Downloading Files from PWOC.org

Tech Tuesday
Aug 312010

PWOC.org hosts loads of resources for local and regional leaders, from forms to videos and everything in between. For the less tech savvy among us, though, these files are only as useful as our ability to download them to our local machine.

The specific instructions will vary depending on which web browser you are using and the personal settings within the browser, but all browsers follow the same general guidelines. In most cases, simply right-clicking the file name (or download link) will produce a contextual menu (a menu relevant to the task or application being used). From this menu, selecting the item that reads Save As, Save Target As, or something similar will save the source file to the local machine. At that point, you need to know where to find the file on your local machine and this is where many people get lost. This location is one that is set in your local preferences so could be different for each user but recent browser updates have produced pop-up notices informing you that downloading is complete. Clicking the filename in this pop-up will often open the file. Given the option, however, saving to the desktop is often the easiest way of finding the file later – just remember to re-file it to keep your desktop free of clutter.

When I click the download link, the file opens on my computer and I never get the option to download it? In reality, you have most likely downloaded the file and your computer automatically opened it. Right-clicking the download link will bypass this automatic feature and simply save the file to your hard drive.

When I try to download one of the videos, I get an error message. Videos on pwoc.org come in two different formats. Viewing the videos online requires a flash player AND Internet access, which is not available to most chapel computers. The downloaded file requires QuickTime Movie Player, which is already present on most, if not all, military computers. If it’s not already there, a simple request to the agency that manages those computers will satisfy the requirement. To get QuickTime Movie Player for a personal computer, it is available as a free download here.

When I download a form, I can’t seem to open it without error. There are typically two file formats available on pwoc.org, MS Word and PDF (there are a few exceptions, of course). The most common, and most reliable, file format is PDF (Portable Document Format) and is readable using the free Adobe Acrobat Reader available here. PDF files are not editable by the user and are not dependant on the user’s local computer to display the file correctly.

This tutorial is incomplete, at best, and is not meant to answer every question nor every situation encountered while downloading files from pwoc.org. Please take advantage of the vast resources available online through your favorite Internet search engine (Google, Yahoo, Ask, etc.).

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“Tech Tuesday” is published by Tracy Hathaway, PWOCI Web Manager. To reach Tracy with comments or questions, email her here.

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Posted by Tracy Hathaway at 12:00 pm Tagged with: , , , , , ,

Do you get overwhelmed by your Inbox(es)?

Tech Tuesday
Jul 202010

Tracy Hathaway, PWOCI Web ManagerI get anywhere from 40-50 emails on an average day. If there’s a project underway, that number can easily double and lately, there have been a lot of projects! Add in that I am responsible for SEVEN inboxes and I could justifiably lose my mind. But, when it comes to my digi work, I am über-organized. Today, I’m going to share some tips to help you keep your email traffic under control.

My first tip for staying organized is to employ the use of a Mail Client. A Mail Client is an application that runs on a personal computer or workstation and enables you to send, receive and organize e-mail. You may recognize the name Outlook or Outlook Express, which are both mail clients offered in the Microsoft Office suite. These aren’t the only mail clients, however, and you certainly don’t have to pay for a good mail client.

According to About.Com, the top 3 free Mail Clients available for Windows are:
1.    Mozilla Thunderbird
2.    Windows Mail
3.    Eudora (Sponsored Mode)

If you’re on a Mac, About.Com lists the following as the top 3 free Mail Clients available for download:
1.    Mac OS X Mail
2.    Mozilla Thunderbird
3.    Eudora (Sponsored Mode)

In short, these applications allow you to collect your email on your desktop without manually logging in to the Internet. If you have an open Internet connection, DSL or Broadband, the application automatically checks your inbox on regular intervals and reports new emails when they arrive. Cool stuff!

Building on the first, my second tip is to use the features of your Mail Client to help you stay organized. Features that I could never live without are:

1.    Folders & Subfolders
Once you’ve read an email, it’s marked as ‘Read’ then gets lost into oblivion, right? Not with Folders. I’ve created a variety of folders relevant to the various roles and projects that I have and along with ‘Rules,’ explained below, they get filed away in logical, easy to search folders for future reference.

2.    Search feature
This feature can be used to search in an almost infinite variety of ways: From, To, Subject, Folder, Keywords, Date, Account, etc. Practically speaking, a friend emailed her new telephone number but I hadn’t transferred it to my cell phone. Within a few keystrokes, I had the email and the phone number. Very cool.

