints. The IPad display quickly gets covered with finger prints and can make it harder to view. A stylus will help to reduce oily finger prints on the display, but I find it is quicker to use my fingers for a lot of task, so keep your cleaning cloth close.

If you or someone you know purchases an IPad, let us know what you think about it.

Enjoy!

Early Fall on our Mountain

Echo Smartpen

2011-08-07T11:41:00.001-04:00

I recently purchased an Echo Smartpen, and I love it! What a useful tool for work, personal use, and just plain old fun.

The Echo Smartpen (Echo for short) allows me to handwrite notes, draw out web site designs, and record audio. I can then download my notes and audio right to my computer using the USB cable that comes the Echo.

Once my notes are downloaded to my computer, I can create images of them, email them, post them on Facebook, post them to Google Docs, create a .PDF of my notes, and even store them online.

Check out this short video review of the Echo: CNET's review of the Echo Smartpen.

I still handwrite a lot of things, so the Echo was definitely a must for me. I usually handwrite my meeting notes, work related phone conversations, sketch out web site designs, writing new custom code for web sites and SharePoint projects that I’m working on. For notes that I need to keep for a while, I would type them up on my computer.

Now, I can use my Echo and I have only have to write my notes once, and I don’t even have to retype them. There is an additional piece of software, “MyScript for Lightscribe” by Vision Objects, that converts my handwritten notes into typed text. I tested this briefly, and it worked pretty well. It only miss-interpreted a couple of words. I was impressed.

The “MyScript for Lightscribe” software cost $29.95. I felt it was worth the price, since it allows me to save time by only handwriting my notes once.

I actually handwrote a letter to my granddaughter, and I drew her picture in the letter. I really like the design of the Echo. It feel good in my hand, and its flat design on side, prevents it from rolling off a table.

I turned on the audio recording feature (by tapping the pen on the REC icon at the bottom of the special paper for Echo) of Echo so that my voice would be recorded as I wrote the letter to my granddaughter. I spoke each word out loud as I wrote them.

I then downloaded the letter to my computer and exported it out to a “Pencast PDF” file (this is basically a PDF file with audio and audio controls). Next I emailed it to my granddaughter. What a cool way to continue to handwrite letters, and for those of you trying to reduce your paper use, this is another great way to accomplish that, whether you are at work or home.

Here is a simple to letter note that I have created that contains some audio:

Simple Pencast PDF Example

Handwritten letters could become treasured family documents in a whole new way, and they could be passed down to future generations. Think about how cool it would be for your great, great, great grandchildren to see an old letter written in your own hand and your actual voice speaking the words. I think this would something that some family members would really treasure.

However you choose to use your Echo Smartpen, it certainly feels more like the natural way of writing and drawing; outside using a standard pencil, pen, etc.. - at least for me. I love handwriting notes and sketching things out, so the Echo Smartpen has quickly become one of my favorites new technology toys. I mean tools..

Enjoy!

Post Links:

A Cool Desktop Tool

2011-03-27T12:45:00.001-04:00

I make my living as a web site developer. When I’m busy working on a web site project, I have the habit of dropping items onto my desktop. When I have finished the bulk of the project, I go back and clean up my desktop. My desktop is my work space area.

Some of the items that get dropped onto my desktop, I will want to keep, but most everything else I will delete.

However you use your desktop, if you find that you store items (icons, files, folders, etc..) on your desktop and it is difficult finding them, clean up what you don’t need and consider using a desktop tool, like “Fences” by Stardock.

I ran across Fences not long ago. It is a neat little desktop tool for organizing icons, folders, and other items on your desktop. Stardock offers a free version (which I’m using) and a paid version.

Basically, the Fences tool allows you to group items together on your desktop, which helps me to find them quicker. Here is a snap shot of some Fences I setup on my desktop:

To see a video demo on how Fences works and to download your version of Fences, go to Stardock’s web site.

Enjoy!

IPad 2

2011-03-04T09:51:00.001-05:00

Apple has released the next version of its IPad, IPad 2. The video on Apple’s web site looks pretty cool. Here is a link to the video:

IPad 2 Video

I don’t have an IPad 2, but I would love to. Just not in the budget at the moment. If anyone has and IPad 2 and you have thoughts about it, consider leaving a comment and let us know how you like it.

Enjoy

How do I search all of Craigslist?

2010-12-30T12:32:00.001-05:00

My partner, Danny is just starting to learn how to use a computer. He is learning how to use email and how to surf the internet for things he is interested in. I’m showing him the ropes.

This morning he wanted to search for campers (ours was recently totaled. For more information, click here) on Craigslist, but he wanted to search for campers on all of Craigslist. He asked me how he could do this. Well, I must confess, I don’t use Craigslist very much, and so I didn’t know how to do this.

I went out to Craigslist (CL) and looked around and didn’t find a way to do this (that doesn’t mean there isn’t a way, I just didn’t find it this morning), that was obvious to me.

So, I did what I usually do in a situation like this, I performed a Google Search. I found a way to search all of CL in a matter of seconds using Google’s Search Engine. I love Google. Here is the link I found, in case you are interested: http://www.dime-co.com/business/How-to-Search-All-of-Craigslist-at-Once.shtml.

It really wasn’t that hard. I’ll outline the steps for you here.

First, open up a browser window (Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox, etc..).
Type in “Google.com” in the address bar. Google’s home page should appear.

Now you will need to type the following into the Google search box:

site:craigslist.org “replace this text with your search keywords”.

For my example, I decided to search all of CL for “Honda Cars”. Here is what I type into the Google Search box:

site:craigslist.org “Honda Cars”.

Press the Enter key or click on the Google Search button.
Next, I was presented with a list of links to Honda cars on Craigslist.

Pretty cool.

For more details on how you can search for something on all of Craigslist, you can perform your own Google Search and/or check out the link I found, by visiting this site: http://www.dime-co.com/business/How-to-Search-All-of-Craigslist-at-Once.shtml.

Enjoy!

Windows 7 Cool New Feature, Snap

2010-12-29T13:37:00.001-05:00

I’m working on a SharePoint project. Part of this project involved migrating SharePoint 2007 Publishing web sites over to SharePoint 2010 Publishing web sites. After the migration program was run, we needed to perform a comparison between the SharePoint 2007 sites and the newly created SharePoint 2010 sites.

To help make this process less tedious and to make the comparison easier, I tried the new Snap feature that is part of Windows 7. This worked great and was a big help with the comparison process. I love this cool new feature.

Snap is easy to use. To see a video on how to use snap, visit this link: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Arrange-windows-side-by-side-on-the-desktop-using-Snap.

Let me know how you use snap to help get your projects done or how you may use it just for fun.

Enjoy!

I’m Published–How Cool

2010-12-27T09:11:00.001-05:00

I’m snowed in this morning. It is truly beautiful, but very cold. I’m sitting in my living room near the woodstove, so I stay toasty warm. I love it!

I work as an consultant at the University of Tennessee (UT) in Knoxville. I’m a SharePoint Specialist. I’m working on SharePoint publishing sites. I’m doing custom branding, creating sites, adding new content, and creating training material. In regards to training material, I recently got published for some training material that I help to create and update. How cool.

I really enjoy working at UT and working with SharePoint 2010. Working on this SharePoint project has been filled with lots learning, creativity, some frustration at times, exciting at other times, but mostly fun. I’m enjoying my experience at UT.

Enjoy!

My Computer won’t turn on – Help!!

2010-09-15T11:05:00.001-04:00

The phone rings. It is my neighbor. I don’t hear from this neighbor very often. When I do hear from them, it is usually when they have a computer problem. I have become the resident computer tech person for our Paint Creek community. I don’t mind, if I have the time. It is a way I can give back to my small community.

My neighbor ask me “my computer won’t start/turn on, what could be wrong with it”. I’m going to outline a few things you can try that will help you determine if you have an issue with your computer and/or any of its other external devices. Here are a few things you can try:

Make sure your computer and monitor are turned on – I hear you laughing. You will be surprised how many times this is the case.
Try plugging your computers power cord into another outlet. Make sure it is a good outlet. You can perform this test of plugging a lamp into the outlet that you believe is working well.
Next try unplugging everything from the computer for 5 minutes. Then plug the monitor, keyboard and mouse back into the computer. Plug the power cord for the monitor and the computer into a good outlet. Leave all other hardware unplugged from the computer. Such as: external speakers, modems/routers, printers, or any other devices.
If your computer comes on and boots up fine, then start hooking up the other devices, one at a time and see if everything powers up fine. Using this method, I have had it work many times (as long as there was nothing seriously wrong with my computer). It can be a pain, but it won't cost you an arm and a leg, just your time doing some troubleshooting.

If the above method works for you, it doesn't mean that something was broken (something could be). A lot of times it just resets all the devices and the computer.

If something is broken you should notice the computer acting up in some way when you add the faulty device (maybe the printer, etc..) and then you can keep that device unplugged and replace it.

One of the most common hardware failures that occurs in a computer, is the power supply. I have replaced these in my own computers. I have some links below that will help you determine if you have a bad power supply and if you do, there is a youtube video link that will show you how to install a power supply.

If your computer still doesn’t power on, check out the links below. If your computer still won’t turn on, then you will have to take it to someone who can diagnose the problem and fixed it.

I hope this helps. Enjoy!

Links

5 Ways to speed up my computer
My computer won’t turn on
My computer is dead, what can I do? – youtube video
Troubleshooting power supply issues on my computer – youtube video
Is my motherboard bad or my power supply
Replacing my power supply in my computer – youtube video

What are DPIs and how do you change them

2010-08-19T16:43:00.001-04:00

This is a question that has plagued many people. I have people ask me from time-to-time, what does DPI mean. DPI is an acronym for “Dot Per Inch”. In simplistic terms, DPI is really just a way of conveying the measurement for output to a medium, such as paper.

If you have digital images that you want to print out, you can use the full size version of the image that comes right from your digital camera. You shouldn’t have any problems with printing out your images this way.

One of the most common problems I see occur, is when people are trying to print out their digital images and they have reduced the size of their digital images for emailing or other purposes. When reducing the size of the image, the resolution and DPIs of the image will also be changed. This can cause you to have some issues with printing. Make sure you always keep the original image around and make changes to a copy of the original image for emailing to friends, posting on facebook, etc. When you go to print out some of your digital images, you’ll be glad you kept the originals. I have learned this lesson the hard way, like so many others.

To learn more about what DPI is, and how to change the DPI on an image, check out the links below:

Link about DPI: http://www.rideau-info.com/photos/mythdpi.html
Link outlining how to change the DPI of a digital image: http://www.rideau-info.com/photos/changedpi.html
Link for free software download that can be used to change the DPI for an image: XnView Software
Another link for free software download that can be used to change the DPI for an image: Irfanview Software

Enjoy!

