• Intro
  
• Interview: With Mary, who needs an ezine publisher
  
• The Office Corner
  
• Free Stuff
  
• Grammar Question of the Month: use "and" or the ampersand?
  
• Tech Corner
  
• Tech Tips: Claudia Slate - Multiple versions of Access
  
• Writing Corner
  
• Trivia
  
• Word of the Month: serif
  
• Recommendations
  
• Judy's Corner: Wildlife on the Roads
  

* I need a favor. Will you help publicize Communication Expressway when you have the opportunity? Like when you're writing a comment to a list about business communications, office procedure, writing, etc.?

I only want TARGETED subscribers. I'm always on the lookout for sites and information that might interest you. I'm getting a "feel" for who you are, what you take time to read, and why. So, if you're in a position to raise the exposure level of this ezine in a healthy way, be my guest! The URL: http://www.ossweb.com/ezine.html

* THE WINNER of last month's Easter Egg contest is Ronni Rhodes, of WBC Imaging. Ronni's a broadband guru who lives a couple of hours south of the Phoenix area. We hope to meet each other this year.

* THE WINNER of Janet Attard's "The Home Office and Small Business Answer Book" is L. Nourse, Chicago, Illinois. Congratulations! Want a chance to win this book or Allan Wyatt's Word 2002 Beginners Guidebook?
Go to http://www.ossweb.com/freebook.html

This month I'm preempting the Interview area. In the June issue, I mentioned creation of a free ezine template on my site: [LINK NO LONGER VALID]

I offer a page of links to publishing resources, but discovered there's still a strong need for people to learn more about publishing an ezine. They need information on opting in and out, spam, and what program to use for publishing their ezines. Here are some of Mary's comments, which are representative:

Mary will start with under 1,000 subscribers, but she's active in professional organizations and her list should build quickly. She doesn't have a website, but it's in the offing. She'd like to find a good program to manage her text ezines. She has the template <g> and the content, but wants to make the subscription process as seamless as possible.

CAN YOU HELP?

• What email program do you recommend for someone who can't send a publication via his/her ISP?
• Has it worked for you?
• Why?
• What are the best sites for explaining spam so we not only learn filtering techniques but about the need to opt in and opt out?
• What ezines do you recommend that she emulate in terms of style and presentation?

1. STYLEGUIDE: Phone numbers in print publications

2. MICROSOFT OFFICE TEMPLATE GALLERY: Hundreds of professionally designed templates for MS Office products. Free.
http://officeupdate.microsoft.com/templategallery/

3. MEDICAL DICTIONARY SEARCH ENGINES:
http://medical-dictionary-search-engines.com/

FREE BOOK! Subscribers are eligible to sign up to win a free copy of "The Home Office and Small Business Answer Book: Solutions to the Most Frequently Asked Questions About Starting and Running Home Offices and Small Businesses" by Janet Attard or Allan Wyatt's book, Word 2002 Beginner's Guidebook. Everything the novice needs to learn to use Word 2002. http://www.vitalnews.com/wordtips/. Sign up once a month at http://www.ossweb.com/freebook.html - Winners announced here!

FREE DICTIONARY! Webgrammar offers all site visitors the chance to win a free Webster's dictionary, monthly. Sign up! [LINK NO LONGER VALID]

Use "and" or the ampersand?

Q. What is the accepted practice of and/& in addressing business letters? We send out thank you letters addressed to "Mr. & Mrs." Is the abbreviation acceptable etiquette?

A. Using an ampersand (&) is generally not accepted in business writing, says The Gregg Reference Manual, Seventh Edition, by Sabin, Section 1323.

Multiple versions of Access on one system

Q. Is it possible to run different versions of Access on the same computer? I recently upgraded from Access 97 to 2002, but I need to use 97 for a new client. Can I still run the 97 version from my machine, or do I need to install it on my other computer and use it from there?

A. I have not done this personally, but according to the Microsoft Knowledge Base and the experts in the MS Access newsgroups it is possible to run different versions of MS Access on the same computer. The different versions have to be installed in different directories and Access 97 needs to be installed first.

After Access 97 is installed then you need to go into the Windows fonts directory and rename HATTEN.TTF. What you rename it to does not seem to be that important. Then you can install either Access 2000 or Access 2002 on the same computer but in a different directory from where the 97 version was installed.

