Frankston Library Seniors Computer Club

Seniors Event at the Library

noreply@blogger.com (library) — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 04:56:00 +0000

FRANKSTON SENIORS FESTIVAL
OCTOBER 3 - 14

Technology - Where do I start?

Wednesday, 12 October 2011

Join this information session to give you advice and guidance when purchasing technology such as computers or mobile phones.

Venue: Frankston Library, 60 Playne Street, Frankston (Melway Ref: 100A D8)
Time: 10:00am
Cost: Free

For more information:

http://www.frankston.vic.gov.au/Aged_Services/Activities_Events_and_Awards/index.aspx

noreply@blogger.com (library) — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 04:45:00 +0000

File Formats

A file format is a particular way that information is encoded for storage in a computer file.
Since a disk drive, or indeed any computer storage, can store only bits, the computer must have some way of converting information to 0s and 1s and vice-versa. There are different kinds of formats for different kinds of information. Within any format type, e.g., word processor documents, there will typically be several different formats. Sometimes these formats compete with each other.
File formats are divided into proprietary and open formats.
Generality
Some file formats are designed for very particular sorts of data: PNG files, for example, store bitmapped images using lossless data compression. Other file formats, however, are designed for storage of several different types of data: the Ogg format can act as a container for many different types of multimedia, including any combination of audio and/or video, with or without text (such as subtitles), and metadata. A text file can contain any stream of characters, encoded for example as ASCII or Unicode, including possible control characters. Some file formats, such as HTML, Scalable Vector Graphics and the source code of computer software, are also text files with defined syntaxes that allow them to be used for specific purposes.
Identifying the type of a file
A method is required to determine the format of a particular file within the filesystem—an example of metadata. Different operating systems have traditionally taken different approaches to this problem, with each approach having its own advantages and disadvantages.
Of course, most modern operating systems, and individual applications, need to use all of these approaches to process various files, at least to be able to read 'foreign' file formats, if not work with them completely.

References:

Wikipedia
The Computer School

Memory storage

noreply@blogger.com (library) — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 04:30:00 +0000

Computer data storage, often called storage or memory, refers to computer components and recording media that retain digital data. Data storage is one of the core functions and fundamental components of computers.
In contemporary usage, memory usually refers to semiconductor storage random-access memory, typically DRAM (Dynamic-RAM). Memory can refer to other forms of fast but temporary storage. Storage refers to storage devices and their media not directly accessible by the CPU, (secondary or tertiary storage) — typically hard disk drives, optical disc drives, and other devices slower than RAM but more permanent.[1] Historically, memory has been called main memory, real storage or internal memory while storage devices have been referred to as secondary storage, external memory or auxiliary/peripheral storage.
Many different forms of storage, based on various natural phenomena, have been invented. So far, no practical universal storage medium exists, and all forms of storage have some drawbacks. Therefore a computer system usually contains several kinds of storage, each with an individual purpose.
A digital computer represents data using the binary numeral system. Text, numbers, pictures, audio, and nearly any other form of information can be converted into a string of bits, or binary digits, each of which has a value of 1 or 0. The most common unit of storage is the byte, equal to 8 bits. A piece of information can be handled by any computer whose storage space is large enough to accommodate the binary representation of the piece of information, or simply data. For example, using eight million bits, or about one megabyte, a typical computer could store a short novel.
Traditionally the most important part of every computer is the central processing unit (CPU, or simply a processor), because it actually operates on data, performs any calculations, and controls all the other components. The CPU consists of two (2) main parts: Control Unit and Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU). The former controls the flow of data between the CPU and memory whilst the latter is used for performing arithmetic and logical operations on data.

References:

Wikipedia
Microsoft Help

MARCH 2011 - Email

noreply@blogger.com (library) — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 02:46:00 +0000

Email electronic mail. The service that allows you to send messages and more all over the world in most cases instantaneously.

Every email user will have their own email address. An email address is made up of three parts.

1 – An ID (e.g. janedoe31)

2 – An @ symbol

3 – Details about where the email account is with (e.g. Yahoo.com.au)

There are a number of free Web-based email accounts you can sign up for. For example:

Yahoo
Hotmail
Gmail

Email electronic mail. The service that allows you to send messages and more all over the world in most cases instantaneously.

Every email user will have their own email address. An email address is made up of three parts.

1 – An ID (e.g. janedoe31)

2 – An @ symbol

3 – Details about where the email account is with (e.g. Yahoo.com.au)

There are a number of free Web-based email accounts you can sign up for. For example:

Yahoo
Hotmail
Gmail

*What are the basic rules?
How you use Internet communication tools will leave an impression on others. Although we all make the occasional typographical error now and then, misspelling every other word you type can be irritating to others if they have to constantly try to figure out what it is you're saying.

There are some basic netiquette rules that you should follow:

Use sentence case - that is the normal combination of upper and lower case letters used in sentences. When you capitalise words you are yelling and NO ONE LIKES TO BE YELLED AT! On the other hand, typing in all lower case is considered to be mumbling.

