"Using a computer to create, edit, and print documents. Of all computer applications, word processing is the most common. To perform word processing, you need a computer, a special program called a word processor, and a printer. A word processor enables you to create a document, store it electronically on a disk, display it on a screen, modify it by entering commands and characters from the keyboard, and print it on a printer. The great advantage of word processing over using a typewriter is that you can make changes without retyping the entire document. If you make a typing mistake, you simply back up the cursor and correct your mistake. If you want to delete a paragraph, you simply remove it, without leaving a trace. It is equally easy to insert a word, sentence, or paragraph in the middle of a document. Word processors also make it easy to move sections of text from one place to another within a document, or between documents. When you have made all the changes you want, you can send the file to a printer to get a hard copy."

You all already doing data processing in a certain manner now, and may not even realize it. We are just going to expand on the basics you already know.

All keyboarding is now done on computers that normally are connected to a monitor, keyboard, and printer. Word processors use this equipment to record, edit, store, and revise letters, memos, reports, statistical tables, forms, and other printed materials.

Expansion of work possibilities
In addition to fulfilling the duties mentioned above, word processors often perform other office tasks, such as virtual office assistant work. You work-from-home setting up appointments, scheduling and other tasks for office executives.

Data entry keyers usually input lists of items, numbers, or other data into computers or complete forms that appear on a computer screen. They also may manipulate existing data, edit current information, or proofread new entries into a database for accuracy. Some examples of data sources include customers’ personal information, medical records, and membership lists. Usually, this information is used internally by a company and may be reformatted before other departments or customers utilize it.

Keyers use various types of equipment to enter data such as personal computers. Increasingly, data entry keyers are working with nonkeyboard forms of data entry, such as scanners and electronically transmitted files.

Difference between a Word Processor and a Data Entry Keyer
A simple way to describe the differences between a word processor and a data entry keyer may be this; a word processor will be more creative, using your own creative skills in many cases to create documents. A word processor will use processing software such as Microsoft Word's creative abilities to create documents as input by the processor (you).

A data entry keyer's job will be less creative, usually simply inputting data in simple format from a described preset document. A data entry keyer will usually get text that can be as simple as a note pad, and input that into the computer. It will be a more repetitious job task that is very simple and usually does not require any creativity.

Here is a good example of the difference between a word processor and a data entry keyer. As a word processor you may get an assignment to create fax cover sheets for everyone in a corporate office, you will receive the names, titles and the fax numbers of all the persons in need of these fax cover sheets. Here is what the assignment sheet may look like:

Assignment Sheet

As a WORD PROCESSOR you would have created this fax cover sheet, using creativity in choosing font sizes, colors, and properly spacing the margins, lines etc.

As a DATA ENTRY KEYER - You would have typed up the Assignment Sheet with the names, titles and the fax numbers of all the persons from a sheet of paper, to GIVE to the word processor to make the fax cover sheets. A data entry keyer will tend to do more on the 10-key of your keyboard, because a data entry keyer does a lot of numerical data entry.

So you see the difference in having to be creative (word processor) and not having to be to creative (data entry keyer).


III. Equipment Needed to be a Data Entry Operator
There is not a lot of equipment or software that will be needed to become an entry level data entry operator. We will list the equipment and software that is absolutely needed, as well as some additional optional equipment and software that may be needed down the line.


Computer - If you are taking this training, more then likely you already have your computer, keyboard, and mouse. You can use a laptop as well, as long as it has printer port capabilities and Internet access.

Printer - A printer will be a must to do word processing, so you can print out your work in mass if required, as well as check your document before transmitting the file over the Internet. You can get printers for very cheap on eBay, to at garage sales or flea markets. A very good option is the HP OfficeJet 5610 All-in-One. For under a hundred dollars (brand new), this printer will Print (Color/B&W), fax, scan and makes photo copies all in one unit. This is a great deal for what you get.

Fax Machine - This may not be required when first getting started, but will expand your capabilities. As mentioned above, the best option is to get the All-in-One printer that can address this issue as well. You can use your existing phone line and set this up to receive fax transmissions without having to get a second phone line.

An inexpensive alternative to setting up a fax machine is a service that allows you to send and receive faxes through your e-mail, without a fax machine. One service is by Callwave, which will charge you a monthly fee of $7.95 to use their service. This will allow you to get all the faxed assignments you need. You can find out more about CallWave HERE

Internet Connection - Not everyone will have access to high speed Internet, which will be okay. It is preferred, however, since this will help speed up transfers from the company outsourcing work to you; it will not be important to the actual work you will be performing. You will be doing most of your word processing assignments off line and will not need to be connected to the Internet while you are performing the work. It will be a plus to have a high-speed connection, but it will not be required for most of the assignments you can receive.

Word Processing Software - Word processors are the workhorses of computers. Almost everyone has a word processing program of some sort sitting on his or her computer – whether it came free with your system or you picked it out specially.

There are thousands of word processing programs for you to choose from, each offering a different mix of tools to help make it easier for you to write everything from letters and memos to brochures and Web pages.

In 'works' style packages such as Microsoft Works or Claris Works, you'll find more sophisticated word processing programs packed with snazzy features and designed to make everyday word processing easier. Such packages are great for home and school usage, or anywhere with modest word processing needs.

For those who need to create documents at work or who need to create complex documents (reports, theses, novels, graphics-intensive or table-intensive documents), a dedicated word processor from one of the big three – Corel, Lotus or Microsoft – will provide all the power you need. There are also word processors from many other companies, but you'll find a staggering percentage of the PC-based world uses Corel WordPerfect, Lotus Ami Pro (or the newer Word Pro), or Microsoft Word for Windows.

Microsoft Word for Windows. - This is the most commonly used program on the planet for word processing, and we are going to base our training on this program. If you already have a Word 2000 or newer, you are in great shape and ready to get working. If you DON'T, we have some good news, and we have some bad news. Okay, the bad news first: to get a newer version of Microsoft Word, with all the goodies of Office, Excel and etc., will cost you in the neighborhood of $200. Now for the GOOD NEWS!, we are going to give you a download of OpenOffice (a Microsoft Word CLONE) for FREE! yes 100% free; this is not a trial, it is yours to keep. OpenOffice will have all the same features as Microsoft Word, without out the fancy "Microsoft" name. See, you already made $200 and have not even started work!

OpenOffice will accept donations: however, it is not required but is optional.

FREE! Word Processor

OpenOffice Features:

	Writer– a word processor you can use for anything from writing a quick letter to producing an entire book.
	Calc– a powerful spreadsheet with all the tools you need to calculate, analyze, and present your data in numerical reports or sizzling graphics.
	Impress– the fastest, most powerful way to create effective multimedia presentations.
	Draw– lets you produce everything from simple diagrams to dynamic 3D illustrations.
	Base– lets you manipulate databases seamlessly. Create and modify tables, forms, queries, and reports, all from within OpenOffice.org
	Math– lets you create mathematical equations with a graphic user interface or by directly typing your formulas into the equation editor.

IV. Introduction to your Word Processor
It is time to start the training on how to use your word processor. If you know how to type, then the word processor will do all the rest for you when you know how to use the features it provides. So we are going to focus our training program on teaching you all the features of your word processor. Once you learn how to use the word processor, you will be able to do many data entry jobs that come your way.

