Archive for September 2004

Make time in your calendar on Tuesday, October 5, from 8:00pm to 9:30 pm EST. Popular and successful marketer, Dr. Joe Vitale, is doing a webcast on Hypnotic Selling and Writing. Sign up here. Even though I can’t hear on webcasts, I signed up because he is sending a script after the webcast.

The webcast covers:

*What is Hypnotic Writing, anyway?

* The two best ways to motivate people to take action.

* The 5 Laws of Hypnotic Persuasion

* Easy ways to change average writing into hypnotic writing.

* 7 proven ways to write a headline.

* Discover powerful lessons-learned from old comic books?

I look forward to reading the materials. Every bit helps with improving our writing skills and people speak highly of Joe Vitale as his success speaks for itself.

Part I covers using mail merge, Part II addresses using the e-mail client’s template feature, and Part III is about third party software. It isn’t just for creating fast e-mail replies, but also for speeding up repetitive typing of anything. Also, I’ve provided a text file of Parts I and II for printing or offline use.

Part I covers using mail merge, Part II addresses using the email client’s template feature, and this one is about third party software. It isn’t just for creating fast email replies, but also for speeding up repetitive typing of anything. Here’s the text file of the first two parts for printing or using offline.

I use shareware program, Shortkeys and I’m very happy with it. I’ve created responses for questions I am often asked and for submissions. I also have different versions of my signature stored as sig1, sig2, etc. When I want to use one, all I have to do is type, “;sig3.” The ; is what triggers the program. Sig3 is the name of the shortcut.

You don’t have to use ; as the trigger. That is what I chose. It can be whatever you like. In fact, you don’t have to even use a trigger… but be warned! If you make shortcut called “arc” and typed “archive” or “Marc,” ShortKeys dutifully responds and prints the content for “arc.”

Turning on a prefix key tells ShortKey not to take action unless the selected prefix key is pressed, so nothing happens unless you type ;arc. Since I rarely use semi-colons followed by words, it works great. At first, I thought it should have a trigger where I can click its system tray icon once to turn it on / off (instead of right-click), but that is slower than using a prefix key.

I use a lot of shortcuts on the keyboard and often have the CTRL key pressed and then press the up arrow to go up. Instead, that would bring up the ShortKey menu. You can get around this by changing the preference.

If you have a trial version of ShortKeys, uninstall it before installing the registered version so you don’t have two directories. Also, be sure to save your shortcut file someplace safe so you can import it into ShortKeys.

Lew Lehrman has suggested a similar program that called Robotype, which I haven’t tried. He uses it for quick responses to various repeat questions, subscribes, inquiries, etc. Download it from PC Magazine, which I believe requires a subscription for downloading. I couldn’t find the program elsewhere.

He says, “You enter the text (a word, a phrase, a long letter) and assign it a two (or more) letter code. I use a combo that won’t ever occur in normal writing. Then anytime you enter those letters and a space, the saved text appears. Works in every software app I have, online, in emails (one code for title, one for text).”

Another program is QuickPhrase, a utility for adding favorite phrases to any Windows program. Got one you like? Add it in the comments.

As an editor, one of the best parts of the job is communicating with readers. When readers write or complete surveys, I use it as an opportunity to touch base with them. Some newsletters bring (I’ll be taking over this one when I am feeling well enough) in an overwhelming number of responses, so I need a little help. meryl.net articles: Creating Fast Email Replies shows a few ways how to do it.

We’re going to do an easy one since I was down and out over the past weekend. Part I covers using mail merge. This one is creating a simple template with no merging. The text is the same and all you have to do is add information and send it. We’ll do it for Mozilla / Thunderbird, Outlook, and Outlook Express. Mozilla and Thunderbird are exactly the same.

This method is good for small jobs of repetitive emails and responses / requests especially for newsletters like eNJ and Shavlik. I do a monthly interview column and constantly send interview requests, so I use a Mozilla template for this and it works great.

Outlook ‘Regular’

Start by creating the email complete with the Subject, greeting, body, closing, and the sig. Skip the To. If you want to cc or bcc someone on every email, enter the email address in this step.

1. Click File > Save as… > give it a name and ensure “Outlook Template(*.oft)” is selected as the type > Save.

2. Close the email window > click No when it asks if you want to save a draft.

3. To open the template, click New > Choose Form… > select User Templates in File System from drop-down > select the template > click Open.

4. Edit away and click Send.

A lot of steps to open a template, isn’t it? You can also double-click on the template file like it’s done for Outlook Express (see next one). Better yet, make a shortcut right in Outlook. A few ways to do this:

*Outlook Bar
1. Drag and drop the file into the Outlook Bar OR

2. File > New > Outlook Bar shortcut OR

3. Right-click the Outlook Bar > select Outlook Bar shortcut > change Look in to File System > the template is stored in C:Documents and Settingsuser_nameApplication DataMicrosoftTemplates [remember user_name is your name or whatever name you assigned].