Keep your messages short and to the point. For many Internet users, time is money, keeping messages short means they will download faster.

Do not use abusive, racist or offensive terms. Remember the Internet is a public place, accessed by millions everyday and what may seem quite tame to you may offend others.

When first entering a chat room, it is a good idea to just simply type the word 'hello' and then wait and read the conversation for a few minutes. This gives you an idea as to what the current conversation is about, before you start adding your own comments.

Always stick to the subject of the newsgroup. People join a newsgroup because the topic interests them, they don't want to read off unrelated topic postings.

Be forgiving of others' mistakes. If someone makes a mistake, do not bombard them with messages about the mistake.

The written word can easily be misunderstood. Use emoticons to display emotions.

* Source http://www.westone.wa.gov.au/intotheinternet

Microsoft Word Hints and Tips - September 2010

noreply@blogger.com (library) — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 02:27:00 +0000

Menu Bars and Toolbars

The Menu Bar
A Menu displays a set of commands. The Menu Bar is located at the top of an application window and it contains the menus for that application.

To use the Menu Bar, click on one of the menu titles. A dropdown list will appear from which you can choose a task. For example, by clicking on File, a dropdown list of tasks will appear.

To open a file that is already stored on your computer, from this menu you can click Open. If you wanted to save the document you are currently using, you can click Save.

Toolbars
In contrast to the Menu Bar, a Toolbar is a combination of menus and buttons that perform actions when clicked. The most common toolbars used in Microsoft Word are Standard Toolbar and Format Toolbar.
To be able to use the toolbars in Microsoft Word efficiently, you will need to learn to recognize the images and what task each one performs when clicked. In the meantime, however, letting the mouse pointer hover over the icon will provide you with an indication, in words, of what the icon will do.

To perform the task represented by a toolbar icon, simply single click with the left mouse button on the toolbar image.

Open and Save a Document

Now that you are familiar with the Menu Bar and have your Toolbars set as you like them, we need to learn how we can start to use Microsoft Word to type up a document. To make effective use of Microsoft Word, you will need to learn how to save the document you are working on for later use and be able to retrieve it. Basic file management is, therefore, the focus of this section of the module.

Open a New Document

1. Click on the File menu.
2. Select New from the dropdown list. This will open a New Document window.
3. Click Blank Document.

Note:
You can also click the New Blank Document icon from the Standard toolbar.

Save a New Document

1. Click on the File menu.
2. Select Save from the dropdown list . It will open a Save As window for you.
3. In the Save In field, select the location where you want to save your file.
4. Type the name of the file, in the File Name field.
5. Press the Save button.

Note:
To save a copy of your file, repeat this procedure, but you will have to save your document with a new name, otherwise it will overwrite the original document.

Save an Existing document

Once you have saved a document with a certain name, if you make some changes in it, you will need to save the document again. To do this, click on the File menu, click Save. Alternatively, you can click the Save Icon on the Standard toolbar, or, hold down the Ctrl key and the S key on the keyboard at the same time.

Open an Existing Document

1. Click on the File menu.
2. Select Open.
3. Click on the drop down arrow in front of the Look in field and find the file that you wish to
open or the folder that is located in.
4. Click on the file or folder that you wish to open. (When you click on a folder, the name of the
folder will be displayed automatically in the File name field).
5. Press the Open button.

Note:
If you know the name of your file, you can type the name directly into the File Name field. You can then select the Type of file, for example select all word documents and finally click Open.

Highlight, Delete and Insert Text
In the process of typing a document, you may need to Insert or Delete text. Being able to highlight text will help to make inserting and deleting text a speedier process.

Highlight Text

Highlight text by using the Mouse

1. Place the cursor by clicking the left mouse button when the mouse pointer is in the area where you want to start deleting.

To highlight a single character, place your cursor in front of the letter and drag the mouse over the letter.
To highlight a single word, place your cursor in front of the word and drag the mouse over that word or double click your mouse on the word you wish to delete.
To highlight a whole paragraph, move the cursor to the beginning of the sentence and drag the mouse over that paragraph or triple click the mouse. The whole paragraph will be highlighted.

Highlight Text by using the Keyboard

1. Place the cursor by clicking the left mouse button when the mouse pointer is in the area where you want to start deleting.

To select a single character , place your cursor in front of the letter hold the Shift key down and press the right arrow key on the keyboard.
To select a word, place your cursor in front of the word and press Ctrl, Shift and the right arrow key at the same time on the keyboard.
To select a whole sentence, place your cursor at the beginning of the sentence that you wish to delete. Hold down the Shift key and press the down arrow key on the keyboard.
To select a whole paragraph, place you cursor at the beginning of the paragraph, hold down the Ctrl and Shift keys and press the down arrow key on the keyboard.

2. By holding down the Shift key and using the arrow keys you can highlight any portion of the text that you wish.

Delete Text
Once you have highlighted the text that you wish to delete, press the Delete key on the keyboard. You can also use Backspace key.

