Via laterlife.com Jackie aims to particularly help those new to IT and the web to
build up knowledge and confidence, so no question is too basic. At the same time she will
cover Q&As for the more experienced user.
So if you
would like to ask a question of Jackie, why not email her jackie@laterlife.com
or if you
have discovered something which may be of interest to others in making the most of the
web, then she would love to hear about that too jackie@laterlife.com
Creating
templates
Q: Is there a way to create standard documents that
can be used over and over again?
A:
If you want to keep using the same basic layout e.g. for a letter, it can save time
if you first create and save it as a template. The
template can contain all the repeated items e.g. your address, a logo, your letter ending
etc. and should be formatted in your chosen font. Whenever
you are ready to write a new letter, open up the template, add the contents and date and
treat it as any normal document. Your
template will remain unaltered and can be used over and over again. To create a template, you can customise one that
is already available. Templates can be found by going to the File – New menu and clicking an appropriate
tab e.g. Letters & Faxes, Memos etc. Select
one nearest to your preferred style, click Create
New Template and then make any changes to the format and text. Save it by clicking the Save button, choose
an appropriate template folder location from those that appear (or create a new folder)
and change the filename (temporarily Template 1). You may prefer to start with a blank
document and, when you are ready to save it, click Save and make sure you select Save As
Type: Document Template. This will direct you to the Template folders
where you can save it into an appropriate location. To use any of the available
templates, including those you have created, find them from the File – New menu and leave the default setting
as Create New Document.
Newsgroups
Q: I would like to exchange views with people sharing
my interest in Nelson. How would I go about
finding anyone on the Internet to write to?
A: Although I have no specialist knowledge of
this area, I am sure there are others who have and they might well have formed a newsgroup
you could join. Newsgroups are made up of people sharing a common interest who use e-mail
as their means of communication (using what is known as Usenet). Messages are called articles and they are posted
to everyone who subscribes to the group. You
can read messages and respond either to the author or to everyone in the group as and when
you feel like it. To start off, use your browser or e-mail system to locate a news
server – the computer storing newsgroup messages.
If you use Outlook Express, click on Tools
– Newsgroups or use the shortcut in the main opening folder to download a list of
all the newsgroups on your ISP’s news server. Then
use the keyword search box to try to locate groups with a similar interest e.g. in naval
history. Select any named group and click the
Go to button to read some of the messages – this will help you decide if you want to
subscribe. (Subscribing is free and
doesn’t commit you to anything. If you
change your mind, just click the Unsubscribe button.)
Double-click the newsgroup name or click the Subscribe button to add a labelled
folder to your Outlook Express system. Whenever
you click Send and Receive the latest messages will be downloaded and stored here for you
to browse.
Using Address Book
Q: How do I use the Address Book feature in my
e-mail system?
A: Whenever anyone sends you an e-mail, a quick way to add
them to your Address Book is to right click their name in the From: column and select
“Add sender to Address Book”. Otherwise,
you will need to open the Address Book from the main window and click New – New Contact.
Fill in the first and last name (this will automatically form the name
displayed in your To: box unless you change this manually) together with their full e-mail
address. When you click Apply and OK their
details will be stored in your book. To use addresses when creating new messages, click
the book symbol next to the To: box. Select
names in the list that is displayed and click To:, C.c.: or B.c.c: to insert the addresses
into the correct boxes. Then click OK to
return to your message.
|
Aimed at first-time Internet users, the guide, co-written by TV
personality Carol Vorderman and Internet expert Rob Young, offers a thorough and
non-intimidating introduction to the Internet.
and under the books section select
Computers and Internet.
