How-to Articles

How to make a good home office great

Monte Enbysk — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:17:43 GMT

It really doesn't take much to make a home office today. Just clear some space, hook up a computer and phone, and—presto—you have your home office.

That may make for a decent home office—even a perfectly good one. But it won't make it into a great office, one that's as comfortable and productive as you can make it.

Here are six ideas to help you make your home office great.

Invest in your office. As mentioned above, it's no great chore to piece together a workable home office. But, to make it a place where you can excel, you need to sink some money and thought into it. For example:
- Invest in a chair that's ergonomically correct and comfortable and a desk that's big enough but not oversized.
- From there, give some thought to the best physical arrangement possible.
Tip : Kathleen Alessandro, president of Energized Solutions, a Dearborn, Mich., concern that specializes in office arrangement, suggests a "U" shaped setup to promote efficient flow: Keep material coming into the office on the left of the office, keep ongoing work in the middle, and keep items headed out the door on the right.
Keep things light. Naturally, your office shouldn't be a dark, shrouded workspace where you can't see your hand in front of your face. By the same token, people with home offices consistently emphasize the importance of abundant, focused lighting that keeps your office bright and functional. For many, that means more than just a desktop lamp. Notes Stacey Udell, a Dix Hills, N.Y., public relations consultant: "I work from home and could not survive without an abundance of natural daylight."
Make it into an inspirational space. Every person who works from home can occasionally become discouraged due to isolation, technology breakdowns, or simply a rash of unreturned phone calls. Combat that by decorating your office with reminders of why you're there in the first place—awards, certificates of achievement, and other upbeat mementos.

The home office of freelance publicist Carrol Van Stone, in Shepherdstown, W.Va., is filled with framed cover stories, photos, and other tokens of success. "I've found that setting up a home office must be done in a way that motivates," she says.
Got dead space? Use it! Home offices—particularly those with a modest amount of space—have to make use of every square inch to be as productive as possible. Yanik Silver of SurefireMarketing.com in Potomac, Md., installed a large whiteboard on one wall of his office. "I can brainstorm and plan my projects where I can see them right in front of me."
Leverage technology to the max. A home office usually means someone working solo. That underscores the importance of various kinds of technology to make work more efficient and, ultimately, productive. Some suggestions:
- Go wireless. When possible, maintain wireless connections with all computers, printers, and other gear to afford as much flexibility as possible. "Wireless un-tethers the home officer, and his or her family. I really do work from bed, the kitchen table, the patio, even the hammock," says Fort Lauderdale, Fla., writer and speaker Jeff Zbar.
- Consider digital storage. One of the great challenges of a home office is adequate space to store records, notes, and other material. If your files are bulging like an overstuffed briefcase, give some thought to digital storage. This allows off-site storage in a separate location that can be accessed by way of the Internet. It’s not only convenient, but also is an added measure of safety if your home office is damaged by fire or other mishap. (To store your documents in an online workspace, check out Office Live Workspace.)
Make an office great with great work habits. Making a home office exceptional isn't simply a matter of a great layout and all the latest technical gizmos. Think, too, about how you work within that space. Along those lines:
- Be ruthless with paper. Even the best laid out office can malfunction if you don't maintain efficient paperwork procedures. Try to think carefully about how to handle paperwork in an orderly and, if necessary, cutthroat fashion, says American Fork, Utah-based Christi Youd, author of "Organize Your Office for Success." "As you handle each piece of paper,” she says, "ask yourself: Can I discard this yet? Can I delegate this? Can I handle this in 60 seconds or less? What heading do I want this filed under in my files?"
- Set rules for others. Your beautiful, clean, up-to-date office, arranged in the most optimal fashion, is likely not the place for a Schnauzer gnawing on computer paper or your five-year-old screaming about Dora the Explorer. So, one final element to a truly great office is a firm set of guidelines that delineate when you're available and when access is verboten.
  
  Draft those guidelines and share them with family members and others. This lets you enjoy the best of both worlds: a productive workspace and a proximity to your loved ones—but on your terms.

About the author Jeff Wuorio is a freelance writer, author, and speaker based in southern Maine. He writes about small-business management, marketing, and technology issues. You can find Jeff's business and finance blog at http://wuorio.blogspot.com.

8 tips for using Twitter for your business

Joe C - MSFT — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:54:57 GMT

By Monte Enbysk

Twitter is like a huge cocktail party happening around you, with all kinds of people chattering about all things business and personal. But at this party you can hear what everybody is saying — without having to race around to listen to all the conversations.

That’s how Joel Comm, author of the best-selling, “Twitter Power: How to Dominate Your Market One Tweet at a Time,” describes the latest rage in social-media tools.

A big party sounds like fun, you say, but what good will it do for your business?

Get an audience for yourself, your business

Twitter is all about doing business, and it’s a free opportunity you shouldn't pass up, Comm and many fellow entrepreneurs say. “Twitter is about building relationships and enhancing your brand,” says Comm, the CEO of a marketing technology startup in Loveland, Colo., and a leading expert on strategies for making money online.

One look at online shoes and clothing retailer Zappos — and the site it has created to aggregate all public “tweets” about it — and you can see how Twitter has transformed its business. Marketing Zappos on Twitter was the brainchild of CEO Tony Hsieh, who “tweets” himself (along with his employees) and has generated some 600,000 followers. “You can read [the tweets] and see the positive sentiment, as well as come across people that mention that they just placed their first order after following Tony,” says Aaron Magness, who oversees brand marketing and social media at Henderson, Nev.-based Zappos.

How about smaller businesses? Seattle freelance journalist Linda Thomas, known on Twitter as The News Chick, has amassed more than 3,000 followers in only five months of using the tool to share news tips, engage with readers, and generate freelance assignments. “Twitter has generated business for me,” Thomas says, noting that she’s now writing for a national editor who noticed her posts on Twitter. According to one recent tally, Thomas’s tweets were 4th-most “re-tweeted” (shared) in the country, ahead of The Wall Street Journal’s top writers and behind only journalists from The New York Times and USA Today.

Twitter is equal opportunity; the big companies with the most resources don’t always do the best. “I became an active user in January of this year, and now I’m approaching evangelist status as I try to convince all journalists to open accounts,” says Thomas, who does freelance radio work as well as blogs and writes for print publications.

8 ways to get Twitter working for you

Can Twitter work for you? Yes it can, if you use it wisely. Here are eight tips, courtesy of Comm, Magness, Thomas, and other sources for this article.

Create a user name that people will associate with you and your business.

Comm’s user name is twitter.com/joelcomm. Flashy? Maybe not. Easy to remember? If you are familiar with Joel Comm, it is. Rather than using her own name, Thomas chose a handle that will not only stand out more, but that reflects her passion (news and journalism) and personality. She has since trademarked “The News Chick,” and also uses it for her SeattlePI.com blog where she dissects local media issues.

Choosing a user name is similar to choosing a domain name for your Web site, Comm notes. “It should be an item you think about deeply.” If your business name is unique and easy to remember, use it. A random choice that is neither memorable nor easy to associate with your business is a missed opportunity, Comm says.
Likewise, create a background and profile that reflects your business or profession

You want your Twitter page to stand out, but you also want it to bear some semblance to the industry you represent. Dunkin’ Donut’s page should obviously have a different look than Marvel Entertainment’s page; same with MTV versus Luxor Hotel Casino.

Choose a theme and distinctive colors, and create a profile that identifies you and your company appropriately, but isn’t all business. Go ahead, mention that you like to ski or are active in your community or coach youth sports. Be brief, be positive, be human!
Use your tweets (140 characters maximum) to add value.

This can be done in a number of ways, and there are no rules here. What Comm advises is:
- Ask questions of your customers.
- Provide answers.
- Share your company and product news.
- Use pithy quotes and sayings, which often bring replies and re-tweets.
- Reply and re-tweet items yourself.
- Provide links to interesting articles, pictures, cartoons, videos. Know that audio and video links can be even more powerful than text links.
- Conduct contests, sweepstakes, and give-aways.
- Promote your blog and/or Web site.
  - Compliment people.
  - Recommend “tweeps” (other Twitter users) you find interesting.
  - Market things either blatantly or subtlety — both can work with the right touch, Comm says, especially if you add humor.
"Unless one finds value in your content, people won’t find you interesting — even if you are a celebrity,” says Mani Karthik in his DailySEOblog.com blog.

But you shouldn’t be about business only, says Comm says, who urges users to, again, be human. “Just be careful what you tweet,” he adds, because negative or poorly thought-out comments could ruffle more than a few feathers.

“Be real, honest, and yourself,” advises Zappos’ Magness. “Don’t hire a PR firm or an ad agency to be your voice. You need to be interested in others, as opposed to being too focused on being interesting to others.”
Engage with people.

Unless you are a celebrity, you need to “follow” people for them to want to follow you. General etiquette is that you follow someone and he or she follows you back, though this is not a hard-and-fast rule.

Twitter provides you with unprecedented access to experts, celebrities, and people you would not otherwise meet. If you don’t like the idea of “following” people (similar to but less intrusive than submitting a friend request in Facebook), then you’re probably not ideal for Twitter. The act of following someone is basic — you are looking for interesting people who you may learn something from and who may learn something from you.

Building a following of folks likely to share your interests improves your chances of finding new prospects and enhancing your brand. And, on Twitter, there is more upside than risk in reaching out to people you don’t know, since the personal information you disclose is likely to be minimal.

Similarly, replying to questions or comments, and re-tweeting posts that you find interesting will help you engage with people who could become prospects for your business. The opportunity you have to mingle with lots of different people online is hard to match today.
Use Twitter as your support desk.

Countless examples have surfaced about how businesses have learned about and even resolved customer-service issues via searches on Twitter. Some companies now use Twitter proactively to solicit feedback — one example being Comcast and its ComcastCares page, where Frank Eliason puts a human face on the large cable company to answer questions, address problems, interact with customers, and promote Comcast offerings.

Even a small business, Comm says, can use Twitter to get immediate feedback, offer assistance, promote goodwill among customers, and publicly display your customer-service successes. You just need to devote time to monitoring Twitter on a regular basis. “It’s doing customer service without the tickets,” he says.
Check out Twitter tools and mobile applications.

It’s mind-boggling to see how many applications have been created to support Twitter. If you have to choose only one, pick one of the mobile applications, such as Twhirl, that lets you post and read tweets from your iPhone or cell phone.

Here are some of the others that Comm highlights in his book:
- URL shorteners: These come in handy for minimizing the length of URLs , thus giving you more space for your text. TinyURL, PonyURL, and Bit.ly are some examples.
- TweetDeck: Let’s you see more tweets, as well as replies and direct messages, at once; it also features automatic updates.
- TweetBeep: Get e-mail alerts on Twitter, such as when people have tweeted one of your search terms.
- TwitPic: Send out links to pictures with your tweets.
- TweetLater: Schedule tweets in advance, lets you track keywords on Twitter, and more.
Track your results — and use shortcuts to follow what is said about your company.

