New variations on LinkedIn scam (don’t click any links!)

In the past few days, I’ve received a few fake LinkedIn e-mails that differ somewhat from the ones I’ve reported on previously.  (See, for instance, my post dated December 26, 2011.) One of them says something to the effect of, “Can I post your picture on my page?” (A similar message asks for permission to post “your music.”) The other uses the eye-catching subject header, “Stop spamming me!” and the body reads, “Hello.  Please stop spamming me with links to your business!”

As with the other fake LinkedIn messages, there are (at least) two telltale signs that the messages are phony:  (1) if they were legitimate, you would receive copies in your LinkedIn mailbox; and (2) when you position the mouse pointer over the links in the messages, you can see the URLs, which clearly have nothing to do with LinkedIn (and are not what they appear to be).

If you receive a similar message, do not click any of the links.  I don’t know for sure that the links could cause harm — whether by launching or downloading malware or by taking you to a dangerous web site — but it’s quite possible.  And, given the potential for harm, it’s not worth the risk.

Thankfully, my ISP’s spam-blocking software has caught most of these bogus messages.  You might not be as lucky.

So be on the alert, and exercise caution.

New Amazon pages for my books

As of this evening, both of my books have been re-published and re-listed on Amazon.  You can find the new version of the Word 2010 book here:

Formatting Legal Documents With Microsoft Word 2010

…and the new version of the Word 2007 book here:

Formatting Legal Documents With Microsoft Office Word 2007

As I noted in my previous post, the most significant change to the books is cosmetic (I created spiffy new covers). I made only a few substantive edits, most of them fairly minor.

The descriptions haven’t been posted yet, but the new version of the Word 2010 book is available for purchase now.  The new version of the Word 2007 book is not available at the moment, but that should change within the next day or so.

Keep in mind that earlier versions of both books remain available on Lulu.com (and you can view previews there) at the following URLs:

Formatting Legal Documents With Microsoft Word 2010

Formatting Legal Documents With Microsoft Office Word 2007

As always, many thanks for your patronage and support!

Changes to my book listings on Amazon

Hello, all,

Because of a change in Amazon’s policies, I am in the process of re-publishing both of my books — Formatting Legal Documents With Microsoft Word 2010 and Formatting Legal Documents With Microsoft Office Word 2007 — via Amazon’s print-on-demand (POD) unit, CreateSpace.  The current listings on Amazon will be removed for a short period, starting on January 10.

When the books are re-listed on Amazon (probably within a few days), almost everything will be the same:  the titles, the prices, the book descriptions, etcetera.  The only noteworthy differences are that I have jazzed up the covers somewhat, and I have made a few minor revisions to the content.  (The changes in the books’ appearance will be much more obvious than the substantive edits.)

Note that the current editions of both books will remain available on Lulu.com. Buying directly from Lulu is still a good option, especially when you use a discount coupon to offset the shipping charges.  Lulu offers such coupons frequently, often for 20% to 35% off the cost of one or more books.  Regular readers of this blog know that I post notices about Lulu’s discount coupons as they become available (when I learn about them).

Note, too, that if you are interested in buying multiple copies of one of my books, I can give you direct access to a page on Lulu where I can set a volume discount.  I’m not sure if I will be able to do that on Amazon; I’ll find out soon.

In the meantime, you might have noticed some oddities in the appearance of my books’ pages on Amazon.  The descriptions of the contents have vanished and have been replaced with some gobbledygook related to used copies that a third party — unrelated to and, for that matter, completely unknown to me — had been selling on Amazon (for a mere $499!!!).   Unfortunately, there appears to be no way for me to change the descriptions.

Since the listings will be removed early next week anyway, I might not even bother to ask Amazon to restore the descriptions.  You can read the descriptions on the books’ Lulu pages.  They are available as follows:

Formatting Legal Documents With Microsoft Word 2010

Formatting Legal Documents With Microsoft Office Word 2007

In any case, don’t be startled if you can’t find the books on Amazon for a few days. I’ll post back as soon as they are re-listed.