Insert Text
1. Place your cursor where you want to insert the text by clicking the left button of your mouse.
2. Type the text that you want to insert.

What's out there?

noreply@blogger.com (library) — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 23:34:00 +0000

What is out there?

Blog

A blog (a portmanteau of the term "web log") is a type of website or part of a website. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.

Flickr

Photo sharing websites have been around since the 90s, butit took a small startup site called Flickr to catapult the ideaof “sharing” into a full blown online community.Within the past couple of years, Flickr has become the fastest growingphoto sharing site on the web and is known as one of the first websites to use keyword “tags” to create associations and connections between photos and users of the site.

RSS feed

You’ve heard of RSS? You’ve seen those small funny tags on websites?

In the information world, RSS is not only revolutionalising the way news, media and content creators share information, but it also is swiftly changing the way everyday users are consuming information.RSS stands for “Really Simple Syndication” and is a file format for delivering regularly updated information over the web.Just think about the websites and news information sources you visit every day.
It takes time to visit those sites and scour the ad-filled and image-heavy pages for just the text you want to read, doesn’t it?

Now imagine if you could visit all those information sources and web pages in just one place and all at the same time … without being bombarded with advertising… without having to search for new information on the page you’d already seen or read before… and without having to consume a lot of time visiting each site individually.

Facebook

Facebook is a social networking* website launched in February 2004 that is operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc., with more than 500 million active users in July 2010. Users can add people as friends and send them messages, and update their personal profiles to notify friends about themselves.
Users can create profiles with photos, lists of personal interests, contact information and other personal information. Communicating with friends and other users can be done through private or public messages or a chat feature. Users can also create and join interest groups and "like pages" (formerly called "fan pages" until April 19, 2010), some of which are maintained by organizations as a means of advertising. To allay concerns about privacy, Facebook enables users to choose their own privacy settings and choose who can see what parts of their profile.
The website is free to users and generates revenue from advertising, such as banner ads. By default, the viewing of detailed profile data is restricted to users from the same network and "reasonable community limitations".

*A social network service focuses on building and reflecting of social networks or social relations among people, e.g., who share interests and/or activities. A social network service essentially consists of a representation of each user (often a profile), his/her social links, and a variety of additional services. Most social network services are web based and provide means for users to interact over the internet, such as e-mail and instant messaging.

Windows Live Messenger (formerly named MSN Messenger)

Windows Live Messenger (formerly named MSN Messenger) is an instant messaging client. In June 2009, Microsoft reported the service attracted over 330 million active users each month.
Instant messaging (IM) is a form of real-time direct text-based communication between two or more people using personal computers or other devices. The user's text is conveyed over a network, such as the Internet. More advanced instant messaging software clients also allow enhanced modes of communication, such as live voice or video calling.

Skype

Skype (pronounced /ˈskaɪp/) is a proprietary software application that allows users to make voice calls over the Internet. Calls to other users within the Skype service are free, while calls to both traditional landline telephones and mobile phones can be made for a fee using a debit-based user account system. Skype has also become popular for its additional features which include instant messaging, file transfer, and video conferencing. The network is operated by a company called Skype Limited, headquartered in Luxembourg and partly owned by eBay.

Wiki

A wiki ( /ˈ w ɪ k i / WIK-ee) is a website that allows the easy creation and editing of any number of interlinked. Wikis are typically powered by wiki software and are often used to create collaborative wiki websites, to power community websites, for personal note taking, in corporate intranets, and in knowledge management systems.
Wikis may exist to serve a specific purpose, and in such cases, users use their editorial rights to remove material that is considered "off topic." Such is the case of the collaborative encyclopedia Wikipedia. In contrast, open purpose wikis accept content without firm rules as to how the content should be organized.
The essence of the Wiki concept is as follows:
A wiki invites all users to edit any page or to create new pages within the wiki Web site, using only a plain-vanilla Web browser without any extra add-ons.
Wiki promotes meaningful topic associations between different pages by making page link creation almost intuitively easy and showing whether an intended target page exists or not.
A wiki is not a carefully crafted site for casual visitors. Instead, it seeks to involve the visitor in an ongoing process of creation and collaboration that constantly changes the Web site landscape.

You Tube

YouTube is a video-sharing website on which users can upload, share, and view videos. Three former PayPal employees created YouTube in February 2005.[3] In November 2006. It uses Adobe Flash Video technology to display a wide variety of user-generated video content, including movie clips, TV clips, and music videos, as well as amateur content such as video blogging and short original videos. Most of the content on YouTube has been uploaded by individuals, although media corporations including CBS, BBC, VEVO and other organizations offer some of their material via the site, as part of the YouTube partnership program.
Unregistered users can watch the videos, while registered users are permitted to upload an unlimited number of videos. Videos that are considered to contain potentially offensive content are available only to registered users 18 and older.