Building the number of followers you have is one way to generate results on Twitter, but not the only way. Robert Jacobs, acting assistant administrator for NASA’s Office of Public Affairs, argues in a PC World article that the best measure of Twitter’s effectiveness is not the number of followers you have, but the degree to which your information is re-tweeted and shared across Twitter.

Follow the “Updates” section, which is an easy way to see tweets mentioning your user name are listed. Also, use Twitter Search to track any mentions of your company, your industry, and your competitors. If you follow a lot of people and companies yourself, you aren’t going to be able to read every tweet. Don‘t even try!

Also, track how your messages are received. Are people engaging with you? Are you finding new prospects? Are you enhancing your brand? You should be; if not, your messages may be the problem.
Know the 8 steps to Twitter failure, courtesy of Joel Comm.
- Don’t follow anyone.
- Become the Twitter promo king (that is, do too much self-promotion).
- Don’t interact with others.
- Talk about yourself incessantly.
- Use your Twitter feed as an RSS feed.
- Use an impersonal brand as a user name.
- Don’t track anything.
- Don’t tell your customers you’re on Twitter.

Embrace — and enjoy

“My two words of advice to journalists, entrepreneurs, small-business owners, and anyone else — embrace it,” Linda Thomas says of Twitter. “It’s a free and easy way to communicate with potential customers, clients, and colleagues. And it’s fun too.”

About the author Monte Enbysk is a senior editor at Microsoft Office Live, and writes about Web-related issues for small businesses. He previously was a columnist and managing editor of the Microsoft.com Small Business Center, and before that a writer and editor at MSN Money, Washington CEO magazine, and daily newspapers in Washington and Oregon. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/monteenbysk.

5 ways to protect new digital gear

Joe C - MSFT — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:52:32 GMT

By Kim Komando

You may now have a treasure trove of new digital goodies for 2008. No doubt you’re anxious to start using them. But take the time to protect your new gear. Otherwise, they could become a source of frustration.

Contact your insurance agent. Your homeowner’s or renter’s insurance should cover your digital gear, but take the time to ensure that your coverage is adequate.

Laptops, cameras, and music players are often used on the go. Ask your agent if the gear is covered when you are using it outside of the house.

Coverage amounts and deductibles are also important. Insurance should cover the full value of your gear: preferably, replacement value versus the cash value when you bought it. Yet keep in mind that your deductible may be higher than the cost of smaller items, and your plan may only cover certain events. Ensure that any loss is covered under your policy. You’ll probably pay extra for flood insurance.
Mail in your registration. Many people overlook product registration, or refuse to do it because they fear that their information can be used for marketing purposes. Take the time to mail in the warranty and register your new gear.

One advantage of completing your product registration is that the company can contact you in the event of a recall. After the battery recalls of the past few years, this should be a no-brainer. While registration won't help you recover something in the event of theft, it will help you prove ownership.
Write down serial numbers. If your camera or computer were stolen, would you know the serial number? Probably not—unless you wrote it down.

A serial number will help if you report a stolen item. The police can match serial numbers on recovered property. Your insurance agent may also need the serial number for claims.

So make a list of serial numbers and product information, including brands and model numbers. Store the list in your safe-deposit box. You may also want to include photographs.
List your contact information. Many gadgets let you enter your contact information. Make sure the address and phone number you enter are current. If the gadget is found, it can be returned easily.

You can also create a Read Me file containing your contact information. Put it on memory cards for cameras and other gadgets. This assumes, of course, that the person finding the gadget is honest. You can’t count on that. So consider buying a product such as STOP (Security Tracking of Office Property) tags.

These tags can’t be removed without damaging a gadget’s case, and further, the tag leaves an indelible mark on the case in the event it is removed. This makes reselling your gadget difficult if not impossible. Another benefit is that STOP can return recovered items to you, for a nominal one-time fee (about $25) for the service.
Secure your laptop. You’ve probably installed anti-spyware and antivirus software. You should also think about physical theft. Protect your data with encryption software which prevents thieves from accessing sensitive data on the stolen laptop.

Tracking software is also a good idea. When connected to the Internet, a stolen laptop sends a signal to the software’s publisher. This helps police locate the laptop. Computrace and XTool are just two of the vendors that make tracking programs.

About the author Kim Komando writes about workplace technology and security issues. Based in Phoenix, she's the host of the nation's largest talk-radio show about computers and the Internet, The Kim Komando Show, and writes a syndicated column for more than 100 Gannett newspapers and for USA Today. Find Kim's show on the radio station nearest you, and subscribe to her free e-mail newsletters to learn more about all things digital.

Technology tips for improving your work-life balance

Joe C - MSFT — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:51:42 GMT

By Joanna L. Krotz

A few years back, personal coach Maya Talisman and husband Tom Frost, a jewelry importer and distributor, decided to move their his-and-hers businesses and four daughters from Portland, Ore., to Mazatlan, Mexico.

"We chose Mazatlan because we had been there on vacation and knew it would be a friendly, peaceful place to spend our first year abroad and learn Spanish," Talisman says. The family rented an apartment in the historic colonial district and enrolled the kids in school.

Talisman's meditation books and courses are sold online while Frost's company, Swell Products, distributes his brand of magnetic bracelets to hundreds of retailers across the United States. The bracelets are manufactured in China and shipped to the United States. Frost employs a sales manager and part-time bookkeeper, who work from Oregon.

"That experiment worked so well that 10 months later, when school was out, we moved even farther south, to Buenos Aires, Argentina," says Talisman.

How do they pick up their businesses and move wherever they want? By relying on technology, Talisman and Frost have created virtual headquarters for their companies and they operate with a roster of Web-based applications.

How technology can save time and money

Certainly, today's always-on-and-available-anywhere technology can lead to addictive work habits. We’ve all seen examples of that among friends and family.

But having a cheap, convenient, 24/7 global reach through technology can also efficiently enable you to live the life you’ve always wanted. The choice is yours.

Here are some affordable tools and ideas that harness technology’s power to save you time and money. Cherry-pick among these solutions to build in breaks, or reconfigure your work-life routines, or, like Talisman and her family, reinvent your life entirely.

1. Use Voice-over-Internet protocol phone service (VoIP) to create a virtual office.   To maintain a professional phone line and still travel, take time off or live abroad, VoIP telephone services are a terrific help. You’ve probably heard about such affordable services, which, basically, use the Internet to send and receive calls. Usually, you pay only for Internet access and not for calls, much the way e-mail works.

"We have an Oregon phone number in Argentina," Talisman says. Frost’s Oregon-based manager has a similar setup. The Buenos Aires and Oregon phones ring at the same time.

There are dozens of VoIP providers to choose among. Try a Web search if you don’t know one.

2. Use online services for office communications and banking.   The Frosts host their company computers on external servers, so they can access all e-mail, files, and financial information or transactions from any Internet café. (Of course, you do want to have privacy safeguards in place when working this way.)

"We have no bank account in Argentina," Talisman says. "We’re paid in dollars and living on pesos—enough said!"

3. Leverage the power of a professional Web site.   Setting up a Web site, more than any other technological helpmate, will shave considerable time and effort from your workdays.

With a professional site, you can more efficiently conduct business, fulfill orders, organize contacts, share documents with employees or contractors, and market your wares or services, even when you're out of the office or on the road.

For more about launching a site, see the Microsoft Office Live Small Business offerings. Once your site is up, you can bolster its effectiveness by keeping customers, stakeholders, or media up-to-date with an online media kit.

4. Use your site features to stay in touch with customers.   With so many marketing channels and consumer options these days, increasingly, it's the business that quickly responds to customer needs that gains a competitive advantage. You can use your Web site to "listen" and react to what your customers request.

For example:

Set up an online forum so customers can register and post comments to you and to each other.

Set up a survey that customers can take online. This can be a focus group type of survey (say, about a new product) or a customer satisfaction survey.

Set up a special e-mail address and ask customers for specific feedback or advice whenever you launch a new product, service, or special promotion.

5. Use e-mail software to track schedules and tasks.   Software such as Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 can improve your performance. Most people are good at creating to-do or task lists, but often become distracted and don't commit to a scheduled time to accomplish those tasks.

By utilizing the task and reminder functions of an e-mail program, you can set up a calendar that generates alerts, whether annual, weekly, or daily. Some business owners say that such alerts boost their productivity by 50 percent or more.

6. Stop thinking you must do everything yourself.   "Doing administrative work is necessary, but it can detract from an owner's primary purpose of growing and nurturing the business," says Jennefer Witter, who founded The Boreland Group, a New York City public relations agency, in 2003.

"I've known too many entrepreneurs who are penny-wise and pound-foolish," because they won’t hire help, she says. "One was working until midnight because her admin work took so much time." The solution, Witter suggests, is to hire virtual assistants. "Be more efficient by getting a qualified, trained person who can handle the chores."

With instantaneous communications and the ability to seamlessly connect from anywhere, virtual assistants can work remotely and provide quality work. "Many of us are in home offices and don't have room for another person," Witter says. "That's another beauty of VAs."

There are lots of job boards and industry associations that list virtual assistant services, if you decide to look for one. Also, check listings at the International Virtual Assistants Association.

7. Create a sales contact database for your business.   Software such as Contact Manager, included within Office Live Small Business, can transform your electronic address book into a sales, contact management, and marketing tool.

Then, when you send out marketing or sales material, instead of hand-addressing envelopes, you can automate the process with labels or envelopes printed from your database list. Similarly, you can use the database to send e-mail marketing messages. Just make sure that the software you use for your database (usually part of a sales contact program) can be integrated with your e-mail program.

Besides mailings to your entire sales list, you can use the database for specific or premium marketing, such as holiday cards, special discounts, and birthday greetings.

8. Invest in e-mail marketing that yields results.   Certainly, consumers now delete e-mail marketing messages faster than you can say "click-through." However, when it’s done right (which means your consumer really wants your message and knows your brand), e-mail marketing remains relatively cheap and incredibly effective.

You can automate the process of sending and tracking your e-mail campaigns with affordable tools and either off-the-shelf or online software.

Such low-cost services can help you mount campaigns, send out e-mail newsletters or campaign mails, and maintain scrubbed, up-to-date lists much faster and cost-efficiently than you can on your own.

Tip:   Secure double opt-in permission before adding a prospect to your e-mail list.

Mobile phones and continual access to e-mail now make us available around the clock. So, in the end, all the technology in the world won’t let you kick back unless you make some rules.

Begin with these, and then move on:

Schedule specific times to check e-mail.
Turn off your phone when you’re home or out with friends.

About the author Joanna L. Krotz is the founder of Muse2Muse Productions, a custom content company for business and consumer magazines, newsletters, and digital imprints. Krotz has launched marketing Web sites and e-news portals, as well as created magazines and online marketing for a variety of companies. She is co-author of "The Microsoft Small Business Kit," a 500-page guide to launching and running a business.

7 pages every business Web site must have

Joe C - MSFT — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:48:30 GMT

By Christopher Elliott

Don’t look now, but your Web site might be missing a few pages—a few very important pages.

You’re not alone. Most small-business sites are a work in progress—constantly being revised, improved, and updated. So invariably, something is always missing. But some pages are so important that not having them could hurt your bottom line.