Training for word processor software - Even though we are going to give you the FREE OpenOffice word processor software, we are going to base our tutorial on Microsoft Word. Once you learn the Microsoft Word, you will easily understand the OpenOffice program. We will explain the core concepts of all word processors.

By highlighting the command categories in the Categories box, the choices will change in the Commands box to the right.
Select the command you would like to add to the toolbar by selecting it in the Commands box.
Drag the command with the mouse to the desired location on the toolbar and release the mouse button.
Remove a button from the toolbar by clicking and dragging the button off the toolbar.

Each method will show the Open dialog box. Choose the file and click the Open button.

Save a Document
Click the Save button on the menu bar.
Select File|Save from the menu bar.
Press CTRL+S on the keyboard.

Renaming Documents
To rename a Word document while using the program,select File|Open and find the file you want to rename. Right-click on the document name with the mouse and select Rename from the shortcut menu. Type the new name for the file and press the ENTER key.

Working on Multiple Documents
Several documents can be opened simultaneously if you are typing or editing multiple documents at once. All open documents are listed under the Window menu as shown below. The current document has a checkmark beside the file name. Select another name to view another open document or click the button on the Windows taskbar at the bottom of the screen.

Close a Document
Close the current document by selecting File|Close or click the Close icon if it's visible on the Standard Toolbar.



Working With Text

Typing and Inserting Text
To enter text, just start typing! The text will appear where the blinking cursor is located. Move the cursor by using the arrow buttons on the keyboard or positioning the mouse and clicking the left button. The keyboard shortcuts listed below are also helpful when moving through the text of a document:

Selecting Text
To change any attributes of text it must be highlighted first. Select the text by dragging the mouse over the desired text while keeping the left mouse button depressed, or hold down the SHIFT key on the keyboard while using the arrow buttons to highlight the text. The following table contains shortcuts for selecting a portion of the text:

Deselect the text by clicking anywhere outside of the selection on the page or press an arrow key on the keyboard.

Deleting Text
Use the BACKSPACE and DELETE keys on the keyboard to delete text. Backspace will delete text to the left of the cursor and Delete will erase text to the right. To delete a large selection of text, highlight it using any of the methods outlined above and press the DELETE key.

Formatting Text
The formatting toolbar is the easiest way to change many attributes of text. If the toolbar as shown below isn't displayed on the screen, select View|Toolbars and choose Formatting.

• Style Menu - Styles are explained in detail later in this tutorial.
• Font Face - Click the arrowhead to the right of the font name box to view the list of fonts available. Scroll down to the font you want and select it by clicking on the name once with the mouse. A serif font (one with "feet" circled in the illustration below) is recommended for paragraphs of text that will be printed on paper as they are most readable. The following graphic demonstrates the difference between serif (Times New Roman on the left) and sans-serif ("no feet", Arial on the right) fonts.
  
  
• Font Size - Click on the white part of the font size box to enter a value for the font size or click the arrowhead to the right of the box to view a list of font sizes available. Select a size by clicking on it once. A font size of 10 or 12 is best for paragraphs of text.
  
• Font Style - Use these buttons to bold, italicize, and underline text.
  
• Alignment - Text can be aligned to the left, center, or right side of the page or it can be justified across the page.
• Numbered and Bulleted Lists - Lists are explained in detail later in this tutorial.
• Increase/Decrease Indent - Change the indentation of a paragraph in relation to the side of the page.
  
• Outside Border - Add a border around a text selection.
  
• Highlight Color - Use this option to change the color behind a text selection. The color shown on the button is the last color used. To select a different color, click the arrowhead next to the image on the button.
  
• Text Color - This option changes the color of the text. The color shown on the button is the last color chosen. Click the arrowhead next to the button image to select another color.
  
  The Font dialog box allows you to choose from a larger selection of formatting options. Select Format|Font from the menu bar to access the box.

Format Painter
A handy feature for formatting text is the Format Painter located on the standard toolbar. For example, if you have formatting a paragraph heading with a certain font face, size, and style and you want to format another heading the same way, you do not need to manually add each attribute to the new headline. Instead, use the Format Painter by following these steps:

Place the cursor within the text that contains the formatting you want to copy. Click the Format Painter button in the standard toolbar. Notice that your pointer now has a paintbrush beside it.
Highlight the text you want to add the same format to with the mouse and release the mouse button.

To add the formatting to multiple selections of text, double-click the Format Painter button instead of clicking once. The format painter then stays active until you press the ESC key to turn it off.

Undo

Feel free to experiment with various text styles. You can always undo your last action by clicking the Undo button on the standard toolbar or selecting Edit|Undo... from the menu bar. Click the Redo button on the standard toolbar or select Edit|Redo... to erase the undo action.



Formatting Paragraphs

Paragraph Attributes
Format a paragraph by placing the cursor within the paragraph and selecting Format|Paragraph from the menu bar.

Moving (Cutting) Text
Highlight the text that will be moved and select Edit|Cut from the menu bar, click the Cut button on the standard tool bar, or press CTRL+X at once. This will move the text to a clipboard.

To move a small amount of text a short distance, the drag-and-drop method may be quicker. Highlight the text you want to move, click the selection with the mouse, drag the selection to the new location, and release the mouse button.

Copying Text
To copy text, choose Edit|Copy, click the Copy button on the standard toolbar, or press CTRL+C to copy the text to the clipboard.

Paste Text
To paste cut or copied text, move the cursor to the location you want to move the text to and select Edit|Paste from the menu bar, click the Paste button on the standard toolbar, or press CTRL+V.

The Clipboard
The last 12 elements that were cut or copied are placed onto Word's clipboard. You can view the elements on the clipboard by selecting View|Toolbars|Clipboard from the menu bar.

Place the mouse arrow over each element in the clipboard to view the contents of each item and click on an element to add its contents to the document. Click Paste All to add all of the items to the document at once. Click the Clear Clipboard button (the icon with an "X" over the clipboard image) to clear the contents of the clipboard.

Columns
To quickly place text in a column format, click the Columns button on the standard toolbar and select the number of columns by dragging the mouse over the diagram.

For more column options, select Format|Columns from the menu bar. The Columns dialog box allows you to choose the properties of the columns. Select the number and width of the columns from the dialog box.

Drop Caps
A drop cap is a large letter that begins a paragraph and drops through several lines of text as shown below.

Add a drop cap to a paragraph by following these steps:

1. Place the cursor within the paragraph whose first letter will be dropped.
2. Select Format|Drop Cap from the menu bar.
3. The Drop Cap dialog box allows you to select the position of the drop cap, the font, the number of lines to drop, and the distance from the body text.
4. Click OK when all selections have been made.
5. To modify a drop cap, select Format|Drop Cap again to change the attributes, or click on the letter and use the handles to move and resize the letter.

Styles
The use of styles in Word will allow you to quickly format a document with a consistent and professional look. Paragraph and character styles can be saved for use in many documents.

Applying a Style
Place the cursor in the paragraph where the style will be applied.

1. Click the Style drop-down menu on the Formatting toolbar and select a style by clicking on it.
2. To apply the same style to multiple paragraphs, double click the Format Painter button on the standard toolbar and click in all the paragraphs that the style should be applied to. Press the ESC key to disable the Format Painter.

Apply a Style from the Style Dialog Box
Choose from a larger selection of styles from the Style dialog box.