Twitter

Twitter is a social networking service, owned and operated by Twitter Inc that enables its users to send and read other user messages called tweets. Tweets are text-based posts of up to 140 characters displayed on the author's profile page. Tweets are publicly visible by default; however senders can restrict message delivery to their friends list. Users may subscribe to other author tweets—this is known as following and subscribers are known as followers.
While the service is free, accessing it through SMS may incur phone service provider fees. The website is based out in San Bruno, California near San Francisco (where the website was first based).
Since its creation in 2006 Twitter has gained notability and popularity worldwide and currently has more than 100 million users worldwide. It is sometimes described as the "SMS of the Internet."

Library Thing

Library Thing is a social cataloging web application for storing and sharing personal library catalogs and book lists.
Based in Portland, Maine, Library Thing went live on August 29, 2005. As of September 2009 it has 920,000 users and nearly 45 million books catalogued.
Users can:
· Join the world’s largest book club.
· Catalogue your books from Amazon, the Library of Congress and 690 other world libraries. Import from anywhere.
· Find people with eerily similar tastes.
· Find new books to read.
· Free Early Reviewer books from publishers and authors
While it is possible to keep a library catalog private, most people choose to make their catalogs public, which makes it possible to find others with similar tastes. Users can browse the entire database by searching titles, authors, or tags generated by users as they enter books into their libraries.

Meeting held on Monday 3rd May 2010

noreply@blogger.com (library) — Mon, 10 May 2010 02:49:00 +0000

Unanimous decision to continue the club with a mixture of set topics and days with one on one help with individual issues.

Suggestions for future topics:

- Email, customize
- What's out there...Skype, Facebook, Twitter, Flicker e.t.c.
- Internet safety, financial transactions over the Internet
- Mobile phone use and customizing
- Photos resizing and emailing
- Memory and storage, different formats
- Microsoft word basic
- Clean up , defragmenting, cookies
- PC troubleshooting, E.g. My PC is frozen what can I do?

Email topic for June.

The Future of Our Club

noreply@blogger.com (library) — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 04:36:00 +0000

Club Meeting 3rd May - 10 am

The Club meeting on Monday May 3rd is for us to decide where we go from here.

We encourage everyone to come along to help plan.

You know what they say.....

Be there or be square.

So see you there!

Attachments and Email

noreply@blogger.com (library) — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 03:03:00 +0000

Opening attachments

When an email has a paperclip symbol in front of the subject line there is something attached to that email.

Open the email that has the paperclip symbol. Click the link that appears next to the paperclip symbol. Click Download Attachment. A window should then appear offering you three choices 1) Open 2) Save or 3) Cancel. If you only wish to view the file click Open. This is often the best option as you can save the file once you have opened it and checked what it is.

Adding an attachment

Begin writing your new email. You can add an attachment at any time.

- Click Attach files(This may be located in different places on the screen in different email accounts e.g. Yahoo, Gmail, Hotmail, Bigpond, Optusnet and many more).

- Click on Browse and you will get a Select Files box.

- Locate the file you want to attach click on it, then click Open.

- To attach more files to this email repeat the above steps.

July 2009 - Basic Ebay

noreply@blogger.com (library) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 02:25:00 +0000

eBay

Here are some hints and tips refer to eBay help sections for more detailed instructions.

And Happy bidding!!!!!!

Launched in 1995, eBay started as a place to trade collectables and hard-to-find items. Today eBay is a global marketplace where businesses and individuals can buy and sell practically anything.

Although eBay is a great place for buyers and sellers to come together and trade almost anything, eBay can be a bit scary to new users who aren’t used to buying items online from strangers or buying at auctions.

Here are a few tips for making your eBay experience a good one:

Learn how to effectively search and browse. eBay includes thousands and thousands of items, which can be sometimes overwhelming when you’re trying to find what you’re looking for. Learning when to search and when to browse can be helpful.
Before buying an item, review the feedback that members have left for a seller, and learn about PayPal, eBay’s preferred way to pay. Learning about a seller’s past trading experiences will help you decide if this is a person you feel you can trust. Learning about PayPal before you buy will make your PayPal buying experience easier.
Review eBay’s rules and policies. To create a safe and fair trading environment for all eBay members, eBay includes rules and policies for all members. Learn more about why eBay has these rules and policies in place and what happens if you violate them.
Use the powerful tools in My eBay. My eBay can help you track and manage all your eBay buying, selling, messaging, account information, preferences, and more.
Learn how to get the help you need when you need it. eBay includes many tools for getting help including online help, eBay Learning Center, Community Help Boards, glossary and more.

Protect your eBay account

Here's what you can do to protect your eBay account:

Here are some additional steps eBay is taking to help protect your account:
Identity Confirmation
PayPal Security Key

Choose your user ID, eBay password and secret question carefully.