Flash Mobs

2010-08-16T11:52:00.001-04:00

Have you heard of a Flash Mob? If not, read on. Here is a definition I found on the internet that sums up what a Flash Mob is:

A relatively new phenomenon, a flash mob is a spontaneous gathering of people who assemble in a predetermined location, perform an action, and then disperse. Participants network through email, bulletin boards, and websites, and generally assemble silently and without comment before vanishing equally mysteriously.

Note: The above definition was found at this web site: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-flash-mob.htm.

There are videos made of these Flash Mobs. Here are a couple of Flash Mob video links:

You can go to YouTube.com and perform a search using these search keywords: “Flash Mobs”. A list of of video links for Flash Mobs will appear. There a some fun and interesting Flash Mob videos from all around the globe.

I really like the idea of Flash Mobs. What a true way to share a gift with total strangers in a way that is fun and entertaining. It is a random act of kindness that hopefully touches people in ways that inspire them to pass along random acts of kindness, laughter, joy, and/or beauty. How cool.

Enjoy!

Resizing Images

2010-08-01T12:26:00.002-04:00

I get asked a lot “How do I resize my images/pictures”. I thought I would write a quick and short post on how you can resize images. Like a lot of things in life, there are several ways you could do this. In this post, I’m just going to cover one method – using Windows Live Photo Gallery (WLPG).

Note: I’m running Vista and so are most of the folks who are asking about me about resizing images. I don’t know if WLPG will run on earlier versions of Windows, so this blog post assumes you are running Windows Vista.

Windows Live Photo Gallery is a free program from Microsoft. If you don’t have this program installed already, visit this link Windows Live Photo Gallery Download to download and install the software.

Once you have WLPG installed, you are now ready to use it to resize images. It is really pretty simple. Here is a link – Using Windows Live Photo Gallery that outlines the steps and show screen shots of the program.

Happy image resizing!

Recycling old Batteries and Computer Equipment

2010-07-31T10:05:00.002-04:00

I have a bunch of old batteries (AA, AAA, DD) and an old Dell laptop battery (li-ion) that are dead and I need to recycle them. I went out to the internet this morning and I performed a Google search looking for places that recycle dead batteries. I didn’t think I would find any place local (Greeneville, TN) that would recycle batteries. But to my surprise, I found several places. I was thrilled.

It turns out that all of our dump centers through out our county (Greene) will take the following items for recycling:

Plastic, cardboard, newspaper, aluminum cans, used oil, 4 used tires per year, batteries, metal, demolition and used computers and monitors, along with your household trash.

Awesome! We already take our plastic, cardboard, newspaper, aluminum cans, used oil and household trash to the closest dump center to us, but I didn’t realized that they would take batteries.

For dump center locations, hours and phone numbers, visit this LINK at the Greene County Chamber of Commerce (GCCC) web site. The GCCC web site even has a link called “Keep Greene Beautiful”. I’m so happy that our Chamber of Commerce is trying to be environmentally friendly. I would like the next generations that follow us, to have a place that is healthy, green and beautiful. If you have a moment and you care about recycling and leaving a better place for our grandchildren, check out the programs on the GCCC web site, by clicking here. You may find something that you are interested in joining.

I also found a web site called “Call2Recycle US”. I was able to perform a search for places that recycle in our area (you supply your zip code for the search) and to my surprise again, there were several pages of places that will take your recycling material. Wow, how awesome is that. Another great resource for recycling. I’m loving this and I am so glad that recycling is expanding.

If you have an old laptop or smarthphone that you want to recycle, I found an interesting web site that perform this service for free. The web site is “EraseMyLaptop.com”. The process seems simple enough. They send you prepaid packaging. You mail back your old laptop or smartphone to them. They erase everything on your laptop and send you a report on the results. Then they redistribute or recycle your old laptop to cover their operating costs. They operate on a Zero land-fill policy. I really like this idea a lot.

Now, I haven’t used EraseMyLapto.com before, so I can’t vouch for it, but it seems like a good idea. If I used this service, I would wipe out everything on my laptops hard drive before sending it them. This way, I really wouldn’t worry and the service is free and your old equipment gets re-used or recycled. Sounds great to me.

My Google search results lead me to a really informative article on the Earth911 web site called “Get the most out of your battery”. This article contains a lot of useful tips for getting longer life out of your batteries, what type of batteries work best in what electronic devices, etc. I would recommend reading this online article. It isn’t very long and you’ll find useful information in the article, I believe.

If you have some time, take a moment and let me what your recycling experience has been and anything of interest and fun regarding recycling.

Dell.com is doing some interesting Green programs. To learn more about them, check out the links below:

Dell using Bamboo Packaging
Dell has a new environmentally friendly Ink Cartridge
Dell has the Greenest Data Center

Happy recycling!

What is Etsy.com?

2010-07-24T10:01:00.001-04:00

Etsy.com is a web site that allows people to sell what they make, directly to the public. It is like eBay, except that Etsy focus is on handmade items, helping people make a living, and working towards creating a new economy. Their motto is “Buy, Sell, and Live Handmade”. Pretty cool.

Etsy allows you to signup for a free store and it has a shopping cart and everything. To learn more about what you can sell and to register at Etsy, check out this selling link.

Etsy also has a blog and how to videos. Check out these links for more details:

If you hand make items or sell craft supplies and your are looking for an option to sell your items on the internet, Etsy may be a good fit for you. Check it out and see. Enjoy!

Google Places

2010-07-20T12:06:00.001-04:00

Have you heard of Google Places? If not, check out this link: http://www.tugsearch.co.uk/blog/2010/04/20/google-places-announced/. This is another great tool offered by the folks at Google. Google Places allows a business to expand their their business information to include hours of operation, photos, videos, coupons, product offerings, etc. You can also verify your business when you go through the setup process for adding your business to Google Places.

Google Places is a great tool and it is easy to use and the best part is - it is free. There are some additional add-ons for Google Place and some them will have a fee associated with them. Here is one add-on you may find complimentary with Google Places, it is: How do I take advantage of the Google Tags 30-day free trial and this link: How much do TAGs cost and this link for which has video on How to signup for TAGs. This is one of Google’s advertisement options.

Google Places is offering a free photo shoot for your business. You can signup for a free photo shoot at: Free Business Photo Shoot. How cool would that be!!!!!!!

Google Places even offers some basic stats for your business. Once you signup for Google Places, you can view your business listing stats on your Google Places Dashboard.

To signup for Google Places, visit this link: Google Places.

Google Places is a way to help promote your business and hopefully pick up some new business. It only cost you a small amount of your time. Not a bad price in these lean times. Enjoy

Google Wave is available to everyone

2010-07-12T08:07:00.001-04:00

You may be asking yourself, what is Google Wave? Good question. It is a tool for getting things done in groups. It tracks all the emails for a group (a WAVE) in way that shows how the conversation(s) flowed. Check out the video below and it will introduce you to Google Wave.

For more information on Google Wave, check out Google’s blog post at: http://googlewave.blogspot.com/2010/05/google-wave-available-for-everyone.html.

Enjoy!

ITunes Playlist and Audio CDs for your music

2010-07-11T11:05:00.001-04:00

Do you have your favorite tunes in ITunes and maybe you want to play them in your stereos CD player or maybe you want to play them in your cars CD player. You can create audio CDs for this purpose. I mostly use my IPod for playing my tunes, but sometimes I want to play my tunes in my stereos CD player in my living room and my husband doesn’t use a computer or an IPod, so I create audio CDs for him to listen to.

Instead of writing all the steps down, I went out and searched the internet for video links that will show you step by step how to create playlist and audio cds.

This first video link is on Apple’s web site and it shows you how to create different types of playlist in ITunes. Here is the link: http://www.apple.com/itunes/how-to/#video-playlists.

The second link is on youtube and it shows you how to create playlist and audio CDs. Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddBSUqu7KlU.

Once you have created your audio CD, test it out. Sit back and enjoy your tunes!

Screen Captures with Google’s Chrome Browser

2010-06-22T13:21:00.001-04:00

When I’m working with my web site clients, there are times when they need to share what a web page looks like visual with me. It can be difficult to convey in words what they are seeing. Screen captures are an easy way to show what they are seeing and it isn’t hard to do.

Google has an extension (a small add on program) for screen captures and this extension is created to work with their new web browser, Chrome. Chrome and the screen capture extension is free. If you want to use this extension, you must already have Chrome installed. If you don’t, follow the instructions under the section “Install Chrome”.

If you have Chrome already installed, skip to the section “Installing and Using the Screen Capture Extension for Chrome”.

Installing Chrome

If you don’t have Chrome installed, you will need to installed before you can use the screen capture extension. To install Chrome, visit this link: Google Chrome Download and following the instructions.

Installing and Using the Screen Capture Extension for Chrome

I was going to list all the steps for installing and using the Screen Capture extension, but I decided instead to create a little video showing all the steps for installing it and using it. To view the video tutorial, click on the play button for the youtube video below.

I hope you found this simple little video tutorial helpful. Enjoy!

Photoshop CS5

2010-06-17T09:28:00.001-04:00

As a web site designer, I use Photoshop as one of my tools. There is a new version of Photoshop out, CS5. I have been watching some video tutorials this morning that cover some of the new features in CS5. I found these tutorials on PhotoshopCafe.com. CS5 has some cool new features. I would highly suggest checking out some or all of these tutorials.

I don’t have Photoshop CS5 yet, but after watching these tutorials, I want it. Some of the features I liked and I would use are:

Content Aware
HDR – True photo combining to create an HDR image
HDR Toning Filter
Mixer Brush – Some really cool brushes that look pretty realistic
True Edge – For your composite work. This seems to be much improved

I'm excited about CS5 and I’m looking forward to trying it. If you have used the new Photoshop CS5, let us know what your thoughts are. Enjoy!

Missed a TV Show

2010-06-10T08:50:00.001-04:00

Have you ever missed a TV show and you don’t have a way of recording it? Recently this happened to me. We have gotten around to setting up something for recording a program from our DIRECTV service. We have been meaning to do this, but we have just been to distracted with life. There is a new TV series on the the Science Channel that I wanted to see – Morgan Freeman’s, “Through the Wormhole”. It is about the Everything Theory. I missed it the other night.

This morning I went out to the Science channel’s web site and saw video clips about the program and I found other video clips about the program on YouTube, but I really wanted to see the whole program. I brought up my ITunes software and search for the program in the ITunes store and there it was! You can download the episode for $1.99 or purchase the whole series for $13.99. Just remember that you will need a fast internet connection and plenty of disk space. Videos are not small.

The cool thing about downloading the entire program onto your computer is you can take it on the road with you, by downloading it to your IPod.

This is pretty cool. Enjoy!

ITunes U

2010-05-20T07:29:00.001-04:00

It has been a little while since I have posted on this blog. I have been busy with my personal blog (http://paintcreektn.wordpress.com), looking for work, doing lots of spring activities (planting, making rose petal syrup, putting up strawberries, etc..) and traveling some. This has been a busy spring so far.

