Kurt Shintaku's Blog

Tips and Tricks for the 2007 Microsoft Office System
Get the most out of Office 2007! You’re invited to attend a Live Meeting. Learn about timesaving features to help you in your day-to-day work. Suitable for beginner or intermediate users. Everyone will learn something!

The Ribbon
The Microsoft Office Fluent user interface, called ‘the Ribbon’ will help you find the features you need to complete tasks quickly and easily. This presentation will demonstrate useful tips and tricks for Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint and help you get familiar with the Ribbon.

Save time
The time you take to attend this session can help save you time later. Past participants reported saving from 15 to over 30 minutes a day after attending a Tips and Tricks session. That adds up! Led by an expert Microsoft presenter, the session is not only informative, but entertaining.

Ask questions
Take advantage of our expert – join the live version of this meeting to ask your burning questions!

Tips & Tricks for the 2007 – Microsoft Office System
Schedule 2009 – All sessions are Office 100 Level

• Wednesday, February 18
  8:00 am – 9:15 am (PST)
  11:00am – 12:15 am (PST)
• Wednesday, March 18
  8:00 am – 9:15 am (PST)
  11:00am – 12:15 am (PST)
• Wednesday, April 22
  8:00 am – 9:15 am (PST)
  11:00am – 12:15 am (PST)
• Wednesday, May 20
  8:00 am – 9:15 am (PST)
  11:00am – 12:15 am (PST)
• Wednesday, June 17
  8:00 am – 9:15 am (PST)
  11:00am – 12:15 am (PST)

Please use your computer for the audio portion of the presentation for best results.

First Time Users:
To save time before the meeting, check your system to make sure it is ready to use Microsoft Office Live Meeting.

Top 5 Ways to Leverage Enterprise Social Networking to Gain Competitive Advantage

Date: Friday, February 27, 2009
Time: 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM PST (11:00 AM MST, Arizona)

Blogs, wikis, Twitter. Social networking is a consumer phenomenon moving to the Enterprise. The fastest growing demographic on Facebook is 25-34 year olds*. In a recent independent report**, Forrester Research writes that 56% of the companies surveyed use blogs, 47% participate in social networks and 44% use YouTube videos, while 24%, 22%, and 29%, respectively, plan to start using social networking tactics in the next 12 months.

How do you cobble these disparate social technologies into an effective social strategy that demonstrates value in a downturn economy?

This interactive webcast hosted by Microsoft will discuss ways you can leverage social networking in the Enterprise to make your company more competitive and gain deeper customer connections.

• Forrester senior analyst and leading social computing expert Jeremiah K. Owyang will provide a practical framework on how to choose the right social technologies based on your target objectives, and how to measure value and results.
• Microsoft Platform Strategy Group Product Manager Jamey Tisdale will share how the Microsoft platform is a familiar tool that Enterprises can leverage today to enable social computing across various job functions and divisions.
• You will be given opportunities to share your thoughts and questions before, during and after the webcast through Facebook and Microsoft LiveMeeting.

Social media’s increasing influence in the Enterprise can be a source of untapped opportunity for organizations that choose to embrace it and potential threat to those that choose to ignore it. Join this webcast today to learn how to formulate a successful social networking strategy for your organization.

Who is this webcast for? Managers and Executives in Business Functions Interested in Social Networking (Sales, Marketing/Corporate Communications, Engineering, Operations, Product Management, Innovation, Human Resources, Finance)

Cost: $0 + Your time and engagement

Interested?

• Register today to save your online seat
  (For managed customers only; contact me for details on registration)
• Tell others! Please forward this webcast invitation to others in your organization who are interested in Enterprise social networking.

*faberNovel Consulting, faberNovel Analyses, 03.10.2007 Facebook Study, presented October 3, 2007, Paris, France
**“”Metrics for Social Applications in a Downturn”, Forrester Research, Inc., October 2008.