Note that the last version that you had opened will be the one that automatically opens the next time you click on an individual database. You will either need to open the correct version of Access first and then open the database from there, or create shortcuts that load the correct version and then the database, like this:

"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office10\Msaccess.exe" "C:\My Documents\Db1.mdb"

Claudia Slate - Dakota Technics (605)747-4391
clslate@dakotatechnics.com - www.dakotatechnics.com
Access and FileMaker Pro Databases
Excel Spreadsheet Solutions
Defining the Data Your Business Depends On

1. LOCKERGNOME:
Free technology email newsletters: Windows Daily; Tech Specialist; Digital Media; Penguin Shell; Apple Core; Webmaster Weekly; and Bits & Bytes.
http://www.lockergnome.com/

2. HOW INTERNET INFRASTRUCTURE WORKS:
Ever wonder how the Internet works and how Web pages, e-mail and music move to and from your computer? Learn all about this amazing global network.
http://www.howstuffworks.com/internet-infrastructure.htm

3. HTML TIP:
A lot of times you'll see a paragraph whose last line is separated from the rest by more line space. Usually this is the result of not closing the paragraph with the coding: </p>

1. THE JOURNALIST'S TOOLBOX:
Mike Reilly lists more than 10,000 websites helpful to the media and anyone else doing research. One of many fine areas is Reporting Techniques, which features interviewing tips, critical-thinking skills, research and guidelines on ethical/legal issues such as taping interviews, hidden cameras, privacy, etc.
http://www.journaliststoolbox.com/

2. EASYBIB:
Free, automatic bibliography services. Whether the source be an encyclopedia, a book with three authors, or an online database, the individual formats can be confusing. However, at EasyBib.com, you don't need to worry about format and punctuation. Easybib.com adheres to the 5th Edition of MLA Handbook for Writers and Researchers, and the 5th edition of the APA Publication Manual.
http://www.easybib.com/

3. IVAN LEVISON, COPYWRITING:
Terrific ezine full of good advice, and powerful articles. Focuses on Direct Mail, E-mail and Advertising Copywriting. You're gonna love this site!
http://www.levison.com/

1. THE CLASSIC CAR CLUB OF AMERICA:
CCCA is dedicated to the collecting, preservation and enjoyment of the world's finest automobiles manufactured from 1925* through 1948. You will LOVE the photos!
http://classiccarclub.org/

2. ADS.COM:
For those looking for a particular televsion commercial to highlight a concept of media literacy, this is a great site. Search by brand or product name, or when you viewed the ad on U.S. network TV. Tell sponsors what you REALLY think!
http://www.ads.com/ads/index.jsp

3. HOW LONG-DISTANCE SCAMS WORK:
How many companies have tried to sell you "better" long-distance rates this week? Do the offers sound too good to be true? Find out how to tell the scams from the real deals.
http://www.howstuffworks.com/phone-scam.htm

[start quote from www.m-w.com] * Main Entry: ser·if Pronunciation: 'ser-&f Function: noun Etymology: probably from Dutch schreef stroke, line, from Middle Dutch, from schriven to write, from Latin scribere -- more at SCRIBE Date: 1841 : any of the short lines stemming from and at an angle to the upper and lower ends of the strokes of a letter [end quote from www.m-w.com]

Examples of serif fonts: Times New Roman, Garamond, Georgia.

And now we come to sans (without) serif fonts: no little strokes (squiggles). Think plain. Examples: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana.

It's easier to read sans serif fonts than serif fonts on a monitor the resolution is so low that the serifs fade in and out). The opposite is true for printed newsletters, magazines, newspapers, etc.

1. SMALL BUSINESS RESOURCE GUIDE:
From the Internal Revenue Service. Send away for a FREE CD full of information for small biz owners.
[LINK NO LONGER VALID]

2. PRINTING FOR LESS DOT COM:
"I have used them for several high quality, color printing jobs, they charge half of what my local printer charges, their service is great, quality is great, and will take almost any type of file you send them (including MS Publisher). You see your proof online in JPEG or PDF format. Approve your proof online and they ship your order 5 days after that. Excellent customer service. I've saved my employer several thousand dollars in the last 2-3 months by using them vs. local printer."
http://printingforless.com/

3. JAMES HUGGINS:
How to combine a business website with other categories and come up with something quite effective.
http://www.jamesshuggins.com/h/bas1/home.htm

Wildlife on the roads

The Arizona Republic's July 4 issue had the following headline: "Drivers must watch for wildlife on roads."

Is there ever a time when we're driving through forest areas when we shouldn't look for deer and elk? I've never found one. And even when we're careful, things happen.

My father died in 2000. All four siblings and many family members met at Hood River, Oregon for a few days to plan and hold a memorial service. We also had our work cut out for us: clean out Dad's home up at BZ Corners, Washington. He'd lived there over 40 years, and he believed in recycling. Everything. You think I'm kidding? Not.

On a beautiful November day, we'd finally finished our project. We locked up Dad's house, and started the drive toward our motel. I rode with my brother David. Dusk fell as we slipped through Husum. Fairly thick traffic in both directions. Speed: 40-50 mph. Most vehicles had their headlights on.

Suddenly--from the right--a deer entered the highway and crashed into the car. In a split second, this huge, antlered animal flew up and barely over the car. We didn't have time to be frightened, or even to pray.

The car held steady as David gripped the wheel. Using the rearview mirror, he saw the buck land on our side of the road. This meant those directly behind us were also safe. As soon as posible, we pulled over to inspect the car. Right front fender and headlight area smashed. Hood skewed and dented, but intact. We jumped in and headed for Hood River, hearts full of thanksgiving.

We never know, do we?

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

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