A 2007 Forrester Research study of business-to-business Web sites found that many of the pages it examined were difficult to navigate and use. About one-quarter of them lacked critical pages containing privacy and security policies, for example. Those are essential pages for any business site, big or small.

"Many companies get sidetracked from what is really important," Kelly Cutler, chief executive of the Chicago-based strategic interactive advisory firm Marcel Media, told me. That is, sites that are "clean, professional, and easy to navigate," she says, generally have most or all of the pages customers are looking for.

So, you can let your customers tell you about those missing pages. Or you can read this story and then add these commonly overlooked components.

Let me tell you about having customers tell you what is missing, because that’s a road I’ve taken. When I began designing and publishing Web pages in 1996, there were, for all intents and purposes, no standards. Back then I wouldn’t make a change to my site until people e-mailed me en masse to complain ("You don’t have a Contact Us page? Get one!").

That was the hard way.

This is the easy way. Here are seven pages every business Web site must have, and where they need to be:

Contact Us. "Every small-business site should have a Contact Us page," says Melissa Campanelli, author of "Open an Online Business in 10 Days" (Entrepreneur Press, 2007). "It should offer visitors a complete list of ways they can contact you – from e-mail addresses to toll-free numbers to a physical address." It’s easy to overlook a Contact Us page because, after all, this is your company’s online presence, and why post something like your physical address. But customers don’t think that way. When it comes to contacting you, they want options—or they just might take their business elsewhere.

Where it goes: There should be a link to it on the nav bar and on every page. Give your customers as many choices as you can, including a form, e-mail address, instant-messaging account, regular mail, toll-free number, and toll number for overseas callers. Leave no virtual stone unturned.
Testimonials. Many companies skip the Testimonials page because they consider it too self-serving, says Lori Quaranta, president of Consetta Web Solutions in Shelton, Conn. "Some people would argue that this is not necessary, that business owners plug their business with bogus testimonials. But again, it’s a natural human instinct for people to know, ‘What’s so good about you? I wonder what others had to say.'" In other words, while having a page like that may seem self-promotional, people will look for it. And when they don’t find it, they might begin to make assumptions. Why don’t they have a testimonials page? Can’t they find enough people to say nice things about them?

Where it goes: Ask long-time clients to supply a short testimonial and make sure a link to it is on your nav bar where anyone can find it. Remember, people will be looking for this one.
Privacy policy. Web users are more conscious about safety and privacy than ever, so a good privacy policy is an absolute must, according to Corey Donovan, vice president at Vibrant Technologies, an IT reseller in Minnetonka, Minn. “If you collect user data via a Web form such as a contact form, then you really should have a privacy policy page,” he says. “Linking to this page on any page where you request personal information is a trust-builder and will decrease form abandonment.” Not only that, but many companies require that you have a privacy policy before they do business with you. So get one. (The Better Business Bureau has a good sample privacy notice on its site.)

Where it goes: A privacy policy doesn’t have to be prominent in your design. Most people look for a link to it from the bottom of every page.
FAQ. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) are frequently forgotten, too. At least that’s the assessment of Joel Fisher, vice president and creative director at TruePresence, an Internet marketing firm in Baltimore. Why is an FAQ page so important? Mostly, they’ll ensure you won’t have to answer the same questions over and over. "This will save time and money by letting your clients service themselves," Fisher says. "And if you don’t think your customers have questions, you’re wrong." Not sure what they want to know more about? You can always solicit questions on a feedback form, and if you see repeats, turn them into an FAQ for the page.

Where it goes: You already know the most common questions. Post them—and the answers—somewhere that’s easy to find. A lot of FAQ sections are linked to from the bottom of each page, along with the site’s privacy policy.
A "gimme" page. Want readers to sign up for your newsletter or regular special offers? You need what Drew Barton, president of Southern Web Group in Atlanta, calls the "gimme" page—a section where users can be persuaded to give up some of their personal information (such as their names and e-mail addresses) in exchange for … well, something else. "Information has a price," he says. "Web site visitors withhold information about themselves and can only be persuaded to give that information up in exchange for something of value. In many cases, this is an informative report, a keychain, a chance to win tickets to a ballgame, or a cash prize. I’ve even seen Web site owners raffle off a kayak in order to entice site visitors to sign up and divulge invaluable information."

Where it goes: "Gimme" pages should be linked to or even integrated into the page on which you ask readers to sign up for your free newsletter or your weekly specials. Yes, they need a reason.
About Us. Another often overlooked component: the About Us page. "The Internet offers businesses the opportunity to expand their market reach like never before," notes Thomas Harpointner, chief executive of AIS Media, a Web site design and hosting company based in Atlanta. "But just because you can do business with people you might never meet doesn’t mean they don’t want to know about who they’re doing business with." The most effective About Us pages are succinct and use no jargon. I’ve seen "about" pages that scroll on for several pages and read like a doctoral thesis. Most of the experts I talked with say that’s a big turn-off for potential customers.

Where it goes: Web users look for an About Us page link at the bottom of the home page or in the nav bar. Caution: Don’t get fancy and call it something else. Stick to "about" or "About Us"—that’s what they’re looking for.
Confirmation. A decent confirmation page that acknowledges an order and thanks the visitor for his or her business is essential—and often lacking, says Brian Drum, chief executive of Drum Associates, an executive search firm in New York. "If a customer is taking any action, a page that says 'Thank you for purchasing this product' or 'One of our representatives will contact you shortly' can really cut down on time answering customer phone calls," he says. That means less time spent answering queries such as "Did my subscription to your e-mail newsletter go through?" or "Did my order get processed?" The reason these pages are easy to overlook is that they aren’t static. They’re usually generated after a transaction takes place, and people don’t spend much time worrying about what happens after a transaction.

Where it goes: If there’s any kind of form on your site—e-mail us, subscribe to our newsletter, buy a product—you need a confirmation page to follow. It should reassure the customer that their information was received, thank them for it, and offer additional resources and contacts in case they have any other questions.

Already have these pages? Well done. But don’t get too comfortable. Just like the Web, these must-have pages can—and almost certainly will—change with time. The only way to make sure your site doesn’t become obsolete is to listen to your customers.

About the author Christopher Elliott is an Orlando, Fla., writer and independent producer who specializes in technology, travel, and mobile computing. His work has appeared in numerous newspapers, magazines and online. You can find out more about him on his Web site or sign up for his free weekly newsletter.

5 surefire ways to stand out online

Joe C - MSFT — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:45:41 GMT

By Joanna L. Krotz

Online marketing now offers so many cost-effective options that it’s hard to know where to focus. Plus, recent studies estimate that a staggering 6 million documents are posted to the Web every day.

You can’t simply launch a site and sit back. You must take action to get noticed.

So here’s a cheat sheet: five smart, affordable ways to bolster your online profile and attract customers to your Web site.

Make it easier to find your site. All the buzz about search-engine marketing is because most people head for a major search engine when researching or purchasing goods and services. Since searchers rarely click below the first few listings, getting your company or product ranked high on results pages can help generate traffic.

Much of search-engine marketing is complex and time-consuming. But there are three fast ways to improve the odds of prominent placement.
- The right keywords. Top rankings come from having content on your site that matches the keywords or (better yet) specific phrases customers use to search for what you sell. The closer or more relevant the match, the higher the engines will rank you.
  
  You can identify those keywords or phrases by brainstorming with customers, friends and associates to learn the search words they use. You also want to find out keywords your competitors use. Check keywords every month or so to refine the process.
- Affiliate links. Search engines like to "see" lots of links from your site and to your site, because that translates into a well-trafficked site, which leads to higher rankings. To find effective links, search for the phrases or keywords associated with the product or service you offer. In your search results, skip competitors, and choose marketers that support what you do. For instance, a kitchenware company might link to a table linens shop. Then send an e-mail or call to ask about exchanging links.
- Vertical search engines. Besides the broad horizontal engines, harness the targeted power of engines specific to your industry. You can find these by a search or by checking with professional groups. Also, see the Microsoft Kumo Search Macros to customize what you need.
  
  An inexpensive way to boost your search-engine marketing is to sign up for a search-engine advertising service.
Reward customer error. Countless numbers of potential customers input a wrong address or misspell the name of the company when searching. Make sure they end up on your site anyway.

First, buy all the domain names you can. If your primary domain is Widget.com, also register Widget.biz, Widget.net, and Widget.org. That way, you not only attract misguided searchers, but you discourage competitors from registering a version of your name and siphoning your customers.

In addition, register common misspellings. So if someone types Wigdet.com, your site will still come up.
Offer e-learning. The technology to create online courses or solo webcasts is now relatively inexpensive. By investing in producing online courses, you can reach out to remote and large groups of prospects on an ongoing basis.

One California tax accountant discovered she could create and deliver an online professional training course for less than $50 a month for an unlimited audience. Eventually, her course became so lucrative that she sold her tax practice and focused on conducting online courses.

You need to keep your skills and knowledge up-to-speed to make this work. Also think about courses that will fuel interest and sales. A lawyer, for instance, might offer an e-course on drafting a will.

Easy-to-use online software, such as Microsoft Office Live Meeting, can get you started.
Use offline ads to trigger a search. Offline and online marketing is increasingly blurred. You see a roadside billboard, a trade journal ad, a URL on a coffee mug and, bam! Next thing you know, you’ve pulled up the browser.

A recent analysis by the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association found that consumers "take cues from traditional advertising to determine when and where to search." That includes magazine and newspaper ads, store and direct-mail coupons and feature articles (send out those press releases to media contacts!).
Get friendly with Web 2.0. The rise of online social networking has been fast and furious. Such real-time and peer-to-peer outlets, such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and MySpace, and the ballooning blogosphere directly reach thousands of customers for mere pennies. You can use these outlets to start online conversations, post editorials or product data, and to announce news or products that build your reputation and expertise.

You can also launch your own blog to attract customers to return. Remember that blogs demand time and effort to stay timely. See this tips for starting a blog.

Most of all: Think content, content, content. Good descriptions of your services and compelling calls to action on your Web pages will make customers care and return.

About the author Joanna L. Krotz is the founder of Muse2Muse Productions, a custom content company for business and consumer magazines, newsletters and digital imprints. Krotz has launched marketing Web sites and e-news portals, as well as created magazines and online marketing for a variety of companies. She is co-author of The Microsoft Small Business Kit, a 500-page guide to launching and running a small business.

Biggest financing mistakes by first-time entrepreneurs

Joe C - MSFT — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:45:20 GMT

By Susan Schreter

A few months ago, I spoke to a class of college seniors about the requirements for organizing a successful startup company. This was a fun group. After graduation, many of these high-energy entrepreneurs want to enjoy a more creative workday, turn their best ideas into cash, and of course, be their own boss.

To challenge the class, I asked, "What is the most important job of the CEO, president, or founder of a small business?" My students' hands all shot up quickly. They answered that leaders of startup enterprises had to be "visionaries," "superior technologists," "top sales agents," and more. Yes, these were all good answers. But not my first choice.

