• Intro
  
• Interview - Jackie McCutcheon of Web Design and More
  
• The Office Corner
  
• Fr=e Stuff
  
• Grammar Question of the Month - Is "staff" singular or plural?
  
• Tech Tips by Terence Kierans - Changing text size
  
• Tech Corner
  
• Writing Corner
  
• Trivia
  
• Word of the Month - Hyperbole
  
• Recommendations
  
• Judy's Corner
  

* The finalist in last month's book drawing is Theresa Coscia, who also won last month's Natural Choice Dog Biscuits drawing. She's "The Secretary You've Always Wanted!" and her business phone in the Phoenix area is 602-249-0126.

* Want to learn more about our Terence Kierans, our Tech Tips guru?
Read this interview: http://tinyurl.com/b3ui

* Welcome to Web developer Jackie McCutcheon. She's featured in this month's interview area. Jackie designs websites and creates logos, and has a niche market in cgi and php scripting. I've come to respect and trust her, and use her services whenever I need cgi help. She works with scripts from software developers like Will Bontrager, http://www.willmaster.com. To learn more about Jackie, go to http://www.webdesignandmore.com.

1. What prompted you to search for a program like csPublisher?

Many of my clients wanted a way to update their web site content without having to call me or sending me emails with attachments. Also, they wanted to be able to do it without learning HTML or how to FTP.

2. What are its best features?

I believe the best feature of csPublisher is the fact that it is an online WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) HTML Editor. If the office manager can use Microsoft Word, they can use this program. The other features that really impress me are:

• It is installed on the server so the user does not need to install software on their computer.
• The user can create new pages using a template that I have designed for them. This means that their original design is consistent throughout their whole site.
• The user can also insert images. This has always been the hardest part for my clients - inserting and uploading images.

3. What types of clients use it, and what is their feedback?

Office managers, small business owners, and I even have a client who is a writer using it. Their feedback has been wonderful. They love the freedom the program has given them, allowing them to concentrate on running their business. My clients love the fact that they are saving money. They can spend more money on advertising and search engine marketing with nothing going to the web site maintenance budget.

4. I understand you have a csPublisher help file on your site for your clients.

Yes. It helps people make better decisions about whether this is the right software for them. It's at: http://tinyurl.com/b3vt.

5. What if people want to buy csPublisher?

They can go to http://www.cgiscript.net/ - and they also install the script free. Before people buy csPublisher, however, they need to determine that their Web hosts have a cgi-bin. (We install cgi scripts regularly, and only install scripts on Unix and Linux servers.)

6. You mention that you also install cgi scripts. Where can people find out more about what you do?

They can go here: http://tinyurl.com/b3vp. On the same page, we have access to our own secure FTP site, so people do not have to send us sensitive information via email.

1. LOOKWAYUP DICTIONARY/THESAURUS AND TRANSLATION: is a large online English dictionary that tolerates small spelling errors (U.S. or international), shows definitions for multiple senses of the word, and for each sense shows synonyms, related terms, and usage examples. It optionally translates that sense to French, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, or German or vice-versa. Within the dictionary, you can double-click on any word in the definition to define it.
http://lookwayup.com/free/dictionary.htm

2. RECORD RETENTION FOR BUSINESSES: General suggestions and guidelines on items to be included in the record retention policy and time periods to be used.
http://www.document-management-systems.com/retention1.html

* Last month Kathy Podolski of Natural Choice K-9 Cookies gave away a generous supply of dog treats to to miniature sheltie, Tasha, whose owner is Theresa Coscia of the Phoenix, Arizona area. Kathy is repeating the offer this month. The THIRD person to contact her at the following email address gets $30 worth of natural dog treats mailed, postage paid.
nd-info@naturaldogtreats.com?subject=judy

FR~E BOOK! Subscribers are eligible to sign up to win a fr~e 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, a Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, or Allan Wyatt's book, "Word 2002 Beginner's Guidebook."
http://www.vitalnews.com/wordtips/ Sign up once a month at http://www.ossweb.com/freebook.html - Winners announced here!

Q. Which is correct - staff are or staff is?

A. Staff is a collective noun. When it is the subject and it refers to the group acting as a whole group or single unit, the verb is singular. Occasionally it refers to members acting individually. In that case, the verb is plural.

