Technology TidBits

OK – so what is a tiny URL, and why would I ever have a need to have one?  Well – have you ever been on a website that you thought it was interesting enough to share with others?  So you right click to copy the link – when you paste it into an email or a document, you realize it wraps so long the hyperlink either breaks, or it doesn’t copy and paste correctly into a document.

In comes Tiny URL.  Tiny URL makes a small, 26 character web address out of a long one.

Simply go to http://tinyurl.com - you will see a space to copy and paste your long URL into:

After you paste the URL into the “Enter a long URL to make tiny” field, press the “Make TinyURL!” button.

Your new URL is listed – you can cut and paste this new, short, URL into the location you wish (email, document, Twitter, Facebook, etc.) and it will open the intended website.

Want a handout?  tinyurlpdf.pdf

Ever find yourself at home and wishing you could get to your Netfiles directory on your home computer?  Well, you can!  All University computer have our VPN (Virtual Private Network) software loaded onto them - our students have all been given instructions on how to load the software on their primary laptops.  There is no limit to the number of computers you can load the software onto - here’s what you need to do to use VPN on another computer:

1.  Go to https://wwws.richmond.edu/software (note the “s” in both the https: and wwws - they’re necessary)

2.  Log in with your University NetID and password

3.  Install the PROFILE portion of the software first - install in the default location

4.  Install the CLIENT portion of the software next - unzip the software into a folder called c:\cisco - follow the prompts on the screen to finish the installation process.  Restart your computer.

Once the University’s VPN software has been successfully installed, you can:

1.  Get to your Netfiles:

a.  Click Start, choose run if using Windows XP, otherwise just type \\netfiles\users\x\xxxxx (x=the first letter of your NetID; xxxxx = your NetID

b.  You will see a box pop up to enter your credentials.  In the User field, type richmond\xxxxx (xxxxx=your NetID).  In the Password field, type your University password.

2.  Get to Library materials that are restricted for University-only use (example:  HeinOnline).

3.  Print to network printers.

Would you like a handout?  Click here:  vpnforwindows.pdf

Drop box is a free* web service where you can back up files, share files with others, and as long as you have an internet connection, save files to this location.

And it is simple simon to use.

And you can download the software to multiple computers and log in with the account you created.

How much easier can it get?

To get started, first visit Drop Box’s website to download the software:

https://www.dropbox.com/

1.  Download the software by following the links. Drop Box works on Windows, Macs, and Linux systems.

2.  Create an account - give yourself a password.  When you log in for now on, you will use the email you provided as a user name and the password you just created.

3.  And that is about it.  For Windows users, a drop box icon will appear on your desktop; for Mac users, you will be asked where you would like your drop box icon to live.

So how do you share files with others?

1.  Double-click on the private folder.

2.  Right click on the file you would like to share.

3.  Choose Drop Box.

4.  Click “Copy Public Link.”

You’ve now just created a hyperlink to the file (even though you can’t see the link until you paste it somewhere).  Within an email message or another document, right-click and choose paste - you have just pasted a direct link to that file (try it here:  http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3262389/dropbox.doc)

This works very similar to our current Nefiles sytem, except you have the opportunity to share files with folks who do not have Richmond accounts - maybe you are in a dual-degree program and want to share files with colleagues at VCU;  perhaps you’re working with Professors across law schools.  This is a quick and easy way to share files.

If you’re working on multiple computers, this is also an easy way to work on files across platforms.

And lets not forget about a nice place just to back up your My Documents folder!

*Drop Box provides 2GB of space for free - you can have a lot more; it will just cost you a bit.

I recently read an article on fun and useful shortcuts in Excel - enjoy!

CTRL — Shift & Outline border to the selected cells.

CTRL Shift # — Change Date format with day, month and year.

CTRL Shift @ — Change Time format with hour and minute, AM or PM.

CTRL Shift : – For the current time.

CTRL ; — For current date.

CTRL 9 — Hide selected rows.

CTRL 0 — Hide selected columns.

CTRL ` — Display Formulas/Alternate in the worksheet.

CTRL+K — To insert Hyperlink.

CTRL+H — Opens up the Find and Replace dialog box.

CTRL+R — Uses the Fill Right command to copy the contents and format of the leftmost cell of a selected range into the cells to the right.

CTRL+7 — Hides or displays the standard toolbar.

ALT+F1 — This creates a chart out of the data in the current range (selected cells). This is the most well-known feature of Excel, and now you know a new way to use it!

ALT+SHIFT+F1 — Inserts a new worksheet into a workbook.

F6 — Switches between the worksheet, Ribbon, task pane, and Zoom controls. This is probably the most useful shortcut of all. This cool shortcut is also the most beloved to all the anti-mouse users out there.

SHIFT+F6 – The reverse of the F6 shortcut.

CTRL+F6 – Switches to the next workbook window when multiple workbook windows are open.

CTRL+SHIFT+$ – Applies the currency format to the selected cells.

CTRL+`– Alternates between showing the value of a cell and the formula in the worksheet. Great for complex worksheets.