The No. 1 priority of entrepreneurs is to make sure their companies always have enough cash to make payroll and fund growth. They have to be skilled fund-raisers and cash managers. While other duties in product development, marketing, and sales can be temporarily postponed or delegated to employees and consultants, the job of speaking to investors and lenders always rests on the entrepreneur's shoulders ... always!

Cash is the gas that keeps every entrepreneurial engine running. When companies run out of cash—from investors, lenders, or customers—they go out of business. It's that simple.

So what mistakes do many entrepreneurs make while trying to fund their young enterprises? Here is my list of the top six no-nos.

1.   Raising the wrong amount of money.  I hear it all the time. Entrepreneurs say, "All I need is enough money to get going." Fine, but raising just enough money to start your entrepreneurial engine is more risky than raising a larger amount of money to start the engine, plus drive the business to a safe destination. When entrepreneurs don't raise enough money to complete product development, build out Web sites, or fund advertising campaigns, they just stand still or slide deeper into trouble. In contrast, entrepreneurs who set sensible fund-raising goals gain respect from check-writing investors.

Entrepreneurs should calculate how much money it will take to reach "cash-flow break-even." This is the point when monthly revenues consistently match or exceed expenses and the risk of business closure drops significantly.

2.   Investing IRA and 401k money.   Retirement accounts should not fund business startups. When entrepreneurs, their spouses or parents draw funds from a retirement account, they may face costly early withdrawal tax penalties if they don't return the capital within plan requirements. Plus, if the investment doesn't work out, investors can't deduct losses within retirement plans. Double ouch!

3.   Soliciting the wrong investors.   Startup entrepreneurs can turn to friends and family members, wealthy individuals (called "angel investors"), and venture funds to help finance a young company. The secret to efficient fund-raising is soliciting investors whose investment preferences most closely match a company's geographic location, industry, and stage of growth. For example, there are more than 1,500 venture funds in the United States. Some funds invest in Web services, environmental, or consumer products companies. Others invest in women or Hispanic-owned businesses. Startup entrepreneurs should limit solicitations to "incubator" or "seed" stage investors in their industry.

4.   Overestimating the company's value.  Ambitious entrepreneurs all believe their ideas are worth millions. However, investors close their checkbooks whenever they are asked to "buy a Chevy at a Ferrari price." Pricing shares of your company's stock is no different than selling a car; if you want it sold, you must price it to move. Here's one more reason to price first fund-raising rounds in a conservative way. When investors pay more, they expect more. If performance goals are not met, entrepreneurs could get the pink slip from unhappy investors and board members.

5.   Assuming new investors will pay off old debt.  Entrepreneurs often borrow money from friends and family members to get their companies off the ground. As their business prospers, entrepreneurs then turn to angel investors and venture funds for their next round of financing. Here's the conflict. Entrepreneurs want to use the money to pay off old debt; investors want the money to go to revenue-building product development, advertising, and sales. Who wins? The new investors!

What's worse is the new investors may insist that early lenders cancel their debt and roll it into a long-term equity position in the business. Thanksgiving dinner is never the same when entrepreneurs make promises for quick loan repayments to family members—promises they just can't keep.

6.   Pushing for fast answers.   Here's a contradiction. Patient entrepreneurs who give investors plenty of time to learn about a company's plans for growth raise money faster than entrepreneurs who press investors for quick, ultimately negative decisions. Given the risk involved with venture investing, it's rational for investors to ask a lot of questions and read business plans and projections with care.

I know there are thousands of capable entrepreneurs who don't get to build the business of their dreams because of funding problems. It doesn't have to be! All it takes to raise money is thoughtful planning, common sense, and a willingness to get out there and talk to investors. Yes, anyone can do it.

About the author Susan Schreter is a Seattle-area investment banker and venture-funding expert serving startup entrepreneurs and fast-growth company executives. She also teaches business financing and entrepreneurship at business schools, angel forums, and microfinance organizations in the United States and internationally. Write to Susan at susan@takecommand.org.

Attention women: Top 7 businesses to start from home

Joe C - MSFT — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:44:52 GMT

By Joanna L. Krotz

If you're looking for more control over your time and talent, there's never been a better time for a woman to start a home-based business.

For the past two decades, women-owned companies have been growing nearly twice as fast as those owned by men, at a rate of 42 percent, according to the Center for Women’s Business Research.

As a result, lenders, business vendors, and women's support networks are springing up to provide the contacts or training you might need. But that's only part of the story.

Home-based businesses for women now make terrific sense because of two little words and one huge advantage: online resources.

Fueled by affordable technology and the desire to balance work and personal lives, including care of the family and kids, more and more women are setting up home-based shops.

You can, too. Below are a few ideas for startups that resonate today. They share the theme of being service-based businesses. That's because a service business requires little startup costs. You don't need to worry about shipping or returns (though you can still be a retailer; see No. 2 below). Service businesses also rely on freelance or virtual skills, so you can ramp up or down with ease.

Here's advice about the businesses to start now, from women who are there and doing it.

1.   Design Web sites.   Today, every business needs a professional domain name and a Web site—that is, an online brand. New owners can quickly set up a site with Office Live Small Business.

Once the site is launched, owners typically need a Web designer or IT architect to customize the online look and feel, and messaging. Owners will also benefit from capturing customer personal data and purchasing history. Such site analytics can help owners better market online and evaluate user traffic. Web designers with the latest programming skills are definitely in demand.

To get started with a Web design consultancy, register your services on the Office Live Small Business Partner Directory. You can also publicize your offerings at local women’s business associations and your nearby Small Business Development Center. Advertise in local newspapers or professional magazines, or on small-business blogs.

2.   Operate an online boutique.   The mother of two young girls, Lydie Thomas runs an online shop called Artchestra.com, from her Alameda, Calif., home. She offers original handmade jewelry, artisan crafts, and home accessories created by U.S.-based artists. "My business consists of a computer, a printer, and a file cabinet," she says.

Thomas posts images and descriptions of the pieces on her Web site, but the products remain with the artists. "If a sale occurs, the artist ships it directly from his studio and I take a commission on the sale."

With Thomas handling customers, transactions, marketing, and scouting for offerings, the artists can focus on their work. "Having an online business makes it easy to manage your time," Thomas says. "Working hours can be when the children are in school and after their bedtime.

Tip: For more about strategies for work-at-home moms, visit Mompreneurs Online.

3.   Cater to pets.   The pet business is booming. About $41 billion was spent on pets and their care in 2007, reports the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association (APPMA). A whopping 63 percent of U.S. households, or 71 million homes, own a pet.

Home-based businesses for pets suggest a range of services, including boarding care, grooming, dog-walking services, training classes, sales of pet accessories, health insurance (a growing niche for pets), and/or premium foods. (Set this up as a third-party vendor, as in No. 2 above, so you don't have to handle shipping.)

4.   Become a virtual assistant.   "It used to be, 'What is a virtual assistant?' Now it's 'Who is your virtual assistant?'" says Diana Ennen, who’s been working from her home in Margate, Fla., since 1985. "I've coached hundreds on starting a virtual assistant business."

Depending on your skills, as a virtual assistant you can handle all or some tasks of running a business, including marketing, bookkeeping, daily operations, travel arrangements, maintaining an appointment book, setting up conferences, word processing, writing, and other needs.

To learn more, visit the International Virtual Assistants Association.

"VAs work globally," Ennen says. "Therefore, the sky is the limit for getting clients." Also, startup costs are extremely low. The main thing needed is a good computer, printer, high-speed Internet connection, software, and the right skills.

5.   Arrange parties.   Cheryl Carter's home-based party-planning business in Akron, Ohio, has been so successful that she's just begun to franchise her concept.

"Everyone is a customer," she says. "We work with grocery chains, day-care centers, assisted living facilities, zoos, and the list goes on." One-third of her business is built on birthday parties and the rest comes from corporate clients. Carter says holiday parties in December 2007 racked up $30,000 in sales.

To make the parties energetic and fun, Carter hires and trains college students with majors in theater or early childhood, paying them about $25 an hour. Flexible schedules and weekend work suit student part-timers.

Carter's just-launched franchise package, including costumes, is priced at $25,000 (see mypartyforaliving.com). She says she's already sold one.

Tip:  If you are considering buying a franchise, see our Franchise Opportunities section at Office Live Small Business.

6.   Become a personal matchmaker.   "As a second-generation Indian-American raised in the U.S., I have a unique perspective," says attorney Jasbina Ahluwalia, who left her practice to launch Intersections Matchmaking from her home in Palo Alto, Calif.

She specializes in time-pressed professional clients. "While my clients come from a variety of cultural backgrounds, my perspective on the immigrant experience allows me to relate firsthand to clients from non-U.S. backgrounds," she says.

According to Ahluwalia, successful personal matchmaking involves the ability to: (1) engender trust; (2) maintain relationships with people suited to the clientele; (3) establish rapport with a wide variety of people; (4) use intuition, experience, and psychological insights, and (5) deeply understand a client's needs and wants about a significant other.

Her low startup costs included a certification course with the Matchmaking Institute, and legal expenses to incorporate the business and create client contracts.

7.   Set up a tutor referral service.   Across the country, families are spending millions of dollars on supplemental education to give their kids a competitive advantage. But it's hard for working parents to find reputable tutors with polished credentials.

That's what motivated Laurie Hurley to launch her Home Tutoring Business. A mother of two teens who works from her Newbury Park, Calif., home, Hurley finds qualified tutors and matches them with students who need one-on-one, in-home tutoring.

She suggests these tips to make a referral service work:

Start small.   A good rule of thumb is to limit services to within a half-hour's drive or 30-mile radius of home. You can always expand later.

Watch costs.   Comparison-shop rates on phone services, a good computer, Internet service, and so on. Look into automated services for background checks to make sure your tutors are reputable. Such services are affordable and can be found on the Web.

Hire a good Web designer.   You want to optimize your site for maximum exposure (see No. 1, above). As much as 80 percent of business is likely to be generated online, so make sure the site provides friendly, detailed information.

Check the competition.   Set your rates in the middle of the pack, neither the highest nor the lowest.

Stay on top of fees.   Charge a modest one-time registration fee to cover ongoing marketing and recruiting. And charge according to expertise. Secondary math tutoring should command a higher rate than elementary school tutoring.

Keep tutors happy.   Avoid turnover by thorough interviews. As above, don't skimp on background checks.

With inexpensive technology and reliable ways to collaborate online, home-based businesses are an increasingly attractive option for women.

OLSKB 888540: How to add, configure, or remove accounts in Outlook

Monte Enbysk — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 20:49:49 GMT

Article ID: OLSKB 888540

Contents

By the Microsoft Office Live Technical Lead

Summary

Prior to sending and receiving an e-mail using Microsoft Outlook, you must first set up and configure your e-mail account within the program. While not written specifically for Microsoft Office Live Small Business, the following linked articles provide instructions for Internet-based or POP3 e-mail accounts (such as Windows Live Hotmail) as well as Microsoft Exchange e-mail accounts.

Should your issue require additional support beyond the recommended articles below, the following link will direct you to Microsoft Office Live support options page: http://support.officelive.com.

