January 1, 2008

RSS Advantages

Have you been wondering why RSS feeds are taking over the Web? Well, allow me to tell you! RSS feeds have swept across the computer scene and many people have gotten hooked, while others are still leery about giving them a try. We have done several other tips on RSS feeds before, but just in case you're still not sure what they are, read here before you go on with this article. It will give you some background information you'll need to know.

Some people think that RSS feeds are going to eventually overtake e-mail. While I don't think it will go that far (some people just can't live without their e-mail!), they are very popular and they will probably gain even more recognition in the future. So, what is so great about RSS feeds? How are they better than what you already get in your e-mail each and every day? Well, keep reading for some new points of view on this subject!

1.) RSS feeds are more timely. If you are subscribed to a certain feed, you can get updates on it immediately. You can hear all of the breaking news as soon as it happens and you can even connect in to other sources of information, such as independent reporters, researchers, analysts, etc. With RSS feeds, you are almost always the first to get the recent news and information.

2.) RSS feeds are inexpensive. You usually don't have to pay for the information to come to your computer. There's no more paying for delivery, distribution or for any mailing lists. Certain feeds may require a fee, but most of them are free of charge.

3.) RSS feeds come in any style. They are compatible with text, HTML, AOL or even MIME. They will always arrive in a form that your computer is compatible with, so you don't have to worry about not being able to read the information.

4.) You don't have to have an e-mail program to get an RSS feed. They all can be read online easily and quickly. You no longer have to worry about opening your e-mail and searching for the new messages. Just log on to the Web site where your feed comes from and you're all set. You can still get the feeds delivered to your e-mail if you want, but it's not necessary.

5.) You, as the subscriber, are in full control of your RSS feeds. If you ever want to remove yourself from a list, you can do so very easily. You don't have to worry about not being taken off a mailing list. You can do it yourself and you will know for sure that you were removed.

6.) RSS feeds stay private. If you choose not to, you don't have to give out any personal information when you sign up for a feed. You don't have to give your name or even your e-mail address. This ensures that your information will not be sold to any other companies. RSS feeds are very secure in this matter.

7.) RSS feeds can not be blocked by spam or e-mail filters. Sometimes you sign up for newsletters that won't come through to your e-mail no matter what you do. There's nothing more frustrating than that, as many of you know! Well, that won't happen with RSS feeds. It's impossible!

Now, I could go on with some more features, but I think you get the idea. RSS feeds do have a lot of advantages over what a regular e-mail program can do for you. While the RSS phenomenon won't completely take over e-mail, it is a good source of daily cialis dose information and it can be accessed with just a couple clicks of your mouse. Give it a try. You never know what you might be missing in the computer world today!

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RSS Feeds

RSS stands for "Really Simple Syndication". It's a way to get news, weblogs, announcements, and any other information automatically updated right on your desktop. You can avoid going from web site to web site for the latest news or constantly checking a favorite page for updates.

In order to get an RSS feed you'll need a reader. There are many RSS readers out there—you'll find that every RSS user has their preference. In addition to stand alone programs some email clients, like Opera Mail and Thunderbird, have their own built in RSS reader that collects feeds just like it gathers email.

Many news outlets like Fox News, The Washington Post, Reuters, The New York Times, CNN, and NPR have newsfeeds. You can select from headlines, politics, arts & entertainment, finance, and more. In addition, RSS is popular with bloggers.

Now that you know what RSS is you're probably asking, "How does it work?"

Well, as I mentioned, you first need to get a program to read RSS feeds. These are called aggregators. Many aggregators simply bring up text headlines and a summary, then you must click a link to see the whole story or go to the updated page. Since getting Mozilla Thunderbird for my email, I prefer using it for RSS feeds. It gives the headline then shows the actual page in the preview pane.

If your favorite site offers an RSS feed you'll notice an orange box that says "XML" or "RSS".

Click the box and you'll get a page with a bunch of code on it. Go to the address bar and copy the address. In most cases all you need to do is paste the URL into the right place to add it to your list of feeds.

In Mozilla Thunderbird all you do is cialis without prescription right click "News & Blogs", select "Manage Subscriptions", choose the "Add" button, and paste the address in there. After you click "OK" a few times the feed appears on your list and you'll get the latest entries.

To get current feeds all you need to do is click the arrow next to "Get mail" and select "News & Blogs". If there are any updates they will go to their proper folders. The rest works just like email.

In addition to actual news sites, a great place to find RSS feeds is..

The Feed Room
http://www.feedroom.com/rssmain.jsp

Once you get familiar with RSS you'll wonder how you ever kept on top of news and events without it. Have fun keeping up-to-date

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Why Are These Columns Numbered?

Here's a little tidbit that comes from a reader's question!

The reader was having difficulty with MS Excel's column labeling cialis wiki feature. Instead of letters for column headers, she had numbers.

(Did you notice the cell name given in the corner? Obviously not what most of you are used to).

It was driving her crazy, because it didn't match the other systems she worked on at school and/or work.

So, what's the deal here? Is the one system just "out of whack" or what?

Can it be "fixed?"

Good questions!

Yes, it can be fixed!

To retrieve your beloved letter headings, simply begin with Excel's Options.

For older versions of Excel, they're found via the Tools menu, Options choice.

In the Options dialogue window, you're looking for the General tab.

In Excel 2007, you need the Excel Options button, which is located in the bottom right corner of the Office Button menu.

You need the Formulas section under Excel's options.

In any version, you'll need to uncheck the "R1C1 reference style" box.

Click OK.

Poof!

Your missing letters have been returned. If only everything could be so easy to retrieve!

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One Change = Many Changes

Have you ever had an MS Excel workbook that you're constantly working in, making the same changes to several different worksheets?

What did you do?

Did you go to the first sheet, make changes, move to the next sheet, make the same changes, move to the next sheet, make the same changes again and so on?

How tiresome was that?

Want a quicker way to make identical changes on different sheets?

Maybe a way that allows you to make just one set of changes that will include all of the necessary worksheets?

Sounds too good to be true, doesn't it?!

Well, there's no need to pinch yourself. You're not dreaming. It can be done and it doesn't require any special feature or function. You just have to know about a couple extra clicks!

Ready to get started?

Yes?

Good, let's get going!

  • The first thing you need to do is go to the first worksheet to be changed/edited.

  • Next, you need to select the sheet tabs of all the worksheets that need the same changes.

    • To select a series of tabs, hold down the Shift key and click on the last sheet tab in the series. You should see that the first, last and all tabs in between are selected simultaneously.

    • If you have non-consecutive sheets to change, hold down the Ctrl key and click on the tab for each sheet cialis wholesale to be changed.

  • Once you have all the tabs selected, you're ready to begin your changes.

So, go ahead and make those changes, only on the visible sheet. Be sure not to click out of that sheet or you will deselect all of the sheets.

Are your changes all done?

If so, click on another sheet tab.

Immediately, you should notice that the multiple tabs are no longer highlighted.

Now, it's time to notice something way more exciting!

Take a look at all the sheets you had selected to change.

Wow!

All of the changes on all of the selected sheets, including data, formatting, etc., have been completed in one simple move!

It's time to do your little happy dance!

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