CTRL+D – Fill down command on the selected cells. Fill down copies the content and format of the topmost cell into the cells below.

CTRL+R – Fill right command on the selected cells. Fill right copies the content and format of the leftmost cell to the cells to the right.

We’ve all been put in the situation of needing a PDF to be a Word file.  There is a free internet service - www.pdftoword.com - that will let you convert MOST files from PDF to Word.

1. Log into the website.  Click the “browse” button to browse to the PDF file you would like to convert.
2. Choose either to convert the file to a .doc (Word) file or .rtf file.
3. Type in your email address.  Click “Convert.”

You will get an email from PDF to Word with the converted file.  Open the attachment in Word.

What else do I need to know?

1. There is a limit on the size of the file that this free service will convert (8MB).
2. Sometimes the service is unable to perform the function.  If the original document was scanned sideways, if the PDF file has a lot of handwritten information in the margins, or if none-clear text is the PDF file, the service will not be able to read the words as actual “words” but will look at the text as a image and convert it as such.
3. Works on all operating systems.
4. However, if the PDF file is a clean document, this service does a GREAT job of stripping the PDF code out of the document so it can be manipulated in Word.

Would you like a handout?  Click pdftoword.pdf

Social media tools have become very mainstream in today’s society.  Just a year and a half ago, I was about the only person my age that had a Facebook account.  I opened it in the days when you had to have an “.edu” email account to even create a profile.  I noticed a year ago that people starting coming out of the woodwork!  Folks I haven’t heard from or seen in … 20-something years.  It was great fun to catch up with folks.  It was an online high school reunion on a daily basis.

Monitoring Twitter, I came across an event being held at VCU by the Richmond Chapter of the Social Media Club EDU (geared towards those in education in one way or the other).  The event was called Tweet That!, and was moderated by Professor Messner of the Mass Communications department at VCU.  The panelist included a current student at VCU, a recent grad from UofR, a local recruiter, and a professional blogger.

I created a Twitter account and frankly, had no idea what to do with it.  I know some folks who use twitter in a way too personally (it’s really OK not to let everyone know that you had to leave a meeting because you had to throw up.  Really.).  But I started “following” people on twitter who posted on subjects that I found interesting:  good wine and instructional technology and the like.  I have sinced dropped the wine following (except for a few of my favorite tweeters!), and have focused on finding information that is useful to the Law School and the University of Richmond.

Highlights included:

Why use Web 2.0 tools?

In this context, Web 2.0 tools included using tools like Google Docs for collaborating on projects and for content sharing.  Having used Google Docs, I can vouch for its usefulness and for its ease of use as well.

Interestingly enough, some of the panelists and some of the audience felt like Professors should be teaching students how to use some social media tools in the classroom.  As a law school environment, I’m not sure how we could incorporate the teaching of these tools in a particular class, but it may be the subject of a Technology Tidbit lunchtime series class in the near future.

So what about other tools?  LinkedIn?  Twitter?  Facebook?  Flickr?  Can these tools be used professionally?  The answer is yes.

The recruiter panelist talked about these tools:

LINKEDIN

o   Build your site like an online resume.

o   Because this service is free, a lot of recruiters are using this tool to find employees.  Services such as monster.com charge hiring agencies for the use of their database.

TWITTER

o   Tweet about the content that you are interested in (some Professors tweet about their subject interests, i.e., environmental law, etc.).

o   Recruiters search for key words in Twitter.  If you’ve been active, your twitter account will come up more often.  Think of it as micro-blogging.

FACEBOOK

o   Need to draw a line between personal and professional content.

o   May keep two accounts, but you should keep them all clean.

o   Learn how to use Facebook privacy settings – THIS IS KEY, FOLKS.  Learn how to lock down your settings so only those who you WANT to see you content can.

GOOGLE ALERT

o   Use Google Alert to keep abreast of content that is posted about you online

Even though none of the panelists touched on this site, Pipl.com is a very interesting site.  It’s amazing what might be out there on you that you may not even know.

The final piece of advice the panelists gave was that it’s not necessarily to be come an expert on every social media tool.  Decide what you want to use and get good at using them.

Cross Referencing in Word 2007 is a not-so-painful task.  Attached is a document produced by the University of Wisconsin that discusses most aspects of cross referencing, including how to update the references once paragraphs have been moved. word2007-cross-referencing.pdf

Using Table of Contents in Word 2007 can be a chore.  Once you can master how Word would LIKE you to manage your TOC, however, changes can be made in a snap, and leading dots and page numbers are your friend.  word2007-creating-a-toc.doc 

Ever have a need to create a quick survey? Two popular free web services just might be able to help you with your endeavors. Wufoo and Survey Monkey both provide free survey building software; Wufoo also provides other tools you might find useful. Have a few moments to spare? Complete this survey for me:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=va40_2bnJ3OJH60MLXS5xZoQ_3d_3d

I found this great article on cross-referencing within Word 2007 – enjoy!  (http://www.legalandrew.com/2006/09/18/harness-the-power-of-word-cross-references-for-mammoth-documents/)

Cross-Referencing Information in a Word Document