Speakers:

• Jeremiah K. Owyang is a senior analyst at Forrester Research and a leading expert on Social Computing, social media, social media measurement, Web marketing, and interactive marketing. Jeremiah led the Social Computing program at Hitachi Data Systems from 2005-2006 as the online community marketing manager, then left to join PodTech Network, an online video and podcasting company as the director of corporate media strategy. According to Technorati, Jeremiah is one of the top 1% of bloggers, and his blog is listed as the 19th ranked blog according to Advertising Age (November 2007). A video blogger and podcaster, he speaks at a strategic level on Web marketing topics around the globe. He frequently publishes at the Web strategy blog. Jeremiah has a bachelor’s degree from San Francisco State University, with a focus on marketing.
• Jamey Tisdale is Group Product Manager at Microsoft focusing on digital marketing strategy. Prior to Microsoft, Jamey worked as a Vice President of Business Development for TellThemNow.com. Jamey has a Bachelor of Science degree in Clinical Laboratory Science from East Carolina University, and did graduate work in creative writing.  In his spare time he helped create and maintains a global community for gamers aged thirty years old and older called GeezerGamers.com.

Desktop Optimization: Achieving Both Flexibility and Control

Microsoft and Pontis Research are pleased to invite you to a Desktop Optimization seminar where you will be joined by a group of your peers to discuss Microsoft’s approach to solving some of the unique challenges faced by IT organizations.

Desktop optimization means that an organization has attained the right balance in its desktop infrastructure—empowering employees with the flexibility they need to be productive, while providing IT the needed level of control, manageability, and security. Desktop optimization creates significant organizational benefits. Employees can be more productive with access to applications and data on demand—virtually wherever, whenever they need them. Desktop deployment, management, and support are dramatically simplified through virtualization, automation, and centralized administration.

Ultimately, desktop optimization is about providing an infrastructure that helps organizations control costs, improve systems availability, and enable greater business agility.

AGENDA:

• Registration and Meal Service
• Vision of the Optimized Desktop
• Review of the Desktop Optimization Pack
• Application Virtualization
• Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset
• Asset Inventory Service
• Advanced Group Policy Management
• Desktop Error Monitoring
• Wrap up

Make an impact, gather and exchange effective ideas from others and network with your peers. We hope you will join this informational and educational forum to discuss the topics most relevant to you today!

WHO SHOULD ATTEND:

• IT Executives who wants to learn how new capabilities can facilitate business efficiency
• IT Leaders who are interested in hearing more about Microsoft’s vision application virtualization and other Desktop Optimization Tools

Register Now!  Choose one of the following sessions:

A coworker compiled some information and listed some sites below which provides essential information for customers rolling out SharePoint across the organization.

Training and Adoption:

• GEAR Up: http://sharepoint.microsoft.com/gearup/Pages/default.aspx
• SharePoint End User Training: http://blogs.msdn.com/sharepoint/archive/2007/10/11/sharepoint-end-user-training-kit-now-available.aspx
• Additional step-by-step setup instructions and examples are also posted here: http://training.wssdemo.com/default.aspx
• Ted Pattison Group – SharePoint Training Resources: http://www.tedpattison.net/

Compliance and Governance:

• Records Management Resource Center for SharePoint Server 2007: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/office/sharepointserver/bb736213.aspx
• Governance content for SharePoint: http://blogs.msdn.com/sharepoint/archive/2008/05/16/new-governance-content-for-sharepoint-published-on-technet.aspx
• Governance Resource Center for SharePoint Server 2007: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/office/sharepointserver/bb507202.aspx
• SharePoint Governance Checklist Guide: http://office.microsoft.com/download/afile.aspx?AssetID=AM102306291033
• Plan Governance: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc263341.aspx
• Joel Oleson’s Blog: http://www.sharepointjoel.com/default.aspx   (note the reference to the SharePoint Best Practices Conference: http://www.sharepointbestpractices.com/ )
• SharePoint Governance and Manageability Tools on CodePlex: http://www.codeplex.com/governance
• White Paper: Compliance Features in the 2007 Microsoft Office System
• White Paper: Enterprise Content Management in Regulated Industries