Your user ID and password give you access to your eBay account. Your user ID is the nickname that identifies you on eBay. Your password is the key to your account. You should choose both a user ID and a password that are not related to your email address or any of your other online accounts. Using the same password for several online accounts means that if someone can access one of your accounts, they can access your other accounts as well.
If your user ID is the same, or similar to your email address, you should change your user ID. eBay members can still contact you after you have changed your user ID by using the Contact an eBay Member feature.
Review Creating and Protecting Your Password for tips on how to select a secure password. Note: You should change your eBay password every 30 to 60 days
In addition to changing your password regularly, you should also change the secret question and answer associated with your eBay account.

Beware of phishing (fake) emails and websites asking for sensitive information.

A major threat to the security of your eBay account is fake emails and web sites, called spoof or phishing. They are used to get personal and account information.
If you receive an email that looks as if it is from eBay and mentions a problem with your account or requests personal information and is not in My Messages in My eBay, it is a fake email. Forward suspicious emails to spoof@ebay.com.au.
eBay will never ask you to provide sign-in passwords, credit card numbers, or other sensitive information through email. If eBay requests information, eBay always directs you back to the eBay site.
Review Reporting Spoof Emails and Recognising Spoof (Fake) eBay Web Sites so that you know what to do to protect your eBay account against these threats.
Review Reporting Spoof Emails and Recognising Spoof (Fake) eBay websites so that you know what to do to protect your eBay account against these threats.

Install and update online protection software.

Anti-virus software. Computer viruses can log and record keystrokes. Emails can carry viruses that can find and transmit information from your files. Install the latest version of anti-virus software and use it regularly to scan your computer.
Spyware protection. Spyware is software that is downloaded onto your computer without your knowledge to collect personal information and record your Internet usage. By maintaining current versions of spyware protection you can be sure that people who want to steal your account or your identity won't have access to your computer.
Internet firewalls. Firewalls are either hardware or software that controls the flow of information to and from your computer. Using a firewall helps prevent any unauthorised parties from gaining access to sensitive information stored on your computer. It is especially important to use a firewall if you have a high-speed connection that is always connected to the Internet.

Monitor your account for suspicious activity.
Periodically check My eBay to ensure no one has tampered with your account. It's a good idea to periodically check all your online accounts, not just your eBay and PayPal accounts.
If you see anything out of the ordinary with your eBay account, report it to eBay immediately and take action quickly to secure your eBay account and protect yourself from identity theft.

How eBay helps protect your account through identity confirmation

Keeping your personal information secure and confidential is one of our most important responsibilities. We continuously use a variety of technologies and techniques designed to prevent unauthorised access to your information. As part of this program, eBay will attempt to recognise a trusted member automatically by verifying the computer they use. If an attempt is made to login to your account from an unrecognised computer, we will require additional confirmation to protect your account from unauthorised access.
If an account owner is using a new computer ‑ perhaps at the office or at a friend’s house ‑ that owner will have to confirm his or her identity before they can sell on the site.

To help identity confirmation work quickly for you, we recommend that you:

Ensure that your personal information is current. We might need to confirm the information in your account, such as your telephone number or address. We would also highly recommend that you to provide us with a secondary phone number.
Review your secret question. Make sure the secret question and answer you have on file is easy for you to remember and difficult for others to guess.

Add extra password protection with the PayPal Security Key
Add an extra layer of security with the advanced password protection of the PayPal Security Key. The PayPal Security Key is a lightweight, sturdy, keychain-sized device that generates a new six-digit security code that you add to your password when you sign in to eBay. Learn more about the PayPal Security Key.

How to bid

Once you find an item you're interested in, it's easy to place a bid.
Carefully review the item listing, and click the Place Bid button on the item page.
Enter your maximum bid.
Click the Continue button.
Review your bid, and click the Confirm Bid button.

eBay will bid on your behalf up to your maximum bid. You'll get an email confirming your bid. And when the auction ends, you'll receive another email indicating whether you've won the item, with an explanation of what you can do next.

Note: You may be able to place bids from more than just the item page. However, please carefully review the item listing before you place a bid.

About eBay’s automatic bidding system
When you place a bid, we suggest that you enter the maximum amount that you're willing to pay for the item. (You won't necessarily pay the amount of your maximum bid.) eBay compares your bid to those of other bidders and increases your bid on your behalf using only as much of your bid as is necessary to maintain your high bid position.

Automatic bidding system: eBay uses an automatic bidding system to make bidding more convenient. There’s nothing you need to set up, the system is already in place.

Bid increments: eBay’s bidding system is based on increments. A bid increment is the amount by which a bid will be raised each time the current bid is outdone.

Bid safely: eBay limits the display of your bid history information by using anonymous names. All bidders are assigned anonymous names, such as x***y. These anonymous names are used consistently across all auctions that exceed a certain level. When you bid on an item, your user ID is shown only to the seller of the item.

Note: Anonymous names may appear more than once in the bid history and may represent different bidders from different auctions.

Tips for successful bidding
Don't bid on identical items in different listings if you just want one item. If you win both, you'll be obligated to buy both.

If you’re outbid on an item, wait until the auction has ended before placing a bid on an equivalent item. If the bidder who outbid you retracts his or her bid, your bid may become the winning bid. Consider placing the identical item on your list of items you're watching in My eBay.