Source: Prentice Hall Reference Guide to Grammar and Usage, fifth edition, by Muriel Harris

Sure, we all know how to change text size in MS Publisher. Select the text; then in the Font Size box on the Formatting toolbar choose -or type-the text size you want.

There is an easier and quicker way to increment or decrement the font size by one point at a time. To increase the selected text by one point press Ctrl + ]; to decrease, press Ctrl + [. Holding down the appropriate keys rapidly scales the font size up or down depending on your keyboard repetition rate setting.

This tip works for MS Word too.

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

1. WEBMASTER'S COLOR LABORATORY: Color references that help you make the most informed choices when designing websites, whether you're using the 216 web-safe color palette or not.
http://www.visibone.com/colorlab/

2. TASK LIST: In-house database provides guidance on the usefulness or not of programs in Task Manager, and suggested removal procedures when recommended.
http://www.answersthatwork.com/Tasklist_pages/tasklist.htm

1. THE STORY STARTER: Allows kids (of all ages) to have a fun way to start a story. By Joel Heffner.
http://www.joelheffner.com/starter.htm

2. AN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CLAIMS, FRAUDS AND HOAXES OF THE OCCULT AND SUPERNATURAL: James Randi Educational Foundation
http://jref.sawco.com/FMPro?-db=ency.fm&-format=list.htm&-findall=f

3. SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY RESEARCH DATABASE: Online access to over 55,000 historical and critical items about science fiction, fantasy and horror. Compiled by Hal W. Hall
http://library.tamu.edu/cushing/sffrd/

1. DUCT TAPE FASHION: Know someone who can fix anything with duct tape? Give them the ultimate Duct Tape Gift!
http://www.ducttapefashion.com/

2. PROBLEM BEHAVIOR IN CATS: You can't discipline cats as you would dogs. Dogs form social hierarchies that you can take advantage of by placing yourself at the top. Cats form social groups only by necessity and the arrangement is based on respecting territory, not by respecting the "top dog". Many mistakes made with cats are due to thinking that they will react like dogs.
http://www.fanciers.com/cat-faqs/behavior.shtml

3. THE EXERCISE AND PHYSICAL FITNESS PAGE: Offered by the Department of Kinesiology and Health, Georgia State University.
http://www.gsu.edu/~wwwfit/strength.html

Main Entry: hy·per·bo·le
Pronunciation: hI-'p&r-b&-(")lE
Function: noun
Etymology: Latin, from Greek hyperbolE excess[TMK1], hyperbole, hyperbola, from hyperballein to exceed, from hyper- + ballein to throw
Date: 15th century
: extravagant exaggeration (as "mile-high ice-cream cones")
- hy·per·bo·list /-list/ noun

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

1. GOOGLE LANGUAGE TOOLS: Translates short amounts of text or an entire Web page using over 30 languages.
http://www.google.com/language_tools

2. KNOWX: Instant access to comprehensive national (U.S.) public record information. Most initial searches at no cost.
http://www.knowx.com/

3. WATCHTHATPAGE: Monitor pages, extract new information. It enables you to automatically collect new information from your favorite Web pages. You select which pages to monitor, and WatchThatPage will find which pages have changed, and collect all the new content for you in an email and/or a personal Web page. You can specify when the changes will be collected, so they're fresh when you want to read them. No cost.
http://www.watchthatpage.com/

April segued nicely into May here in Arizona. We've had some gorgeous weather. And in chatting with clients around the country, I've found that spring has arrived. Beautiful plants and flowers push their way up through the soil to better meet the sun's cheerful rays. It's a time of new beginnings.

What about our businesses? It's easy to be sidetracked by secondary issues and lose our focus. Let's agree to remember the value of our clients and customers, and to stay in touch with them.

I don't know about you, but I often forget to drop an email, postcard, or letter to let my clients know they are appreciated. I think about them with warmth, but I don't always take time to convey that message. How about you? Do you express appreciation frequently? How? I'll publish your responses in the next issue of Communication Expressway.

mailto:judyvorfeld@ossweb.com?Subject=Expressing_Appreciation

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