Utilities and Add-ons:

• WSS Demo – a great collection of resources by Ian Morrish (including the Fantastic 40 Templates for download): http://www.wssdemo.com/default.aspx
• SharePoint Reviews – a great collection of available utilities and add-ons: http://www.sharepointreviews.com/
• Bamboo Solutions – a great collection of Web Parts and Solutions: http://store.bamboosolutions.com/bamboomainweb/
• CorasWorks: a great collection of Web Parts, Collections and Templates: http://www.corasworks.com/
• KwizCom – Knowledge Worker Components: http://www.kwizcom.com/
• Techtra – a collection of collaborative Products, Solutions and Services: http://www.techtra.ca/EN/Pages/default.aspx

Technical White papers:

• SharePoint 2007 Software Development Kit (SDK), Microsoft
• WSS 3.0 Software Development Kit (SDK), Microsoft
• Development Tools and Techniques for Working with Code in Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 (Part 1  2), by Patrick Tisseghem
• Development Tools and Techniques for Working with Code in Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 (Part 2 of 2), by Patrick Tisseghem
• Best Practices: Common Coding Issues When Using the SharePoint Object Model, by Mike Ammerlaan and Scott Harris
• Creating a Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 Web Part Using Visual Studio 2005 Extensions, by Alex Malek and Andrew May
• Working with ASP.Net 2.0 Web Parts and Windows SharePoint Services 3.0, by Erika Ehrli and Jo-Anne West
• Team-Based Development in Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007, by Eric Charran
• Evaluating and Customizing Search Relevance in SharePoint Server 2007, by Dmitriy Meyerzon, Avi Schmueli and Jo-Anne West
• Developer Introduction to Workflows for Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 and SharePoint Server 2007, by Andrew May
• Windows SharePoint Services Document: Application Templates for Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 – Under the Hood

Books:

The following goods are worth reading – some are more reference-like, others are more on the tutorial side:

• Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 Administrator’s Companion, By Bill English
• Inside Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services 3.0, By Ted Pattison
• Inside Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007, By Patrick Tisseghem
• Beginning SharePoint 2007: building team solutions with Moss 2007, by Amanda Murphy
• Microsoft SharePoint: building Office 2007 solutions in C# 2005, by Scot Hillier
• Designing forms for Microsoft Office InfoPath and Forms Services 2007, by Scott Roberts
• Real world SharePoint 2007: indispensable experiences from 16 SharePoint and WSS MVPs, by Scot Hillier
• Essential SharePoint 2007, by Scott Jamison Mauro Cardarelli, Susan Hanley

We at Microsoft will be partnering with CNN over the next few days to Photosynth “The Moment” of next week’s Inauguration. 

The below link provides some initial details on CNN.com.  Expect to see more information broadcasted on CNN’s special programs like “Anderson 360” and “The Situation Room” over the next few days prior and post the Inauguration.

“When Barack Obama takes the oath of office, history will be unfolding. If you are one of the millions attending the inauguration, you can help document those seconds of history through our special iReport assignment. With photos sent in by you and Microsoft Photosynth, we’ll capture the most detailed experience of a single moment ever.”

For more on “The Moment” Photosynth:

• http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2009/
  44.president/inauguration/themoment/

For more information on Microsoft Photosynth, visit:

• http://photosynth.net/Default.aspx

photoSuru is a tool that leverages the Windows Presentation Foundation to provide a rich experience for photo viewing and sharing.

It comes with a starter kit for individuals interested in learning how to develop applications that take advantage of the Windows Presentation Foundation.

Installation

1. Install Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 SP1

2. Install photoSuru.

Build Your Own
Check out the starter kit source code, documentation and how-to content at WindowsClient.net.