I have been using ITunes U (U for University) recently and I thought I would do a post about it, in case you haven’t heard about it or perhaps haven’t used it yet.

ITunes U is a free service offered by Apple. Apple’s motto for ITunes U is “Learn anything, anywhere, anytime”. ITunes U is a free learning service. It has lectures, audio books, video, music, course material, pdf files, etc...For more details about what is on ITunes U, click here.

A lot of major universities use ITunes U, but other organizations use it as well – PBS, Museums, New York public Library, etc.. This is a wonderful learning tool that is free. I love that. To see a short and fun overview of ITunes on youtube, click here.

ITunes U can be accessed using your IPhone, IPod or the ITunes program on your computer. I won’t outline step by step what you need to do to use ITunes, I will provide a couple of Youtube video links that will give you the details you need and of course you can continue your own learning by searching youtube for more video tutorials, do a Google search for more information on ITunes U, or perhaps look through ITunes U and see what is there.

Here are some Youtube links for ITunes U:

Free New Wallpapers for your PC

2010-05-08T09:33:00.001-04:00

Looking for some new wallpapers for your PC? Check out Microsoft Bing's wallpapers. http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/downloads/bings-best-2. This link is for Windows 7 users.

For previous version of Windows (VISTA, Windows XP, etc..) you can download Bing images to your computer and then select one for your wallpaper. Here is the link for downloading Bing images: http://www.istartedsomething.com/bingimages/.

Enjoy!

A Song for Unity and Change

2010-05-04T07:15:00.001-04:00

Pass it on.

ASP.NET 4 and Visual Studio 2010

2010-04-27T08:18:00.001-04:00

The new version of ASP.NET – version 4 and Visual Studio – 2010 is now released. I downloaded them yesterday and installed them. I haven’t had a lot of time to check them out, this is a busy week for me and I’m leaving this Thursday for five days. Hopefully I’ll get chance next week to take a good look at the new ASP.NET and Visual Studio.

If you are interested in learning more about these new released Microsoft products, check out this link: ASP.NET 4 and Visual Studio 2010 Released.

Microsoft has a free tool for installing everything you need for their web platform. It is called “Microsoft Web Platform Installer” (MWP). The MWP will install IIS, SQL, .NET framework, web apps for blogging, and much more. To learn more about this tool and to download it, visit this web site: Microsoft Web Platform Installer.

If you get a chance to look at things, let us know what you think.

Enjoy!

Twitter – How it can help Artist

2010-04-20T18:38:00.001-04:00

If you are an artist and you are new Twitter, you may want to check this link: 4 Things Artist Can Get Out of Being on Twitter.

This article outlines some benefits to artist on twitter, but these concepts can be applied to most businesses.

Enjoy!

Learning Typing and Word Basics

2010-04-14T09:32:00.001-04:00

My neighbor stopped by the other day. She needed a “Bill of Sale” document typed up and she doesn’t type and she doesn’t know how to use Word. I did it for her and showed her what I did, but this set me thinking about other folks I know that also don’t know how to type and may not know how to use Microsoft Word. Typing skills are really helpful on a computer. When typing up an email, Word document, etc.., knowing how to type can greatly speed up the process and will be far less frustrating. Here are a few youtube links that teach you how to type:

A new approach to learning typing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_zfcHlisqc
Learning Typing Lesson 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3kEcNDYPls&feature=fvw
Learning Typing Lesson 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axfXFqXbhhM&feature=channel

A lot of folks need to write letters, Bill of Sales, create Contracts, instructions, etc.. on a computer, but they don’t know how to use a Word Processor. I have used Microsoft Word for years. It is easy to use and very robust for such task. Here are some youtube videos to help you get started using Word:

The File Menu in Word 2003: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBOKCmgz6zw
Editing in Word 2003: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7SREeWNmdU
Formatting in Word 2003: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wj9QZQDrGdI

Enjoy your learning journey!

What is blippr

2010-04-10T12:39:00.001-04:00

blippr in a nutshell is a way to keep up with all the media you love. Books, music, movies, etc. You can also use blippr to connect to Netflix, facebook and twitter. Blippr is free. If this sounds interesting to you, check blippr out by visiting this web site: http://www.blippr.com/about.

Social Media Jam in Asheville Tonight

2010-04-08T10:50:00.001-04:00

Just a heads up about our Thursday 4/8 social media class, 6:30-8 at Tomato Jam Cafe on Biltmore Avenue. Directions are here.

Cost is $20 cash or check made out to Mountain Xpress, payable the night of the class.

Bring your laptops and devices of destruction, it's interactive workshop time! Together we'll learn how to set up a a Twitter account, what makes a good Twitter handle, what to tweet, how to tweet, and how to build and maintain a following.

We'll also talk about Facebook groups, pages and event pages, when to use which, how to manage a Facebook campaign and how to build and interact with your following.

Got any questions? To make your workshop experience the best we possibly can, won't you share them with our facilitator, Wendy Lou, at itswendylou@gmail.com?

See you at Tomato Jam! Follow our blog for updates on future classes, including an intermediate class that builds on this one.

http://socialmediajams.wordpress.com/

Jennifer

828-251-1333 ext. 154

jsaylor@mountainx.com

IPad has arrived

2010-04-06T08:08:00.001-04:00

The new IPad is now available. I just watched a new video about it’s features. It looks pretty cool. To see this video for yourself, visit this link: http://www.apple.com/ipad/.

It will be interesting to see how the IPad does. If you have one of the new IPad’s, post a comment and let us know what you think about it.

The Blogger Template Designer

2010-03-27T09:08:00.001-04:00

This blog post is for those who use blogger.com for their blogs and it assumes you already know how to use blogger.com.

Blogger.com has improved its template designer and it is in draft mode, but I have just used it to change the theme of this blog and it was easy to do. I selected one of the new templates that they are offering and it was easy. Here are a few details of the improvements:

15 new, highly-customizable templates from our design team, split into four families: Simple, Picture Window, Awesome Inc, and Watermark
One-, two-, and three-column layouts for each template, with complete control over the size and arrangement of the columns
Hundreds of background images and patterns from iStockphoto, the leading microstock image marketplace

To learn more about new template designer check out their blog: http://bloggerindraft.blogspot.com/2010/03/blogger-template-designer.html.

I have been using Windows Live Writer (WLW) to update my blog and it has been working really well. To see my blog post on Windows Live Writer, click here: http://elevateusergroup.blogspot.com/2010/03/windows-live-writer.html.

When I changed the template and theme of my blog on Blogger.com, I brought up WLW so that I could create a new post. WLW was displaying my post in my old theme, but it was easy to change that. I discovered that I could have WLW download my new theme. Here is what I did:

I selected the “Blogs” option from the menu/navigation at the top of the WLW window/interface.
Next I selected the “Blog Settings” from the drop down menu.
A small pop up windows appears for the “Blog Settings”. On the left side of this pop up window, click on the “Editing” option.
The display to the right will change and you should see a button labeled “Refresh Theme”. Click on it and answer any prompts that appear.

That is it. Not bad at all and it is pretty cool. What are you waiting for. Go check it out and have some fun!

What is next for this blog..

2010-03-27T06:47:00.001-04:00

I have decided to continue maintaining this blog as a computer learning blog. I will try to post interesting (at least to me and hopefully to you) information about new or existing technology that may be of interest to the novice/average computer user.

This blog will not be connected to the free computer learning group that takes place in Greeneville, TN, but the group and others are more than welcome to use this blog as a resource and even make suggestions of topics they would like to see posted on the blog. I can’t promise I’ll be able to fulfill every request, but I will do what I can and I’ll do what makes sense.

I have changed the theme of this blog so that it is hopefully an indicator that something has changed with this blog. In this case, that I’m no longer running the free computer learning meeting in Greeneville, TN (but hopefully the group will continue) and I was bored with the old theme. I hope you like the new theme better. I know I do.

I trust that you will continue to follow my blog and enjoy reading it. Thanks for following and have some fun today.

Elevate Computer Learning Meetings

2010-03-26T09:32:00.001-04:00

I will no longer be running and attending the Elevate Computer Learning Meetings, since I have found full time contract work.

I have turned the meetings over to two very good folks, Larry and Karen. They said they were planning on showing up at the Library in Greeneville, TN and having the meeting. Hopefully others came out and all went well.

I’m not sure what I plan on doing with this blog. I could continue maintaining it and posting topics of interest to the novice computer user or just discontinue it. I’m not sure yet. When I figure it out, I’ll post something.

In the mean time, enjoy your computer time.

Next Meeting and Other Stuff

2010-03-21T09:27:00.001-04:00

I just wanted to let everyone know that this Thursday is the Elevate Computer Learning meeting. I won't be able to attend this meeting or for that matter any of the meetings on Thursday evening. I have gotten a full time job in Asheville as a Web Site Designer. I don't get home until 7:00 pm now. So, if the group wants to continue meeting on Thursdays, the group needs to select someone else to run the meetings.

If the group wants me to still run the meetings, I could look at doing them on a Saturday. Janet told me that the library isn’t open on Saturdays, so we would have to change the meeting place if the meeting is moved to Saturday.

If the group wants to continue to meet on Thursdays, I’m really ok with that. I want what works best for the group. When I started this group, my vision was to help people learn more about how to use the computer/internet/software. I believe in doing community service work and giving back to one's community. This was one of the ways I choose to do that.

Now, if the group decides to continue meeting on Thursday, you would need someone to send out meeting notices, notify the Greeneville Sun about the free meetings (the Greeneville Sun will publish our meeting notices for free, as long as the meetings are free to the public), have someone setup and maintain a blog for the group, and have someone who can answer computer questions, teach computer stuff and look up computer stuff.

I have done most of these tasks myself, but the group could break these task down into several roles, so that one person isn’t doing everything. Here are the some possible ways to break it down into roles:

Admin Role: This person could send out meeting notices, notify the Greeneville Sun of upcoming meeting and perhaps post the meetings on Craigslist (I have done this some. I got more response from the paper).

Blogger Role: One person could create and maintain a blog for the group. This is great for meeting notices, explaining new computer technology, etc..

Teacher/Instructor Role: This would be the main person or maybe even persons that would be able to answer the groups computer questions, research things, suggest new software or technology to the group, etc...

I have a few suggestions of who I think would be good in the above roles. These are just my suggestions. Please think about all of this and whatever thoughts or ideas you have, please email them to the whole group or post your comments here.

For the Admin Role I think the following folks would be good: Dianne.

For the Blogger Role: Janet Tony. She already blogs and is good at it and she knows computer stuff. I got an email from Janet yesterday, and I don’t think she is going to be able to do this. Blogging isn’t that difficult to do, so maybe there is someone in the group who likes to write and has been thinking about trying to do some blogging. This would be a good time to give it a try. Blogger.com allows you to create a free blog.