Notes

If you have not already, you maybe required to log in to your account to view and/or access your support options.

Recommended Link(s)

Microsoft Office Online: **Add or remove an e-mail account

Windows Live Help: *How to add your e-mail account to Microsoft Outlook

Send and receive Windows Live Hotmail e-mails from a mail client

APPLIES TO:

*Microsoft Office Outlook 2002 or earlier

*Microsoft Office Outlook 2003

**Microsoft Office Outlook 2007

OLSKB 903258C: How to set or change your reply address

Monte Enbysk — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 22:27:08 GMT

Article ID: OLSKB 903258C

Contents

By the Microsoft Office Live Technical Lead

Summary

The Windows Live Help article linked to below provides instructions how to customize your Windows Life Hotmail account so that it will provide a reply address, for those receiving your e-mail, that is different than the Windows Live Hotmail address you send from. While not written specifically for Microsoft Office Live Small Business, the information provided is compatible for all Windows Live Hotmail e-mail accounts.

Should your issue require additional support beyond the recommended article below, the following link will direct you to Microsoft Office Live support options page: http://support.officelive.com

Notes

If you have not already, you may be required to log in to your account to view and/or access your support options.

Recommended link(s)

Windows Live Help: How to Set or Change Reply Address

APPLIES TO: Windows Live Hotmail

OLSKB 903258A: Not receiving e-mails from your contacts?

Monte Enbysk — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 22:26:30 GMT

Article ID: OLSKB 903258A

Contents

By the Microsoft Office Live Technical Lead

Summary

The Windows Live Help article linked to below provides a list of settings to check if you are not receiving e-mails that your clients have verified they have sent. While not written specifically for Microsoft Office Live Small Business, the information provided is compatible for all Hotmail e-mail accounts.

Should your issue require additional support beyond the recommended article below, the following link will direct you to Microsoft Office Live support options page: http://support.officelive.com,

Notes

If you have not already, you may be required to login to your account to view and/or access your support options.

Recommended link(s)

Windows Live Help: Not Receiving Email from Contacts

APPLIES TO: Windows Live Hotmail

OLSKB 903258B: How to set your Junk E-mail filtering level

Monte Enbysk — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 22:20:36 GMT

Article ID: OLSKB 903258B

Contents

By the Microsoft Office Live Technical Lead

Summary

The Windows Live Help article linked to below provides instructions for using your Windows Live Hotmail Junk E-mail filter to assist in decreasing the number of junk e-mails that appear in your inbox. While not written specifically for Microsoft Office Live Small Business, the information provided is compatible for all Windows Live Hotmail email accounts.

Should your issue require additional support beyond the recommended article below, the following link will direct you to Microsoft Office Live support options page: http://support.officelive.com

Notes

If you have not already, you may be required to log in to your account to view and/or access your support options.

Recommended link(s)

Windows Live Help: How to Set the Junk Email Filtering Level

APPLIES TO: Windows Live Hotmail

OLSKB 906392: What to do if you cannot attach files to e-mail messages

Monte Enbysk — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 18:56:54 GMT

Article ID: OLSKB 906392

Contents

By the Microsoft Office Live Technical Lead

Summary

The following linked article provides troubleshooting information for users who are experiencing difficulty attaching file(s) to their outgoing messages in Windows Live Hotmail. While not written specifically for Microsoft Office Live Small Business, the information provided is compatible for all Windows Live Hotmail e-mail accounts.

Should your issue require additional support beyond the recommended Windows Live Help article below, the following link will direct you to Microsoft Office Live support options page: http://support.officelive.com.

Notes

If you have not already, you may be required to log in to your account to view and/or access your support options.

Recommended link(s)

Windows Live Help: Can’t Attach Files to Email Messages

APPLIES TO: Windows Live Hotmail

OLSKB 906400: How to optimize your Internet Explorer browser

Monte Enbysk — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 18:28:20 GMT

Article ID: OLSKB 906400

Contents

By the Microsoft Office Live Technical Lead

Summary

The following linked article provides instructions for optimizing your Internet Explorer browser.

Notes

If you have not already, you may be required to log in to your account to view and/or access your support options.

Recommended link(s)

Windows Live Help: How to Optimize Your Internet Explorer Browser

APPLIES TO: Internet Explorer

OLSKB 906401: What to do if your incoming e-mails appear blank

Monte Enbysk — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 18:25:41 GMT

Article ID: OLSKB 906401

Contents

By the Microsoft Office Live Technical Lead

Summary

The following linked article provides recommendations should incoming emails to your account consistently appear blank.

Notes

If you have not already, you may be required to log in to your account to view and/or access your support options.

Recommended link(s)

Windows Live Help: What to Do if the Incoming Emails Appear Blank

APPLIES TO: Windows Live Hotmail

Boost your site design with 3 customization features

Monte Enbysk — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 18:29:15 GMT

By Sara Richardson-McCreery

As a professional Web designer with 11 years of experience, I have established the look and feel for all kinds of Web sites—ranging from big name brands to small shops. Regardless of the size or type of business, there are several design fundamentals that are essential to building a successful site. I call them design must-haves. Two of these essentials are intelligent page layouts and the strategic use of color. You can effectively customize your site with the must-haves in mind using these features:

Custom color schemes
Zone resizing
Page background / Web site background

Captivate your audience with a custom color scheme

If you have built a site using Microsoft Office Live Small Business, you've probably had fun tinkering with the site color schemes. If you have not played with this feature yet, try clicking from Iris to Mint to Spicy and you will see how dramatically your design changes in a matter of seconds. Startling, isn't it?

Design your own color scheme. In Site Designer, take a look at the bottom of Site color schemes drop-down list. You will see a link that says Create custom color scheme — click it! With the color picker tool, you can customize colors for the following:

The header area with primary and secondary color choices
Page content background and Web site background
Navigational elements consisting of the background bar, buttons, and button text (both on and off states)
Footer area that includes the footer background and text links

If you are not seeing the exact color that you would like to work with in the Create custom color scheme dialog box, click More colors to open an advanced method of selection with the option to specify a hex number. (A hex number is a six-digit number used in HTML code to represent a color. You can find hex charts on the Internet).

I'll bet by now you are ready to create your own custom color scheme, but before you do, take a moment to consider a few basic questions I always ask my clients before I begin designing anything. The questions are a starting point to get you thinking about how color not only defines your site's appearance, but dictates the type of impression you want to make on your audience.

How do I want my business to be perceived? Serious? Whimsical? Trustworthy?
Who am I trying to attract? Parents of small children? Sports enthusiasts?
What key messages do I want my site to communicate? Our spa has an incredible location? Our coffee prices can't be beat?

When you are designing a scheme, get creative and explore beyond your logo colors. The unexpected can be exciting!

Gain creative control over your layouts with zone resizing

You can easily achieve a more customized approach to your site's page content with the help of the Page layouts feature in Page Designer. There are 11 layouts to choose from. That's great, but you can customize each layout even further by resizing the width of each content zone. This means greater layout flexibility! With zone resizing, you can:

Build your own page pathway. A pathway is like a deliberate visual trail you want your viewers to take through the page. Zone resizing gives you more control over how the paths can be set up.
Refine your layout solutions. You can easily rank, prioritize and arrange page content so that you can communicate in a more targeted way with your viewers. Your audience will also appreciate how simple it is to understand your site because your layout solutions will be more polished.
Experiment with different types of content. Some fresh content ideas you may not have previously considered trying out: seasonal ads, a highlighted product or service, bulleted links to recent news and expertly positioned photos to spark interest.

Give your site more visual impact with background options

Intensify your site's style by adding page backgrounds and a site gradient. Just to be clear, a page background relates to the interior content space of an individual page and a Web site background, or site gradient, affects the exterior of the entire site.

Let's start with a page background. You can create a stronger distinction between your pages by using different images or use the same image if you are striving for a uniform look.

To begin, open Page Editor for a page that you want to add a background image to. In the Advanced group, click Page background. Select artwork from your Image Gallery or upload an image from your computer. Consider the following tips when you are deciding which images to use:

Think subtle —select pictures that do not visually compete with your copy.
Find images that complement your site's colors and add value to your design.
Be careful of the “too much" factor —don’t overwhelm your audience with a congested layout.

Next, try a site background. Custom color backgrounds and gradients are another step towards shaping your site into a masterpiece that best represents you and your business. A customized site background color will also help your business stand out from the crowd.

You can find the background display options in the Site Designer under Advanced; click Options. Next, under Display options, select either flat color or gradient. The colors are automatically pulled from your current color scheme to generate the gradient or flat background.

If you choose the gradient, notice how much your site is transformed from flat to fabulous. I'm a fan of gradients because it's a simple way to instantly add depth to a design.

Note: You can also add solid colors, color gradients, and images to the background of a Web page zone (a specific area on your Web page). This opens up endless design options for the look and feel of your page. For instructions, see Add a background color or image to a Web site, page, or zone.

Before and boosted

Finally, let's compare the original Fourth Coffee site and a boosted makeover version we've named "French Roast" that uses all three of the customization features and the design must-haves. Behold!

Before: the original Fourth Coffee site

After: "French Roast," the boosted site design

About the author Sara Richardson-McCreery is an 11-year veteran Web developer with proven expertise in custom Web site design, development and usability for clients ranging from big brands to start-up organizations. She is the creative director and founder of Spike Likes Web Design, an award-winning Web design company located in the Washington, D.C., area.

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OLSKB 816561: How to update your Microsoft billing account information

Monte Enbysk — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 00:08:11 GMT

Article ID: OLSKB 816561

Contents

By the Microsoft Office Live Technical Lead

Summary

This article describes how to review or update the following information for your Microsoft billing account:

• Billing account information, including your e-mail address

• Payment method information, including credit card data

• Monthly billing statement, including current charges

Notes

1. To review your Microsoft billing account information, visit the following Microsoft Web site: https://billing.microsoft.com

2. To update your account information, you must sign in to a Microsoft .NET Passport account.

3. To update multiple accounts, you will be required to sign in to each account.

4. Updates may take up to 24 hours to appear on your account.

Reviewing and updating

How to review your monthly billing statement

1. Go to https://billing.microsoft.com

2. Sign in to the account (using your Primary Live ID and password) that you want to update.

3. Click My Payment Method option under Your payment methods.

4. The following information will appear:

All transactions (previous balance, payments, refunds, adjustments, and current charges) for the selected billing statement period.
Details about current charges and payments for the selected billing statement period.

5. After you review your monthly statement, click Sign Out .

Reviewing your billing account information

To review your personal information, click View and Update Billing Account on the My Accounts page. This page includes the following information:

Description of account: This is the name (the "friendly" name) that you assign to an account. If you have multiple accounts, you can name them to easily distinguish one from another. For example, if you have one account for your daughter at college and another account for your personal use, you might name them "Daughter's Account" and "My Account".
First Name: Account holder's first name.
Last Name: Account holder's last name.
Company Name: This is optional.
Contact e-mail: E-mail address that is used for billing. All notifications that are sent by e-mail will be sent to this address.
Address: Street address or post office address that is used for billing.
City: City name.
State/Province: Street address state or province.
Postal Code: ZIP Code/Postal Code.
Phone Area Code: First three digits of your full phone number.
Phone Number: Remaining seven digits of your phone number.
Phone Extension: Numeric code at the end of your phone number. This is optional.

