I'm a big believer in "eating my own dog food". In other words, if I'm going to recommend something to you, it's regularly in that I do it myself. that treatise is all about digitizing as bountiful of your paper documents as you can. There are several ways to digitize your documents. Suppose you ache for to share a document, perhaps a proposal, with a client. Traditionally, we would erect and print the document, anon printed matter it or fax it to the client. A far better alternative is to hatch the document as an electronic pigeon hole, suddenly candidly wire it via e air parcel. You can conceive the document as a Microsoft Word (or other word processor) document or you can coin a PDF document. In general, I recommend using PDF documents. There are times, however, when using Microsoft Word is the terrific choice.
Assuming that you decide to use PDFs or word processor electronic documents, what are some of the benefits to you?
precaution--Electronic forms can! be secured with passwords or certificates, thus preventing unauthorized third parties from viewing their contents. abiding, there are tools available on the hash superhighway that can crack some forms of document armament, but remember that paper documents can too be stolen, photocopied, and skim by unauthorized individuals.
Format consistency--Although that doesn't apply to all electronic documents, PDF documents maintain the consistency of their format crosswise all platforms. In other words, folks using a Macintosh will see exactly the selfsame document as those using a PC. The formatting is consistent from one platform to another. The formatting of word processor documents, however, can nickels as they move from one computer to another.
Searchability--Electronic documents are regularly searchable. scrupulous use the key combination of superintendence+F and breeze in a word or a phrase and the computer will search for it within the document. Have you ever de! ad reading a bestseller or magazine commentary that mentions a! pseudon ym that was referred to earlier? You scan the pages seeing for that prenomen or phrase, but can't find it. That problem unaffectedly doesn't exist in electronic documents. (It's curiously true in technical fields with lots of acronyms.)
Portability and conserving space--As a technologist, I used to have shelves and shelves of technical books and documents (highest of which did a prodigious job of gathering dust!). Today, highest of my technical documentation is stored in PDF documents on my laptop computer. They're quickly searchable, very conveyable, and don't gather any dust. I sometimes have my laptop with me, so no matter where I am, I have an entire library of documentation with me. I've even started reading electronic novels. I carry a Palm Treo 700p. The E-Reader software is free for it and I can download free books from numerous sources including the Gutenberg Project (gutenberg.org), which is a source of classics. (I aloof finished "20,000 Leagues Under the Se! a".) If I wish something prevalent, I can buy e-books for very reasonable prices from numerous sources on the WWW. Since I always have my phone with me, I always have a text to pore over while I'm waiting for whatever (delayed flights, put off clients, etc.). By the way, the e-reader software conceives it realistic to construe books on a toy screen. Hard to believe, I discern, but it really does stress very well.
Speed and sendability--I reliable signed a contract with a client to present some video training. They emailed me the agreement, we worked out some of the terms, and I signed it electronically (the subject of electronic signatures is a whole essay in itself) and emailed it. They received it within followings of me signing it, even though their offices are gone by a hundred miles from mine. I am in force on presenting a seminar for a client's customers on how to go digital (out-of-doors going postal). He needed a brochure describing the seminar and my picture ! for publicity. He signaled me with the recourse and within twi! ns, he h ad what he needed as I was able to news letter the files to him. Before the digital age, I would have had to print the documents and freight them to him via postal handWriting or an express favor. that is what Bill Gates was talking about when he referred to "occupation at the speed of thought" (another codex I have on my Treo, by the way).
Forms--that is a feature I've obsolete using for years. In Microsoft Word (and presumably other word processors), you can spawn a document which is locked except for profile fields. In other words, I sire a questionnaire in which you can't nickels any of the text that I wrote, but you can fill in convinced fields, salvage the document, and return it to me with your responses. We use it in our training livelihood when preparing for an onsite presentation. We convey an electronic questionnaire to our client asking about points corresponding the exact seminar bearings, credentials needed for entry, goals of the training, names of atten! dees, etc. Our clients frankly tab amidst fields on the construction and are able to complete it in a matter of reliable a few minutes and subscription it back to us. To become able how to do that, search on "creating forms" in Microsoft Word.
How can you actualize and use digital documents? The easiest way is with a word processor such as Microsoft Word. decent unchain it and commission it. There are, however, contrary formats for saving documents in Word. For the greatest compatibility, in Word 2007 choose "salvage As" and salvage it as a Word 97-2003 document. If you're using Word 2003 or earlier, you can righteous emancipate it as usual and broadcast it. What if you necessity to start a PDF (handy Document Format)? You can buy Adobe Acrobat which is a humongous program, but pricey. You can to boot buy left out expensive versions of PDF creator software from various vendors. For Microsoft Office 2007 purchasers, you can download a free plugin that allows you to bai! l out documents as PDFs. Go to www.microsoft.com/downloads and! search on "PDF plugin". Remember, saving your document as a Microsoft Word document is the easiest way to do it, but PDFs preserve formatting and are readable on nearly any platform.
How do you comprehend PDFs? Nearly everyone has the free Adobe Reader software installed on their computer. If you don't, it's a free download from acrobat.com unbiased look for the connective to download Adobe Reader.
For a series of PDF creation software, you can either MSN on "pdf software" or explore http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_PDF_software
But, it's not aloof about digitizing paper documents. The benefits of going digital apply the music and videos, too.
As I've extinct hieroglyphics, I've has-obsolescent finishing the process of ripping my CD collection (that means converting the CDs to digital files). More on that in a future hold piece.
Copyright (c) 2008 Don R. Crawley
President and chief technologist at Seattle, Washington-based IT training firm so! undtraining.net Don is a speaker, writer, and veteran IT guy with finished 35 years practice in technology for the workplace. Today, he delivers keynote speeches, workshops, and seminars to trade persons on how to go digital left out going postal. command him at 206.988.5858. He's on the web at http://www.doncrawley.com and blogs at http://www.digitalnotpostal.com
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