Teacher/Instructor Role: This could be a share role or not. I think Larry, Janet, Joe and Ann would be good at doing this.

I have really enjoyed doing these meetings and I really hope the group continues. You guys are a good group of folks. If the group decides to continue meeting on Thursdays, I will miss coming, but I will totally understand and I’ll be glad to see that they are being carried on. I look forward to hearing from everyone.

Windows Live Writer

2010-03-16T13:19:00.001-04:00

I wanted to post a quick blog entry today. It is on “Windows Live Writer”. A good friend of mine from Philly told me about this software from Microsoft. I hadn’t heard about it. Sometimes I get so lost in my work that I don’t take time to see what is new.

I went out and downloaded and installed the new beta version of Windows Live Writer. I’m using it right now to create this blog entry. Cool. So far I like it.

I do like blogging, but I honesty have to say that I haven’t been a huge fan of the built in blogging editor for this blogger.com blog.

The interface for Windows Live Writer (WLW) looks like a cross between a light weight version of a web site development tool and Word. I’m very comfortable with these tools, so I’m already feeling at home with WLW.

WLW has three tabs along the bottom of the main window and they are “Edit, Preview, and Source”. Anyone familiar with web site designing or development software will be familiar with these tabs and their functions. The names of the tabs are pretty explanatory, with maybe the exception of one (Source).

Edit allows you to edit an existing post or create a new one and your post will be shown/displayed with your blogs theme. Pretty cool.

Preview is how you would see your blog in a browser window (IE, Firefox, Safari, etc..). Pretty straight forward.

Now, the Source tab might be new for some of you. The Source tab shows you the actual HTML code for generating your post entry. I sometimes finds that I want to edit the source code directly, so this tab is very helpful for that. Not everyone will use the Source tab and that is fine. For the most part, the Edit tab will more than enough for your blog posts.

Enough talking. Let me give you some links for WLW so that you can check it out for yourself and I can get back to exploring WFW some more. I love technology. It can be such fun.

Introduction to Windows Live Writer.
Downloading, installing and setting up Windows Live Writer on Youtube
Basic Authoring with Windows Live Writer on Youtube

Now it is up to you to go and explore the world of blogging through Windows Live Writer. Have fun!

Next Meeting - March 11, 2010

2010-03-08T07:45:00.002-05:00

Our next Elevate Computer Learning meeting is on March 11, 2010 at the public library downtown Greeneville, TN and we start at 5:00 pm. Come join us.

Meeting Notes from Feb 25, 2010 Meeting

2010-02-26T07:46:00.004-05:00

Our meeting we well last night. Spent a lot of time on resolving a Windows error. We walked through the process of tracking down the error and resolving it. We resolved the windows error before class was over.

We talked about Windows user accounts and the folder structure and security that goes along with them.

We discussed social networking and communicating more between meetings. I suggested using Facebook (here is my Facebook page for my web site business and the Elevate Computer learning group: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greeneville/Paint-Creek-Web-Creations/445536995037) or Google Buzz possibly. This will not only help the group have communications between meetings (we could use the discussion area of Facebook for questions, etc..), but this would also help the group become more familiar with Facebook and social networking, which can be use for many things.

Happy learning..

Next Meeting - Feb 25, 2010

2010-02-24T16:10:00.000-05:00

Our next Elevate Computer Learning meeting is on Feb 25, 2010 at the public library downtown Greeneville, TN and we start at 5:00 pm. Come join us.

Google's Buzz

2010-02-22T14:32:00.003-05:00

Hey Google users, there is a new buzz out there. It is Google Buzz. Google Buzz is Google's attempt at tapping into the social networking scene. We have Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and the list goes on... Now there is Google Buzz.

Google Buzz isn't as robust as some of the more dominant social networks, but it is integrated with GMail and pretty easy to use. I think in time we'll see more features with Google Buzz.

To learn more about Google Buzz check out this link: http://www.google.com/buzz. This could be a fun tool for our group to try out and learn together. I have been playing around with it some, and it's not bad.

Have fun.

Web Browsers

2010-02-15T17:59:00.004-05:00

Some of you may use Internet Explorer (IE) or maybe Mozilla Firefox (FF) to surf the Internet. There are other web browsers, but a lot of Windows users use either IE or FF for surfing the Internet. I have both of these installed on my computer.

I have two other browsers installed on my computer also. Chrome from Google and Safari from Apple. The reason I have 4 web browsers installed on my computer is for testing new web sites I create. Depending on what technology was used to create a web page, it may or may not look the same in all web browsers. When I'm testing the different web browsers I will be bring up the new web site that I have created in these various web browsers to make sure everything looks good.

Some of you have asked about Apple's Safari web browser. There is a windows version of Safari that you can download for free. You may find that you like it better or maybe not. I think it is good to know you have options and if for some reason you are not happy with your current web browser, give Safari or Chrome a try.

If you are interested in downloading the Safari web browser, go here: http://www.apple.com/safari/download/. If you download it and use it, let the group know how you like it.

If you want to know more about Chrome and you want to give it a try, check out my blog post on about it: http://elevateusergroup.blogspot.com/2009/10/google-chrome-new-web-browser.html.

Have fun!

Next Elevate Computer Learning Meeting - 02/11/10

2010-02-08T09:39:00.000-05:00

Our next Elevate Computer Learning meeting is this Thursday - 02/11/10 at the:

Greeneville Public Library on Main Street, Greeneville, TN 37745. We will start at 5:00 pm.

The library has free WIFI. Bring your laptop or web enabled device.

This is open to the public and it is free to attend.

Meeting Notes from 01/28/10

2010-01-29T07:49:00.002-05:00

Our meeting went well. We had two new people show up. Welcome Joseph and Ann.

This meeting had no set topic. We talked about various things, based on questions from the group. One of the questions that came up was about the new "IPad" from Apple. I went out and found some Youtube video clips about it.

This video clip is of Steve Jobs (CEO of Apple) unveiling the "IPad": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNnBlMB3L84.
Here is a link for the IPad technical specs: http://www.apple.com/ipad/specs/.
This video clip is from Mad TV and it is called "IPad" and was created about 5 years: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTzhXMbOWHE.

The new IPad looks pretty slick and cool, but I would want to know more about what its technical specs (what ports does it, etc..) and pricing. Perhaps I'll do a more detailed post on the IPad.

For now, we have a winter storm approaching, so I need to do a few things to prepare for it. I hope everyone stays warm and has what they need.

Next Elevate Computer Learning Meeting - 01/28/10

2010-01-27T08:30:00.000-05:00

Our next meeting is Jan 28th, 2010 at the public library on main street in Greeneville, TN 37744 and it starts at 5:00 pm. Come out and join us.

Using Social Networks to Grow Your Business

2010-01-24T09:29:00.002-05:00

I thought I would post something that I found on the Mountain Xpress facebook page. It is a workshop on using social newtworks to grow your business. I thought this may be of interest to some of you. I'm thinking about going myself. If anyone is considering going, let me know. Maybe we can car pool or meet there.

Here is the information on the workshop:

* Tuesday, Feb. 9 (going forward, the second Tuesday of the month)
* Tomato Jam Cafe, 379 Biltmore Ave. (in the Doctor's Park)
* 6:30-8:30 p.m.
* $15 per person; bring a laptop or web-enabled device
* RSVP requested: jsaylor@mountainx.com
* Facebook: search Social Media Jams
* Twitter: http://twitter.com/SocialMediaJams, @socialmediajams

A monthly workshop series teaching businesses and people how to use blogs, Flickr, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn for fun and profit launches Feb. 9 at Tomato Jam Cafe.

Co-sponsored by the Mountain Xpress, Tomato Jam Cafe and Skyrunner, the Jams offer homegrown social media expertise in everything from how small businesses can use Twitter to how to use Google Analytics to drive more traffic to your website.

"We want to harness local talent and expertise from people already using social media effectively right here in Asheville," said Social Media Jams organizer Jennifer Saylor, who leads community initiatives for Mountain Xpress. "These workshops are presented by local experts, for local users of all levels."

Leading the first workshop on Tuesday, Feb. 9 is Wendy Lou Gillespie of Creative Imp Works, whose social media clients include Monkeywhale.com, TEDxAsheville and Asheville Vaudeville. Her kickoff workshop will teach small business owners how to use online tools like Twitter and Facebook to grow their business in new ways.

Tomato Jam Cafe offers a limited food menu for the kickoff Jam, complete with dessert.

Sending Large Files Over the Internet

2010-01-23T16:04:00.000-05:00

Have you ever tried to send large files through your email and then have it rejected, saying there isn't enough space. There is a solution - "You Send It" web site.

This web site offers several account types, including a free account. The free account has restrictions, but for most of you in our group, I think this free account will more than meet your needs.

The free account/plan is the "Lite" one. Here are the features of the Lite plan:

Plenty of size - Send files up to 100 MB with a 1 GB monthly download limit.
Downloads - Allow up to 100 downloads of every file.
Address book - Keep track of your friends' and family's email addresses in one handy location.
Files remain available for 7 days - Give your recipients a week to download the files you've sent.

"You Send It" (YSI) offers a couple of methods of sending files once you have signed up for one of their plans. You can download one of their plug-ins (a program that expands the functionality of another program), which they have a nice of list of plug-ins, such as Adobe Acrobat, IPhone, Photoshop, Microsoft Suite, etc.. To see what plug-ins are available check out this link: http://www.yousendit.com/cms/plugin-addin&s=30051.

You can also login into your new free YSI account and you can send files right from your accounts web page.

There is also a third option, they offer a standalone program that you can download and install and run it buy itself and send files.

So, as you can they provide a lot of ways of sending large files and all these options are pretty easy to use. You just need to pick one that works best for you. I don't get any kick backs - smile. I just like sharing information about useful things (from my perspective anyway) you can do on your computer and the internet.

If you have large photos, mp3 or video you need to send out and it is 100 mg or less, you may want to consider using "You Send It". Here is the link for signing up for the free account/plan: https://www.yousendit.com/cms/liteaccount&s=50027.

If you give "You Send It" a try, let the group know by sharing with us how it worked for you.

I recently used it and it worked great for me. I needed to send some large images to an art show, and this option worked great and it saved me from having to burn a CD and mailing it out. Pretty cool.

If the group is interested in seeing this in action, we could go over it at our next meeting, which is this Thursday. Enjoy!

Meeting Notes for 01/14/10

2010-01-15T08:20:00.000-05:00

We had our first meeting of the year yesterday. We met for the first time at the Greeneville Public Library in Greeneville, TN. It went well. We really like the place. The lighting was great. Tables are nice and big and work well. All in all, it was a nice and comfortable place to have a meeting and the price is right for our group - free.

Thanks again go to Diane for making this suggesting (moving our meeting to the library) and checking with the library to obtain permission. I did follow up with them. They were very open to idea of meeting there.