Notes

1. Country/Region information can only be updated by Microsoft as services available may differ between regions and countries. If you have moved from one country to another, please contact MSN in your new location for a listing of available services.

How to update your personal information

1. Go to https://billing.microsoft.com

2. Sign in to the account (using your Primary Live ID and password) that you would like to update.

3. Click Go to personal information. Your current personal information, address information, and the payment method for the account appear.

4. On Personal Information page, click Edit personal information.

5. Click Save to save the changes or Cancel to cancel the changes.

6. After you review or update your personal information, click Sign Out.

How to update your credit card information

1. Go to https://billing.microsoft.com

2. Sign in to the account (using your Primary Live ID and password) that you would like to update. Your current personal information, address information, and the payment method for the account appear.

3. Click View/Edit option on the bottom of the page.

4. Under Payment method information for this account, click Edit payment method information.

5. Submit changes as follows:

• To change the credit card expiration date, select the month and year from the drop-down menus.

• To update your address or other information, type updated information into the appropriate text boxes.

6. Click Save to save the changes or Cancel to cancel the changes.

7. After you review or update your personal information, click Sign Out.

How to transfer your subscription to a different credit card

1. Go to https://billing.microsoft.com

2. Sign in to the account (using your Primary Live ID and password) that you want to update. Your current personal information, address information, and the payment method for the account appear.

3. Click Use a different payment method option under Payment method information for this account.

4. Click Next under Use a different payment method with radio button selected with an option Add new credit card.

5. Read the Confirm Transfer page, and then click Next.

6. At Add payment method, in the appropriate text boxes, type the new credit card information, including the billing address.

7. Click Save to save the changes or Cancel to cancel the changes.

8. After you review or update your account information, click Sign Out .

Notes

To help avoid potential billing issues, please ensure that the billing information in your account exactly matches the same information as it appears on your monthly statement from your credit card company. If the billing information for the credit card (full name and address) does not match information that the credit card company has on file, the charges may be declined.

Applies To: Microsoft Office Live account.

OLSKB 872929: Why you are getting a message that your credit card authorization has failed

Monte Enbysk — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 23:58:01 GMT

Article ID: OLSKB 872929

Contents

By the Microsoft Office Live Technical Lead

Symptoms
The following error message may be displayed when attempting to update a credit card expiration date or add a new credit card at http://billing.microsoft.com.

"We cannot authorize the payment method. Please make sure that the information is correct, or use another payment method. If you continue to receive this message, please contact your financial institution."

Potential causes
• The credit card attempting to be used has not been activated or is in the process of being activated.

• The billing address provided in your Microsoft Office Live account does not match with the billing address for the credit card.

• The CVM (security) code does not match the CVM code on file with the credit card company.

• Your contact e-mail address may be blank or include prohibited words or phrases.

• Your outstanding balance on the Microsoft Office Live account is greater than the credit or funds available on the credit card account.

• The credit card account is not set up to accept online purchases or automatic billing.

• The credit card number entered into your account may contain spaces, dashes, or other non-numeric characters.

• You may be using a gift card that is not enabled on the Microsoft billing system.

Applies To: Microsoft Office Live accounts

OLSKB 919300: How to optimize your ad for search engines

Monte Enbysk — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 23:25:42 GMT

Article ID: OLSKB 919300

Contents

By the Microsoft Office Live Technical Lead

Summary

This article provides a checklist of recommendations how to optimize your ad for search engines.

Checklist

To optimize your ad for search engines we recommend completing the following checklist.

Keywords

To have your ad listed correctly in search engines, we advise optimizing each page of your site. In completing this process, you must select the best keywords. We recommend the following when you select keywords for each page that you submit to the search engines:

1. Think of specific keyword phrases instead of general keywords. Because of the high level of competition for general terms in the search engines, if your keyword phrases are too general, your ads are unlikely to appear highly ranked by search engines. There is less competition for specific phrases, and the resulting traffic will be of better quality (that is those who visit your site are more likely to be focused on your site’s specific product, topic, etc.).

Here are some examples of specific keyword phrases for a Web site that sells shoes:

High quality shoes imported from southern Italy
Men's 100% leather penny loafers
Women's waterproof aerobic sneakers

2. Try to think as your target audience thinks. Instead of producing a short list of what you would search for, think of as many keyword phrases as you can that relate to the page that you are optimizing. Try asking friends and family what they would search for when they search for a site like yours.

3. Look at your competition for ideas. Do a search by using keywords that you would like to target, and then visit the top sites that appear. On the sites, examine the HTML source code to locate the keywords in the meta tags. This practice should give you several potential keyword phrases. But make sure that you only use keywords that relate to your site or page, using non-related keywords not only can result in visitors quickly leaving your site but also negatively affect your ranking by search engines.

Notes

To view the HTML code, in your Internet Explorer Web browser click Source or Page Source on the View menu.

Title Tag

The title tag of your page is the single most important factor to consider when you optimize your Web page for search engines. Most search engines and directories place a high level of importance on those keywords included in the title tag. The title tag is also what the search engines typically use for the title of your listing in the search results.

Example

The following is the tagged title of this article (as it looks in HTML code):

<TITLE>How to optimize your ad for search engines</TITLE>

Notes

The correct placement for the title tag is between the <HEAD> and </HEAD> tags in the HTML code that constitutes your page.
Size limits:
a. We recommend that your title be between 50 and 80 characters long. This total includes spaces. The maximum allowed length varies for different search engines, but this length should be acceptable.
Include one or two of your most important keyword phrases in the title tag, but make sure not to limit your title tag to keywords only. Limiting to keywords only will greatly increase your site’s risk of being viewed as "spamming" the engines. This practice can lead the search engines to reject your site. Your title tag should include your keyword phrases but should remain as close to a typical, readable sentence as possible.

Example

We would not recommend the following title tag:

<TITLE>Toys Handmade</TITLE>

We would recommend the following title tag:

<TITLE>Handmade toys that your child will love</TITLE>

Make your title enticing. Remember that even if you have the top listing in the search engines, your listing must still say something that makes the reader want to click through and visit your site.
Because your title may be too long for some engines, position the keywords at the beginning of the tag in case the tag is truncated.
Each page of your site should have its own title tag with its own keywords.

Page copy

The text, or "copy," on your Web site is also very important in achieving the best possible search engine listings. The search engines read your copy and look for keyword phrases in the text.

Notes

Have at least 200 words of copy on each page that you submit. This is not always possible for every page however it is important to attempt to do so as search engines respond well to pages that have this amount of text.
This text should include your most important keyword phrase, but also remain logical and readable.

Make sure that you include the phrases that you used in your other tags, such as the meta tags, alt tags, and heading tags.
Add copy-filled pages to your site. For example, include how-to articles, tips, and tutorials. These content pages help your pages' ranking in search engines, and other sites will link to these pages on your site. Optimizing your page copy is one of the most important things that you can do to improve your listings in the search engines.

Meta tags

Meta tags were originally created to help search engines detect important information about your page that they might not detect otherwise. For example, meta tags might contain related keywords or a description of the page itself.

Many people incorrectly believe that good meta tags are all that you must have to achieve good listings by search engines. This is incorrect. Although meta tags are usually part of an optimized page, they no longer are enough.

In the early days of the Web, people were able to have great listings by optimizing just their meta tags. However, the increasing competition for better search engine listings eventually led to abuse and spamming search engines with meta tags that contained far too many keywords. As search engines became aware of this trend the engines changed what they examine when they rank a Web page.

The search engines now usually examine a combination of tags, not just the meta tags, to determine your listings. Some search engines do not examine meta tags at all. This means that your page should use a combination of all our tips - including meta keywords, and meta description:
<META NAME="description" content="This is a description of what is on the page. The most important keyword phrases should be included in this description.">

Notes

The correct placement for both meta tags is between the <HEAD> and </HEAD> tags in the HTML code that constitutes your page. Their order does not really matter, but most people put the description meta tag first.
Meta description tips:

a. Make sure that you accurately describe the contents of your page when you are trying to convince visitors to click your listing.

b. Include three or four of your most important keyword phrases. Concentrate on those that are used in your title tag and page copy.

c. Try to position your most important keywords at the start of your description. This practice frequently brings better results. It will also help prevent search engines from cutting off your keywords if the engine limits the length of the description.

Meta keywords tips:

a. Except for the keyword suggestions in the other tips, only use keyword phrases that you also use in the copy of your page, title tag, meta description, and other tags. Keyword phrases used that do not appear in your other tags or page copy are unlikely to have enough prominence to help your listings for that phrase.

b. Remember to add plurals. For example, a travel site might have both "caribbean vacation" and "caribbean vacations" in the keyword meta tag to make sure that the site appears in both searches.

c. If you know a common misspelling of a popular keyword that could be used to find your site, include the misspelling in your keywords meta tag. For example, a travel site might use "caribean " in the keyword meta tag because this spelling is a common misspelling of "caribbean."

d. Make sure not to repeat one word too many times. For example, "caribbean vacation" and "caribbean vacations" are two different phrases, but the word "caribbean" appears two times in total if you include both phrases. You should include important phrases, but you should be careful not to repeat any one word too frequently. We recommend that no more than five instances of any word appear in the keyword meta tag.

e. If your site has content for a specific geographic location, make sure that you include the location in your meta keywords tag.

Size limits:

a. We recommend that your keywords meta tag not exceed 1,024 characters. This total includes spaces.

b. We recommend that your description meta tag not exceed 250 characters. This total includes spaces.

Images – Utilizing the "Alt" Attribute

Each image on your page can include one or two keyword phrases that relate to the image. This text will appear on the screen and help visitors to your site whose browsers are configured to not show images. This practice does not work for all search engines, but we recommend that you follow this tip when you can.

Example

Notes

1. You can add the alt attribute to any image on your page.
2. Include a one or two sentence description of each image.
3. Make sure that you use the keyword phrases that you also used in the copy of your page, title tag, meta description, and other tags.
4. Do not try to add too many keywords to the alt attribute. We recommend that you use no more than two or three keyword phrases per image.
5. Describe the image. Do not just list keywords.
6. The alt attribute is also a good location for misspellings and plural keyword phrases that you may not have used elsewhere.

Common Spamming Techniques to Avoid

While we recommend avoiding any action that maybe considered “spamming” by search engines, the following list covers some of the most common techniques to avoid. Website utilizing these may find themselves with a poor page ranking or worse yet banned entirely by search engines. Remember, most likely a majority of your traffic will come from search engines, therefore the risk of spamming is too great.

1. Do anything to trick the search engines into listing your site more prominently. If your technique is not listed as one of our search engine tips, the search engines will likely view it as spam and penalize you.

2. List keywords anywhere except in your keywords meta tag. By "list keywords" we mean include text such as " keyword 1 , keyword 2 , keyword 3 , keyword 4 ." There are very few legitimate reasons that a list of keywords would appear on a Web page or within the page's HTML code, and the search engines recognize this. You may have a legitimate reason for listing keywords, but we recommend that you avoid this practice to avoid being penalized by search engines.