1. Click in the paragraph you want to add a style to.
2. Select Format|Style... from the menu bar.
3. From the List drop-down menu, choose All styles to view all the styles available.
4. The styles are displayed in the Styles list. Preview each style by clicking once on the name. Paragraph styles are preceded by the paragraph symbol () and character styles are preceded by an "a" icon (). A pointer arrow is located next to the current style. Highlight the style you want to apply to the paragraph and click Apply.

Create a New Style from a Model
To create a style from text that is already formatted in a document, follow these steps:

1. Place the cursor in the paragraph you would like to set as a new style.
2. Click the Style box on the formatting toolbar so the style name is highlighted.
   
   
3. Delete the text in the field and type the name of the new style.
4. Press the ENTER key to save the new style.

Create a Simple Style from the Style Dialog Box
Select Format|Style... from the menu bar and click the New button on the Style dialog box to access the New Style dialog box.

1. Type the name for the new style in the Name field.
2. Select "Paragraph" or "Character" from the Style type drop-down menu.
3. Click the Format button at the bottom of the window and choose the paragraph element that will be formatted for the style. Continue to make changes from the options from the Format button menu, making changes to the dialog boxes for each element you choose.
4. Click OK to set the style and close the New Style dialog box.
5. Click Apply on the Style dialog box to apply the new style to the current paragraph.

Modify or Rename a Style
An existing style can be changed from the Style dialog box.

1. Select Format|Style... from the menu bar.
2. Highlight the style from the Styles list that you want to modify and click the Modify button.
   
   
3. Use the same methods to modify the style from the Modify Style dialog box that were used for the New Style box.
4. To only rename the style, type a new name in the Name field.
5. Click OK when you are finished making modifications.
6. Click Apply to update the style in the document.

Delete a Style
Preset styles created by Word cannot be deleted, but to delete a style you have made, follow these steps:

1. Select Format|Style... from the menu bar
2. Highlight the style from the Styles list that you want to delete.
3. Click the Delete button.
4. You will be asked if you really want to delete the style. Click Yes.
5. Click Close on the dialog box.

Lists
To create a bulleted or numbered list, use the list features provided by Word.

Bulleted and Numbered Lists

1. Click the Bulleted List button or Numbered List button on the formatting toolbar.
2. Type the first entry and press ENTER. This will create a new bullet or number on the next line. If you want to start a new line without adding another bullet or number, hold down the SHIFT key while pressing ENTER.
3. Continue to typing entries and press ENTER twice when you are finished typing to end the list.

Use the Increase Indent and Decrease Indent buttons on the formatting toolbar to create lists of multiple levels.

NOTE: You can also type the text first, highlight the section, and press the Bulleted List or Numbered List buttons to add the bullets or numbers.

Nested Lists
To create a nested list, such as a numbered list inside of a bulleted list, follow these steps:

1. Type the list and increase the indentation of the items that will make up the nested list by clicking the Increase Indent button for each item.
   
   
2. Highlight the items and click the Numbered List button on the formatting toolbar.

Formatting Lists
The bullet image and numbering format can be changed by using the Bullets and Numbering dialog box.

1. Highlight the entire list to change all the bullets or numbers, or
   Place the cursor on one line within the list to change a single bullet.
2. Access the dialog box by selecting Format|Bullets and Numbering from the menu bar or by right-clicking within the list and selecting Bullets and Numbering from the shortcut menu.
   
   
3. Select the list style from one of the seven choices given, or click the Picture... button to choose a different icon. Click the Numbered tab to choose a numbered list style.
4. Click OK when finished.

Tables
Tables are used to display data and there are several ways to build them in Word. Begin by placing the cursor where you want the table to appear in the document and choose one of the following methods.

Insert a Table
There are two ways to add a table to the document using the Insert feature:

1. Click the Insert Table button on the standard toolbar. Drag the mouse along the grid, highlighting the number of rows and columns for the table.
   
   
   
   
2. Or, select Table|Insert|Table from the menu bar. Select the number of rows and columns for the table and click OK.
   
   

Draw the Table
A table can also be drawn onto the document:

1. Draw the table by selecting Table|Draw Table from the menu bar. The cursor is now the image of a pencil and the Tables and Borders toolbar has appeared.
   
   
2. Draw the cells of the table with the mouse. If you make a mistake, click the Eraser button and drag the mouse over the area to be deleted.
3. To draw more cells, click on the Draw Table button .

Inserting Rows and Columns
Once the table is drawn, insert additional rows by placing the cursor in the row you want to be adjacent to. Select Table|Insert|Rows Above or Rows Below. Or, select an entire row and right-click with the mouse. Choose Insert Rows from the shortcut menu.

Much like inserting a row, add a new column by placing the cursor in a cell adjacent to where the new column will be added. Select Table|Insert|Columns to the Left or Columns to the Right. Or, select the column, right-click with the mouse, and select Insert Columns.

Moving and Resizing a Table
A four-sided moving arrow and open box resizing handle will appear on the corners of the table if the mouse is placed over the table. Click and drag the four-ended arrow to move the table and release the mouse button when the table is positioned where you want it. Click and drag the open box handle to resize the table. Change the column widths and row heights by clicking the cell dividers and dragging them with the mouse.

Tables and Borders Toolbar
The Tables and Borders toolbar allows you to add border styles, shading, text effects, alignment, and more options to your table. Access the toolbar by clicking Table|Draw Table or View|Toolbars|Tables and Borders.

You will need to highlight the cells of the table you want to format. Click and drag the mouse over the cells, or use the following shortcuts:

Table Properties
Use the Table Properties dialog box to modify the alignment of the table with the body text and the text within the table. Access the box by selecting Tables|Table Properties.

• Size - Check the Preferred width box and enter a value if the table should be an exact width.
• Alignment - Highlight the illustration that represents the alignment of the table in relation to the text of the document.
• Text wrapping - Highlight "None" if the table should appear on a separate line from the text or choose "Around" if the text should wrap around the table.
• Borders and Shading - Select from a number of border styles, colors, and widths. Click the Shading tab to change the background color and pattern.
  
  
• Options - Click the Options button on the Table Properties window. To change the spacing between the document text and the table borders under Default cell margins. Check the Allow spacing between cells box and enter a value to add space between the table cells.
  
  

Graphics

Adding Clip Art
To add a clip art image from the Microsoft library to a document, follow these steps:

1. Select Insert|Picture|Clip Art from the menu bar.
   
   
2. To find an image, click in the white box following Search for clips. Delete the words "Type one or more words. . ." and enter keywords describing the image you want to use.
   - OR -
   Click one of the category icons.
3. Click once on the image you want to add to the document and the following popup menu will appear:
   
   
   • Insert Clip to add the image to the document.
     
   • Preview Clip to view the image full-size before adding it to the document. Drag the bottom, right corner of the preview window to resize the image and click the "x" close button to end the preview.
     
   • Add Clip to Favorites will add the selected image to your favorites directory that can be chosen from the Insert ClipArt dialog box.
   • Find Similar Clips will retrieve images similar to the one you have chosen.
4. Continue selecting images to add to the document and click the Close button in the top, right corner of the Insert ClipArt window to stop adding clip art to the document.
   

Add An Image from a File
Follow these steps to add a photo or graphic from an existing file:

1. Select Insert|Picture|From File on the menu bar.
   
2. Click the down arrow button on the right of the Look in: window to find the image on your computer.
3. Highlight the file name from the list and click the Insert button.
   

