Education

A unique educational event in a local and cost-effective location. Here's the conference flyer. I plan to participate and I hope you can too.

SPEAKEASY GEEK

Having a Hard Time relating to the Geeky Computer terms being used by software application providers? Try this page for some simple explanations for non-geeks.

Keep Up To Date -with too much data

Does your group have a hard time keeping up with all the various ISM information and educational materials? If you do, try setting up a simple communication team to gather and redistribute important news. Each team member ends up with a relatively simple task for about an hour each month. The group ends up hearing about important information as it happens. Here is the recommendation for setting up the communication team.

Personal Development

Pay the Man - for using his software!

A member of my professional network recently sent me a reminder about this article I wrote back in 1998 when we were all working hard to predict and address Y2K issues [does anyone besides me remember the Y2K hype?] Back then, the internet was only just beginning to explode. Today, interactive services, remote databases and shared online applications are ubiquitous. People log-in both at home and at the office to do online banking, online ordering, qualification training, resume building, job posting, package tracking, booking travel reservations, expense reporting and even manage HR departments.

Ever wonder what happened to all this data we provide to the internet? I hope you do. How web sites protect our personal data privacy is definitely a mission critical topic. I've updated the article with some ideas for contract language to protect the company. Read more....

ISM News

Notes from the ISM Leadership Workshop in Las Vegas: Click Here

Don't Miss the Affiliate Support Web Seminar!

Not able to attend all the sessions you wanted to at this year's ISM Leadership Training Workshops? Well, here's an opportunity to put all the pieces in place at one of the Affiliate Support Web Seminars offered on:

August 15, 2006 at 2:00 p.m. CDT
August 17, 2006 at 9:00 a.m. CDT
Topics of discussion will include:

Online membership reporting

Online membership reports - how to access, how to use

Membership recruitment mailings

Affiliate Resources area of the ISM Web site

ISM invoices and statements

Other issues resulting from the Leadership Training Workshops

Additional information will become available online at www.ism.ws, Members Only, Affiliate Resources.

Keep Up With Certification Changes

Did you know that you can sign up to receive a free quarterly newsletter about ISM certification programs. Get the latest news about C.P.M. testing and training as well as keep up with the development of the new Certified Professional in Supply Management (CPSM) program. Sign up on line at: http://www.ism.ws/certification/signup.cfm

Career Challenges?

Did you know that ISM maintains a Career Center which connects ISM members to companies with posted positions in Supply Chain Management. ISM members can log in and post a resume, scan job postings and even get help writing a resume. It’s free to ISM members at: https://www.ism.ws/careercenter/JobSeekers.cfm?navItemNumber=12939

Hotlinks

Many months ago we spoke about using the Outlook and Word mail merge feature to send personalized email messages to many people on a mailing list. I found a Microsoft article which has a detailed explanation.
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/assistance/HA011464811033.aspx
A collection of Word tips and Tricks by people who make a living consulting about WORD.
http://word.mvps.org/index.html

Software Tips

I've started a collection of software tips from my various newsletters so you can find them all in one place. These are meant to be geeky correct, and are written for us common folks. Feel free to use any or all in your affiliate newsletters or pass them along to your colleagues and professional network. Here's the collection I've started.

A Different Way to Search

Sometimes the best way to find something on the internet is not the most intuitive. Can't find a specific vendor's web site by searching with keywords? Try searching with Google using the phone or fax number.

Example: A friend recommended I call a vendor and gave me the phone number 800-591-0048. I tried searching for the vendor's web site in Google by using keywords. I got hundreds of hits and couldn't figure out which site was the right one

So instead; I did a Google search on the phone number. Since the phone number was listed on the vendor's web site, I easily found the right one.

Here's the tricks: 1) Don't put in hyphens or slashes, they can confuse Google; leave spaces instead. 2) Put the phone or fax number inside of quotation marks. Try this one : "509 375 0414"

Work Menu in Word

Over the past few years, I've recommended that people turn on and start using the WORD WORK menu.

It's one of the tricks that I find most useful in WORD.

The menu stores a list of documents that I will be working on frequently.

Examples:
- Weekly highlights that will be updated daily
- Process Guides that I am receiving comments on
- An RFP or Contract that is being drafted as information arrives
- Documents I've started then got interrupted

Here's how:

On the View menu select TOOLBARS and then CUSTOMIZE.

In the Customize dialog box, select the command tab and BUILT IN MENUS.

Find the WORK menu and drag it to a position on a Word toolbar you are using.

The close the dialog boxes.

To add an open document to the Work menu, just click the command in the Work menu.

Outlook Trick: Schedule delivery of a specific message

Problem: I want to prepare a message now while I'm thinking about it, but I don't want to send it until later.

Solution: Prepare the message and select message option DO NOT DELIVER BEFORE: date&time. When you are finished; send the message.

How: The Options button is located on the message toolbar when you are preparing a message.

What happens: Outlook stores the outgoing message in your Outlook OUTBOX folder. Then sends it at the date and time you selected.

Why would I want to do this? A few examples:

I am talking with someone and offer to send a reminder later. Type the message now and schedule outlook to deliver the reminder later - message says: " This is the reminder for us to talk after the UPS delivery and check on package xyz."

I decide this morning that I want to send a PC tip to people on Friday. Instead of creating a task to remind me to send the message, I can type the message now and schedule it to be delivered on Friday so I don't have to do anything more on Friday other than just log in to my email.

I decide on Monday to send a reminder to a group of people on Friday

NOTES:

Outlook must be running for Outlook to send the message. I can't pretend I was working at midnight by having Outlook send message to my manager at midnight - although I could probably figure a way to work around this limitation for a few special friends.

If you want to delay sending all messages for a few minutes - while you rethink a curt and career-limiting response - use the tip below/

In either case, Outlook stores the message in your Outlook OUTBOX folder. If you want to review, change or cancel the message just open the OUTBOX and either edit or delete the message.

If I do not have Outlook running at the time the message is supposed to be delivered, Outlook will send it the next time Outlook starts

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Provide Feedback and suggestions for future newsletters at any time. I'll try and use what I can.

I really do appreciate those of you who take the time to write and comment on this newsletter!

TTFN,

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	MLTWEB is assembled and maintained by Michael L. Taylor, C.P.M.
	Materials and articles prepared by Mike may be shared for purchasing education provided that this source is cited and no fee is charged. The rights for any other use are withheld.
	Copyright; Michael L. Taylor, C.P.M.
	Last Updated: 10/06/2006