4. Click on the shortcut when you want to use it.

*Folder
1. Drag and drop the file into an Outlook folder.

2. Click on it to use it.

*Shortcut on the Toolbar
1. Right-click in the blank area around the buttons > Customize > select Commands tab > Tools category > Customize command.

2. Click and drag Customize to the toolbar until you find a place to put it and there is no x indicating it is not allowed. Drop it.

3. Right-click Customize button (Keep the Customize window open) and rename the button by clicking next to Name and replacing “Customize” with your own.

4. Right-click your new button > Assign Hyperlink > Open > find your way to the template’s location: the template is stored in C:Documents and Settingsuser_nameApplication DataMicrosoftTemplates [remember user_name is your name or whatever name you assigned] > select it > click OK.

5. Close the Customize window.

6. Click on the new button whenever you want to use the template.

It’s work, but this is my favorite step for Outlook. I don’t like having the Outlook Toolbar open because it wastes space.

Mozilla / Thunderbird

Start by creating the email complete with the Subject, greeting, body, closing, and the sig. Skip the To.

1. Click File > Save as… > Template.

2. Close the email window.

3. Click on the Templates folder > double-click on the template you want.

4. Edit the email and send.

The template is still in the template folder. To send another, double-click on it again, edit it, and send.

Outlook Express

It doesn’t have a straight out template feature, so you have to get creative. Start by … you know the first step by now, but if you skipped the others: Start by creating the email complete with the Subject, greeting, body, closing, and the sig. Skip the To.

1. Click File > Save as… > give it a name and ensure “Mail(*.eml)” is selected as the type > Save.

2. Close the email window.

3. Load the template by double-clicking the template file wherever you saved it (it will be named something like “file_name.eml”).

4. Edit the email and click Send.

Not elegant, but it’s a way for Express users to use templates.

OK, I got carried away and decided to give you more than just an easy one. Happy carpal tunnel-free emailing.

in2books is a program where adults can volunteer to read books and write letters to grade school kids discussing the books.

I’ve received an assignment of two students in 4th grade and the book we’re going to read is Justin and the Best Biscuits in the World. Over the summer, I put together an “About Me” poster just like my kids do every year. It was fun and easy.

The program is safe as we do not share last names or personal information such as a mailing address. All correspondence goes through in2books.

The organization provides tips, examples, and information so you know what to do. I had no clue what to add in my “About Me” poster until I reviewed the examples provided and I got it done. They’re in need of more volunteers so more kids can be in the program.

I have husband, three kids, two jobs, and volunteer work. I wasn’t worried about signing up for this as it doesn’t take up much time — about an hour every few months.

For me, it’s a great opportunity to work with children without the concerns of them making fun of how I sound different or having trouble understanding them. I want to help children, but I get uncomfortable with a group. That’s a story for the other blog.

Thanks for all your input into my logo. I’ve gone with sample #1 and had it tweaked. Before this latest iteration, I experimented with two different fonts and that didn’t go well. So, back to the original font.

The difference is the shade of the name and title. The first one matches the graphic. The second one stands out. I am flip-flopping as usual (that’s me when it comes to making decisions impacting me). I’m concerned about whether it is bright enough for printing, but I don’t want the make the image darker. What do you think? two logo samples.

Since we’re using computers all the time to do our work, let’s make it easy and add the phone to the pile. VoIP also known as (voice over Internet protocol), Internet telephony, IP telephony, and Internet voice is catching on and is expected to grow in the next few years. The technology has been around for about a decade, but it isn’t till now that we have the supporting technology to handle it and an market reaching critical mass (hate using jargon, but there isn’t a better way to say it).

VoIP requires users to have broadband connections. With 22 percent of Americans connected to the Internet by broadband, the numbers are large enough for making money with Internet voice and big telecoms are already in the game.

How VoIP works

VoIP works like email. TCP/IP networks consist of IP packets with a header for controlling communication and information for transportating data. VoIP uses the IP packets to send the human voice across the Internet using IP packets to its destination.

It digitizes a voice into data packets, sends them through the network and converts them back to voice when arriving at the destination. Digital format can be compressed, routed, and converted to other and better formats.

When calling someone using VoIP, you use a phone with an adapter. Just like we use a telephone to make phone calls on POTS (plain old telephone service), the adapter is a device to connect the phone to the network. The VoIP phone has its own phone number for callers to dial.

The good and bad things

An advantage of VoIP is it can avoid charges typically found on PSTNs (public switched telephone network). For customers, there is less worry about how long or how often they make phone calls. Calling another state costs the same as calling another country even on the other side of the world. IP-based boxes are cheaper than analog PBXes.

However, service reliability is an issue. How many times has a download or connecting to a Web site faltered? That may not be such a big deal, but it is more disruptive to phone calls. Network issues are complicated by customers getting broadband from one company and VoIP from another. When a call gets switched from network to network, it impacts quality.

