We live in busy, complicated times. Even Mac users face a daily onslaught of onscreen clutter. What we need is a clutter expert, an organizational guru, someone who knows the Mac, the Mac way, and can help Mac users get back on the track to efficiency, productivity, and clarity. Who else can help you better than Microsoft?
Uh oh
I know what you’re thinking. For Mac users, Microsoft’s Office for Mac is the epitome of clutter, exceeded only by Office for Windows users. It’s time to Think Different.
Putting your fear of Microsoft aside for a moment, yet fully recognizing their need to sell Office for Mac to Mac users with an organizational hangover, maybe they’re on to something useful. Maybe. Maybe they’re just self serving.
Microsoft has teamed up with organizational expert Peter Walsh for a series of videos for Mac users. Videos? Yep. Microsoft has recognized that the Mac is the digital hub, and they want to be sure Office is there to grease the wheel.
Watch as Peter Walsh, internationally renowned organization expert, demonstrates how Office 2008 for Mac can easily keep your schedule in order, your finances up to date, and your health routine on track. Learn how to build a better budget in Excel, for example, or how to create a family schedule in Entourage.
You’re feeling better already, right?
Predictability
You don’t need a crystal ball to know where this is going. Despite the laptop hunter TV commercials Microsoft wants to help Mac users who need organizing tips. Predictably, the videos show you how to organize using some familiar words.
Office, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Entourage.
The first video is about 15-minutes long. Six additional videos run a few minutes each and show you how to get the most out of—here it comes—Help in Office for Mac.
With the new Help, you can quickly find relevant answers to your questions about any Office 2008 application. The online version of Help is regularly updated with new topics, troubleshooting information, training courses and videos, and other resources.
Somehow it just seems fitting that Microsoft would show Mac users how to use Office by starting with Help.
Video Suite
Six additional videos for Word will show you all the great features (lovingly compressed into eight minutes), as well as how to add a cover page, create a text document, and build headers and footers.
The Excel section has six more videos which range from Get Started to Features to Formulars to Visual Basic Macros. Lets build some macros to make our lives more organized.
PowerPoint is similarly represented on video (six) which cover features, graphics, tables, and how to save time by using predefined workflows. Yes, my organizational problems are easily traced back to my workflows.
Somehow I don’t think my workflow will be improved much by a PowerPoint slide show.
Organizationally Savvy
The single most organizationally useful component of Microsoft Office for Mac 2008 is, arguably, Entourage. It’s the email, contacts, calendar task, projects work horse in Office.
10 videos are required to get a thorough grip on Entourage. Email, rules and filters, schedule management, tasks and projects, and a few videos chock full of tips and tricks.
If you’re a Microsoft Office for Mac user, and feel a little overwhelmed by all that Microsoft shoves into Office, these videos, available for viewing online, may show you more of what you don’t know. Get ‘em while they’re hot.
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