• Intro
  
• Article - Crisis Management: Your Website Can Help
  
• The Office Corner
  
• Grammar Question of the Month - When Can I Use a Semicolon?
  
• Tech Tips by Terence Kierans - Access and Data Truncation
  
• Tech Corner
  
• Writing Corner
  
• Word of the Month - Convoluted
  
• Recommendations
  
• Judy's Corner and Photo Gallery
  

* Visual Thesuaurus, http://www.visualthesaurus.com, found its way into my software collection recently, and it's a joy to use. If you write or edit, consider this program. It's very intuitive and leads you from one word to the next. It also provides examples of how all the words it offers are used in phrases, titles, etc., and nicely prints them out if you need it. The user has a wide range of settings from "usual" to "free association." It's difficult to describe; the website does a much better job!

* I hope you enjoy the guest article by Gerry McGovern. As always, he offers some food for thought.

* In my next issue, one of my clients (a sales trainer, speaker, and coach) will offer a complimentary class on how to conduct successful teleseminars if you are interested. This might be just the boost your business needs. Would learning how to conduct a teleseminar be of interest to you? Let me know.

mailto:judyvorfeld@ossweb.com?subject=teleseminar_tutorial

I'll see you in January!

By Gerry McGovern

A website can be a valuable source of information during a time of crisis. Using your website should become part of your crisis planning.

Hurricane Katrina has shown that when a crisis strikes the Web can play its part in keeping people informed and mobilizing support. Government websites supplied important information, while other websites facilitated donations from the wider public to help those affected.

Many affected commercial entities in the region were able to keep their websites running even though many of their physical offices were badly affected. I had an email recently that talked about how electrical utilities were using their websites to deliver important information to both staff and customers.

I'm just back from a trip to Denmark and Sweden. In Copenhagen, I was told a story about a factory explosion that caused a lot of disruption. When people walked up to the police who were cordoning off the area, they were often told to check a particular website to get the latest news on what was happening.

In Sweden there have been some major storms in the last couple of years that severely impacted certain parts of the country. Again, the Web was used to keep people informed. Of course, the tsunami in January saw a huge range of web activity, from websites to help locate missing persons to those seeking donations and support.

When I was in Asia last year, I talked to an intranet manager for a large organization. He said that the intranet had "come of age" during the SARS crisis. It had become the single most important source of information for staff. For the first time, senior management had clearly recognized that the intranet could play a genuine strategic role.

I also know of a situation where during a national crisis, a series of government websites were overwhelmed. They weren't prepared for the quantity of people visiting, nor had they content to properly answer key questions being asked.

Of course, to use the Web you have to have computer access. However, in certain ways, it still has a reach that other media does not. In Sweden, even though electricity was cut off as a result of the storm, people could drive to a friend's house, or access the Web at work. There was practical information that was not always immediately accessible in print or on radio.

In a large organization it is not easy to consistently distribute detailed information to every member of staff on an evolving situation. The intranet is one of the few vehicles that can do this. It is, in fact, the one place that everyone has the potential to access every day.

It is still the case that many organizations see their public websites as little more than brochures, and their intranets as little more than archives. The Web has the potential to be strategic. It's important. It matters. If people turn to it in a time of crisis, then surely that also indicates that it has an important role to play in every-day activities.

The Web is only now being understood from a strategic perspective. Of course, you need a plan for how your website will operate during a crisis. But you also need a plan for how your website delivers value on a day-to-day basis.

Gerry McGovern
mailto:gerry@gerrymcgovern.com

For your web content management solution, contact Gerry McGovern http://www.gerrymcgovern.com

1. 1001 FREE FONTS: For PC and Mac users.
http://www.1001freefonts.com/

2. VISUAL THESAURUS Incredibly useful for writers and editors of all levels. An amazing office tool.
http://www.visualthesaurus.com/

3. ENJOY GRAPHIC DESIGN? Take a look at how google.com spiffs up its wonderful logo to commemorate special days and holidays!
http://www.google.com/intl/en/holidaylogos.html

4. ARTSYMMETRY.COM: Are you a webmaster or editor searching for fresh content that you can reprint on your website or in your newsletters? Are you an author who enjoys writing creative articles with a focus on the Arts? This directory is receiving good reviews.
http://www.artsymmetry.com/

Let's tackle how to use semicolons effectively. We'll rely on guidelines from Diana Hacker's "A Writer's Reference."