Editing A Graphic
Activate the image you wish to edit by clicking on it once with the mouse. Nine handles will appear around the graphic. Click and drag these handles to resize the image. The handles on the corners will resize proportionally while the handles on the straight lines will stretch the image. More picture effects can be changed using the Picture toolbar. The Picture toolbar should appear when you click on the image. Otherwise, select View|Toolbars|Picture from the menu bar to activate it.

• Insert Picture will display the image selection window and allows you to change the image.
  
  
• Image Control allows to make the image grayscale, black and white, or a watermark.
  
  
• More/Less Contrast modifies the contrast between the colors of the image.
  
  
• More/Less Brightness will darken or brighten the image.
  
  
• Click Crop and drag the handles on the activated image to delete outer portions of the image.
  
  
• Line Style will add a variety of borders to the graphic.
  
  
• Text Wrapping will modify the way the document text wraps around the graphic.
  
  
• Format Picture displays all the image properties in a separate window.
  
  
• Reset Picture will delete all the modifications made to the image.

Auto Shapes
The AutoShapes toolbar will allow you to draw many different geometrical shapes, arrows, flow chart symbols, stars, and banners on the document. Activate the AutoShapes toolbar by selecting Insert|Picture|AutoShapes or View|Toolbars|AutoShapes from the menu bar, or clicking the AutoShapes button on the Drawing toolbar. Click each button on the toolbar to view the options for drawing the shape.

• Lines - After clicking the Lines button on the AutoShapes toolbar, draw a straight line, arrow, or double-ended arrow from the first row of options by clicking the respective button. Click in the document where you would like the line to begin and click again where it should end. To draw a curved line or freeform shape, select curved lines from the menu (first and second buttons of second row), click in the document where the line should appear, and click the mouse every time a curve should begin. End creating the graphic by clicking on the starting end or pressing the ESC key. To scribble, click the last button in the second row, click the mouse in the document and hold down the left button while you draw the design. Let go of the mouse button to stop drawing.
  

• Basic Shapes - Click the Basic Shapes button on the AutoShapes toolbar to select from many two- and three-dimensional shapes, icons, braces, and brackets. Use the drag-and-drop method to draw the shape in the document. When the shape has been made, it can be resized using the open box handles and other adjustments specific to each shape can be modified using the yellow diamond handles.
  
  
  
• Block Arrows - Select Block Arrows to choose from many types of two- and three-dimensional arrows. Drag-and-drop the arrow in the document and use the open box and yellow diamond handles to adjust the arrowheads. Each AutoShape can also be rotated by first clicking the Free Rotate button on the drawing toolbar . Click and drag the green handles around the image to rotate it. The tree image below was created from an arrow rotated 90 degrees.
  
  
  
• Flow Chart - Choose from the flow chart menu to add flow chart elements to the document and use the line menu to draw connections between the elements.
  
  
• Stars and Banners - Click the button to select stars, bursts, banners, and scrolls.
  
  
• Call Outs - Select from the speech and thought bubbles, and line call outs. Enter the call out text in the text box that is made.
  
  
• More AutoShapes - Click this button to choose from a list of clip art categories.

Each of the submenus on the AutoShapes toolbar can become a separate toolbar. Just click and drag the gray bar across the top of the submenus off of the toolbar and it will become a separate floating toolbar.

AutoCorrect
Word automatically corrects many commonly misspelled words and punctuation marks with the AutoCorrect feature. To view the list of words that are automatically corrected, select Tools|AutoCorrect. This may be a hidden feature so click the double arrows at the bottom of the Tools menu listing if the AutoCorrect choice is not listed.

Many options including the accidental capitalization of the first two letters of a word and capitalization of the first word of the sentence can be automatically corrected from this page. If there are words you often misspell, enter the wrong and correct spellings in the Replace and With fields.

Spelling and Grammar Check
Word will automatically check for spelling and grammar errors as you type unless you turn this feature off. Spelling errors are noted in the document with a red underline. Grammar errors are indicated by a green underline. To disable this feature, select Tools|Options from the menu bar and click the Spelling and Grammar tab on the dialog box. Uncheck "Check spelling as you type" and "Check grammar as you type", and click OK.

To use the spelling and grammar checker, follow these steps:

1. Select Tools|Spelling and Grammar from the menu bar.
2. The Spelling and Grammar dialog box will notify you of the first mistake in the document and misspelled words will be highlighted in red.
   
3. If the word is spelled correctly, click the Ignore button or click the Ignore All button if the word appears more than once in the document.
4. If the word is spelled incorrectly, choose one of the suggested spellings in the Suggestions box and click the Change button or Change All button to correct all occurrences of the word in the document. If the correct spelling is not suggested, enter the correct spelling in the Not In Dictionary box and click the Change button.
5. If the word is spelled correctly and will appear in many documents you type (such as your name), click the Add button to add the word to the dictionary so it will no longer appear as a misspelled word.

1. If Word finds a grammar mistake, it will be shown in the box as the spelling errors. The mistake is highlighted in green text.
   
2. Several suggestions may be given in the Suggestions box. Select the correction that best applies and click Change.
3. If no correction is needed (Word is often wrong more than it is right), click the Ignore button.

Synonyms
Word 2000 has a new feature for finding synonyms. Simply right-click on the word and select Synonyms from the shortcut menu. From the list of suggested words, highlight the word you would like to use or click Thesaurus... for more options.

Thesaurus
To use the thesaurus, select Tools|Language|Thesaurus from the menu bar or select it from the Synonyms shortcut menu as detailed above.

A list of meanings and synonyms are given on the windows. Double-click on the words in the Meanings box or click the Look Up button to view similar words. Double-click words in the Replace with Synonym box to view synonyms of those words. Highlight the word you would like to add and click the Replace button.



Page Formatting

Page Margins
The page margins of the document can be changed using the rulers on the page and the Page Setup window. The ruler method is discussed first:

1. Move the mouse over the area where the white ruler changes to gray.
   
2. When the cursor becomes a double-ended arrow, click with the mouse and drag the margin indicator to the desired location.
3. Release the mouse when the margin is set.

The margins can also be changed using the Page Setup dialog box:

1. Select File|Page Setup and choose the Margins tab in the dialog box.
   
2. Enter margin values in the Top, Bottom, Left, and Right boxes. The Preview window will reflect the changes.
3. If the document has Headers and/or Footers, the distance this text appears from the edge of the page can be changed.
4. Click OK when finished.
   

Page Size and Orientation
Change the orientation page within the Page Setup dialog box.

1. Select File|Page Setup and choose the Paper Size tab.
   
2. Select the proper paper size from the drop-down menu.
3. Change the orientation from Portrait or Landscape by checking the corresponding radio button.
   

Headers and Footers
A header is text that is added to the top margin of every page such as a document title or page number and a footer is text added to the bottom margin. Follow these steps to add or edit headers and footers in the document:

1. Select View|Header and Footer from the menu bar. The Header and Footer toolbar will appear and the top of the page will be highlighted as shown below.
   
   
2. Type the heading in the Header box. You may use many of the standard text formatting options such as font face, size, bold, italics, etc.
3. Click the Insert AutoText button to view a list of quick options available.
4. Use the other options on the toolbar to add page numbers, the current date and time.
5. To edit the footer, click the Switch Between Header and Footer button on the toolbar.
6. When you are finished adding headers and footers, click the Close button on the toolbar.