To change your bid amount, enter a new bid amount and click the Place Bid button.

June 2009 - Photos

noreply@blogger.com (library) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 00:20:00 +0000

PHOTOS
We will be looking at managing photos through Microsoft Picture Manager. Many of the notes in this are from the Help menu in Microsoft Picture Manager.

Start Picture Manager from the Start menu
Use the following instructions to start Picture Manager.From the Start menu, select All Programs.Click to open the Microsoft Office folder.Click to open the Microsoft Office Tools folder.Click Microsoft Office Picture Manager.

Start Picture Manager from an image

Use the following instructions to start Picture Manager from an image on your computer.On your computer, locate the picture you want to work with.Right-click the picture.From the menu, select Open With, then click Microsoft Office Picture Manager.

Create shortcuts to your pictures
You can create a shortcut to the folder that contains your pictures, or to each picture.

Create a shortcut to a folder
Locate the folder that contains your pictures.Right-click the folder and select Create Shortcut.Drag the shortcut to your desktop.

Create a shortcut to a picture
On your computer, locate a picture.Right-click the picture and select Create Shortcut.Drag the shortcut to your desktop.Right-click the shortcut, select Open With and then click Microsoft Office Picture Manager.

Edit pictures
You can use Microsoft Office Picture Manager to make corrections to your pictures such as fixing brightness, color, or removing red eyes. To save time, select all the pictures you want to correct at one time, then use Auto Correct or one of the individual picture editing tools.
To get started with editing your pictures, click Edit Pictures. The Edit Pictures task pane appears with the following options.

Auto Correct
Correct colour and brightness. Click Auto Correct, then place the cursor in the area that needs correction.

Brightness and Contrast
Adjust the difference between light and dark tones. You can use this feature to correct pictures that appear too light or too dark.

Colour Adjust the hue and saturation . You can use this feature to correct pictures with colours that are tinted or dull.

Crop Crop out unwanted parts of a picture. You can use this feature to correct pictures that contain distracting elements.

Rotate and Flip Rotate pictures or flip them on the axis of the picture. You can use this feature to correct pictures that you have taken sideways for a portrait orientation.

Red Eye Removal Remove the red from your picture subjects' eyes caused by the camera flash. You can use this feature to correct red eyes wherever they appear.

Re size Change the dimensions of a picture. You can use this feature to enlarge a picture for printing or reduce it to send in e-mail messages or share on the Internet.

Compress Pictures Reduce image file size for various formats. Note: Click Edit, then Undo to undo any changes made with editing tools. Note: You cannot use Picture Manager to make images transparent, add text to pictures, or scan images.

Display a favourite picture as your computer's desktop background
When you decide you want to display a picture, just send that new picture to your desktop and it will replace the existing one.
1. On the Start menu, point to All Programs, and then point to Microsoft Office.
2. Point to Microsoft Office Tools, and then click Microsoft Office Picture Manager.
3. In the Picture Shortcuts pane, click the shortcut to the folder where the picture is located.

If the Picture Shortcuts pane doesn’t already have a shortcut to that picture, add the shortcut.Add a picture shortcut

1. In the Picture Shortcuts pane, click Add Picture Shortcut.
2. Browse to the folder that contains the pictures you want to work with. (The pictures will appear in the preview pane after you close the dialog box.)
3. Click Add.
4. In the preview pane, right-click the picture you want to work with, and then click Set as Desktop Background.
5. Switch to your desktop to see the picture.

Copy a picture
On the Standard toolbar, click Copy .Click the folder where you want to paste the copy, and then click Paste . Alternatively, you can copy the picture by dragging it to another folder. If you want to move the picture rather than copy it, hold down SHIFT while you drag the picture to the new folder. You can copy a picture to another Microsoft Office program. Select the picture you want to copy, click Copy , switch to the other program, and then click Paste .

May 2009 - Basic Internet Searching

noreply@blogger.com (library) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 01:20:00 +0000

Web Page

To move within a Web Page:

- Use the scroll bar on the left hand side of the page or the arrows located at each end of the scroll bar.

- Rolling the wheel in the middle of the mouse.

- The arrows located on the keyboard to the right of the letters.

To move between Web Pages:

Using the Internet involes following links. You know when something is a link as the mouse will change into a hand. To use the link simply click once with the left mouse button.

To go between Web Pages use the Back and Forward arrow symbols in the Toolbar at the top of the screen.

To get a fresh copy of a Web Page (e.g. Getting the latest news) use the Refresh button in the Toolbar.

To stop a Web Page loading either because you no longer want the page or it is taking too long to load click the Stop button in the Toolbar which is a red cross in a white box. You can then do a new search or use the Refresh button to try again.

Examples of the size of files you may download (These are only approximates):

- Text email 2-3KB
- Email with colours and small pictures 50KB - 80KB
- Photo from a digital camera 800KB - 4MB
- Music file 3-4 MB
- Movie 700MB to more than 1GB (Big)

Searching the Internet

There are a number of Search Engines (A program that searches Web Pages around the World) the one we will be using is one of the most used Google.