3. Use the same color text on your page as the page's background color. This technique has frequently been used to fill the page with keywords. Search engines can detect this, and the engines typically view such text as spam.

4. Use multiple instances of the same tag, such as more than one title tag. Search engines can detect this practice, and the engines typically view such redundant tags as spam.

5. Submit identical pages. For example, do not duplicate a page of your site, give the copies different file names, and submit each one. Search engines can detect this practice, and the engines typically view this practice as spam.

6. Submit the same page to any engine more than one time in 24 hours.

7. Use any keywords in your keywords meta tag that do not directly relate to the content of your page.

Text Hyperlinks

Text-based hyperlinks can help improve your listing in the search engines. The search engines assume that sites to which you link are closely related to the content of your page. Therefore, some search engines look for keywords in the hyperlinks and in any text adjacent to the hyperlinks. Therefore, you should try to include your most important keyword phrases in the text that is tagged as a link and possibly in the surrounding text.

Notes

1. Try to include your most important keyword phrases in the hyperlink text.

2. Try to include your most important keyword phrases in the text that comes immediately before or after the hyperlink.

3. Make sure that your links and the surrounding text are still readable and make sense after you include one or two keyword phrases.

Heading Tags

Although HTML heading tags are no longer used very frequently, these tags can help improve your listings in some search engines. Because these tags are "headings," some search engines assume that they are very closely related to the content of the page on which they appear.

HTML heading tags have four different sizes and are formatted as in the following example:

<h2>Heading Size 2</h2>

Notes

Headings can go anywhere in the HTML for your page.
Try to include your most important keyword phrases in heading tags on your page.
Consider rethinking your page content. You can typically break existing pages that have lots of text into separate sections that have headings.

Initial Listing – How Long It Can Take

The following table indicates the time it currently takes to be listed at each major search engine after you submit your Web page.

Notes

These times are strictly estimates and each search engine may decrease or increase the time it takes for a site to be initially listed without warning.
If your site is already on a search engine, how often you make significant changes may affect how quickly those changes are reflected on specific search engine. For Example:

a. A site with significant changes daily (for instance an online newspaper) may be visited by a search engine spider more often and on a regular basis than a site that only updates every couple of months or a few times a year (for instance a site created to provide information for next year’s family reunion). The site the search engine spider visits more often or on a regular basis is more likely to see changes to the site reflected quicker within search engines results.

Estimated Time Between Submission & Listing…

Search Engine	Link	Estimated Time Between Submission & Listing
Bing	www.Bing.com	Up to 2 months
Google	www.Google.com	Up to 4 weeks
AltaVista	www.AltaVista.com	Up to 1 week
AlltheWeb	www.AllTheWeb.com	Up to 2 weeks
Excite	www.Excite.com	Up to 6 weeks
AOL	www.AOL.com	Up to 2 months
HotBot	www.HotBot.com	Up to 2 months
iWon	www.iWon.com	Up to 2 months

APPLIES TO: Microsoft Office Live accounts

OLSKB 906996: How to reset your Windows Live ID password

Monte Enbysk — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 23:10:57 GMT

Article ID: OLSKB 906996

Contents

By the Microsoft Office Live Technical Lead

Summary

This article contains instructions how to reset a password of a Windows Live ID by e-mail.

Prior to resetting your password

Optimizing your Internet Explorer browser

Prior to resetting your password, we recommend clearing your browser's cache and deleting cookies. The Temporary Internet Files folder stores information that your computer exchanges with Web sites that you visit. These files facilitate the communication between your computer and the Web sites. As time passes, these files become cluttered and can adversely affect communication. Regularly clearing of your browser’s cache & deleting of cookies can correct this problem.

Notes

1. The following procedures will delete files, history, cookies, saved passwords, and Web form information.
2. To determine the version of Internet Explorer that you're using, in Internet Explorer, click the Help menu, and then click About Internet Explorer.
3. If you're using a browser other than Internet Explorer 6 or Internet Explorer 7 or Internet Explorer 8, see the documentation for that browser for more information about how to optimize your settings.

Please complete the following steps to clear your browser’s cache and delete cookies:

For Internet Explorer 8:

1. Open Internet Explorer.

2. On the Tools menu, click Internet Options.

3. Under Browsing history, click Delete.

4. Click on the dialog boxes for Temporary Internet files and for Cookies. (Note: Some users may prefer to click on additional dialog boxes as well.)

5. Click the Delete button.

6. Click OK

For Internet Explorer 7:

1. Start Internet Explorer.

2. On the Tools menu, click Internet Options.

3. On the General tab, click Delete under Browsing History.

4. Click OK.

For Internet Explorer 6:

1. Start Internet Explorer.

2. On the Tools menu, click Internet Options.

3. On the General tab, click Delete Files, then click and Delete Cookies.

4. Click OK.

Resetting your password

How to reset your password by e-mail:

1. Visit the following password reset Web site: http://account.live.com

2. Click the account that it is displaying (if you would like to change the password for that account) or click Sign in with a different account.

3. Click the Forgot your password link.

4. Type the e-mail address of the account for which you would like to reset the password.

5. Type the characters that are displayed in the picture, and then click Continue.

Notes

1. If you cannot read the picture, click the picture of the speaker next to the picture, and then type what you hear. You may also click the refresh button (two blue arrows circling each other) to load a new picture. Make sure to type the number of characters the sentence below the picture tells you are in the picture.

On the Reset your password page, click Send password reset instruction to me in e-mail.

Notes

1. If you do not have personal account information and a secret question and answer on file for your account, the Send password reset instruction to me in e-mail page will not be displayed. If you created your account credentials by using an existing e-mail account other than an MSN or MSN Hotmail account and you have provided an alternate e-mail address, a different page will be displayed. That page will prompt you to select the e-mail address to which you want Windows Live ID to send the password-reset e-mail message.

7. Select the e-mail address you would like the reset mail to be sent to.

8. Click Continue.

Notes

1. This set of steps will send an e-mail message that has the subject Reset your Windows Live ID to the alternate e-mail address that you provided in your profile. If you not see the message in your Inbox, check your Junk Mail folder. E-mail services frequently use filters that may direct messages from some domains to a Junk Mail folder. For more information about filters, contact your e-mail service provider.

9. Once you have received an email with the subject Reset your Windows Live ID, respond to the message as soon as possible by clicking the link included inside of the message. Upon doing so, you will be directed to a page to confirm your e-mail address.

10. Type the e-mail address for which you want to reset the password in lowercase letters. For example, type abc@abc.com.

11. Click Continue.

12. Type a new password in the New Password text box.

Notes

1. The password reset e-mail message contains instructions and a link to the Account Services home page to help you reset your password. If you have a strong password, you will have to provide your secret answer. A strong password has at least eight characters and includes a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols. A good strong password is easy for you to remember but difficult for other people to guess. Weak passwords include any words in the dictionary, names, dates, consecutive letters or numbers, or common words with symbol substitutions, such as p@ssw0rd.
2. If you have a limited account, the password reset e-mail message will only be sent to your alternate e-mail address, if you have provided such an address. A limited account is an account that allows you sign into some Windows Live ID sites and services without providing a valid e-mail address or account information.
3. Passwords should have at least 6 characters and not more than 16 characters.
4. Passwords should not be the same as the answer to your secret question.
5. To make your account more secure, we suggest that you use a password that is rated Medium or Strong by our Password Strength meter.

13. Retype your preferred password for confirmation.

14. To set your password to expire every 72 days, select the Password expiration check box.

Notes

1. Selecting this feature will schedule a reminder to be sent to you prior to the date at which you must change your password.

15. Click Continue, and then click Done.

How to reset your password by providing location information and answering your secret question:

1. Visit the following password reset Web site: http://account.live.com

2. Click the account that it is displaying (if you want to change the password of that account) or click Sign in with a different account.

3. Click Forgot your password link.

4. Type the e-mail address of the account for which you want to reset the password.

5. Type the characters that are displayed in the picture, and then click Continue.

6. Click Use my location information and secret answer to verify my identity.

7. In the Country/Region list, select the name of your country or region, select your state, and then type your ZIP code or Postal Code if you’re prompted to do so. In the Question area in the Secret Answer box, type your answer to the question.

8. Click Continue.

9. Enter and confirm a new password, and then click Continue.

10. If prompted, enter an alternate e-mail address and click Continue, or click Skip to bypass this step.

11. On the You've changed your password page, click Sign in to Windows Live.

After resetting your password

After you reset your password, we additionally suggest updating your secret question and answer to ensure both are familiar and easy to remember.

How to update your secret question and answer:

1. Visit the following Account Services Web site: http://account.live.com

2. Sign in by using your Windows Live ID and password.

3. On the Account Summary page, click Change next to Question.

4. Verify your current password.

5. Select a question, and then enter your secret answer.

6. Click Save.

APPLIES TO: Windows Live ID

OLSKB 910738: How to contact support resources for MSN, Windows Live, and Office Live

Monte Enbysk — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 23:04:08 GMT

Article ID: OLSKB 910738

Contents

By the Microsoft Office Live Technical Lead

Summary

This article provides a list of online support resources for MSN, Windows Live, Windows Live Hotmail, and Microsoft Office Live.

How to contact:

Live.com Product Support:

Admin Center:

a. Go to http://admincenter.live.com

b. Sign in by using Windows Live ID

c. Click Help

d. Click Get more help and then select the community or technical support option

Live Mail:

a. Go to http://support.live.com/

b. Click Windows Live Hotmail

Live Messenger:

a. Go to http://support.live.com

b. Click Windows Live Messenger

Live Mobile:

a. Go to http://support.live.com

b. Click Windows Live Messenger

Bing:

a. Go to http://help.live.com/help.aspx?project=wl_searchv1&market=en-us

b. Enter any keyword in the Search for: box and submit the search

c. Select one of the help topics displayed under the search box

d. Click Get more help at the lower-right corner of the window

e. Click Get support

f. Complete the e-form and then click Submit

Live Safety Center:

a. Visit http://safety.live.com/site/en-US/community/default.htm

Live Toolbar:

a. Go to http://support.live.com

b. Click Windows Live Messenger

Windows Live OneCare:

a. Visit http://onecare.live.com/support

Microsoft Office Live Support:

a. Visit http://www.officelive.com/en-us/Support/ContactUs

Outlook Connector Support:

a. Visit http://support.microsoft.com/oas/default.aspx?Gprid=6998

Windows Live Product Support:

a. Go to http://support.live.com

b. Click the product you have a question about

c. Fill out the form and click Submit

Windows Live Hotmail Support:

a. Go to http://www.hotmail.com or http://mail.live.com

b. Sign in by using your Windows Live ID for your Windows Live Hotmail account

c. Click Help icon (question mark at the upper-right corner of the window)

d. Enter any keyword in the Search for: box and submit the search

e. Select one of the help topics displayed under the search box

f. Click Get more help at the lower-right corner of the window

g. Click Get support

h. Complete the e-form and then click Submit

Windows Live Sign-in Assistant:

a. Go to http://support.live.com

b. Click Windows Live ID

Applies To:

MSN.com
Outlook Connector
Windows Live
Windows Live Hotmail
Microsoft Office Live
Live.com products

OLSKB 915076: How to take a screenshot of an issue to help troubleshoot it

Monte Enbysk — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 22:58:14 GMT

Article ID: OLSKB 915076

Contents

By the Microsoft Office Live Technical Lead

Summary

This article describes how to obtain a screenshot or snip to help Support to investigate and troubleshoot an issue.