Counting me, there were 4 people were present at this meeting. We didn't have a topic on our agenda, so I just decided to keep things open and let folks throw out questions. We only had a few questions, what internet service options are available in the area and USB memory sticks verses CD/Storage. How are the best ways to use these medias.

We didn't create a topics list for the year. For now, we have didn't to keep things open and if someone has something they would really like to cover, they can email a few days prior to the meeting, so I have time to put something together, if it is needed. Otherwise things will be much more informal and I'll just answer questions as they come up.

We did spend part of the meeting just talking about life and getting to know one another a little better. We found out that Diane just purchased a new home here in Greeneville. Congratulations Diane!

Our next meeting is scheduled for Jan 28, 2010 and it will be at the Greeneville Public Library in Greeneville TN and we start at 5:00 pm. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone.

Until then, stay warm and live life joyfully.

Touching Base

2010-01-05T13:05:00.004-05:00

It has been a while since I have made a blog post. With the holiday season and all the snow we have been getting (we currently have 7 inches on the ground and it is still coming down), I really haven't been getting on the computer much.

If you are interested in seeing some of our snow, I took a bunch of photos and I made a slide show that I have up on youtube. Here is the link to watch it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=me6VNv9buMo. I hope you enjoy it.

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season. I sure did. It wasn't too crazy, just really nice. I got to spend time with family and friends and we ate to much and laughed lots. It was really good medicine.

I ran across a web site today that has been up real long and I thought some of you from the group may be interested in the link. It is on "Writing". Here is the web site link: http://www.thegreatsmokiesreview.org/.

We need to be thinking about our first meeting of the year. I would like to come up with a list of topics for the year (we can always add or change anything on the list as we go through the year, if we need to), so come with your thinking caps on. We are going to try having the meeting at the Library again. It didn't work out last time, but I'm willing to give it another try and if it doesn't work out this time, I'll have to re-think things.

So our first meeting of the year is schedule for Jan 14th, 2010 at the Greenville, TN library on Main Street. We'll get started at 5:00 pm.

I look forward to seeing everyone.

Stay warm.....

Meeting Tonight - Dec 8th, 2009

2009-12-08T09:51:00.007-05:00

Meeting Reminder - The meeting starts at 5:00 pm and will be held at: Greeneville/Greene County Public Library 210 North Main Street, Greeneville, TN 37745, (423) 638-5034, web site: http://www.ggcpl.org/. They have free WIFI (Internet access) and tables for us to use.

We will covering blogging at this meeting. Thanks goes out to Janet for making the suggestion. Here are a couple of links to check out that cover blogging:

10 reasons to blog: http://superbloggingtips.com/2008/02/blog-better-than-website/.
Are blogs better than web sites: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/187209/is_a_blog_better_for_you_than_a_website.html.
Start your own free blog at blogger.com: http://blogger.com/.
How to create you own blog video: http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-set-up-your-own-blog.
Start your own free blog at Wordpress.com: http://wordpress.com/.
Start your own blog at TypePad.com: http://www.typepad.com/.
Start your own blog at SquareSpace.com: http://www.squarespace.com/.

I would like to spend part of the meeting coming up with a list of topics for future meetings. So come with your ideas and thinking caps on.

Remember that we are only meeting once this month, due to Christmas.

I look forward to seeing you all at the next meeting.

Accessing All Your Email Accounts from one Email Account

2009-12-05T14:33:00.006-05:00

In this world of the cell phones, the Internet, IPods, Facebook, and email, you may find that you have multiple email accounts and trying to management them all from different locations becomes a true bother. Wouldn't it be nice to access everything from one location, from one email account? Yeah...

There are several approaches to accessing all your email accounts from one central location. One approach would be to have all your email accounts forwarding all their email to one web mail account (gmail, yahoo, hotmail, etc...) and then checking your web mail account to view all your email. For me that would be gmail. I have several email accounts that forward all their email to my gmail account and I check my emails from all of these email accounts by logging into my gmail account. Wow! I'm logging into one email account and viewing email from multiple email accounts. Awesome.....

The other approach would be to use an email client locally on your PC, such as Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Outlook Express, or some other email client. This option requires that you configure Pop3 for each of the email clients you want to access. You would need the following information for each email account that you wanted to setup:

Pop3 Server Address
SMTP Server Address
Your email id
Your email password

You can obtain the above information from your email provider.

Once you have this setup in your local email client (Outlook, Outlook Express, or some other email client), then you can have it download all your email to this local email client. I did this for years and I still do it for a few of my business email accounts.

Here are some links that will help to explain how to set things up - step by step instructions:

Forwarding all other email accounts to a gmail account: http://www.googletutor.com/2006/06/20/using-gmail-as-your-universal-email-account/.
Configuring a local email client to use Pop3/SMTP for downloading email from various email systems: http://email.about.com/od/accessinggmail/qt/How_to_Access_a_Gmail_Account_with_any_Email_Client_via_POP.htm.
Configuring your local email client to download gmail email: http://www.webdevelopersnotes.com/tips/internet/configure_gmail_in_outlook_express.php3.

Have fun.

Next Meeting Date Changed

2009-11-30T08:45:00.004-05:00

Our next meeting date has been changed from Dec. 10th to Dec 8th. The meeting starts at 5:00 pm.

We will also have a new meeting place. We will be meeting at theGreeneville/Greene County Public Library 210 North Main Street, Greeneville, TN 37745, (423) 638-5034, web site: http://www.ggcpl.org/. They have free WIFI (Internet access) and tables for us to use. Thanks goes out to Dianne for taking on this task of finding us a new meeting place.

We don't have a topic to cover at our next meeting. If anyone has any suggestions, please email me your ideas or post them on the blog. I would like to spend part of the meeting coming up with a list of topics for future meetings. So come with your ideas and thinking caps on.

Remember that we are only meeting once this month, due to Christmas.

I look forward to seeing you all at the next meeting.

One-On-One Computer Training Starting on Nov 30, 2009

2009-11-18T09:11:00.004-05:00

I just wanted to let everyone know that I'm offering one-on-one computer training. I have gotten some requests for customized one-on-one training. If you find that you need more individualized computer training, I may be able to assist you. I will be charging a fee for this customize one-on-one training.

The computer training that I will be offering is for users running Windows on their computers. Here are some topics you may be interested in: using email, surfing the internet, burning CDs/DVDs, backing up your computer, etc.. You may have some specific need that you need one-on-one training with. Just let me know what that may be and I'll see what I can do for you.

If you are interested in one-on-one training, give me a call (423-638-5750) or email: Kay@pwcreations.net.

I will continue doing our free computer learning meetings for the local community. These free community computer learning meetings are broad in scope and require a base level of Windows Software/Computer knowledge, in order to use the information covered in these meetings.

The free computer learning meetings require you take the training information and apply it on your own. These meetings are open to questions and I try and go over the materials when possible, but since we don't conduct these meetings in a regular computer classroom where everyone can perform the task(s) we are covering, it requires the attendee to be more independent in their own learning.

This scenario may change in the future if we are able to find a meeting place that would be more accommodating of a computer classroom sitting. But in the mean time, we are making the best of what is available to us.

Have an awesome month and I'll see you all at our next meeting - 12/10/09. I'm not sure where this meeting will be held yet, but I'll post the details before our next meeting.

Meeting Notes from 11/12/09

2009-11-13T14:38:00.001-05:00

We had a nice turn out of folks and a good meeting. We went over Backups. There were a few questions and hopefully we got them all answered.

I just wanted let folks know what Janet's blog address is: http://janettoney.blogspot.com/. It is an interesting blog that I think you will enjoy. I did.

We talked about meetings for Nov and Dec. Since there will be big holidays during these months, we will only meet once this month (which was yesterday) and once next month (12/10/09).

Dianne is going to check with the Library and Tusculum College about us having our meetings there. She will get back with me and let me know if she comes up with another meeting place for the group. So we may have a new meeting place for our Dec meeting. I'll let everyone if it changes. Thanks Dianne for doing this for the group. It is a big help.

I created a logo for our group and it is at the top left hand side of this blog. I just felt it would be nice to have a logo for our group. I hope you all like it. I was trying to express a feeling of rising/elevating and I wanted a techie design, since our focus is on computer learning.

I hope everyone has wonderful and safe holiday season.

Backing Up Your PC and Restoring Files on Your PC

2009-11-10T15:00:00.025-05:00

I have had a few requests asking about how folks can back up their PCs. This can be a vast topic. I will narrow the scope of this topic by focusing on Windows VISTA and Windows XP.

I'll provide information on using backup and restore programs that come with VISTA and Windows XP. There are lots of 3rd party backup and restore solutions out there to choose from, but I want to limit the scope of this post, so I'll just cover the programs that come with Windows.

Windows VISTA Backup
If you are running Windows VISTA there is a backup and restore program included with Windows VISTA. Here are some links that provide instructions on the steps to perform:

Backup Link 1: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-vista/Back-up-your-files/ that outlines the steps for performing a backup of your PC.
Backup Link2: http://www.vista4beginners.com/How-to-backup-your-data/
Using Windows Link for VISTA: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-vista/help/using/

Windows VISTA Restore
There is a restore program that comes with Windows VISTA. Check out these links:

Restore Link 1: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-vista/Restore-files-from-a-backup/
System Restore FAQ Link: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-vista/System-Restore-frequently-asked-questions/

Windows VISTA System Restore
There are times when you need to perform a System Restore. A System Restore returns your system to a previous state by restoring your computer's system files to an earlier point in time. It's a way to undo system changes to your computer without affecting your personal files, such as e‑mail, documents, or photos. Here are links about a System Restore:

System Restore Link 1: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-vista/What-is-System-Restore/
System Restore FAQ Link: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-vista/System-Restore-frequently-asked-questions/

Windows XP Backup
If you are running Windows XP and you need to backup your PC, check out these links for step by step instructions and information:

Backup Link 1: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/setup/maintain/backupfiles.mspx
Maintaining Your Windows XP System Link: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/setup/maintain/default.mspx

Windows XP Restore
Here is a link for using Windows XP Restore program:

Restore Link 1: http://uis.georgetown.edu/software/documentation/winxp/winxp.restore.html

Windows XP System Restore
Here is a link for using the Windows XP System Restore program:

System Restore Link 1: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306084

Other Options
You can also backup your data files (photos, word documents, music files, etc..) to a CD/DVD and then store it in a safe location. You could backup your entire system to CDs/DVDs, but this could take a huge amount of CDs/DVDs to accomplish given the size of Windows and hard drives these days. A better option for backing up your entire system would be to use an external hard drive.

An external hard drive attached to your computer would allow you to backup your entire system easily, as long as the external hard drive was large enough. You can purchase external hard drive solutions that attach using an USB connection and then you could attach this external hard drive to another computer in the event that your computer failed/crashed. This makes this solution easy to move and connect to another computer.