Start the new year right: Avoid e-mail hoaxes (and worse)!

When you receive an e-mail message that appears even slightly suspicious — whether from someone you know or from a complete stranger — trust your instincts. It’s probably a hoax, at best, or possibly even a trigger for a virus, a worm, or other malware. Rather than risk infecting your computer, take a few minutes to check whether the message is for real or a hoax.

And as a rule, never click a link in an e-mail message (or open an attachment directly from the message) unless you’re absolutely certain that it’s legitimate. In particular, if you weren’t expecting a specific link or attachment, verify that it’s authentic and harmless before opening or downloading it — regardless of whether you trust the purported sender. It’s easy for hackers to “spoof” an e-mail address to make it appear that mail comes from someone you know, when in fact it originates elsewhere.

As for the authenticity of links, sometimes you can see the true path when you position the mouse pointer over a link. But even if it looks like the real thing, why chance a virus or a worm? Keep in mind that things are not always what they seem, especially when it comes to e-mail and the Internet! A quick check can save you a lot of heartache.

Also, as a rule it’s best not to forward gossipy messages — you know, the ones that promise easy money or warn of impending doom — without checking the veracity of the alleged information. If something sounds too good (or too bad) to be true, it almost certainly is.

I’m providing a link herein to a 2010 article from Tech Republic (a site published by ZDNet) listing web sites that track hoaxes, viruses, worms, and the like. (Ignore the somewhat snippy tone of the author, an IT person who obviously has reached the end of his tether with respect to chain letters; the article contains lots of worthwhile info.)  I don’t have personal experience with every site mentioned in the article (I’ve used Snopes, Urban Legends, and Hoax-Slayer), but they’re all well-respected. Some are easier to navigate than others. Most allow you to search by key word or phrase.

They’re not necessarily exhaustive or up to date; in fact, I have checked on Snopes and Hoax-Slayers and have not found the latest incarnation of the LinkedIn scam (fake message notifications using the form of “So and so sent you a message”). Even so, they can help you determine whether any given e-mail message is or isn’t trustworthy.

In short, these fact-checking sites will help you stay safe in cyberspace. Keep the list handy at home and at work.

Here is the article:  Top 10 Sites to Debunk Internet Hoaxes (Tech Republic)

Happy surfing and e-mailing in 2012!

 

35% off Lulu orders through 12/28

Just received word of a new Lulu discount coupon — BLIZZARDS305 — you can use between now and 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, December 28, 2011 to get 35% off the price of any Lulu.com purchase (including, but not limited to, one or both of my books).  The maximum savings with this coupon is $100.

As always, the discount applies to the cost of merchandise only, not to taxes or shipping charges.  And the offer can’t be combined with any other discount currently in effect.  Still, it’s a pretty good deal.

To use the coupon, enter the code at checkout before submitting your order.

Enjoy!

An update regarding fake LinkedIn invitations

In October of 2010, I wrote about a new scam in the form of fake LinkedIn invitations that appeared, at first glance, to be genuine. (See this post.) It looks as though the scam has resurfaced, in a somewhat different form. Over the past several days, I’ve received a number of notifications that someone on LinkedIn has sent me a message. (“So-and-So sent you a message via LinkedIn.”)  However, it’s obvious that the notifications aren’t legitimate.

For one thing, many of the messages have arrived at an e-mail address that I don’t use on LinkedIn. For another, unlike every genuine notification I’ve ever received from LinkedIn, they don’t include the text of the ostensible message. Instead, they instruct the recipient to click on a link in order to read the supposed message. That’s not a good idea, at least with respect to messages from people you don’t know and/or that you aren’t expecting.

When I place the mouse pointer over one of the links, I can see the “true” URL, which makes it readily apparently that the links are not what they appear to be — and would take me somewhere other than to my inbox on LinkedIn. (Note: That includes the link labeled “Adjust your message settings,” which purports to be a way of unsubscribing from unsolicited messages. It isn’t! Do NOT click it.)