3.   Rules (also Filtering Rules)
I can’t say for sure how many mail clients have this feature, but for my money, it’s priceless! Since I have seven email addresses to monitor, I use Rules to automatically organize my incoming mail. For instance, in my role with the PWOC Graphics Team, my counterpart and I can exchange 20+ emails in a few hours’ time. I have a rule that automatically files any email from her to a folder of the same name. Any email that arrives from my Web Manager inbox, automatically gets filed into a folder of that name. I even have a folder for emails from my husband!

4.    Customized mail views
Since I have my Mail Client collect messages from seven difference inboxes, I find it much easier to view my unread emails using the Unread Mail customized view. This view categorizes my messages by the folder they’ve been filed to, which makes it infinitely easier to prioritize the messages that need my immediate attention and which messages can wait.

5.    Address Book
Do I need to explain this one? I love having my address book available to me no matter what I’m doing. It’s available to every email account and doesn’t have to be rebuilt every time I change or add an inbox. In fact, mine is comprehensive. I include mailing addresses, phone numbers, etc. AND I have it synched to my phone so that I have the most up-to-date info available to me no matter where I am.

6.    Groups
Referring back to the Address Book, Groups is a feature that allows you to create a shortcut group for sending messages. For instance, as Regional Secretary, I send emails to all of my local secretaries from time to time. I have a group created such that all I have to enter into the ‘To’ field is ‘PWOC Local Secretaries’ and the application automatically fills in the many addresses. Brilliant!

7.    Redirect
Okay, there’s no feature by this name, that’s what I call it. I changed personal email addresses a few months ago and am trying to ditch the old one. The trouble is that a few people haven’t deleted that old address from their address book so I still get messages to it. If I reply to the message from that inbox, the problem will just perpetuate, right? Mail Client’s give you the option to reply to any message from the account of your choice. For instance, I receive an email in my old account (into my mail client) and I want to reply. After I click the ‘Reply’ button, I simply change the account from which the reply will be sent. At that point, I can simply ask the sender to delete the old address and replace it with the one from the address line.

8.    Flags
I don’t use this feature a great deal but when I do, it comes in so handy! There are certain messages that you just know you’ll need to read again, right? I recently received an email from our PWOC International Advisor on a policy ruling. Given the nature of the message, I knew I’d want to find it easily again in the future. Filing it in a folder was the first step but giving it a priority flag makes it so much easier to find that no matter how much time passes, I’ll be able to locate that message within a few easy keystrokes.

9.    Keep it Open
Even if I’m not on my laptop during the day (which is rare!), I can still keep up with my incoming mail easily. By keeping my Mail Client open, it will automatically check my various inboxes and alert me to new messages so that as I walk by my laptop, I can glance at the screen and see if there’s something that needs my immediate attention. By closing your Mail Client each time you use it, you are defeating the main reason you even have one…to simplify the process of checking email! Waiting for the application to open is little different than logging in to an internet based account. Keep it simple and keep it open.

10.     Other Features
Mail Clients often have other features that may include calendar, task manager, to do lists, etc. I know that my husband uses the calendar feature of his mail client to keep his busy schedule organized. He also has it synched to his smart phone so that he always knows where he’s supposed to be, even if he’s not!

To learn more about each of these features, harness the power of the Internet and your favorite search engine. Simply enter the name of your Mail Client and the feature you want to learn more about, and you’ll be amazed at the wealth of information that pops up.

Don’t let the fear of the unknown keep you from these cool time-saving features. They really are easy to employ and can save you a tremendous amount of time and frustration.

Send comments to Tracy here.

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Email Etiquette - Do you Forward?

Tech Tuesday
Jul 132010

Tracy Hathaway, PWOCI Web ManagerI think everyone has a family member that seems to forward every joke they’ve ever received clogging up your inbox with messages you’ll never have the time to read. My advice? Don’t be that person!

Clean Up Emails Before Forwarding Them
Forwarding emails is a great way of sharing ideas, but make sure the original idea is not hidden in obfuscation.

Remove All Email Addresses When You Forward a Message
Share the message, not email addresses when forwarding an email.

Don’t Forward Hoaxes
Always verify authenticity before forwarding any story or warning.

Use Current Antivirus Software, Keep it Up to Date, Scan for Free
Make sure you’re not spreading worms and viruses via email or act as a vehicle for spreading spam. All this can be caused by malicious emails. Fortunately, there’s protection.

Source: About.Com

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RSS? Feed? Speak English, Please!

Tech Tuesday
Jul 062010

Tracy Hathaway, PWOCI Web ManagerThis one is for those of you new to blogging (and, yes, that is a verb!). If you follow only one blog, it’s not difficult to open that page each day to check for new entries; however, if you are like me and  follow more than twenty blogs, this can absorb a tremendous amount of time that you’d rather spend doing something else. Mix in that many bloggers don’t add new posts every day and you’ve wasted time navigating to their page only to find nothing new. Ugh!

