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So you want to use social media for business…

maureen — Fri, 18 May 2012 12:57:40 +0000

As more people use social media personally it makes sense that businesses are looking for ways to incorporate social media into their marketing and sales efforts. Let’s face it! There are a lot of choices out there and the feeling of not having the time or skill to implement social media efforts also exists. Since there are so many choices such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, where do you start?

The tools and their description below represent some of the more widely used social media opportunities. Each requires some research and skill development and a commitment to making your social media efforts work.

Facebook – Facebook offers you a chance to make a personal connection with future and existing customers. It can be used to let them know what your business is doing in the community and how your services benefit your fans and as a way to share resources that are related to your business but aren’t necessarily yours so you become a full-service resource for your customers.

32 Ways to use Facebook for Business

LinkedIn – LinkedIn can be used to gather information from peers, generate ideas and build relationships and expertise. Discussion groups can be created to spark interest in what you are doing, give you the opportunity to showcase your expertise by starting a dialog and converse with your discussion group participants. Through LinkedIn you can share your expertise through comments and discussions and build relationships through your connections.

Join MicroKnowledge on June 14^th for a complimentary session called Using LinkedIn to Expand Your Business Network.

Twitter- Twitter enables you to inform in the moment. In 140 characters or less, you can share exciting information, videos, pictures or links to spark interest in your client base. It is not uncommon to create a teaser on Twitter then include a link for more information.

How to use Twitter for Business

Pinterest- Pinterest is a fantastic way to showcase graphical data. Pictures are pinned to public bulletin boards, and then other Pinterest enthusiasts re-pin your photos enlarging your audience.

Pinterest for Business

Foursquare – Foursquare is used by the public to check into a variety of locations. When users “check in” they can leave tips (such as, “Try the onion rings; they are the best in town!”) that other users can “do” when they check in to the same venue. Additionally, Foursquare has a fee-based feature for businesses to give users discounts at check in.

Foursquare 101

As you can see, there are quite a few social media tools that you can take advantage of to expand your business. As you expand your tools, know that the tools interconnect. A Twitter tweet can show up on Facebook or a LinkedIn post can become a tweet. Here are a few more tools below:

What tools would you recommend?

Author: Lisa Ryan
lryan@microknowledge.com

Remember, if you are a MicroKnowledge customer and have a software question to ask, feel free to contact us at any time by using our Support link at the top of the site. Your question might be featured in our next blog entry!

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Women’s Employment & Resource Center Event: First Impressions, Second Chances

maureen — Fri, 11 May 2012 00:26:45 +0000

MicroKnowledge donated more than $16,000 to WERC last year and we are committed to continuing to support this organization that helps women gain self-confidence, enhance their job skills and successfully return to the workforce.

In June, WERC will hold its 4^th annual First Impressions, Second Chances. Come and join us in supporting the Women of WERC. Enjoy a cocktail and buffet and browse through tables of vendors displaying jewelry, clothes, beauty and more! Bring a gift or donation to the event. Clothing, accessories, portfolios, briefcases, gift cards and working laptops will be collected as donations to help the women served by WERC.

Event Details:

Location: The Crossings of Colonie

Date: Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Time: 5:00 – 7:00 pm

Ticket Price: $35 per person, which includes the cocktail and buffet

For more information or to register:

Click the following link: WERC First Impressions, Second Changes or call (518) 462-7600 ext. 187

Author: Kathleen Pingelski
kpingelski@microknowledge.com

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Community Event – YWCA Fashion Forward

maureen — Tue, 01 May 2012 02:32:56 +0000

We have some great friends at the YWCA and we want to share with you information about an event they will be hosting this month.

On Sunday, May 20, the YWCA of the Greater Capital Region, Inc. is excited to host Fashion Forward, its annual fashion show, being held in the YWCA’s Downtown Troy building. The event will provide guests with a fun and entertaining afternoon of networking, food, shopping, raffle prizes and fashions provided by Capital Region boutiques!

All proceeds from the fashion show will benefit the YWCA Women In Transition program, giving families a second chance and a fresh start by providing temporary housing while they receive the education and support needed to sustain their families for the rest of their lives.

For more information or to purchase tickets, contact Victoria Baecker at 518.274.7100 or victoriab@ywca-gcr.org

We hope to see you there!

Author: Kathleen Pingelski
kpingelski@microknowledge.com

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Excel: Fun with Ctrl+Enter

maureen — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 14:11:08 +0000

Stumbling upon new tips in a program I’ve already used for many years is always a good time. Most recently, I discovered some interesting uses for Ctrl+Enter in Excel. (This means pressing Ctrl and Enter at the same time).