But otherwise, the messages look more or less like the real thing. The color, layout, and even the copyright at the bottom appear similar to those used in legit LinkedIn notices. Clever, no?

Keep in mind that when someone actually sends you a message on LinkedIn, it will arrive in your LinkedIn mailbox. In other words, you should be able to read it from within your home page on LinkedIn. If you don’t see it there, it’s not the real thing.

I don’t know if clicking a link in one of the fake messages could infect your computer with a virus or other malware. For obvious reasons, I’m not willing to test, and you shouldn’t take chances, either. If the text of the message isn’t included, go ahead and delete the e-mail. (Remember that deleting a genuine message from your e-mail account won’t delete it from your inbox on LinkedIn.)

I’ll update this post if/when I find out more. In the meantime, it’s best to follow the time-tested advice, “Better safe than sorry.”

Unraveling the Word Ribbon

Those of you who are migrating from Word 2003 or earlier to one of the newer versions of Word (Word 2010 or Word 2007) might be somewhat intimidated by the new graphical user interface (GUI), consisting of a Ribbon with multiple “tabs.”  Don’t let the redesigned GUI throw you!

There are multiple ways to master the mysteries of the Ribbon.

First, consider the functionality of each tab.

The File tab is like the old File menu on steroids.  It contains all of the familiar commands for working with files (Open, Close, Save, Save As), even as it also gives you access to recently opened files and folders, the reconstituted Print / Print Preview command, the Word Options, and lots of other behind-the-scenes information.

The Home tab is where Microsoft put the majority of the commands you probably use most often.  Those include commands for working with fonts, paragraph formatting options, styles, find and replace, and pasting.  Keep in mind, incidentally, that many of the command groupings on the Ribbon include a dialog launcher–a diagonal arrow in the lower right-hand corner of the group–that you can click to open a traditional dialog box with full configuration choices.

Look on the Insert tab for objects you insert into a document:  tables, headers and footers (yes, Microsoft finally realized that most people expect this feature to be under Insert, a more logical location than View), pictures, charts, text boxes, bookmarks, hyperlinks, and even other files (under Object, Text from File).

Page Layout contains commands for changing page formatting in Word.  Essentially that means attributes such as page margins–as opposed to paragraph margins–plus page orientation and watermarks.  Because Word requires you to insert a section break before you change the page layout, the Break drop-down appears on this tab as well.

Think of the References tab as the location of commands that allow you to refer to another part of your document, such as footnotes, Table of Contents, and Table of Authorities.  That construct helps me differentiate between the References tab and the Review tab, which I tend to confuse.

By contrast, the Review tab is the place where you’ll find commands for features you’ll use to finalize the document before sending it outside your organization:  spell-checking, comments, Track Changes, Compare Documents.

Mailings is pretty self-evident.  That tab contains icons for envelopes and labels, as well as for starting a mailmerge.

The newer versions of Word offer context-sensitive tabs that appear only when you are performing certain tasks, such as setting up a header or footer, working in a table, or formatting an image.  The Header and Footer Tools tab, which you’ll see when your cursor is within a header or footer editing screen, is useful for–among other things–inserting a page number code (or changing the page number format).  The Table Tools tab, available only when your cursor is inside a table, is divided into two parts:  one for changing the look of the table and the other for modifying the structure (adding or deleting rows/columns, changing the row height or column width, and so forth).  In my experience, the Layout portion of the tab is the one you’ll use maybe 80% to 90% of the time.