Go onto the Internet enter www.google.com.au in the Address Bar.

The basic Google search page is returned. The main white box is where you put in the keywords of your search. For example "I am going to plan a holiday" the keyword is holiday. Just putting holiday in the search box and clicking Google Search returned 312 000 000 results. Note that if you were to do the same search again you may get a different number of results that is because the Web is constantly changing.

The first searches returned may be under a heading Sponsored Links, these results are relevant to your search but they have paid Google to display their links. The next section begins the general results that have been returned in your search. By looking at the title of the result and also the URL or Web Address you can decide if this search is what you want.

The fact that we got 312 000 000 results is because we were not specific in our search. The more keywords that are used the more refined the search will be.

A way to refine a search is to use Google Advanced Search and it is a link to the right of the Goggle Search box. By using Advanced Search and entering "driving holiday" in the phrase section and "France, July" in the all these words section the results are down to 1020.

The best way to learn to search is to play. Experiment with different keyword combinations and results.

Have fun surfing!!!!!

Get your own email address

noreply@blogger.com (library) — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 04:35:00 +0000

Get your own email address.

We are running an extra session this month on Monday 27th April 2009 10am - 12pm.

The session will be focused on getting an email account and some basic tips.

Everyone welcome.

Email bits and pieces

noreply@blogger.com (library) — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 02:34:00 +0000

Email

Each email has its own unique email address

e.g. computerclubtraining@yahoo.com

Yahoo email is a free Web based email account.

How do I check for new messages?
Yahoo!7 Mail automatically checks for new messages every 10 minutes. You can also use a keyboard shortcut to check your mail by pressing the "m" key, or by clicking on the Check Mail button.

Where's my Address Book? You used to add contacts into your address book, which is now a folder called Contacts. To add a new contact, click on the Contacts folder, and click on the Add Contact button. After sending a message you can now add a contact's email address, and first and last name.

How do I delete a message?
You can delete a message by selecting the check box next to the message and clicking on the Delete button, dragging it to the trash, or pressing the Delete key on your keyboard.

How do I move a message into a folder?
Simply click the check box of the desired message and select Move to send into a specific folder. Alternately, if you highlight the message with your cursor and hold down the mouse button, you can drag and drop the message in to any folder you choose.

Email etiquette

Tone - the reader cannot see your facial expressions or body language.
Subject - helps reader to judge how important/urgent the email is.
Greeting – Hi, Hello, Dear
Sign off – Thanks, Cheers, Regards
Using capitals can imply that you are shouting
Do not forward chain emails
When receiving any warning emails – check source before forwarding it on
May wish to use smileys/emoticons e.g. J :-) ;-) :-(

Acronyms and abbreviations

lol – laugh out loud He he he – laughing
L8r – later Atm – at the moment
Fyi – for your information Cya – see you
b4 – before

Basic Internet and searching

noreply@blogger.com (library) — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 01:50:00 +0000

Internet – The internet is a worldwide network of computers holding information

WWW – The world wide web or web for short, information that is stored in files and linked by the internet.

Webpage – a page of information. A collection of Web Pages is a Website

Browser – a program required for viewing websites.
e.g. Microsoft Internet Explorer, Yahoo, msnsearch, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Opera, Netscape Navigator, Google Chrome, Camino (Mac)

Home page –
The front page of a website
The first page that loads when your browser is opened

ISP – Internet Service Provider – a company or organisation needed to connect your computer to the internet.

Modem – Equipment that connects the phone line to the Internet.

Search engine – A tool that enables you to search the www.

The GO button sends the browser to the Web Page address you have in the address bar.

Webpage address – Each webpage has its own unique address URL (Uniform Resource Locator) and do not contain spaces.

e.g.

http://www.frankston.vic.gov.au/library

http:// stands for hypertext transfer protocol and is the set of rules used to establish a connection between your computer and the webpage. Your browser automatically inserts this.

www stands for world wide web and starts most webpage addresses

frankston.vic.gov.au/library is the domain name

Frankston the first part of the domain name describes the company, organisation or website and is often an acronym e.g. www.bom.gov.au is the Bureau of Meteorology Australia

.vic.gov.au/library is the domain extension and can have several parts

Vic identifies it as Victorian

.gov identifies that it belongs to a government body some other examples are
.com – a commercial entity or business (the most common)
. net – a commercial entity or business
.org – a charity or non profit organisation
.edu – an educational institution
.au in this case identifies which country the website belongs to (Australia)
.fr French
.nz New Zealand
.uk United Kingdom

Entering a web page address

- Click in the address bar of your browser
- Type in the address and click GO or hit enter on the keyboard.

Useful tips

Back and forward keys move between previous pages you have viewed and back to the newer pages.

Home – returns you to your browser’s Home Page

Refresh – gets you the most up to date version of the page you are on.