When the Internet is down, so is VoIP. Traditional phones aren’t affected by power like VoIP since they have its own power and work during blackouts.

Money and regs

Companies make their money by selling features and services. Connect anytime and anywhere there is an Internet connection or while in Wi-Fi-enabled hot spots. It’s also exempt from traditional regulations and taxes, but that could change tomorrow though telecoms are working to keep it unregulated. This exemption is keeping prices down, and current prices are anywhere from $20 to $65 a month.

More information

VoIP Wiki

VoIP Calculators

FCC VoIP Info

VoIP Watch Blog

As an editor for a few newsletters, I write to readers who write or complete feedback surveys. One of the newsletters gets several hundreds of responses with every issue. If that sounds overwhelming, the first issue alone got over 1000 responses! I use a few methods for handling large email jobs and use whichever depending on the mood. The first one we’ll cover is … (ba da bing!) Word merge.

As an editor for a few newsletters, I write to readers who write or complete feedback surveys. One of the newsletters gets several hundreds of responses with every issue. If that sounds overwhelming, the first issue alone got over 1000 responses! I use a few methods for handling large email jobs and use whichever depending on the mood.

The first one we’ll cover is … (ba da bing!)

Word merge

Anyone who has used Word’s merge features for letters and envelopes can do this using the same method by choose “E-mail messages” as the document type instead of the others. It works seamlessly with Outlook. Although, the help file indicates email merge works with any MAPI-compatible email program.

Information on merging Word docs with other email apps such as Eudora, Mozilla, and Pegasus is non-existent. If you know something, please comment.

Here are the steps for mail merge with Word, Excel, and Outlook done in Office XP (2002):

Create a basic letter template with the standard elements found in every letter. Such as the introduction, closing, and maybe a paragraph. We’ll call this Template.doc.

Also, most surveys have first and last name in the same column rather than as two separate columns. If this is the case as it is in this example, you can split it up with this trick. Insert five blank columns after the Name column. Select the Name column > Data > Text to Columns > Delimited > Next > Untick ‘Tab’ and Tick ‘Space’ > Next > Finish > OK (to replace columns).

We enter five blank columns because some people put names like John J. R. Doe, Jr., which takes up five columns. Better safe. After it’s done, you can delete the extra columns. Give the columns the correct heading names (FirstName, LastName).

Open new Word document (yes, you could use an existing document, but I’d rather mess up a fresh one than an existing one).

Tools > Letters and Mailings > Mail Merge Wizard

In Select document type, check “E-mail messages”

Click “Next: Starting document.”

In Select starting document, check “Start from existing document.”

Select the generic letter template aka Template.doc. If this is not in the list, select “(More files…)” to find the document.

Click “Next: Select receipients.”

In Select receipients, check “Use an existing list.” In Use an existing list, select “Browse.” Browse for the Excel file with the data > click on the file > Open. Click OK > OK (you can select data like blank lines to omit from the mail merge). Note: Make sure Excel has only one tab in use (worksheet) otherwise it gets messy.

Click “Next: Write your letter.” Add the fields into the letter. In this case, we’ll use “FirstName.” Add it from the Mail Merge toolbar – it’s the icon to the left of “Insert Word Field.” To get the toolbar, click Tools > Letters and Mailings > Show Mail Merge Toolbar.

Click “Next: Preview your letter.” Follow the steps based on your needs. Here is where you can personalize each letter. OR, you can do what I do. I have Outlook set so that it won’t automatically send anything. In this case, all the emails go in the OUTBOX. I move them into DRAFTS where I personalize each one and hit send so they go back into the OUTBOX ready to go.

Click “Next: Complete the merge.” (With preview) Here you can test to make sure messages show up correctly by clicking “Editing individual letters.”

Click “Next: Complete the merge.” (Without preview and send the email). Warning – when you start this process, it sends the emails right away. It does NOT wait till you click Send. Click on “Merge to E-mail” icon (second from the right in the Mail Merge toolbar).

It’ll ask for the subject line (see notes below) and you enter the info. From the “Mail format” drop-down, select “Plain text” or “HTML.” [Note: If nothing happens... No error message... The emails don't go out... then try selecting "Plain text." Also, Outlook should be your default email app.

When using "Plain Text," you may get popups saying "A program is trying to automatically send e-mail on your behalf…" for every email sent.] You can prevent Outlook from sending the emails by going to Tools > Options > Mail Setup > Untick “Send immediately when connected.” If you can do this, then you can customize each email by going into the Outbox and editing the emails. If you can’t do this, go to the next paragraph.

If you cancel in the middle of the process, it will still send the emails you’ve done anyway even the canceled one. Cancel has no meaning in the process.

It isn’t a pretty process, but there are other options we’ll cover. I haven’t used this process since discovering a couple of others. Gotta get my rest, so it’ll be another day.