The Microsoft Office team has done a fantastic job in recent years. Their launch of Office 2007 is biggest benchmark for their success. Install rates are high and so is customer satisfaction (wish the Microsoft Vista team could say the same).
With the success of Microsoft Office comes that awkward stage in technology when some of us are using Docx files and others are using the tried and true Doc file. What’s the difference? Docx files are generated by Office 2007 and Doc files are generated by older versions. This isn’t an issue unless you are still running an older version in which case you cannot open Docx files with a handy double-click of the mouse.
Here are your options:
1. Install the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for 2007 File Formats. Here are the instructions from Microsoft. Good luck with that.
2. Using an online converter. There are plenty of them out there. Here is an example Google search. One that pops to my mind is Zamzar. Clean interface. Quick conversions. Move on with your life.
So, while we sit in technology limbo with half of us using Office 2007 and half of us using an older version of Microsoft Office we will have to deal with file compatibility issues. Make your life easier and use one of the options detailed above if you find yourself in a jam.
I’ve always been a bit confused about the rise of MySpace during this time of all things Web2.0. To be honest, MySpace completely baffles me. Not from a “Why would people sign up for this service?” perspective but more from a “Rupert Murdoch paid *what* for this?!!?” perspective. Don’t believe the hype.
Now, Facebook is a different beast altogether. You have a generation of college students out in the workforce who spent a good portion of their college careers hanging out on Facebook. They are still visiting the site regularly but their lives have shifted to the business world.
Enter Twitter. This short messaging phenomena has had a solid 1.5 to 2 years of growth and even Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have an account. Evan Williams strikes again.
OK…still with me?
Enter Qik. This one was a point of no return for me. Buy a Nokia phone (more will be supported as this product moves out of Alpha) and stream *live* (fairly decent quality) video to the internet. An impressive service indeed…
So lets pull it all together.
You are a real estate agent (for example). You build a network of prospective buyers on Facebook (immediate notification is not key but staying in the loop for your clients is a must). You build a network of real estate professionals on Twitter (immediate notification in short message form is a must for this group). Then you stream live video of properties for sale via Qik.
Qik sends an automatic update to Twitter (immediate notification for real estate professionals). The whole thing is eventually archived on Facebook (to keep your prospective clients in the loop).
Your cost for these services? Currently they are all free but require that you painstakingly build a network of individuals and groups that are interested in what you have to say.
I hope you’re still with me.
“Search. Ship. Save.” I like that. It sounds pretty simple and it is. ShipGooder is another potentially useful tool for eBay powersellers. Me? I hardly ever ship anything so I’m usually pretty confused about the options when the time does come. Seeing everything in one interface with a clear explanation about costs vs. ship time [...]
Tired of chasing down all of those shipment confirmation emails? “Your order has been shipped. Your tracking number is 3456234256893462. Please logon to the [Carrier X] website to track this shipment.” Me too! Use Track My Shipments to help streamline your shipment tracking information under one website. I’m thinking that this is an ideal service [...]
I have not yet commented on the proposed acquisition of Yahoo! by Microsoft. There is plenty of press on this topic and you don’t need me to help gain an understanding of the facts. BUT! I did find this analysis of how Google could derail the process extremely insightful. It’s worth your time.