Page Numbers
Follow these instructions for another way to add page numbers to a document.

1. Select Insert|Page Numbers from the menu bar and the following dialog box will appear.
   
2. Select the position of the page numbers by choosing "Top of page" or "Bottom of page" from the Position drop-down menu.
3. Select the alignment of the page numbers in the Alignment drop-down menu.
4. If you do not want the page number to show on the first page (if it is a title page, for example), uncheck the Show number of first page box.
5. Click OK when finished.

Print Preview and Printing
Preview your document by clicking the Print Preview button on the standard toolbar or by selecting File|Print Preview. When the document is ready to print, click the Print button from the Print Preview screen or select File|Print.




Macros

Macros are advanced features that can speed up editing or formatting you may perform often in a Word document. They record sequences of menu selections that you choose so that a series of actions can be completed in one step.

Recording A Macro
To record a macro, follow these steps:

1. Click Tools|Macro|Record New Macro on the menu bar.
   
2. Name the macro in the Macro name field. This name cannot contain spaces and or begin with a number.
3. From the Store macro in drop-down box, select the document you would like the macro to be associated with or choose "All Documents" be able to use the macro in any document.
4. Enter a description of the macro in the Description field. This is for your reference only so you remember what the macro does.
5. Click OK to begin recording.
6. Select options from the drop-down menus and Word will record the options you choose from the dialog boxes, such as changing the margins on the Page Setup window. Select only options that modify the document. Word will not record toggle actions such as View|Toolbars that have no effect on the document itself.
7. The recording toolbar will allow you to stop, pause, and resume recording.
   
8. Click the Stop button the recording toolbar. The macro is now saved.

Running A Macro
To run an existing macro, follow these steps.

1. Select Tools|Macro|Macros from the menu bar.
2. From the Macros window, highlight the Macro name in the list and click Run.
   
3. If the macro is long and you want to stop it while it is running, press BREAK (hold CTRL and press PAUSE).

Table of Contents

Word will automatically create a Table of Contents page if a document is designed using Heading and Paragraph styles (see the Styles section). Follow the steps on this page to create a Table of Contents.

Mark Table of Contents Entries

1. Highlight a heading that you would like to appear in the Table of Contents (TOC).
2. Press ALT+SHIFT+O and the Mark Table of Contents Entry box will appear.
   
3. Entry - Rename the entry if you would like a different heading to appear in the TOC.
4. Table identifier - Select "C".
5. Level - Choose "1" for first-level heading, "2" for second-level heading, etc.
6. Click the Mark button.
7. The document will be toggled to "reveal codes" view and notice the TOC field code. To hide all codes click the Show/Hide codes button on the standard toolbar.
8. Select another heading to add to the TOC, or click the Close button on the Mark Table of Contents Entry dialog box.

Generate a Table of Contents

After you have marked all the headings for your TOC, follow these steps to generate the Table of Contents.

1. Place the cursor where you would like the TOC to appear in the document.
2. Select Insert|Index and Tables from the menu bar.
   
3. Customize the appearance of the TOC from the Table of Contents tab. You may choose a preset design from the Formats drop-down menu. A preview of each design will be shown in the Print Preview window.
4. Check the Show page numbers box if you would like page numbers to show on the TOC. Check the Right align page numbers box if the page numbers should appear on the right side, then select the Tab leader between the heading and the page number. Uncheck the box if the page numbers should appear right next to the heading.
5. Click OK.

What we have shown you is all the important features you will be working with in your word processor. These are very simple things to learn. Now that you know what all the features your word processor has, it is time to learn how to put it to use.

Using a word processing program like Microsoft Word, WordPerfect, OpenOffice or Microsoft Works is fairly easy and intuitive to use if you can remember a few things. Most people who grew up with typewriters, try to use a word processor program just like a typewriter, which is not how this software was meant to be used. Even those who have never used a typewriter tend to overlook many of the valuable features of a word processor program.

The true value of a word processing program is in its flexibility. With a typewriter, if you made a change to the first page of a long document, you had to retype the entire document. With a word processor, if you make a change to the first page of a document, all the other pages will adjust to that change automatically. That is, the adjustments will be made if you have created the document properly.



Three Basic Rules
There are three essential rules for learning any computer application:

1. Look at the screen.

2. Don't work on an urgent task while you're learning.

3. Save constantly.

For instance, when you first start up your word processor, before you type a single word, look at the menus and toolbars (the little strips of tiny pictures – called 'icons' or 'toolbar buttons') across the top of your screen. Let your mouse pointer pause on each button in the toolbar and you'll see either a little label pop up indicating what it does, or you'll see a message down in the status bar (the very bottom of the word processing window) with the same information.

In the latest versions of WordPerfect, you'll see similar pop-up labels for the menus as well as the toolbars.

Notice how each toolbar button gives a graphic representation of its function: a little disk on the button which lets you save your work; a picture of a printer on the button which lets you print your work; and so on.

Common menus
Each word processing program has its own particular set of toolbars and menus, but many of the functions are similar. Most programs will have a File Menu, a Format or Text Menu, and a Help Menu, plus several others.

Take a look in the Help Menu. Online help is getting better and better and the advanced word processing programs have help 'wizards' or 'assistants' that will take your written question, for instance, "How do I change the size of my text?" and display the appropriate answer for you.

The File Menu is equally important. From the File Menu you can create a new document, open one you've already created, save and close documents, print documents and perform various other tasks affecting your files.

Alt key shortcuts
See how each menu has one of its letters underlined? There's a reason: instead of opening the menus by pointing and clicking with your mouse, you can hold down the Alt key and press the underlined letter to open that particular menu (press the Esc key to close the menu without making a selection).

Open any menu and have a look at its contents. Some items are greyed out, indicating that option is currently unavailable. For example, the Table Menu in Word for Windows has most of its options greyed out unless you insert a table into your document (useful for creating neat columns of related text) and select the table.

For example, in most word processors, if you click the toolbar 'Print' button, the word processor will automatically print all of your current document. If you use the File Menu Print option instead of the toolbar button, you'll be presented with a dialog box that lets you choose which pages of the document to print, which printer to use for printing (if you have more than one connected to your computer) and so on.

The toolbar buttons are for quick shortcut tasks; the menu options are for complete control.

When you click the Save button to save your work, take a good look at the Save dialog box and get to know each part of it. When you apply formatting to a document to make it look snazzier, watch how the toolbar buttons and the ruler reflect the formatting of the part of the document you're working in.

The casual approach
Rule Two: Don't work on an urgent task while you're learning. Learning a new program is a process of discovery. You'll learn best if you take your time and reduce the distractions and stresses while you're learning.

The one worst way to learn a program is to try to produce something you need to do urgently. If you set yourself an urgent task, things are bound to go wrong and you'll lose your ability to focus on learning. Instead, you're likely to end up cursing the word processor for making life so damn difficult.

If you take away the urgency, you'll find you can wander through all the menu options and click on toolbar buttons to your heart's content.

While you do so, remember to watch what you're doing: you may click a toolbar button and suddenly your document looks different (for example, switching from 'normal' view to 'page layout' view in some programs gives you a whole different view of your document).

As long as you notice what you're doing and take your time, you'll be able to retrace your steps and recover from inadvertent discoveries.