Enter Blog Readers, an ingenious techie tool! There are many Blog Readers on the internet so just enter ‘Blog Reader’ into your favorite search engine to find a list of options. I like integration so I use the one that fits in with all of the other online business that I do, but that’s certainly not a requirement.

What does a Reader do exactly?
A Blog Reader makes checking a list of Blog entries as easy as checking your email. In one place, you have a list of all the blogs you follow and the reader will alert you to new entries by making the related title bold, just like email! Simply click the bold title, and read the entry. Voila! It’s really that easy!

How do I get started using a Reader?
Looking toward the upper right of the PWOC Blog page (above the Search box), you’ll find a Subscribe link that looks like this:

Subscribe Link

Clicking this image will return the many Reader options from which to choose and selecting the Reader of your choice will subscribe the PWOC Blog to your Reader. From here, you simply check in with your Blog Reader daily to find what’s new in your Blog world.

Disclaimer: This has in no way been a step-by-step tutorial for establishing a Blog Reader account. For more detailed instructions, there is a virtual mountain of information available online found by using your favorite search engine as described above.

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Posted by Tracy Hathaway at 2:00 am Tagged with: , ,

PWOC.org mailboxes

Tech Tuesday
Jun 152010

New local leadership teams are stepping into place now and will be training up over the summer as they prepare for the fall semester. Each region is hosting a W.I.L.D. Leadership Weekend for training these teams and it will be a time of great fun, fellowship and rich learning.

One of the first things a team needs to establish, however, is communication and perhaps that can’t wait until your W.I.L.D. weekend so here’s a quick tip to get you on the road to communications success.

Each local installation worldwide has been issued a pwoc.org mailbox. The mailbox username will match the installation name followed by ‘@pwoc.org.’ For example, Fort Bragg’s webmail address is Bragg@pwoc.org. Identifiers like Fort, AFB, NAS, etc. have been eliminated for these addresses. Other mailboxes used on the local level (that do not end with @pwoc.org) should be phased out over time.

Transitioning to these new mailboxes has multiple benefits, as follows:

  • Communication within PWOC is streamlined, as the local PWOC email address would never change. Communication from International or Regional leadership is more reliable and local leaders would be easier to find for ladies new to the installation looking for PWOC;
  • Using an installation email address on the PWOC website’s Installation Locator, and other locations on the website, eliminates the need to update information with each rotation of local leaders, and the lag time of communicating those changes;
  • Using installation email addresses allows us to eliminate personal email addresses on the PWOC website;
  • When doing PWOC business with outside vendors, using the PWOC email address gives credibility to the ministry and to those doing business on the ministry’s behalf;
  • Local PWOC’s can use this new email address in publicity efforts (ie. newspaper) again eliminating the use of personal contact information in public media.

If you are a new local leader and haven’t received information about your official webmail account, please reach out to your regional administrative coordinator to get up to speed as soon as possible. Remember, there are many families PCS’ing this summer and some of them may be looking for you!

Find contact info for regional leadership teams here.

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“Tech Tuesday” is published one Tuesday each month. To reach Tracy with comments or questions, email her here.

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Posted by Tracy Hathaway at 12:47 am Tagged with: , , , ,

My favorite keystroke

Tech Tuesday
Jun 082010

It’s a beautiful thing. Our relationship took root in high school typing class. The typing lab had just received two or three computers but the teacher didn’t really know how to use them. I did. My mom was working on a computer science degree around this time so I was very familiar with the computer’s features and benefits…namely, the backspace or delete key! Do you know how much better your typing score gets when you can use the backspace key! For those too young to remember the time when IBM referred to a typewriter more than a huge corporation, typing time tests did not allow for corrections; errors in typing lowered your score. On the computer, however, there was no tracking errors, only final output. To me, this golden nugget felt like the key to the Teacher’s Lounge.

As my digital relationship grew and developed, a close relative to the backspace key emerged…the Undo command. No matter how far down that dark digital alley you travel, the Undo command is waiting to bail you out. Yes, there can be limitations in some programs but in most cases, the Undo command will respond to your digital 911 in less time than it takes your heart rate to accelerate.

The key to the Undo command is this: you loose the ability to use it when you close your file. So if you do something that produces scary results, don’t close your file in a panic. Instead, give the Undo command a go at the problem and see if it works.

On the PC, the Undo shortcut is Control+Z, Command+Z on the MAC.

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“Tech Tuesday” is published every Tuesday. To reach Tracy with comments or questions, email her here.

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Posted by Tracy Hathaway at 12:30 am Tagged with: , , ,

Bugs, Viruses, Worms – Oh, My!