In addition to these hints for understanding the new interface, you have at your disposal a number of other aids.  These include:

• Mnemonics.  Sometimes called KeyTips, this nifty tool in Word 2007 and Word 2010 refers to letters that pop up in the Ribbon when you press the Alt key.  There are KeyTips for each tab as well as for commands within the tabs.  Simply press a letter, or a combination of letters, to move to a particular tab and then press another KeyTip to activate a command on that tab.
• Keyboard Shortcuts.  Power users of older versions of Word will be pleased to learn that most keyboard shortcuts from those versions still work in the newer versions of Word.
• Pop-Up Tips.  When you position the mouse over an icon and let it hover there, you should see a tip that explains what that icon does and, in some cases, a keyboard shortcut.  Some of the tips are fairly extensive.
• Right-Clicking.  As in earlier versions of Word, right-clicking produces a context-sensitive pop-up menu–depending on where your cursor is when you right-click–designed to help you perform specific tasks.
• Customization of the QAT.  In both newer versions of Word, you can move the Quick Access Toolbar (QAT) below the ribbon so that it expands into a full-sized toolbar and add commands and/or groups of commands that you use regularly.  Doing so will keep your favorite icons at your fingertips, regardless of what tab is at the forefront at any given time.[1]
  
• Customization of the Ribbon.  In Word 2007, you can’t customize the Ribbon without using a third-party tool or learning to edit XML.  However, in Word 2010, it’s relatively easy to add custom tabs, groups, and/or commands, as well as to hide built-in tabs you don’t use.  In fact, there are lots of ways to customize the Ribbon in Word 2010.  Start by right-clicking within the Ribbon and choosing “Customize the Ribbon.”  When the Word Options screen opens, press F1 for a Help screen that offers detailed instructions.
• Interactive Guides, Printable Command Lists, and Tutorials.  Microsoft has made available a number of resources to help you locate commands in the newer versions of Word.  There are interactive guides, self-paced tutorials, and downloadable command lists. (The command lists are formatted as Excel spreadsheets, so after downloading, open them into Excel, not Word. Then navigate to, and click, a worksheet tab at the bottom of the spreadsheet–each tab represents a particular menu in Word 2003–to see where the commands are located in the newer version of Word.)
   For Word 2010,  go here: http://tinyurl.com/W2010Interact
  (or you can go to the Getting Started page, which also provides tutorials, by using this URL:  http://tinyurl.com/W2010GetStarted)
  For Word 2007, go here (and note the other links at right):  http://tinyurl.com/W2007Interact

Although the new Ribbon interface might seem daunting at first, there are lots of ways to make it more manageable.  In particular, the tools outlined in this post can–and will–help tremendously to ease your transition from Word 2003 (or earlier) to one of the newer versions of Word.

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[1] There are a couple of ways to move the QAT below the ribbon.  Either (a) right-click within the QAT and then click “Show the Quick Access Toolbar Below the Ribbon” or (b) click the drop-down at the right end of the QAT, then click ”Show the Quick Access Toolbar Below the Ribbon.”  To add icons to the QAT, either (a) right-click within the QAT and then click “Customize the Quick Access Toolbar” or (b) click the drop-down at the right end of the QAT, then click ”Customize the Quick Access Toolbar.”  Either method will open the Word Options.

From within the Word Options screen, change the “Choose commands from…” drop-down from “Popular” to “All commands.”  Then scroll down within the command list, click to select a feature, and click the “Add” button.  Continue until you have added all the icons you want (you can add more later if you like).  Note that you can click an icon you’ve added, then click the Up arrow to move it to the left on the QAT, or click the Down arrow to move it to the right.  When you’ve finished, be sure to click “OK” at the lower right-hand corner of the Options screen to save your changes.

Happy holidays!

Every good wish to my readers for a joyous, festive, and cozy season — whether you celebrate Christmas, Chanukah, Divali, Kwanzaa, or some other holiday!  Stay warm and safe (use extra care while traveling), and enjoy the company of family and friends.

And may you and your loved ones experience good health, financial security, and happiness in 2012.  I hope the year surpasses your fondest dreams.

As always, thanks to my loyal readers, as well as to my wonderful clients, customers, colleagues, employers, sponsors, boosters, friends, family, and the countless others who have made this year both pleasurable and successful for me.   I value each and every one of you tremendously.

As a quick aside, some changes are afoot with respect to the availability (and pricing) of my books on Amazon, starting in January of 2012.  I will add another post soon that explains the situation.  Regardless, the books will remain available for purchase on Lulu.com, and I’m able to offer a discount to people who buy directly from Lulu.