Paul Thurrott write on his WindowsITPro column:

After a series of vague statements last week by Microsoft officials at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the software giant found itself at the center of yet another controversy: It was allegedly killing its Zune hardware devices, conceding defeat to the iPod, and moving the Zune software to other devices, like smart phones and the Xbox.

It’s not true, Microsoft says. Yes, the company has plans to expand the Zune platform from the PC, Web, and Zune devices to other portable devices, including smart phones, and to the Xbox 360. But it is not exiting the Zune hardware business, contrary to rumors.

"We are going to be in the hardware business going forward," Microsoft Zune marketing director Adam Sohn said.

…

More at http://windowsitpro.com/windowspaulthurrott/article/articleid/101214/microsoft-we-are-expanding-not-killing-the-zune.html

There’s a comment on Paul’s article at the bottom about "not wanting the wireless capability".  I really have to disagree with this and I think this is one of the single most short-sighted comments I’ve read in a long time.  The WiFi function in the Zune is absolutely CRITICAL to Zune’s success and just because you don’t use it today doesn’t mean that it doesn’t mean big things ithe future.  Here’s a few scenarios that the Wifi component could be extremely exciting in – but we just don’t have the software developed yet for it:

• Wireless sharing with Xbox 360s that are hooked up to sound systems
• Wireless file transfer to laptop PCs on Wifi networks
• Wireless broadcasting from one device to 4 other Zunes or laptop users (like a DJ)

And my favorite:  Imagine if DRM was no longer used.  All of a sudden, the DRM encryption used for music sharing from device to device would no longer be necessary.  Oh wait a minute:  Apple just declared that they were going to end the usage of DRM on the iTunes Music Store.  Hmmm…

Lots of opportunity for the Zune here… and all because of the Wifi adapter that it has.

<taken from link below>

Barack Obama is a serious BlackBerry addict, quoted as proclaiming "they’re going to [have to] pry it out of my hands." Now, it appears the President-elect might switch to a Windows-powered phone, in order to continue his email habit securely.

In an entertaining article posted earlier this week, CNET reporter Declan McCullagh notes that Obama has proclaimed the BlackBerry his favorite gadget. The President-elect reportedly relied on it to bypass aides during the Presidential campaign, and used it to check his e-mail during his daughter’s football games. But, as The New York Times and other sources have reported, the President-elect will probably have to give up his tech toy when he takes the oath of office next week.

BlackBerry maker Research In Motion claims that e-mail messages flowing from and to its devices are encrypted and would be practically impossible to intercept. But, McCullagh reports, this isn’t good enough for the NSA (National Security Agency) which — though it has refused to comment officially — apparently wants to take Obama’s BlackBerry away.

According to McCullagh, a new, better way to give the "emailer-in-chief" the electronic fix he craves could be General Dymanics Corporation’s Sectera Edge, pictured at the top of our story and below. This Windows-based phone has previously been said to meet Federal standards for both classified phone calls and secure network access. The Sectera Edge meets NSA requirements for Top Secret voice information, and provides access to the SIPRNet (secret Internet procotol router network), according to General Dynamics.

…

Read more:  http://www.windowsfordevices.com/news/NS7086169660.html based on CNet article.

IT’S HERE!

Download Windows 7 Beta TODAY!
http://www.microsoft.com/windows7

Over the past few years, you’ve asked us to make some changes to Windows. We listened closely. Now it’s time to share an early look at how we’ve used your feedback. Windows 7 is faster, more reliable, and makes it easier to do what you want. Want to try the Beta? Come back the afternoon of January 9. And remember—this is just a preview. There’s more to come.

Windows 7 for the Enterprise
Windows 7 is next version of the Windows client operating system and is on track to be available approximately 3 years after the release of Windows Vista. Windows 7 builds on the modern foundation of Windows Vista, and companies that deploy Windows Vista first will find that Windows 7 is highly compatible with their hardware, software, and tools.