In particular, learn to use the Undo button that most word processors have. It lets you undo your most recent changes and can be a lifesaver.

If you save your work early and often it doesn't matter if you mess up. You can experiment and putter around exploring your word processor without feeling a mistake will put you back at square one.

How often is 'often'? Every paragraph is not too frequently. After all, once you've saved your document initially and given it a name, saving any changes you make entails nothing more than a quick click on the Save button or, in most word processors, pressing Ctrl-S.

A good way to measure whether it's time to save is the 'Agony of Loss' indicator. Take a nanosecond every now and then and ask yourself "How upset would I be if there was a blackout right now and everything I've just done was lost?". If you wince at the thought, click the Save button.

The trouble with AutoSave
One thing to watch out for is the automatic saving (or AutoSave) feature you'll find in most powerful word processors. This feature automatically saves your work after a given interval. This may seem like a neat safety cushion, allowing you to escape disaster even if you don't save the document yourself. However, it can be a trap in itself.

The trouble with AutoSave is it saves your document without asking you. Say you've been working on a document and you make a change that messes up all your careful formatting. If AutoSave kicks in at that moment, it will save your document in its currently messed-up state. That's not what you want.

The other trap in AutoSaving is that it doesn't teach you to become a constant saver. Making saving a habit will stand you in good stead no matter what program you're using on the computer. And many of them don't have an AutoSave feature at all.

On the other hand, your word processor should also let you create automatic 'backup' copies of files you're working on. If something goes wrong with your original document, you can open the backup copy and retrieve your work from that.

If your word processor has these options (check in the manual or online help under 'Saving' or 'backing up' or 'AutoSave'), my advice is to turn AutoSave off and turn the creation of backup copies on.



Learning The Basics of Microsoft Word -Audio/Visual Guide
We are going to have you watch an audio/visual presentation from Microsoft on learning some basics of Microsoft Word. This will help you to get a more complete understanding of how to open up, create, format, and edit a document.



CLICK HERE TO START AUDIO/VISUAL COURSE



Word Processor Common Knowledge

WordWrap
Word processing programs will automatically wrap the text from one line to the next. So don't hit the enter key when you get to the end of the line. Just keep typing and let the computer figure out where to break the text. Also, do not separate a word by hyphenating it at the end of the line. If you let the computer complete the word wrap function, and you later insert, or delete text, the computer will automatically adjust the lines. If you hit the enter key yourself at the end of the line and/or hyphenate words and you later add or delete text, your spacing will be messed up causing you a lot of extra work.

Defaults

Headings

Highlight your Chapter Titles or other titles and choose a format like "Heading 1" or "Heading 2". Then when you modify the heading style to suit your needs, all the headings that use that style will be automatically updated. (Look in the help menu for information on how to do this.)

Don't be afraid to play with your word processing program a little. Read the help file.Try different things. And don't use your word processing program like a typewriter. It is much, much more powerful than any typewriter ever was.

Editing Your Documents
There are three essential processes involved in creating any document using a word processor: writing, editing, and formatting your document. Most documents you will also want to print out or send to someone using e-mail or fax software.


The three processes
There are three essential processes involved in creating any document using a word processor: writing, editing, and formatting your document. Most documents you will also want to print out or send to someone using e-mail or fax software.

Writing in this case means typing. The biggest favor you can do yourself is to learn to touch-type. In this way, you can concentrate on what's happening on your screen instead of focusing on your fingers hitting the keys. If you can touch-type, you'll learn how to use a word processor much, much faster than the hunt and peck typist.

Editing a document involves making changes to the words in your document: checking spelling and grammar, reordering sentences and paragraphs, choosing the most apt word.

Formatting is the process of making your documents look good: choosing a typeface, adding headings, positioning text on the page, applying a consistent style to a document.

More often, though, you'll find yourself doing all three at once – correcting spelling as you type, italicizing words for emphasis and so on, and then doing a final edit and format once you've completed the content of your document.

We're going to focus on the first two processes – writing and editing – in this article.

1. Read the screen carefully at all times and notice what's happening there.
2. Take the pressure off yourself while you're learning by working only on non-urgent tasks.
3. Save your work constantly.

It's a simple matter of opening a new document and typing.

Almost all word processors start by presenting you with a blank document when you open them. If you don't have a blank document open, you can create oneby clicking the File Menu and choosing New from the menu.

The File, New option may give you a choice in the type of new document you create. Simply choose 'blank' document or 'start from scratch' or a similar option – the exact wording is different from one word processor to the next.

Type in a paragraph to test things out. If you've had experience using a typewriter, there's one thing you'll need to keep in mind when using a word processor: you do not need a carriage return to start each new line. The word processor will automatically 'wrap' the current line round onto the next line, adjusting to the margin set. There's no need to hit the Enter key (occasionally labeled Return on some computers) until you come to the end of a paragraph.

A test paragraph
So, try typing the paragraph below, and observe how the word wrap feature works and how your words appear in the word processing window. Don't worry if you make spelling mistakes or other errors. You can go back and correct those later.

By the way, if you're not familiar with typing on a keyboard, to capitalize a letter, hold down the left or right Shift keys and press the letter; to capitalize a string of letters, press the Caps Lock key once, type the letters, and then press Caps Locks to return to lowercase.

Here's the paragraph:

I've been spending a little time in San Francisco. The first thing I noticed is how much better the public transport is there than in Los Angeles. BART is not bad at all. Thank goodness, because many places in the US you are forced to use a car to get around at all.

Once you've finished typing the paragraph, press Enter to begin a new paragraph.

When you save the document, you'll give it a name and when you return to the word processing window, you'll see that name in the title bar at the top of the screen.

1. Use the arrow keys to move the insertion point so it's positioned immediately after the 'T' in BART. (You may need to press the Num Lock key if you find the arrow keys are inserting numbers into your document instead of moving the insertion point.)

Most word processing programs will let you move the insertion point faster if you hold down the Control key (usually labeled 'Ctrl') at the same time as you press the arrow keys. Standard shortcuts are Ctrl-Left Arrow or Ctrl-Right Arrow to move the insertion point a word left or right at a time; and Ctrl-Up Arrow or Ctrl-Down Arrow to move to the beginning or the end of a paragraph, or the beginning or end of a page. You'll also find the PgUp and PgDn keys will move you quickly from top to bottom of a screen, once you've typed a little more.

2. Once you have the insertion point positioned, type:

(Bay Area Rapid Transit)

You can switch between modes by pressing the Ins or Insert key on your cursor control pad (below the arrow keys).

Inserting text

You've already seen how easy it is to insert words. Inserting a new line or paragraph is just as simple: make sure the insertion point is positioned immediately before the first word in the first paragraph and then press the Enter key. The whole paragraph will move down one line. You can then press the Up Arrow key once to move up to the blank line you inserted, and type:

If you find you accidentally insert too many blank lines, press the Backspace key to delete the extra blank lines and move your insertion point upwards. (Note: the Backspace key deletes characters to the left of the insertion point; the Del or Delete key deletes characters to the right of the insertion point.)

Now, use the Down Arrow key or PgDn key to go to the very bottom of your letter. If the insertion point won't move past the last word in the final paragraph, press Enter to move onto another line.

Type:

Fixing Mistakes
You've finished the core of your letter. It's now time to read through and correct any mistakes.