Tech Tuesday
Jun 012010

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, by 2008, more than 75% of American households owned a computer. If the growth trend set by the previous years held true, easily 80% of all American households own a computer in 2010. For those that mean to reach Americans with less-than-pure intentions, reaching them through their computers would provide a very efficient vehicle.

Although computer viruses date back to 1971, the phrase computer virus went mainstream in 1984. By 1986, viruses hit personal computers and were largely spread by floppy disks. Remember those? Anti-virus software didn’t arrive until 1990. Up to that point, viruses were known to wipe out entire mainframes and some writers demanded payment for the removal of the virus they had written. In 1999, the author of a virus spread through Outlook was jailed for 20 months after causing over $80 million in damages across thousands of PCs. The Code Red worm of 2001 caused over $2 billion dollars in damage as it spread to thousands of Windows servers. In November 2008, one very salacious worm infected 9-15 million Microsoft Servers around the world including those of the French Navy, UK Ministry of Defence (including Royal Navy warships and submarines), Sheffield Hospital network, German Bundeswehr (Federal Police Force) and the Norwegian Police.

Virus writers keep virus protection software writers very busy and are always playing catch-up. Once virus protection software writers learn of a new virus release, they write new code to combat the virus and clean the PC. In response to this, the virus authors write and release another new virus and so the cycle continues. It’s enough to make your head spin!

How do you, as an average computer user, protect yourself in such a rapid environment? My first recommendation is to purchase and install a full-spectrum Internet security package on your PC. As you will quickly see, there are scads of these packages to choose from. Which one is the best? Ask ten people and you’ll get ten answers. Beware of the novice user that highly recommends a particular title over all others! When asking for and receiving advice from others, make sure the source of your advice is qualified to give it! Remember, too, that commercials and ads are meant to convince you to buy a product and to saturate the market with its name. Beware of packages that are popular simply for their ad campaign or package labeling. That doesn’t mean they have the best product, it simply means they have the best marketing department!

A little known fact, and I can’t figure why it’s so little known, is that most Internet Service Providers (ISP) offer a security package as a member benefit. In most cases, the consumer is already paying for this service but hasn’t activated it. In my experience, these packages exceed those available on the retail market. If you think about it, it’s in the ISP’s best interest to keep you and their network clean so relying on their timeliness is often a safe bet. If you are unsure if your ISP offers such a benefit, just give them a call. They’ll walk you through the whole process. Again, it’s in their own best interest, right?

My Mother-in-Law has a saying, “If one is good, two is better!” Not in this case! Choose one all-around package and remove any others from your PC. Do not overlap as this has the potential to bog down and lock up your system. Don’t invite the blue screen of death!

Everything to this point has been PC related, that is, Personal Computer running a version of the Windows Operating System. What about Mac? Isn’t a Mac at risk, also? The answer is no, and yes. Most virus writers target PCs since they represent market dominance, over 90%. Writers target the largest possible population since disabling 10% of the market would barely make the local news. For the writers that do write for the Mac, the Mac operating system has built-in features protecting it from attacks. Whether an add-in security suite is necessary at this time for a Mac gets mixed answers so it becomes a question of personal preference.

At the end of the day, this is not an issue you can choose to ignore. Ignore it and you’ll get it!

computer viruses: a computer program that can copy itself onto a computer without the permission or knowledge of the user. Viruses could be introduced to your computer from a disk, flash drive, CD.

computer worms: Similar to a computer virus but a worm can “Self replicate” itself to other computers throughout a computer network without any user involvement.

trojan horse: Just like the mythological Trojan Horse, these programs appear to be useful free downloads but when you download them to your computer you also download other unwanted and malicious programs onto your computer. Trojans could thus be used to install all kinds of malware onto your computer.

spyware: Malware that is downloaded to your computer with the purpose of tracking or recording the user’s activities without the user’s consent. Such malicious software could be used to log keystrokes to get passwords, or just track internet search histories to target pop-up advertisements.

adware: Some free downloads from the internet will ask the user for consent to install spyware software on the users computer as part of the download agreement.  Such software is usually referred to as adware instead of spyware since the user has given consent to be tracked in exchange for some free software

web cookies: These are usually harmless bits of text that are downloaded automatically whenever you open a website. The cookie is used to track your visits to a specific website.  The creators of websites use cookies to gather data about who and how often their website is being accessed.

Sources: 180techtips.com, Internet.Cytalk.com, pc-history.org

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“Tech Tuesday” is published every Tuesday. To reach Tracy with comments or questions, email her here.

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Posted by Tracy Hathaway at 12:09 am Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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