Our Next Meeting - 11/12/09

2009-11-10T08:39:00.001-05:00

Our next Elevate Computer Learning meeting will be this Thursday - Nov, 12, 2009 at the Chocolate Cafe, 665 Erwin Hwy, Greeneville, TN 37745, phone: 423-638-6221. We will start at 5:00 pm.

I'm not sure what topic we will be covering. I haven't received any feedback from the group, so we can just leave things open and cover whatever topics folks want to talk about (computer related).

I just want to remind everyone that we will only meet once this month since the 4th Thursday of the month falls on Thanksgiving day.

I also check out the library last Friday and it doesn't look like it will work out for us. The conference room doesn't pick WIFI and I was told that is strong possibility that the room won't be available after the first. It was a great idea and suggestion. Thanks.

I checked out Arby's and they have free WIFI and some electrical outlets that we can use. We could consider Arby's.

I also checked out the second location of the Chocolate Cafe that just opened up down town. They close at 4:00 pm and they don't have their WIFI setup yet. So, this won't work for us right now.

If anyone knows of another place that will work for us and are willing to check it out and report back to the group, let us know.

We need a place that has WIFI (free internet access), tables and chairs, free for us to use. If it had an over head projector that we could use, that would be a great extra for the group.

Computer Repair Service

2009-11-06T17:03:00.001-05:00

Some of you may be aware that my computer died over summer due to a power surge, or so I thought. I took it into a local company in Greeneville to have them look it over. I knew the power supply was fried, but I wanted to make sure that nothing else was wrong with it. I had a feeling there was something else wrong with my computer.

They called me and said that it was fixed and that it was just the power supply. I drove into Greeneville and picked it up. When I got home and hooked it up, it wouldn't power up. I called the company and asked if they powered it up after they fixed it. They said they had and that it came up. I knew this wasn't the truth, so I told them I was bringing it back in and I wanted to see them power it up while I was there.

When I got there, they hooked up my computer and powered it on and it wouldn't come on. They looked it over and said that the mother board was fried. They told me it would cost me 4 or 5 hundred dollars to fix it.

My computer was 5 + years old, so I said I would just take it home and think about what I wanted to do. They tried to sell me one of their custom built computers, but I didn't like any of them and they offered to keep my computer, but I said no. I told them I would take it home and figure out what I wanted to do.

I decided to buy a new computer, since I do a lot of work on the computer and it is how I make my living. I got a new HP computer and I just love it.

I still had my old computer sitting in the corner of my office and I couldn't stand the thought of taking it to the dump. So I thought I would donate it to a guy who works on computers. I have been seeing a sign for his services when I drove into town to run errands. It is Jean's Computer Repair Service on the Asheville Hwy.

I called him up today and spoke with him. He said he would take my computer and use it for parts. So, I dropped it off with him today. By the time I returned home, I had a voice message from him saying to call him.

I called him and long story short, my mother board was not fried, it was just a video card and they (the first place I took it) knocked one of the memory chips loose, so the computer wouldn't start up. Jean put in a new video card and put the memory in tightly and my computer started up just fine.

I could have had my computer fixed for about $100.00, instead of buying a new one. I'm happy with my new computer, but my old computer is a really good one and is worth about a $1000.00 fixed, Jean said. I don't need another computer now and I don't have room for a second computer, so someone will end up a good computer.

I would highly recommend Jean's Computer Repair Service - 423-636-8449, if you need your computer fixed. He seemed really knowledgeable and his prices are reasonable. I know some of you have been looking for someone who can work on computers. You may want to check out Jean the next time you need someone to work on your computer.

Oh, and if you need a good used computer, Jean has my old one. You can call (423-636-8449) him to purchase it. He said he would let anyone from our group buy my old computer for just the cost of parts and a new version windows software, which comes to about $225.00.

Next Elevate Computer Learning Meeting - 11/12/09

2009-11-05T08:07:00.001-05:00

Our next computer learning meeting will be Nov, 12, 2009. We are thinking about having it at the library in town. The library has free internet and I'm told by one of our members a better meeting place. Better tables, etc. I haven't gotten by the library yet to check it out. I'm sure it is fine, but I would just like to see the layout first, before giving it a try. So stay tuned for more details.

We are only going to have one meeting this month, because the 4th Thursday of this month falls on Thanksgiving.

I'm also looking for suggestions on what topic to cover at our next meeting. You can post you suggestions on this blog or email me.

Let me know if you can attend, so we have an idea of how many seats to set aside for folks.

I look forward to seeing everyone at our next meeting. Until then, happy computing..

Notes from our 10/22/09 Meeting

2009-10-26T10:01:00.009-04:00

We had a good meeting. Instead of going over Twitter, we went over topics that Dianne and Hattie wanted to cover, since they were the only two that showed up.

Dianne was having trouble accessing the documents that I posted in the Google documents area. I fixed her issue, but just as a reminder, you will need a Gmail account to access the Google documents area for our group. I usually send out the document as an email attachment (in .PDF format), and then I upload the .pdf file to Google documents area. One of the reason I upload the documents to the Google documents area is to have all the documents in one centralized place.

If you are having trouble accessing the .pdf file I send out in email, make sure you have the latest free version of Adobe Acrobat Reader installed. You can find it at Adobe's web site, http://adobe.com/.

We also talked about methods of backup and will cover this at a future meeting.

We decided that we need another place to meet. We love the Chocolate Cafe, but the tables there don't work for us and it can be loud at times and we have the weather to deal with.

Dianne has checked with the local library in Greeneville and they said we can meet there. They stay open until 8:00 pm and they have free WIFI. This sounds like an option worth trying.

Dianne is also checking with a local computer store in Greeneville that said they may be able to help us out. I'm waiting to hear back from Dianne regarding details about this option. I do want to send out a "Thank You" to Dianne for taking on the task of finding us another meeting place.

I want to say "Thank You" to Howie for running the meeting for me while I was out of town. It was a big help.

I hope everyone has a great week and I'll keep you updated on the status of things.

Today's Meeting

2009-10-22T14:28:00.003-04:00

We are going to cover Twitter today. We'll go over the basics and I sent out a document on how to use Twitter with cell phone. You can have twitter messages sent to cell phone in the form of text messages.

Here are couple of links for adding Twitter widgets:

For Windows Computers: http://twitter.pbworks.com/WindowsApps
Web Site Widgets: http://twitter.pbworks.com/WebApps

Have fun with Twitter. I'll see you this evening.

How did things go?

2009-10-21T20:03:00.001-04:00

I got back into town late last night. My husband and I went to Poway, CA and performed at a benefit concert for the Kumeyaay-Ipai Tribe. To see a poster for the concert click on this link: concert poster. The concert went well and we had a great time performing and meeting new folks. The weather was beautiful and the day of the concert it was 100 degrees. It didn't seem like it was that hot. Then we returned home and we needed our coats, but it was good to be home again.

I just wanted to check in and see how things went with the last meeting (Oct 8th) that I wasn't able to attend? Leave your comments here on the blog or email me. Let me know what you would like to see covered at future meetings.

Since I have been gone and I don't have much time to prepare for our next meeting, I will be covering Twitter and any remaining time left I thought we could just leave it open to what ever computer topic or computer question someone may have.

Let me know if you can attend. I would love to see everyone.

Have a wonderful evening.

Next Computer Learning Meeting is on Oct 8th, 2009

2009-10-07T08:41:00.000-04:00

I will be out of town, so Howie has offered to run this next meeting for everyone and Dianne has offered to help Howie. Thank you Howie and Dianne.

Class will start at 5 pm, Thursday Oct 8th at the Chocolate Cafe in Tusculum. There is no charge for the class and the Chocolate Cafe has graciously allowed us to use their facilities for free so please order something even if it's just a cup of coffee. Be kind to the servers and remember to leave a tip, I'm sure it would be appreciated.

I'm sure this will be a good and fun meeting. Enjoy the meeting.

Google's Chrome - A New Web Browser

2009-10-03T09:25:00.002-04:00

I just wanted to create a quick post this morning. In case you haven't heard of the new web browser from Google, called Chrome, check out the links in this post for information about Chrome and a link for downloading Chrome.

I haven't been running Chrome (about 2 weeks) very long and it isn't the only web browser I use (I mostly use Internet Explorer), but I thought I would mention Chrome in case you are looking for a new web browser, or maybe you are just wanting to try something new. Whatever your reasons may be, I think you'll find that Chrome is fast, simple and sleek.

If you download Chrome and use it, let us know what you think about it. Post your thoughts on this blog our give us your feedback at one our regular Computer Learning meetings.

Here are the links for Chrome:

Chrome Information/features link: http://www.google.com/chrome/intl/en/features.html
Chrome Download link: http://www.google.com/chrome

Have fun playing with Chrome.

Follow Up Notes from Sept 24 Meeting

2009-09-25T06:55:00.001-04:00

We had a good meeting yesterday evening. We also had a down pour of rain show up and we played musical tables some.

Some of the subjects we cover were Picasa, Defrag, Scan Disk, Firewalls, Anti-Virus software and a bit on Craigslist.

Our next meeting will be on Oct 8th. I won't be able to organize this meeting or attend it. I'll be out of town. Howie kindly agreed to fill in for me and two other members (Dianne and Michelle) offered to help her. Thanks ladies.

I'll see everyone at the end of the month. Have a wonderful month.

Our next meeting is Sept 24, 2009

2009-09-23T14:59:00.012-04:00

Location and Time of Meeting: Chocolate Cafe in Greeneville, TN and meeting starts at 5:00 pm.

Meeting Topics

I'm planning on covering some basic tips with Craigslist and Picasa 3. I was going to go over Outlook, but Outlook is a full blown electronic organizer. Before going over Outlook, I need more feedback from Larry before I put together something on Outlook. I need to know if he is just interested in learning more about email side of Outlook or all the major functions of Outlook (Contacts, Calendar, etc..). After I receive feedback from Larry, I'll schedule Outlook for one of our future meetings, unless Larry decides after watching the video links in this post, that he doesn't need to go over Outlook at one of our meetings. Here are some YouTube video links for using email in Outlook:

MS Outlook E-mail Email Sorting and Grouping Messages: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znlqspkkskw
MS Outlook E-mail Email Advanced Sorting Capabilities: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOYZj0-yewg
MS Outlook E-mail: Creating Moving Managing Folders and Subfolders: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EOdGQ6GVW8&feature=related
MS Outlook Creating and Using E-mail Signatures: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzfRTWhAZrE&feature=channel
MS Outlook E-mail: Creating a Group Distribution List: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fwT-9rJstw&feature=channel
MS Outlook Setting and Using E-mail "Rules": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRn4LCMfV-o&feature=channel

CraigsList

I hope you guys had a chance to read my previous post and the online article about Craigslist. If you didn't, here is a brief description of what Craigslist is. Craigslist was created by Craig Newmark and it has become one of the most popular sites on the Internet. It was started in San Francisco in 1995. It offers job listings, personal ads, ads for cars, pets, and all sorts of other choices. The website is built around communities. Craigslist estimated worth is over 10 million dollars.