But enough about that for now.  This is a time for festivity, bonding, rituals, laughter, love, appreciation, and putting aside daily cares.

Celebrate well!

Take a screenshot of a menu with the Snipping Tool (Windows 7)

The Snipping Tool is a handy-dandy little Windows 7 utility that makes it easy to take screenshots.[1]  You can use it to capture a window (including the full screen), a dialog box, or pretty much any portion of the screen.  It even lets you select an oddly shaped item by drawing freehand with the mouse pointer.

In addition to the sheer coolness factor — it’s fun to use! — the Snipping Tool has practical uses.  People often need to take screenshots of error messages to send to their IT departments for help in diagnosing a problem.  Although the utility is much more limited than  a dedicated screen-capture program such as SnagIt®, it works well for simple everyday tasks.

One of the trickier aspects of using the Snipping Tool has been figuring out how to take screenshots of open menus.   Ordinarily, if you open the menu first, it closes when you launch the Snipping Tool.  If you open the Snipping Tool first, you can’t click the menu to view it.

What to do?  In a recent Internet exchange on this topic, a Microsoft Support Engineer suggested a solution that involved using OneNote in conjunction with the Snipping Tool.  But, as it turns out, that’s not necessary.   According to a Microsoft Knowledge Base article,[2] you can take a screenshot of an open menu by doing the following:

• Open the Snipping Tool.[3]

• Press the Esc key.

• Next, open the menu / submenu you want to capture in a screenshot.

• Press Ctrl PrtScr (this is an essential step!).

• When the Snipping Tool reappears, click the arrow to the right of the label “New” and choose a method for capturing the screenshot.  Most likely you will use Rectangle — or possibly, Free Form.

• Click and drag around the menu to create the screenshot.

• From within the Snipping Tool window, you can save the image to your hard drive (as a JPEG, a GIF, a PNG, or an HTML file), e-mail it, or copy it and then paste it into your word processing program.  (If you choose, you can mark up the image with a pen or highlighter beforehand.)

In my tests, this method worked quite well to capture a menu or submenu.

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[1]  I understand that there is a similar utility in Windows Vista.  However, I’m not familiar enough with that version of Windows to know if the method described in this post will work with the Vista Snipping Tool.  I’ve tested only with Windows 7.

[2]  See Snipping Tool: frequently asked questions. Be sure to click “Show All” to see the entire article. The information about taking screenshots of open menus is located toward the end of the article.

[3]  If you don’t see the Snipping Tool on the Start menu and you haven’t pinned it to the Taskbar, open the Start menu and click in the search box, then type “Snip.”  Don’t press Enter to run the search; just let Windows do its thing.  When Snipping Tool appears in the search results, you can left-click to launch the utility or, if you like, right-click and choose “Pin to Taskbar” or “Pin to Start menu” and then open the utility.

30% off Lulu orders thru Weds. / 20% off thru Dec. 31st

New coupon codes from Lulu:

(1) Take 30% off any single order, up to a maximum of $100, through 11:59 p.m. this Wednesday, December 7th.  (A really good deal, if short-lived.)  The coupon code is WINTERSAVE305.

(2) Brand-new as of 12/7:  Take 25% off any single order, up to a maximum of $150, through 11:59 p.m. on December 14, 2011.  The coupon code is COUNTDOWN.

(3) Take 20% off any single order, up to a maximum of $25, through 11:59 p.m. on December 31, 2011.  The coupon code is DECBOOKS11.

(4) Buy two books and get one free (but there must be at least three books in your cart at checkout).  The code is BUY2GETONE305, and it is good through 11:59 p.m. on December 7th.  Maximum savings:  $25.00, so this coupon won’t get you a free copy of either of my books, I’m afraid.

As always, enter the code during the checkout process, but before submitting your order.  Lulu typically does not allow you to use coupons in combination (i.e., for the same order).

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Post updated at approximately 3:15 p.m. PST on 12/7/2011.