Before you read through, you might want to use your word processor's spelling checker to correct any spelling mistakes you've made. Each spelling checker works slightly differently (and some cut-down word processors don't even have one). There should be an icon for the spelling checker in the toolbar, or you'll find it as an option in an Edit, Tools or Proofing Menu.

Cleaning up after the spelling checker
Don't depend on the spelling checker to catch all your mistakes. For example, in the second paragraph you might have typed 'strait' instead of 'straight'. The spelling checker won't pick it up, as 'strait' is a word in its own right. A grammar checker should pick this up, but using a grammar checker on a short, informal document like this is probably overkill (and, besides that, they're not always accurate!).

You can turn 'strait' into 'straight' by using the arrow keys to position the insertion point immediately after the 'I' and typing 'gh'. An easier way to do the same thing is to use the mouse to move the insertion point: simply click immediately after the 'I' and then type 'gh'. You'll find there are almost always two or three ways to perform the same task in a word processor – choose the way that suits you best, but remember to look for the shortcut routes.

Here are three ways to do the same task:

1. Position the insertion point immediately after the word stunning (using the mouse or arrow keys), press backspace eight times to delete the word, and then type 'beautiful'.

2. Position the insertion point immediately after the word stunning, hold down the Ctrl key and press Backspace to delete the word in one go, and then type 'beautiful'.

3. Double-click on the word stunning to highlight (also called 'selecting') the word. Now, type 'beautiful'. The word you type will replace the highlighted selection.

You can use any of these techniques (they should all work in any word processor), but the third technique is the fastest of all.

The standard text selection procedures are the same in all word processors: double-click a word to select it; or click-and-drag over text to select a whole series of words, lines or paragraphs.

Other selection options vary between word processors. For instance, you can select a whole paragraph in Microsoft Word or WordPad by triple-clicking anywhere in the paragraph. To achieve the same effect in Microsoft Works 4, you double-click in the margin beside the paragraph. In Lotus WordPro, you hold down the Ctrl key and double-click anywhere in the paragraph.

Alternatively, you can be more orderly and open the Help Menu, look at Help topics or Contents, click the Index tab (if you're using a Windows 95 word processing program, or use the Search option if you're using a Windows 3.1x program) and do a search for 'selecting text', 'text selection', 'keyboard shortcuts' or 'mouse shortcuts'. That should turn up a whole pile of useful shortcuts for you.

Tidying up
Once you've read through your document and made all the changes necessary, save your document once more.

Our letter doesn't look much at the moment, but we'll go into formatting shortly. Right now, you've learned the basics of creating a new document, typing in text, editing your work to correct mistakes and make changes, and saving your work.

Reorganizing Your Words
Word processing programs are extraordinary time savers. While you're in the process of learning how to use such a program, you may beg to differ. You may feel that writing a letter or essay by hand is infinitely easier and faster than struggling with all the icons and views and menus.

Maybe so, but once you're past the first stage of learning the basics of your word processor, you'll find almost every aspect of creating a written document is much, much speedier and more efficient using a word processor.

Writing the old way
Take essay writing. If you've ever had to write a long essay by hand or with a typewriter, you'll be familiar with the process. It goes something like this:

• Jot down an outline of what you want to say.
• Write a first draft, perhaps leaving those difficult first and last paragraphs in an embryonic form, so you can work on them in the next draft.
• Read over your first draft, decide that paragraph C should be swapped with paragraph K and notice all the misspellings and word usage you want to change.
• Write a second draft, which you're hoping will be the final draft, so you agonize over that first paragraph and try to get everything just right.
• Read through your second draft and realize that paragraph C looked better in its original position, you left out one key reference entirely, you've missed two spelling errors and you're still not happy with your first paragraph.
• Write a final draft, read it over and use white-out on the remaining spelling error.

Does that sound at all familiar? I can still remember the ache in my hand from going through this process on a 10,000 word essay.

Writing the new way
A word processor eliminates almost all the hard work in this process, leaving you to concentrate on the important part: getting your ideas across clearly. With a word processor the process goes like this:

• Jot down an outline of what you want to say.
• Expand on each idea, using your existing outline as headings or paragraph lead-ins, creating a first draft. You don't worry too much about the opening paragraph as you know you can come back and insert it at any time you feel inspired.
• Run the spelling checker through your document, read through your first draft, click and drag paragraphs C and K to their new locations, and change words you don't like.
• Read your draft again, swap paragraphs C and K again, and finalize your opening paragraph.

Instead of writing three (or more) drafts, you've written one and then tinkered with it to your heart's content. Right up to the last instant before you print it, you can make small or large changes with little effort.

The key to it all is the in-built editing features of your word processor.

There's more to editing than changing an occasional word, of course. In the essay example above, much of the editing process involved restructuring the essay, moving whole paragraphs, and inserting large chunks of text. All this is painstaking by hand or using a typewriter but beautifully simple using any word processor.

You learned the basics of selection in the last article: you click and drag across text to select any amount of text, from a letter to a whole document; double-click a word to select it. Each word processing program has additional shortcuts for selecting anything from a sentence to a paragraph to an entire document.

For instance, say you select the first paragraph in your document, planning to move it down below the second paragraph. Before you get a chance to do that, you accidentally tap the Spacebar. Your first paragraph will disappear in a flash, replaced by a single space. It's no big deal as long as you keep your wits about you: just click the Undo icon or choose Undo from the menu. Watch out for this – it's easy to select some text and then type something without realizing you're replacing existing text.

Why does selection work like this? So it's easy to change text to something else. Often, you'll want to replace a word or phrase: all you need to do is select the phrase and type your replacement text, a nice quick two-step process.

Equally important, if you don't want to replace the selected text you need to click somewhere in the document or dialog box to deselect the text. (Clicking in a blank space on your page is a useful trick not only for deselecting text but also for closing a menu you've accidentally opened.)

Try this:

1. Open a document.
2. Write three or four sentences.
3. Highlight the first sentence and choose Cut from the Edit menu (or click the Cut icon in your word processor's toolbar).

The sentence will disappear from your document.

4. Now, click immediately before the third sentence to position the insertion point there and select Paste from the Edit menu, or click the Paste icon on the toolbar.

The sentence you deleted will reappear at your insertion point, moving the third sentence over to make room. Check that there's still a space between the sentence you inserted and the third sentence: you may need to insert a space manually, although some advanced word processors are smart enough to do this for you.

This is the usual process for moving text in a document. You:

1. Select the text
2. Cut it
3. Move the insertion point to the new position.
4. Paste the text.

If you want to copy a piece of text instead of moving it, use Copy and Paste instead of Cut and Paste.

Where'd the text go?
The text you cut is placed on the Clipboard, available to be pasted anywhere in your current document, another document or even in another program altogether. The Clipboard holds one item at a time: anything you cut or copy to the Clipboard will remain there until you cut or copy something else. This means you can Cut an item to the Clipboard and then Paste it multiple times.

Remember, you have to use the Cut or Copy commands to place text on the Clipboard. If you highlight some text and press Delete or Backspace to delete it, the text will not be placed on the Clipboard, it will simply disappear.

Moving and copying text
You can probably see how useful Cut, Copy and Paste can be in restructuring a document. These commands are also terrific for moving or copying information between documents. Because Windows supplies a single Clipboard for all the applications you run, anything you copy to the Clipboard from one program will be available to any other Windows program. So, for example, one way to place a graphic in your word processing document is to:

1. Open a graphics program and create a graphic.
2. Select the graphic and Copy it to the Clipboard.
3. Open your word processing program, position the insertion point and click the Paste button.