Here are some video links I found on YouTube:

What is Craigslist: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--_5VCRGcl0
Craigslist Humor: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpj7ORQhwDk&feature=related
Craigslist Posting: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NTbhRkSomw&feature=related
Craigslist Tips: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AW7GUpTGQo

I was having a hard time finding Craigslist videos that I thought would be good for our computer learning meeting. These were the best that I found. Maybe you can find some better ones.

Picasa 3

Picasa is free software from Google that helps you manage all of your digital photo collection. You can organize and view all your photos in one place. You can even create online photo albums for your family and friends and it is all free. How cool. Let's take a look at some YouTube videos to give us an idea of what Picasa can do for us. Here are some links:

Overview of Picasa: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rskC6c_5L1M
Picasa Web Albums: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teeGF-w5Cpw&feature=PlayList&p=4E95A9A720187FD2&index=7

If you are interested in learning about Picasa 3 and downloading the software for free, go to Google's web site: http://picasa.google.com/. I hope you enjoy using Picasa. I haven't been using it for long myself, but I really like it and it is nice having all my digital photos managed in one place. Have fun exploring Picasa.

See you all at the meeting tomorrow evening.

Tid Bits on a Friday

2009-09-18T12:51:00.015-04:00

New Computer
It has been a busy week. My main computer had died on me about a month ago, due to a power surge. The mother board and the power supply got fried. My computer was 5+ years old, so it was time for a new one. But like a lot of things, it came at a bad time. But I managed to work out a trade for a brand new computer, and I really love my new computer.

I have my new computer about 90% setup at this point. So, I'm able to do most of things I did before and a few new things. My new computer is running Windows VISTA Ultimate, which so far I really like. I haven't really used VISTA very much. My old computer was running Windows XP Media Center, which I also really liked. It worked great for me.

So, I'm learning new and fun stuff with VISTA, which not only helps me to accomplish what I need to, but I plan on sharing some of the things I learn with you all. So, stay tuned for those tips, because I'll start posting some of the tips and maybe we can go over some of them at our meetings.

Once I got my new computer and started setting it up, I decided that I wanted at least one good reference book on Windows VISTA, so I drove into Johnson City one day this week and I picked up a book at Books-a-million. Here is the title of the book I picked up: "Windows Vista Inside Out" by Ed Bott, Carl Siechert, and Craig Stinson. It is a big reference book and should make good reading on those nights I have trouble sleeping..

CraigsList
I also picked up a couple of magazines. One of the magazines I picked up was "Wired". There was a really interesting article in it about Craig Newmark, the creator/founder of Craigslist. I would highly recommended reading it, since a lot of us are using Craigslist and it may be one of the topics at our next meeting. To read the article online, go here: http://www.wired.com/entertainment/theweb/magazine/17-09/ff_craigslist.

Creating Your Own Handwritten Font
I picked up another Magazine, "Windows Magazine" the Fall 2009 edition and found several interesting articles in it, but one that I thought the group might be interested in was titled "Turn Your Handwriting Into a Font You Can Use" by James Stables. This sounded interesting and fun.

In this day and age when so much is typed and not handwritten, you can find yourself longing for a more personal touch and maybe to stand out a little in the pack. I read the article and the process for creating your own handwritten font, and it is simple.

There is a web site called yourfonts (http://www.yourfonts.com) and they have a simple process for creating your own font. All the instructions and the process is on their web site, so I won't go over them here.

I would like to say that once you have created your own handwritten font and installed it on your computer, remember that if you create an email using your new handwritten font and you send your email out to a friend, your friend won't see the text displayed in your new handwritten font, unless they install your new handwritten font onto their own computer.

What would work just fine is if you type up a letter in Word using your new handwritten font and then printed out your Word document. It would be printed using your new handwritten font, since you have it installed on your computer.

If you play around with creating your own handwritten font, let us know by posting something on the blog or emailing us your new handwritten font so we can install it and check it out. Have fun.

Bing.com, Finding Work, and Business Networking Tips

2009-09-15T10:31:00.011-04:00

What is Bing.com

I thought I would share a few tips of interest this morning. First, have you heard of bing.com? It is a new search engine by Microsoft. One of the cool features to bing.com is that everyday the back ground image for the bing.com web page changes and if you move your mouse cursor around the image, you'll find easter eggs (bits of information about the image appear with links). It is a fun way to learn about places all over the global. Check it out. Here is a link for more information and videos about bing.com: http://www.discoverbing.com/behindbing/about.aspx.

Finding Work

The next tip I want to mention is about finding a job. There are lots of web sites out there, and it is hard to know where to begin.  As many of you know, I'm currently looking for work. I recently posted my resume on Monster.com and I have to say that most the inquiries that I have received about potential work have come from Monster.com. So, it worth taking the time and setting up a resume on Monster.com. Consider setting your resume to public viewing, so that any potential employeers can contact you.  I have mine setup to be viewed by anyone.

Business Networking

The other tip for finding work and making good business contacts is professional networking. There is a service out there called LinkedIn.com. This service is like a social network for working professionals. They offer two types of services, one is a free service and the other is a paid service.  You can sign up for a free account and start networking right away.  You can always upgrade your account to a paid service when you are ready.

LinkedIn.com has a feature called "groups" and you can join groups. It is good to try and join a group that is related to your field of business. I actually joined a group called "Linked Asheville". I went to one of their meetings and I had a really good time meeting and talking with other business professionals in the Asheville area. I passed out a lot of business cards that evening.

The groups inside of LinkedIn have discussions areas, job postings sometimes and general news. You can start your own discussions in the groups you are a member of. It is a good way to network on a professional level and to let people know about your business.

You can also setup your resume so that it is displayed as part of your profile. You can ask that other folks to write up recommendations for you.  LinkedIn is a great business tool. You can look at my LinkedIn profile to get an idea of what one looks like. Here is my link: http://www.linkedin.com/in/kaylittlejohn and you can sign up for a LinkedIn account by going to this link: http://www.linkedin.com/.

For those of you looking for work or just wanting more exposure for your business, I hope these tips are of some help.

Have a great day.

Notes from our Sept 10, 2009 Meeting

2009-09-14T07:24:00.001-04:00

We had a really good turn out. We had 9 people showed up (10 counting me) and 8 of them were new members. This is great.

We talked about many things, Skype and web cams, what is WIFI, what new computer to buy, email, Internet service and some topics for future meetings.

I'll try to setup a poll of topics for our next meeting, so everyone can vote on what they would like to see cover.

I had my main computer crash and die on me and I just received my new one on Friday, so I'm in the process of setting it up, so bear with me. I'm running a bit behind.

I'm really excited about the turn out at our last meeting and I'm looking forward to our next next meeting on Sept 24, 2009.

Sept 10th is our next Meeting

2009-09-09T15:36:00.003-04:00

Our next meeting is on Sept 10, 2009 starting at 5:00 pm. We will be meeting at the Chocolate Cafe in Greeneville, TN.

We will be going over how to use a Web Cam with Skype. Skype is a free service for using video and voice on the internet. It is a great tool for staying connected to family, friends and for business meetings/conferences. We could even use it for our group if we wanted.

To get a head start, please check out this good video I found on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=466Ra0s6RUY. This video will explain the basics for installing Skype, creating an account and basic usage.

You can also check out Skype’s Help web page for more details about how to use Skype. Here is the link for Skype’s Help web page: http://www.skype.com/help/guides/.

After watching the video tutorial on Skype, make note of any questions you may have and we'll try and answer them.

I look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow evening. Until then, happy Skyping - smile.

Making your own movies/videos

2009-09-01T08:45:00.016-04:00

Hi. You know, it is good to learn the computer things that we need so that we can perform all the tasks required by us to get by, but all work and no play can lead to a pretty boring day. Life hopefully contains a good balance between work and play.

On that note, I was doing a little playing this morning. Microsoft has a new software tool called "Windows Movie Maker". It was really easy to use. I made a quick movie from photos on my hard and I even added a song as background music.

You can also add movie clips that already exist on your hard drive to the movie you are creating. You can even edit the movie clip you have added to your new movie. Pretty cool stuff.

Once your movie clip is created, you can publish (make it available) it to YouTube or burn it to a CD/DVD.

If you want to learn more about Windows Movie Maker (WMM), check out the video clip from Microsoft that shows an overview of WMM. Here is the link: http://www.moviemakerpreview.com/. There is also a link on this web page for downloading the software.

If you are looking for something fun and easy to learn that you can dazzle your family and friends with, check out Windows Movie Maker. If you make a movie, consider sharing it with group.

Happy movie making..

Documents for Emailing Attachments

2009-08-31T11:12:00.009-04:00

I have updloaded the documents that explain how to email an attachment using GMAIL or Hotmail. I have uploaded these documents to my GMAIL docments area. I have setup these documents so that you don't need a login ID for GMAIL.

These documents are the same documents I emailed the group, but I wanted to put them out on the internet so that we have them in a central location.

Here are the links:

Email attachments using Hotmail: http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0BzLD5kNjIMyMYWZhM2M3ZjUtZWNkOC00ZjQ0LWIwNWQtY2I5MjMwNzBiMjky&hl=en
Email attachments using GMAIL: http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0BzLD5kNjIMyMZGJkN2ZhNmYtMGYyYi00YWY2LWJhNzktYjE1NGVlYjk3NTM3&hl=en

Have a fun day..

August 27th Meeting on Emailing Attachments

2009-08-28T07:10:00.005-04:00

I wanted to post an update on our meeting last night. I brought my laptop and we went through the steps for emailing an attachment in GMAIL. This went very well. I was able to answer questions and we had good dialogue regarding GMAIL and its features.

We also discussed some future topics for upcoming meetings. Here are some of the topics that were suggested: Using a Web Cam with Skype, Facebook basics, and Twitter basics. If you have a topic suggestion, why don't you add a comment here on our blog or email me your suggestion.

The food, service and free WIFI was great at the Chocolate Cafe.

Our next scheduled meeting will be on Sept 10, 2009 at the Chocolate Cafe in Greeneville, TN and will start at 5:00 pm. I look forward to seeing you there.

Video Tutorial Links for Sending Email Attachments

2009-08-26T12:36:00.021-04:00

We are scheduled to cover emailing resumes using Gmail or Hotmail at tomorrows meeting. To help jump start your learning I went out and found some youtube videos that should help give you a basic understanding. We can always go over any questions you may have tomorrow at our meeting.

Gmail Tutorial Links:

Overview of Gmail – Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvWsYk531mo
Organizing your Gmail – Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lErySsL-Kwg&feature=related
Settings in Gmail – Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sk058WJpDL4&feature=related
Composing email in Gmail: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovbLwjiME1M
Using the Calendar feature in Gmail: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqcM_hhiMlI&feature=channel

Hotmail Tutorial Links:

How to send an attachment in Hotmail: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIWNmJq6VQA
How to send email attachments: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jGRBzGTiSc&feature=related
Retrieving/viewing an attachment that was sent to you in hotmail: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnW4mmqH7AM&feature=related

Windows XP File/Folder System Basics Links:

Detailed instructions of working with Windows XP file system: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-j0yF7E43s
Search your computer for files: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4fCXfpkoQM

You can always go out to youtube.com and perform a search for other tutorials, but these are the ones I found that I thought would be helpful for the group. This will help you to have a better understand of how to email a resume.

It is a good idea to try and practice emailing a file to someone as a test before tomorrows meeting. This way you can see if you are able to do so, and what questions may arise.

I look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow evening.

Emailing Attachments - Resumes and Photos

2009-08-23T08:19:00.032-04:00

Hello. I want to get a jump start on the topic for our upcoming meeting, "Emailing a Resume". Which is also known as emailing an attachment.

Attachments can be lots of different types of files. Here are a few of the most common type of attachments:

Resumes (Word documents, Works documents, PDF files, etc..)
photos (jpg files, gif files, tiff files, png files, bmp files, etc..)
videos (Flash files, Widows Media, MPE4, etc..)
music files (mp3 files, wma files, wave files, etc..)
zip file (these are files that are generally compressed so that the file size is reduce for sending/emailing)
just plain old text files (no formatting, just straight text).

We are going to focus on emailing Microsoft Word documents, since that is what one of our members needs to do

Now there are lots of different email programs and email service providers out there. We are going to focus on hotmail and gmail for this meeting.

I have gone out on youtube.com and performed a search for some video tutorials that cover how to email an attachment. Here is a list of the links that I found:

Resume tips: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8QNiZxcvpg
Sending photo attachments in hotmail: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOeaIs5jDko
Sending attachments in hotmail, yahoo mail, and gmail: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jGRBzGTiSc&feature=related

Video tutorials are nice. They allow you to see the process being done step by step. They don't allow you to ask questions, but it is a really good tool for getting started or as a review on how to do something. So check out these video links and see if you are able to send your own resume or photos. You can practice sending stuff to a friend or family member.

I also performed a Google search and found some web sites that have written instructions on how to email an attachment. Here are some of those links:

Emailing Hotmail attachments: http://www.ehow.com/how_2064426_add-attachment-hotmail.html
File size limitations with Hotmail: http://email.about.com/cs/hotmailtips/qt/et061202.htm

If you have specific questions that you would like to cover in our next meeting, please email me or call me ahead of time so I can make sure I can cover your question(s) and provide any resources (links to video tutorials, web sites with the information you need, etc..) that may be helpful.

Of course I would invite you to go out to your favorite search engine (Google, Yahoo, Ask, or Bing) and search on this topic and see what web sites you find that may be helpful to you and the group. Also consider searching Youtube for other tutorial videos that may be helpful. If you find anything, let the group know by posting the links to our blog or emailing me the links.

I look forward to seeing you all at our next meeting.

Become a Follower of this blog

2009-08-22T07:07:00.006-04:00

Some of you have expressed that you don't know what it means to be a follower of this blog and how to perform the steps in becoming a follower.

A Follower of a blog is someone who basically is showing their interest in the blog and is hopefully reading the blog. Think about it like a subscription to a newspaper, with two big exceptions: the blog is a free subscription (becoming a Follower of the blog) and not a paid subscription (newspaper). The newspaper company knows it has x amount of subscribers and they hope that all the subscribers are reading their newspaper, but there is no way of knowing that sure. A blog is also on the internet (online content) and not in printed form, like a newspaper.

You can clearly see the advantages of a blog. It is free and it is in an electronic format so it is not being printed on paper that uses a lot of vital resources, that we can use for other uses.

Now, I'm not against newspapers at all. I actually love newspapers and I love holding them in my hands and reading them and smelling the paper. I even use them in my garden. But the world is changing, and this one of the changes.

I have written a simple Tech Note (Technical Note - A document explaining the steps/procedure for accomplishing a certain task) that outlines the basic steps for become a follower of this blog. You can view this document by going to the link on my web site: http://pwcreations.net/Elevate/PDFs/BlogFollower.pdf.

Upcoming Meeting

2009-08-19T15:04:00.006-04:00

Just wanted to post a quick note about our next meeting. It will be August 27, 2009 at the Chocolate Cafe in Greeneville, TN at 5:00 pm. Remember they are the 2nd and 4th Thursday of every month.

I'm trying to put together what topics we'll be covering and learning about at this meeting. Once I have the details together, I'll post them. Stay tuned..

Facebook Sharing

2009-08-18T07:32:00.005-04:00

For those of you who have facebook accounts you can now share one of my blog posts on your facebook with ease. I added a facebook sharing link to the bottom of each blog post. Go to the bottom of the blog post you want to share and just click on the link the "Share on: facebook". A facebook permission window will appear. Grant permissions and the blog post will be shared on your facebook wall/account. Now, that is pretty easy. Have fun.

Meeting Notes - Our First Meeting - 08-13-09

2009-08-14T08:07:00.019-04:00

We had our first meeting yesterday evening. It was a small group (4 people), but this gave us the opportunity to do a lot a sharing about who we are, what are the goals of the group, what we are looking to get out of these meetings, how often to meet, and a question and answer session about some computer technology.

First, I want to cover the business stuff regarding our group meetings. We decided that we would meet twice a month. The 2nd and 4th Thursday of every month. The time will be 5:00 pm, and the place will be "The Chocolate Cafe", where we held our meeting yesterday evening. We all agreed that we really like The Chocolate Cafe. The food is really good, service is great and the place is clean, nice decor, and it has a really nice atmosphere.

We also talked about the name of the group, "Elevate User Group". Most people don't know what a user group is, so we decided that we should make the name more descriptive. We decided on "Free Computer Learning" (Leigh came up with this name. Thanks Leigh). We not only wanted to be clear about the fact that the meeting is focused on computer learning, but that is also a free meeting for our local community.

We also discussed ways of making more people aware of what we are doing and hopefully get more people to attend our meetings. We feel that there may be other people who would not only enjoy attending these meetings, but would also find these meetings helpful in learning more about the computer. We wanted various ways of reaching people that involved the internet and non-internet (such as newspapers, newsletters, flyers, etc..). A lot of the people we are trying to reach, may not use the internet very much or at all.

Here are some of the ways we discussed: letting the local Moose Lodge know about what we are doing and see if they would put something in their newsletter (Larry said he would take this task on), seeing if the Greeneville Sun would do a write up about what we are doing (this was a great suggestion offered by David), and putting something on Craig's List (my suggestion).

Our question and answer session covered these topics: what is twitter, what is a blog, how to email resumes, computer hardware failures and software scanning.

Some topics for future meeting would be: covering the basics for Microsoft Word (MS Word), Microsoft Excel (MS Excel), Microsoft PowerPoint (MS PowerPoint), how to email a resume or other files, how to find information on the internet, GMAIL, and navigating Windows XP folder system.

I let everyone know that I could cover the basics on these topics to get folks started, but they would really need to continue their learning at home or somewhere else. I also expressed to everyone that there are free tutorials on the internet and there are a lot of video tutorials on youtube.com that are free and very helpful, but they would be required to follow-up on this on their own time. I can provide some links for everyone as part of the meeting when we cover various topics.

One of our goals was to get everyone using this blog. We talked about how to access it and how we could use this blog as our online repository of information, but also as a way for the group to communicate between meetings. So, hopefully everyone at the meeting last night is reading this – smile.

All in all, I feel that this was a really good start. I'm not sure where we are going with this, but the journey has begun.....

Reminder - Our First Meeting is this evening

2009-08-13T07:57:00.009-04:00

Come join us this evening for our first Elevate user group. This is a local community minded group that will focus on sharing Information Technology and building a local community group.

Come share your thoughts around what you would like to learn more about or share with the group at future meetings. We can cover topics like: email, surfing the internet, blogs, twitter, using Word or what ever we are interested in learning more about.

Chocolate Cafe & Coffee Co

665 Erwin Hwy

Greeneville, TN 37745

Phone: 423-638-6221

Time: 5:00 pm.

Come out and network with us and be a part of building some new.

I'm looking forward to seeing everyone this evening.

Have a great day!

Linked Asheville - Monthly Face-to-Face

2009-08-13T07:19:00.005-04:00

Yesterday evening I attended my first Linked Asheville meeting. I really enjoyed myself. The group was an interesting and lots of fun. They were open and interested in talking about what they do for a living. We exchanged business cards and shared a few interesting and funny stories.

I have gone to other meet and greet type meetings; they were no where as interesting or fun as this group. So, if you are looking to network with other business people and enjoy doing it, consider checking out the Linked Asheville group. You can join LinkedIn.com for free and then join the Linked Asheville group. They have discussion areas and they post up coming meeting here.

Have a great day!

What is a User Group

2009-08-10T12:55:00.003-04:00

I have been putting up flyers around town about the upcoming "Elevate" user group meeting and I have had a lot of people ask me "What is a user group". I thought I would offer some kind explanation here.

User Group meetings are usually public meeting/events that are focused on a topic. Usually they are computer topics. People come together at these meetings and learn more about the topic. There is usually someone giving a presentation and maybe even demonstration.

The user group (Elevate) that I'm trying to start will focus on computer skills. Such as using Word or maybe surfing the internet, etc.. I'm looking at these meeting as an educational event. A way of sharing computer information. It is my hope with this first meeting that we can come up with a list of topics to cover at future meetings.

To see a definition of the word "user group" on Wikipedia web site, go here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_group.

I hope this helps some.

I'm looking forward to seeing you at the first Elevate user group meeting

Some Things of Interest ??

2009-08-07T16:12:00.003-04:00

I went to a user group meeting in Johnson City, TN about a week ago. The user group is called Geek South. Nice group of folks. They had one of their members (Ben Collins) do a presentation on High Dynamic Range (HDR) Images. It was really interesting and he did a good job. He posted some HDR related links on the Geek South web site (geeksouth.com) and one of the links was to Dave Hill's web site. Dave creates some amazing digital photos. Here is a link to his web site: http://www.davehillphoto.com.

Kick Off Meeting - Our First Meeting

2009-08-06T14:34:00.006-04:00

This will be our first meeting for our newly formed Elevate User Group (EUG) meeting. At this first meeting I want everyone to get a chance to meet one another and to talk about what people are looking to get from this user group and hopefully come up with a list topics to cover at future meetings.

The meeting will be held on August 13th, 2009 at 5:00 pm and we'll be at the Chocolate Cafe & Coffee Co, 665 Erwin Hwy, Greeneville, TN 37745. Phone: 423-638-6221.

WIFI is available.

If you have any comments or questions, leave a post here.