For starters, I use Ctrl+Enter whenever I want to finalize typing in a cell but want the focus to stay on the cell – say because I am going to copy it next. Pressing only the Enter key shifts the cell focus down one. You could also change what Enter does through Options, but I like the ability to choose either way with the press of the Ctrl key.

Another interesting feature can be used when highlighting multiple cells, typing a value and pressing Ctrl+Enter. The value you type automatically copies down to all the highlighted cells!

And, you know, it works the same when creating or updating formulas.

Yet another way to copy quickly in Excel. Amazing!

If you’re feeling adventurous, you can also try experimenting with Ctrl+Enter in Array Formulas (Chip Pearson explains more), or you can try using Alt+Enter in some of your column headings.

Author: Ryan Donelan
rdonelan@microknowledge.com

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The Key to Efficiency Using Excel

maureen — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 16:25:36 +0000

Last month I mentioned how using a few features in Outlook could increase your efficiency. I hope you enjoyed the tips I shared. Additionally, if you are an Excel user, there may be easier ways to get your data to look the way you want without reinventing it somewhere else. Let’s talk about some Excel features that can be a key to efficiency.

Excel seems to be our go to application when we want to work with lists of data. For most data, it should be. For example, if you have a list of products, locations, release dates, cost, etc. , you may want to see all of the products coming out of Albany. Once that is done, perhaps you want to see the products coming out of Schenectady. I have seen folks take those lists, manually copy the items from Albany somewhere else to represent the data differently, then do it all over again for Schenectady. If you have a proper list (first row of your list contains column headings, rest of the rows contain data), you can organize large amounts of data in a matter of minutes.

Try these Excel features to increase your productivity when working with lists:

Use the Sort feature to organize data by column. The sort feature is available on both the Data tab and the Home tab. To use, click anywhere in your list. Click the Sort button. If using Sort on the Data tab, use the dialog box to specify which fields to sort.
Use the Subtotal feature to break your list into groups with summaries. For example, to add the total costs for each location, sort your list by location. Choose Subtotal on the Data tab. Select the field you sorted on in the At each change in field then select Sum and choose the cost field as the summary.
Pivot Tables are a great way to summarize a large list. A Pivot Table groups your data row and column fields when you select a field to summarize. For example, you could quickly display how much each location has earned in product releases. In a matter of minutes, you could have a large list sorted and categorized in an easy display. Pivot Tables seem to be a well-kept secret in Excel. They can cut hours of time and avoid duplication of data.
Use the Group feature to quickly show or hide detail data for summaries. It sure beats manually showing and hiding columns in your Excel list.
Use macros to automate some of the features you use often to cut down on your repetitive tasks.

These are just a few of the list features available through Excel that will not only save you time but also increase your productivity.

Want to learn more? Join us for the Excel Intermediate course on Monday, April 23. Working with lists is a primary topic, as is working with multiple files and charting.

In the meantime, here are a few websites to help you with some of the features I mentioned above:

Sorting and Pivot Table tutorials

Top 10 Tips in Excel

Using the Subtotal feature

Author: Lisa Ryan
lryan@microknowledge.com

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Becoming Heart Healthy Conscious – Get Involved!

maureen — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 03:08:36 +0000

I am on a journey of changing my lifestyle with dedication to a heart healthy focus. It is important for us to take care of our hearts so that we can continue to live a full, healthy lifestyle. With that said, there are a couple of great events occurring in May within the Capital Region that I wanted to share:

♥ Go Red for Women Luncheon
TODAY, heart disease is STILL the No. 1 killer of women, causing one in three deaths each year. But it can be prevented. TODAY, Make It Your Mission to learn how to stop this killer, and then tell five women you love you want them to live. TODAY, you can help us stop heart disease in our lifetime.

Event Info
Thursday, May 24 from 10:00am – 1:30pm
Albany Marriott
189 Wolf Road
Albany, NY

Event to include: silent auction, health screening, breakout sessions, lunch and program. To find out more information or to purchase tickets, click on the following link: Go Red for Women Luncheon

♥ Capital Region Heart Walk
The Heart Walk is the American Heart Association’s signature fundraising event, which promotes physical activity and heart-healthy living in a casual, fun environment. The Heart Walk brings together companies, families and friends who participate in teams to help the AHA further its mission and advance in the fight against heart disease and stroke. It is an important component of the American Heart Association’s My Heart. My Life., a comprehensive new health, wellness and fitness platform to empower Americans to get healthier.