Similarly, you can copy text from one document to another by opening the first document, selecting the text, clicking the Copy button, opening the second document, positioning the insertion point and clicking Paste.

If you want to be more efficient, most new word processors offer an even simpler technique for moving of copying text within a document: drag and drop. With drag and drop you don't need to use the Clipboard. Instead, you:

1. Select the text you want to move.
2. Position your cursor so it's within the selected text. The cursor will change shape – to an arrow-head pointing towards the left margin in Microsoft word processors (in Microsoft Works you'll see the word 'drag' beneath the cursor), to a little hand in Lotus programs, and so on.
3. Hold down the mouse button and drag the text to its new position, then release the mouse button.

Simple, huh?

If you want to copy the text rather than move it, hold down the Ctrl key while you click and drag the text.

For instance, you can open up your word processor and, say, your e-mail editor, right-click in a vacant space on the Windows 95 Taskbar and choose Tile Vertically or Tile Horizontally to position both windows side by side, and then click and drag selected text (or Ctrl-click and drag it to copy it) from one window to another.

• enter text
• move around your document using the arrow keys, Ctrl-arrow combinations or the mouse
• insert text and correct errors
• select, replace, delete, move and copy text
• move text or other items from one document to another using the Clipboard.

The next step is to make your words look good. This involves using the formatting tools of your word processor: setting tabs and margins, changing the style and look of the typeface you use, positioning text on the page. That's what we'll do in the next article in this series.

In the meantime, remember to watch what you're doing, practice new techniques on non-urgent documents, and save your work often.


Formatting Your Documents
Getting your words down on 'paper' is only part of producing a document. Just as important is making your document look good. A well-formatted letter, report or memo is easier to read, draws attention to the most important information, and creates a receptive and favorable impression in the reader.

"Word processors provide you with the tools to make your documents look good. They can't give you taste and a sense of style – although some of the upmarket word processors can automatically apply consistent styles to your documents to make them look smart – but they do supply you with everything you need to take your words from raw text to stylish output."

Text Formatting
Most word processor users spend far too much time on the details of formatting. Following a few simple rules can make life easier.

In fact, the most frequent mistake made in formatting documents is to try to do too much: apply multiple styles, use half a dozen fonts, go for fancy layout.

Instead of going for broke, take a look at your document, decide which elements you want to emphasize, and assess how formal the document needs to be. Then do the minimum amount of formatting required to achieve your ends.

How formatting works
As with most word processing tasks, the first step in formatting text is selecting the text you want to format. Decide which text you want to change, select it, and then apply the appropriate formatting.

Some formatting is applied to your whole document (such as page margins), but most is applied to specific portions of text.

You'll find most essential formatting tools on your word processor's toolbars and the ruler. Formatting controls include:

• bold
• italic and underlined text;
• alignment tools;
• font size and typeface;
• indentation;
• tab settings;
• margin settings.

If you want more control, you may need to use the menu equivalents of these toolbar options. Look for extended formatting tools in a menu named Format or Text (Claris Works breaks it up into Format, Font and Style menus).

Formatting as you go
If you apply formatting after you've completed typing a document you'll find it easy to identify which sections of text are being affected by a particular style of formatting. Things can get a little more confusing if you format as you type. For instance, try this:

VI. Using Word Processor For Specific Projects
We are going to give more specific training for specific job tasks and assignments you may see when working as a work-from-home data processor. Knowing how to do each of these tasks will take the guesswork out of completing an assignment.

We are going to give you some more audio/visual tutorial.

Creating Mail Merge and Letter Documents
This is a very common assignment for creating mass mailings, and personal mailings for companies. We are going to give you an audio/visual tutorial on this.




CLICK HERE TO START AUDIO/VISUAL COURSE



Creating Tables and Cells for Spreadsheets
Creating spreadsheets in your word processor can be done in a couple of different ways; for one you can transfer a spreadsheet from an existing program such as Microsoft Excel, or create cells and tables to insert the data.




CLICK HERE TO START AUDIO/VISUAL COURSE



Editing Tables and Cells Using Outside Sources
This tutorial will deal with using outside editors to create spreadsheets, tables, rows etc.




CLICK HERE TO START AUDIO/VISUAL COURSE



Adding Graphics and Decor to a Presentation
Adding graphics to a presentation, letter, flier, etc. will be an important feature to learn.



CLICK HERE TO START AUDIO/VISUAL COURSE


Part 2
Backgrounds, borders and decor to document
CLICK HERE TO START AUDIO/VISUAL COURSE




Document Outlining
Some companies will have create document outlines from scratch, and this is a perfect audio/visual tutorial on exactly how to do this.




CLICK HERE TO START AUDIO/VISUAL COURSE



XML Formatting and Documentation
It will be important to understand what XML, is and how popular it will be when you are doing outsource assignments.




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Part 2
Using XML in Word Processor
CLICK HERE TO START AUDIO/VISUAL COURSE



Data Research
You will always need to do a little research when working on any assignments, this tutorial will teach you how to easily do your research using features in your word processor.




CLICK HERE TO START AUDIO/VISUAL COURSE



VII. Practice and a Quiz
Giving you this tutorial was to let you get your feet wet, so-to-speak. Learning your word processor can prove to be one of the best things you can do for a work-from-home experience. There are so many jobs that cannot be filled due to the lack of qualified people who are able to do some of the things we have shown you.

Practice, Practice, Practice
You will need to use your word processor as often as you can to get thoroughly familiar with it. We suggest you start creating anything, and everything you can with your word processor. For example, you can create your own business cards, Christmas cards, fliers for a party you may be having, event calendars, and you can start inputting your personal finances onto spreadsheets. Anytime you use your word processor you will get better and better.

Quiz
We have a 25 question quiz for you to take if you choose. This may help guage you knowledge of your word processor. Click the link below to take the quiz. If you score 90% or better, you have a pretty good grasp on how your word processor works.

CLICK HERE TO TAKE QUIZ


VIII. Getting Data Entry Work
On our data entry job board we list several companies, individuals, and current job postings that are in need of your services. We have designed a unique way to get up-to-the-minute jobs postings. We will give you more details in our job board section.

Your Own Business
If you choose, starting your own outsource data entry business can be very easy to do. We will teach you how you can set up your own blog page to promote the services you provide. Here you can give details on your service specialty or specialties. Then simply print some business cards, fliers etc. listing your blog page URL address.

Contract Work
One of the best opportunities to get data entry jobs is to subscribe to a service called Contracted Work. This company will post hundreds, even thousands of current projects, and all you have to do is bid on how much you are willing to get paid to complete the job. If the person posting the job accepts your bid, then you get the job. You do not need to post a resumé etc. Contracted Work does charge a small monthly fee, of $14.00. It is well worth the charge because what they provide is: Your own e-store to showcase your services, an escrow account which will assure you get paid for your assignments, and more. This is an optional source, but a very valuable one that can keep you busy for a long time with work-from-home data entry and word processing. We suggest you give this a try once you have enhanced your word processing skills. The $14.00 will be made up with just your first assignment in most cases. We will list more details in our job board.

TO ACCESS THE DATA ENTRY JOB BOARD CLICK HERE

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