Stop – Stops a Web Page loading.

Useful Web Sites

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA)

www.acma.gov.au

An initiative of the Victorian Government - Public Internet Access Website

www.internet-access.vic.gov.au

Buying a computer and Internet connection - Consumer Affairs Victoria

www.consumer.vic.gov.au

Searching the Internet

When searching the Internet use a few specific words to help refine your search.

e.g. weather Melbourne forecast

Adding a Web Page to favourites

- Go to the Web page you wish to add to favourites.
- Click on favourites button in the Toolbar.
- Click Add .You can change the name if you wish.
- Click OK

Club Meeting Monday 2nd February 2009

noreply@blogger.com (library) — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 03:12:00 +0000

Planner so far for 2009

March
Basic Internet and searching

April
Email

May
Internet

June
Photos - managing photos on your computer

July
Basic Ebay

August
Managing music using Windows Media Player

Sessions will not require bookings everyone is welcome.

Sessions may be changed as required so keep checking for updates.

Meetings 2009

noreply@blogger.com (library) — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 22:52:00 +0000

No meeting in January 2009

Next Meeting:

Monday 2nd February 2009.

Frankston Library Public PC Area

Plan the events and dates for 2009.

Everyone welcome.

Next Meeting

noreply@blogger.com (library) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 03:51:00 +0000

Next Meeting for the Seniors Computer Club

Date: Monday 1st December 2008

Time: 10am - 12pm

Place: Frankston Library in the Public PC Area

Everyone welcome.

The Computer School

noreply@blogger.com (library) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 03:37:00 +0000

The Computer School

RE: ONLINE COMPUTER TRAINING RESOURCE

As a valued library member we would like to extend to you, free access to one of our newly added library services: the computer school is an online computer training organisation that specialises in easy-access online computer education.

All you need is one link ... and one password THAT'S IT!(See below for details)

The Computer Skills Index link contains hundreds of comprehensive computer training tutorials, with more continually being added. Tutorials include full colour, easy-to-follow screen-shots with step-by-step instructions covering an extensive and varied range of entry-level "How do I ?" learning topics;COMPUTER BASICS - EMAIL & THE INTERNET - INTERNET RESEARCH & DESIGN - eCOMMERCE - VISTA - WORD 2007 - PHOTOSHOP - PUBLISHER - DREAMWEAVER - MOVIE MAKER - FRONT PAGE - POWERPOINT - ACCESS - EXCEL ... and much more.

As a current library member you now have full access to thecomputerschool.net - Skills Index Link. You will be able to gain access via the following:

http://www.thecomputerschool.net

a) From the drop down menu next to Log in to (top right hand of screen) :
>> Select - Skills Index

b) Enter the following;

Username- flsmember

Password- your Frankston library card number

>>> Then click GO

Go To Login

NEXT MEETING

noreply@blogger.com (library) — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 01:58:00 +0000

Next Meeting for the Seniors Computer Club

Date: Monday 3rd November 2008

Time: 10am - 12pm

Place: Frankston Library in the Public PC Area

Everyone welcome.

Computer Club Meeting - Monday 6th Octoner 2008

noreply@blogger.com (library) — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 01:03:00 +0000

Minutes from Seniors Computer Club Meeting

Date and time: Monday 6th October 2008 10am – 12pm

Location: Frankston Community Room
Frankston Library Playne Street Frankston.

Formation of Club

It was decided unanimously to form a seniors computer club but not under a formal committee or incorporation.

Joining criteria

To join the Seniors Computer Club it was decided by a majority vote that a person:

1. Must be 60 or over to join the Seniors Computer Club. (this may be reviewed at a later date)
2. Must be a member of the Frankston Library to join the Seniors Computer Club.
3. Must agree to abide by the Library customer code of conduct, the Library PC and Internet Use Guidelines and Conditions of Use when participating in the Seniors Computer Club.

Meetings

Club meetings will be held on the first Monday of the month in the Frankston Library Public PC area from 10 am – 12pm.

The first two meetings will be Monday 3rd November 2008, 10am – 12pm and Monday 1st December 2008, 10am – 12pm. The meetings are in the Frankston Library Computer Area. There are no set topic for these two meetings.

Meetings from then on will be by booking with a maximum of 18 people at any one meeting to allow one computer between two people ratio. Later meetings may have specific topics with special speakers being invited along.

A meeting will be organised for early to mid December to review meetings and plan future topics.

All dates, meetings, notes, ideas, minutes e.t.c. will be put on this Blog.

MEETING

noreply@blogger.com (library) — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 02:40:00 +0000

What: Computer Club Meeting

When: Monday 6th October 2008, 10am - 12pm

Where : Frankston Library Community Room

A round the table discussion of where we go from here.

Be there or be square!

Welcome

noreply@blogger.com (library) — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 02:07:00 +0000

And so we begin. The formation of the Frankston Seniors Computer Club. This Blog will be a way to communicate with all our members. We can post information sessions, notes, dates and events the list goes on and on.