Event Info
Saturday, May 12 from 9:00am to 12:00pm
The Crossings of Colonie
580 Albany Shaker Road
Albany, NY

To register for the walk or make a donation, click on the following link: Heart Walk Capital Region 2012

If you attend any of the events and see me there, please be sure to find me and say “Hi.” Cheers, to a heart healthy YOU!

Author: Kathleen Pingelski
kpingelski@microknowledge.com

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Windows 7 Features, while still on XP

maureen — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 19:01:40 +0000

Got a fancy new Windows 7 computer at work and a dusty old Windows XP desktop at home? Here’s a tool that emulates one of the best Windows 7 features, made for Windows XP. And it’s free.

The program is called AquaSnap, and it allows you to effortlessly resize your open windows. That innocuous description may not wow many people, but the ease-of-use and productivity bonus is huge. Simply drag a window to the right, drag a window to the left, and they expand perfectly to take up half the screen. No switching back-and-forth. It’s what Windows was made for.

Author: Ryan Donelan
rdonelan@microknowledge.com

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The Key to Efficiency Using Outlook

maureen — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 00:37:16 +0000

You know the saying “knowledge is power.” Whether that is true or not, it’s certain that knowledge is the key to efficiency. Let’s discuss some Outlook features that can help you become more efficient.

When you talk about not having enough time to get it all done, email certainly is a factor. Many of us create to-do lists at the beginning of the day and then add quite a few more items to the list after reading email throughout the day. Unfortunately, we find that we don’t get through much of our list, and that makes us feel as though we have achieved nothing. Instead of your email program being a factor in the problem, why not make email part of the solution? You can use Outlook to help you complete your list and become more productive.

Try these Outlook features to increase your productivity throughout the day:

Set reminders using flags to remind you about email that requires action.
Block out your time by using your calendar to schedule the time needed to accomplish the items on your list.
Save time and reduce email conversations by using the calendar to schedule meetings at a time when it appears all participants are available.
Turn off email prompts so you can focus on the task at hand without constant email interruptions.
Use the assign task feature to delegate some of your to-do items.

These are just a few of the features built into Outlook that will not only save you time but also increase your productivity.

Want to learn more, join us at Professional Time Management Strategies Using Outlook on Tuesday, April 3.

In the meantime, here are a few websites to help you along:

6 Ways to Streamline Your Tasks

Top 10 Tips in Outlook 2007

Author: Lisa Ryan
lryan@microknowledge.com

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Workplace Learning and Performance Conference

maureen — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 04:20:06 +0000

Join us for the 17th Annual Hudson-Mohawk ASTD Workplace Learning and Performance Conference on April 10, 2012. This premier training event showcases the region’s top training, performance and organizational development experts. Come and connect with colleagues from across the region. In addition, enjoy the unique opportunity to interface with the keynote speaker, President & CEO of ASTD Tony Bingham, one of the foremost authorities on learning and workplace performance.

Please see Hudson-Mohawk American Society for Training & Development for more information.

Author: Lisa Ryan
lryan@microknowledge.com

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Get the New Look of Windows 8, Right Now

maureen — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 01:44:47 +0000

Windows 8 is already on the horizon (probably out sometime in 2012) and for those of us just settling in to Windows 7, there’s more change coming. Nothing is official yet, but the writing is on the wall that Windows 8 will have a new look. Specifically, Windows 8 will have the same user interface (UI) as Windows phone, called the Metro UI. Bye-bye desktop.

Why the big change? Microsoft is positioning Windows 8 to run on a variety of devices, not just the traditional PC. We’re talking tablets and phones. And Microsoft is no doubt hoping the colorful, touch-friendly interface will help position Windows to finally start capturing that market. (Don’t worry, you can still use a mouse.)

But, you don’t actually have to wait until Windows 8 is released to see the new look! Open source developers have already brought the Metro-style UI to Windows 7, and one such example is Mosaic. You can install it now (it’s free). Just download, extract the zipped files into a folder, then double-click on Mosaic.exe, and you’re in.

Now Mosaic may look like it’s taken over your whole system, but you can get the taskbar and Start Menu back by going to the arrow in the upper right, clicking Options, and checking Show Windows taskbar in fullscreen mode.

So take the new interface for a spin. Now do you think Windows is on the cutting edge, or is it time to abandon ship and start saving up for that Mac?

Author: Ryan Donelan
rdonelan@microknowledge.com

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