Semicolons separate major sentence elements of equal grammatical rank.

Use a semicolon between closely related independent clauses NOT joined with a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet).

Use a semicolon between independent clauses linked with a transitional word or phrase (e.g., also, thus, after all, in fact, at any rate).

Example 1: Many corals grow very gradually; in fact, the creation of a coral reef can take centuries.

Example 2: Most singers gain fame through hard work and dedication; Evita, however, found other means.

Don't confuse transitional expressions with coordinating conjunctions.

Use semicolons between items in a series with internal punctuation.

Do NOT use semicolons in the following situations:

* Between a subordinate clause and the rest of the sentence.

* Between an appositive and the word it refers to.

* Between independent clauses joined by coordinating conjunctions unless at least one of the independent clauses contains internal punctuation. Example: As a vehicle [the model T] was hard-working, commonplace, and heroic; and it often seemed to transmit these qualities to the person who rode in it. (The comma would also be correct, but the semicolon, says Hacker, is more effective: it indicates the relative weights of the pauses.)

* To introduce a list.

For more expert information on semicolons, go to: http://tinyurl.com/9sqsq

It's that time of the year again… so, three for the price of two.

COPYING FROM ACCESS TO EXCEL
When you copy records from an Access table to an Excel worksheet, "Paste Special" and "Ctrl-V" do not copy the data in exactly the same way.

If you use the "Paste Special" command, and select "Text" Excel cells will automatically adjust in width to accommodate each field entry. On the other hand, if you use "Ctrl-V", Excel will increase the row height rather than the width. If an entry is too wide for the current column setting, Excel will increase the row's height accordingly. You need to manually decrease the row's height to force the entry onto one line.

CLIP ART
Do you use a high percentage of graphic images in your work? Then take a look at Clip Gallery Live, a Microsoft site that offers more than 100,000 graphic images and sounds, including clip art, photographs and web animations.

A caveat: if you use these clips in your Office documents read the licensing data carefully regarding redistribution and usage. Visit this site: http://cgl.microsoft.com/clipgallerylive/default.asp

MICROSOFT OFFICE
ADD A PLACE TO STORE YOUR FILES
You can use the "My Places" bar to save time locating your folders and to make it easier to access your files in your folders. I find this particularly useful when using Outlook.

By default, the "My Places" bar contains shortcuts to the "My Recent documents", "Desktop", "My Documents", "My Computer" and "My Network Places" folders. However, you can add up to 256 folders to the "My Places" bar.

Note that Outlook 2003 has the "My Places" bar only in the "Save As" and "Insert Picture" dialog boxes.

1.	To choose a folder, use the "Save in" list.
2.	To add the folder to the "My Places" bar, click the folder you want by using the Save in list, and then click "Add to My Places" on the "Tools" menu.
3.	To see more folders that you added to the "My Places" bar, click the arrow.

After you update the My Places bar in one dialog box, the changes are available in all other dialog boxes with the "My Places" bar.

Terence Kierans
Cyberspace Virtual Services
tkierans@virtualservices.com.au
http://www.virtualservices.com.au/
We keep your project on the boil, while you sleep

1. AUDACITY 1.2.3: Reviewed by The Internet Scout Project From Helsinki to Helena, Montana, lovers of audio experimentation benefit from a wealth of online resources designed to let them record live audio, convert tapes and records into digital recordings, and splice or mix sounds together. One such application that allows users to do all of those tasks is Audacity 1.2.3. The website also contains helpful hints on using the program that will definitely come in handy. This version of Audacity is compatible with all computers running Windows 98 and newer.
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