The investments in Windows 7 are shaped by the evolving needs of end users and IT professionals in the enterprise. As user needs have changed, the demands on IT professionals have increased. Today, IT professionals must provide more capability and greater flexibility for users while continuing to minimize cost and security risks.

Here’s a preview of the key investments in Windows 7 to help enterprise customers address the evolving needs of their end users and IT professionals:

• Make users productive anywhere
  Windows 7 enables users to complete their job no matter where they are-at home, in a branch office, or on the road-without reducing productivity.
• Enhance security and control
  Windows 7 builds on the security foundation of Windows Vista, and delivers increased flexibility in helping secure computers and data.
• Streamline PC management
  Whether IT professionals manage and deploy desktops, laptops, or virtual environments, Windows 7 makes the job easier while enabling them to leverage the same tools and skills they use with Windows Vista.

Windows 7 Beta Download
The beta version of Windows 7, Microsoft’s next-generation PC operating system, can be downloaded today by MSDN, TechBeta and TechNet customers. Consumers who want to test-drive the beta will be able to download it beginning Jan. 9 at http://www.microsoft.com/windows7.

News and Resources

• Press Release: Microsoft’s Ballmer Announces Availability of Windows 7 Beta and Windows Live
• IT Pros: Get the latest updates on Windows 7 with the Springboard Series on TechNet.
• Watch the public debut of Windows 7 at the Professional Developers Conference 2008. Watch the video (2 hours 29 minutes)
• The Business Value of Windows Vista: 5 reasons to deploy now. Download the white paper.
• 10 measurable ways Windows Vista can improve your business.  Get the facts here.

Did you miss the Windows FireStarter online event? 

If so, you can still see recordings of the archived presentations.  I’ve copied the links to them below.

• Kick off
  https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/mseventsbmo/view?id=1032396930&role=attend&pw=MEIFNGG
• Keynote/Why Vista!
  https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/mseventsbmo/view?id=1032396930-1&role=attend&pw=MEIFNGG
• The Case of the Unexplained
  https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/mseventsbmo/view?id=1032396930-2&role=attend&pw=MEIFNGG
• Building Differentiated UI Applications Using Composite WPF
  https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/mseventsbmo/view?id=1032396930-3&role=attend&pw=MEIFNGG
• Open up your apps with MEF:
  https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/mseventsbmo/view?id=1032396930-4&role=attend&pw=MEIFNGG
• Best Practices for Developing for Windows for Windows Standard User
  https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/mseventsbmo/view?id=1032396930-5&role=attend&pw=MEIFNGG
• Windows Security and Bitlocker
  https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/mseventsbmo/view?id=1032396930-6&role=attend&pw=MEIFNGG
• Windows 7 + Windows Server 2008 R2 Teaser Session
  https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/mseventsbmo/view?id=1032396930-7&role=attend&pw=MEIFNGG
• Windows for everyone!
  https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/mseventsbmo/view?id=1032396930-8&role=attend&pw=MEIFNGG

—————————

Windows FireStarter is coming to a PC near you. We’re broadcasting another FireStarter event live from Redmond! Register to watch and learn all that you ever wanted to know about Windows. Topics covered: Why Vista?, The Case of the Unexplained, Building Differentiated UI Apps using Composite WPF, Best Practices for Developing for Windows; Windows Security Bitlocker, Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2.

This month features Windows Internals Expert, Diagnostics & Recovery Toolset creator & book author, Mark Russinovich.

All the sessions in this event are presented to you by some Excellent Microsoft Speakers who are Subject Matter Experts.

———————–

When: December 12^th 2008 8:30 AM- 5:00 PM PACIFIC

The Live Meeting Space won’t be active till 8:00 AM on December 12^th

Computer Audio
To use computer audio, you need speakers and microphone, or a headset. Questions can be asked via the Q&A panel in Live Meeting.

First Time Users:
To save time before the meeting, check your system to make sure it is ready to use Microsoft Office Live Meeting.

Agenda: