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Next Program Meeting: Thursday, November 21
Next Networking Night: Thursday, December 19
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 Q&A Session: Word Processing Options
Do you know how to use the editing options in Word most efficiently? Would you like to know more about macros and automating editing tasks, or how to manage documents through multiple reviews by others? How about comparisons between Word 2010 and Word 2013, or the pros and cons of using a laptop versus a tablet?
Anthony Barrett, computer specialist of Barrett Consulting, Inc., along with Barbara Hendrickson, an SD/PEN member who creates training documents in Word, and a few of our Word-expert members will answer your questions and teach you some tips and tricks to make your work easier.
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Meeting Details
6:30-9:30 p.m., Thursday, November 21, 2013
Hera Hub Mission Valley
8885 Rio San Diego Drive #237
San Diego, CA 92108
Google Map
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Manage Your Electronic Files Before They Manage You
By Gwen Jean Jorgensen
Is your desk a mess and your computer files and folders disorganized? Are you frustrated when you can’t find information you know you have? Do you need a system for capturing information from the Web? If so, we have answers for you! We were fortunate to have two officers of the National Association of Professional Organizers San Diego Chapter present at our September 19 program meeting. Jana Hartwell, a board certified professional organizer and owner of Sensible Organizing Solutions, and April Merritt, MLIS, owner of Life is Now Organizing Solutions, provided methods, tools, and information to help you save time and get organized.
Capturing Information: Saving, Snipping, Web Clipping
To capture information, we save, snip, or clip—most often from the Web. Snipping is gathering smaller pieces of information. System-based tools for snipping include the Microsoft Snipping Tool, Mac Snip, and OneNote’s screen clipper. FireShot is a Web-based snipping tool that works with the major browsers Firefox, IE, and Chrome. April is a “huge fan” of FireShot, stating that it’s a “fabulous tool with lots of choices to pull something off the Internet and capture full screens,” including the page URL and unseen text.
Web clipping is capturing larger pieces of information, including full pages. Some popular Web-clipping tools are Evernote and SpringPad. April showed a screen shot of Evernote with the selection tab “Clip Full Page.”
Organizing Information: System- and Web-Based Tools
There are Web-based tools such as Evernote, OneNote, SpringPad, and BitSmith, and system-based tools that are already on your computer. April described the system-based organizing tools, such as files and folders, Windows Explorer, Mac Finder, and the traditional method of using folder trees. But the bulk of her presentation was on Evernote and OneNote, with a brief discussion of SpringPad and BitSmith.
Evernote is both Web and desktop based. Using Evernote, you can insert a note, add existing notes to it, create your own notes, and share notes between laptop and desktop. Evernote also integrates with other applications, and comes in both free and paid versions ($4-$5 a month). The paid version has no ads and provides the ability to share virtual notebooks between users.
OneNote is both Web and desktop based, using Microsoft Office/Office 365. The paid version costs $80-$100 and provides users the option of working both in the Cloud and on the desktop. However, the no-cost option available via Microsoft’s SkyDrive limits you to working online, in the Cloud, only. April showed screen grabs of how OneNote functions, illustrating the clear structure of notebooks, sections, and pages. She grabbed an entire screen shot from a website, selected notebooks and tabs, and easily inserted handwritten notes onto a page.
SpringPad is similar to Evernote; it is free, Web based, and allows sharing of notebooks. BitSmith is desktop based, looks and acts like Windows Explorer, and costs about $50.
Retrieving Information: Tagging
Tags are virtual labels you add to pieces of information that allow you to later search and retrieve similar filenames, folders, categories, or items (e.g., auto, car, Nissan). You can tag with Excel, Word, or other programs. Simply right-click on images, select, and tag. April uses Evernote to annotate. She explained that you can only put a document in one bin, but you can put multiple tags on a single document for more efficient retrieval.
When using virtual notebooks and folders, see how many branches are on your tree. Are folders and files located in different places with similar names? When tagging, consider consistency, nesting or hierarchal labeling, and use of non-text labels such as colors (although too many colors can get confusing).
How to Choose a Program
Consider access: Do you want multiple devices, Cloud access and backup, or other features? Do you need access to your data when you are offline? Then compare the cost: Is there a one-time purchase price or a periodic fee for the service?
 Still Not Sure Which Tools are Best for You? Ask an Organizer!
Stuck in a clutter mess? Send out an SOS to Jana Hartwell at Sensible Organizing Solutions, (619) 334-8767 or (858) 300-5757, Jana4SOS@gmail.com, or visit SensibleOrganizing.com.
Digital disorganization holding you back? Contact April Merritt at Life is Now Organizing Solutions, (858) 215-4359, April@LifeIsNowOS.com, or visit LifeIsNowOS.com.
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Save the Date! Social Media Workshop
Saturday, December 7, 2013 – 8:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
All Eyes on You: Building Your Social Media Hub
Taught by social media expert Debra Simpson (DebraSimpson.com).
Microsoft Store, Fashion Valley Mall, 7007 Friars Rd., San Diego 92108
SD/PEN members $25, nonmembers $45. Registration email to come.
Early-Bird 2014 Membership Renewal
Save $10 by renewing your SD/PEN membership early! Renew by midnight, November 30, 2013, and pay only $55. Membership dues return to $65 on December 1, 2013. Click here to renew.
Call for Local Authors
The San Diego Public Library is calling our resident authors for submissions for its 48th Annual Local Author Exhibit. Books must be originally published in 2013. Deadline is December 13, 2013.
For more information, please visit the San Diego Local Author webpage.
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 Dear Members,
I can hardly believe that another year is coming to a close. Before anything else, let me wish you happy, peaceful holidays!
Now I’d like to introduce you to SD/PEN’s new newsletter. After much research and discussion, your Board of Directors has doubled newsletter frequency to monthly, while reducing production costs, allowing us to keep membership fees at their 2009 rates. Enjoy!
Elections for new members of the Board of Directors are just around the corner. Please consider serving for a year; there are many benefits to being on the board, and a few more people helping out will fuel the organization going forward. I’ll be emailing the slate of prospective board members soon. I invite all members to attend the November 21 meeting and cast your votes.
November 21 will be a regular program meeting as well as our holiday party. Besides gaining great insight into Microsoft Word and enjoying the holiday spirit and tasty treats, we’ll be drawing a grand prize and two runner-up prizes. You may remember that at last year’s party, ”Chris Zook won the Nook!” This year’s big prize will be just as exciting.
Finally, do you realize how far across the globe SD/PEN reaches? Try Portugal! Our newest member, Zita Segall Neto, is an ESL teacher, professional translator, and copy editor who is offering her skills to San Diego’s sizable Portuguese population. Welcome, Zita!
And welcome to those who have joined or renewed their memberships for 2014 during our early-bird discount period. The early-bird rate of $55 per calendar year continues through November 30. Sign up before then to save $10 off the regular membership rate of $65. I look forward to seeing you at an SD/PEN event soon!
Best wishes always,
Shirley
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Call for Submissions!
We’re looking for input from our members. If you’ve come across a handy or entertaining website, newsletter, app or other resource, or read a useful book that you’d be willing to review for us, please let us know and we’ll include it in the newsletter.
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