2. W3SCHOOLS.COM: Full Web Building Tutorials - Web-building tutorials from basic HTML and XHTML to advanced XML, Multimedia and WA. Interactive tutorials, and includes CSS.
http://www.w3schools.com/

1. TIPS FOR A BETTER WORK-FOR-HIRE CONTRACT:
http://www.nwu.org/bite/tipswfh.htm

2. THE ABCS OF COPYEDITING: This correspondence course introduces you to the skills and procedures used by copyeditors in publishing firms and corporate communications departments. These skills and procedures can be applied to the copyediting of all types of nonfiction writing: books and articles, professional and trade journals, manuals, newsletters, and reports. Taught by Amy Einsohn, author of The Copyeditor's Handbook.
http://www.editcetera.com/edit_course.html

3. TRANSITIONAL WORDS AND PHRASES:
http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/Transitions.html#intensification
http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/transitions.html
http://www.virtualsalt.com/transits.htm

4. BOOKCOACHING: Judy Cullins' ebooks, teleclasses and coaching on book writing, online promotion and website marketing pizzazz.
http://www.bookcoaching.com/products.shtml

5. EXPOSITORY WRITING:
http://www.worksheets4teachers.com/PDF/ExpositoryWriting.pdf

Main Entry:con*vo*lut*ed
Pronunciation:-*l*-t*d
Function:adjective
Date:1766

1 : having convolutions
2 : INVOLVED, INTRICATE *a convoluted argument*

*By permission. From Merriam-Webster's Collegiate(R) Dictionary at www.m-w.com by Merriam-Webster, Incorporated.

A further look at this word in the Virtual Thesaurus shows the following words: coiled, tortuous, tangles, labyrinthine, knotty, involved, intricate, Byzantine. Read more about this software in the Intro to this ezine.

1. SUDOKU: MATH GAME
http://www.sudoku.com/

2. KIDS SEARCH ENGINES
http://searchenginewatch.com/links/article.php/2156191

3. HEALTH AND FITNESS TIPS: designed to keep you "up to speed" and "in the know" when it comes to the latest news in the ever-evolving fitness industry. And those of us in offices need to stay fit!
http://www.acefitness.org/fitfacts/fitbits_list.aspx

4. JACKIE'S VINTAGE EBOOKS: my friend and colleague, Jackie McCutcheon, offers an online vintage eBooks library. "Many of them," she says, "are extremely rare and date from the early 1900's! You'll find Cookbooks, patterns for Knitting, Crochet, Tatting, Needlework, Millinery, Lacemaking, and more! Many of these books, now available in electronic format, have been out of print for years." You may download them at no cost. Jackie is also looking for vintage sewing patterns. If you have any, or know of any, please contact Jackie at http://www.jackiemccutcheon.com/contact.html.
http://www.jackiemccutcheon.com/vintageebooks.html

1. Recently the Bontrager clan dropped by for a visit. As always, it was very meaningful and lots of fun. I have a group of pictures below, and you'll find one of Will, Mari, and Princess Leah among them.

2. Writing obituaries well is takes skill. My sister, Calamity Jan, recently discovered several obituaries of our great, great grandfather, Isaac Crook:. Take a look at "Personal Characteristics Given by an Old Friend." It touched my heart, especially this phrase: "But he died away from home."

Isaac Crook did something quite unusual for his community in 1860, when times were very difficult, and the writer said, "The full measure of the noble act, its significance and importance, can hardly be understood and appreciated by a people who never suffered a like experience."

This friend's words continued to drip with grace as he said, "The intervening years have wrought some change in that particular, but they have lessened none in the least my kindly regard for the man, brusk, odd and peculiar though he was, who stood my friend in the day of small things." What a magnificent tribute. We need more writers like him today.

JUDY'S PHOTO GALLERY

Heliconia: Kona, Hawaii


Columbine: Glen Eyrie Conference Center


Rainbow Falls, Hawaii


Cattleya Orchid: Kona, Hawaii


The Elusive Earrings: Story of how Judy met and married Jack.


Will and Mari Bontrager preparing for their trip from Peoria to Tucson

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