How to take a screenshot on Windows XP:

1. Open the Web page that you are having trouble with, and then press the Print Screen (PrtSc) key on the keyboard (On some computers you may need to also press the Shift or Function key at the same time as the Print Screen key).

2. Open Microsoft Paintbrush. To do this, click Start, click All programs, and then click Accessories.

3. Click Paint.

4. Click Edit, and then click Paste. The screenshot should appear on your screen (if it does not, return to step “1”, adding the pressing of the Shift or Function key at the same time as pressing the Print Screen key) .

5. Click File, and then click Save as.

6. Under Save as Type select JPEG.

7. Name the file Microsoft Office Live and then save the file on the desktop.

8. Attach the file to your e-mail submission to our Support Team.

How to take a screenshot or snip in Windows Vista:

1. Open the web page that you are having trouble with.

2. Click on Start, click All programs, and then click Snipping Tool.

3. Click New, and then click Full-screen Snip. Automatically the Snipping Tool will copy your page to a new window (called the mark-up window), where you will be presented with options such as: save, or share the snip

4. Click the Save Snip button. In the Save As dialog box select “JPEG”, enter a name for the snip, choose a location to save the snip in, and then click Save.

5. Attach the file to your e-mail submission to our Support Team.

APPLIES TO: Any Microsoft customer

OLSKB 918157: What to do when you get a "Change your Windows Live ID" message

Monte Enbysk — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 22:41:55 GMT

Article ID: OLSKB 918157

Contents

By the Microsoft Office Live Technical Lead

Summary

When attempting to sign in to your Windows Live account via your Windows Live ID, the following error message is received: "Change your Windows Live ID."

Potential causes

• Your Windows Live ID is no longer valid.

• The owner of the domain of your "E-mail as Sign In" (EASI) account has requested the name change.

Note: An EASI account is a Windows Live ID that is associated with a domain that is not owned by Windows Live or MSN. If you are using your own e-mail (EASI) account as your Windows Live ID and the domain owner requests that you change your Windows Live ID, you must do this. We may also require that you change your Windows Live ID name if the name that you selected contains reserved words, for example "lottery" or "bank." This helps us prevent fraud and phishing.

• Your Windows Live ID name contains excluded or protected key words.

• The account which has been used to sign up with is a "@passport.com" account. "@passport.com" accounts must be upgraded (please contact support for additional details).

Potential solution(s)

To change your Windows Live ID, please complete the following steps:

1. Open a new Internet Explorer Window, type http://account.live.com in the address bar of the browser and press enter.

2. Type in your Windows Live ID associated password and click on the Sign in button.

3. On the Home page of your account click on the Change link against your Windows Live ID.

4. On the next page enter your account password and select the option Use your own email address.

5. In the New Windows Live ID box type the Windows Live ID you would like to be changed and click on Check availability button.

6. If the Windows Live ID is available click on Save button at the bottom.

7. At this point you should receive a confirmation email in your new Windows Live ID mailbox.

8. Check your e-mail inbox for the e-mail (the message will be from the Microsoft Office Live team).

Note: If you do not find the verification email in your Inbox, please check the Junk/Bulk folder as your e-mail provider’s filter may forward it to the Junk folder due to junk mail settings.

9. Open the e-mail message, and click the link to Confirm your e-mail address.

9.1. If you cannot click on the link you may instead choose to select the link and copy it using “Ctrl+C” and paste it using “Ctrl+V”, into your website browser.
9.2.Please ensure that you use a valid email address with valid Inbox to sign up with Microsoft Office Live.

10. Next please attempt to access your Windows Live Account using your new Live ID.

Notes

If you do not receive the verification e-mail message noted above within 24 hours, please contact Support using your [preferred e-mail address] account. If you have contacted Support on this issue previously, please include the service request number [Service Request number] and provide a detailed description of the problem and the steps you have taken so far – including noting this article and any other related articles you have reviewed within the Office Live Community.

APPLIES TO: Windows Live ID

OLSKB 923245: How to change time zones for Windows Live ID, Windows Vista, and Windows XP

Monte Enbysk — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 21:44:13 GMT

Article ID: OLSKB 923245

Contents

By the Microsoft Office Live Technical Lead

Summary

This article describes how to change the time zone setting for your Windows Live ID. This article also describes how to adjust the date, time, and time zone settings on your computer.

These steps can help resolve problems in which the mail delivery timestamp displays the incorrect sent or delivered time and sign-in problems that are caused by damaged or expired security certificates.

Changing time zones, dates, and time

How to change time zones for Windows Live ID

1. Use your e-mail address (Windows Live ID) and your password to sign in at the following Web site:

http://account.live.com

2. Click Registered information.

3. In the Home Location section, select your current time zone from the Time Zone drop-down menu.

Note: Make sure that your Country/Region settings are correct. Otherwise, you cannot see your time zone listed.

4. Click Save.

How to update your computer's time zone, date, and time settings in Windows Vista and Windows XP

Windows Vista

1. Click Start button available on the bottom left corner of your computer screen.

2. Click Control Panel.

3. Click Classic

4. Click Date and Time icon, adjust the calendar date and the time.

5. Click Time Zone button, and then select your current time zone.

6. Click OK

7. Click Apply.

Windows XP

1. Click Start button available on the bottom left corner of your computer screen.

2. Click Control Panel.

3. Click Date and Time tab, adjust the calendar date and the time.

4. Click Time Zone tab, and then select your current time zone.

5. Click Apply and then OK.

Applies To: Windows Live ID

OLSKB 919301: Frequently asked questions about search engines

Monte Enbysk — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 17:47:00 GMT

Article ID: OLSKB 919301

Contents

By the Microsoft Office Live Technical Lead

Summary

This article contains answers to frequently asked questions about search engines.

FAQs

What is search engine optimization?

Search engines collect data about your site by using programs called "spiders" (also called "crawlers" or "robots") that scan each page. Search engine optimization means that you have formatted the HTML that creates your page to present the data in a way that is easy for these spiders to understand. This helps the spider index your site correctly. "Indexing a site" means that the site is associated with specific keywords. Then, when a person enters keywords to perform a search, your site will appear in the search results when it is appropriate.

Why must I optimize my site before I submit it?

Search engines receive thousands of submissions each day. Chances are good that many of these submissions will contain information similar to that of your site’s. In this situation, the only way to compete is to have your pages stand out by optimizing them. Because your pages are being "read" and categorized by an automated program or "spider," you must customize the code on your page for these programs.

Notes

Previously, one way to ensure your site appeared in a specific search engine was through paid inclusion programs. These programs allowed a business to pay to have its site listed in search results. As the Internet and the average Internet user have become more sophisticated, most of these have disappeared.

Do I have to submit each page separately, or just submit the index page?

For search engines, it is wise to submit all pages that contain enough content to interest any potential searcher. Frequently, the index page, or home page, is not the best page to submit.

Make sure that your page has at least 200 words of text on it. This is a very simple measure with important consequences. Many search engine spiders examine the amount of text on a page to determine whether the page is "content rich," and therefore worthy of being included in search results.

Will the search engines consider it spamming to submit multiple pages for the same site?

No. However, the search engines will consider it spamming if you submit multiple pages with the same content.

I have many pages in my Web site, but I am only going to submit one page. Do I have to optimize all the pages?

You do not have to optimize all the pages, but it is a very good idea to do this. Remember that optimizing your pages is your best tool to increase the odds of a potential customer seeing your site ahead of your competitors' sites.

After we submit our pages, can we change them? Is there a limit to how frequently we can make changes?

You may change your site as frequently as you like. However, it is important to remember that it can require up to six months for a search engine to reflect these changes.

How frequently should I submit my Web site to the search engines?

If your site has been submitted and indexed, you do not necessarily ever have to resubmit it. Search engines periodically re-index sites.

Remember that it may take up to eight weeks for your listing to appear in the search engine. If you submit your site and do not see it in several days, wait. Do not submit it again during this eight-week period. Too many submissions can be considered spam, and search engines routinely ban sites that spam them.

If your site frequently changes, you may submit it again, but do not submit it more than once every two months.

Notes

It is important to note that sites which add new content frequently or on a regular basis (i.e., hourly, daily, or weekly) may be visited by spiders more often and therefore reflect these changes more rapidly in the search engine's listings. However, there is no guarantee to this. Not all search engines follow this practice and for those that do, changes must be significant enough to meet the requirements of the specific search engine.

How can I be ranked in the first 50 sites?

There is no surefire way to be ranked in the first 50 sites. You must optimize your site and continue to improve it. That is why the optimization process is an important one. You must select your keywords carefully. Remember that the Keyword Tool lets you know which phrases are being used in searches, and how many other sites are using them. We advise frequent visits the Site Reports section to make sure that you are targeting the best phrases for your site and to refine your pages on a regular basis.

For FrontPage users: Should I use frames on my site? Will doing so cause issues?

We recommend, for most customers, not to use frames or to redesign their site without frames in order to improve their site’s potential ranking within most search engines. This is because many search engines are unable to index framed sites very well and therefore those sites with frames will often be ranked lower than those optimized without.

APPLIES TO: Microsoft Office Live customers

OLSKB 914005: How to use Reports in Office Live Small Business

Monte Enbysk — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 23:31:25 GMT

Article ID: OLSKB 914005

Contents

By the Microsoft Office Live Technical Lead

Summary

This article describes reports and terms for the Reports feature in Microsoft Office Live Small Business.

The Reports service in Office Live Small Business analyzes your public Web site traffic and gives you the data to understand how visitors find your Web site, how they use the site, how long they stay on your site, the type of technology they use, and more. You can use this information to improve your visitors' experience on your site, your site's content, and your site's design so that visitors are encouraged to return.

This information is vital for designing or optimizing pages to suit your visitors' needs and interests. By viewing and analyzing these reports, you can learn which external Web sites your visitors are arriving from, which links to other pages on your Web site should be made more prominent, and which pages work well — or not so well — for you. In addition, you can view this information for the time period that interests you: for the hour, day, month, or year.

Site Reports tracks the following in-depth information:

• Visitors report

• Site Usage report

• Referral reports

• Keywords reports

• Page Usage report

• System Statistics report

How to…

How to Activate Reports

You must activate Reports before Office Live Small Business collects information for your Web site.

To activate Reports, on the Office Live Small Business Home page, at the top, click More, and then click Reports. On the Reports page, click Activate for FREE.

Tracking pages created with non-Microsoft Office Live Small Business Software

If you are creating your pages using your own Web design software, then you must add the tracking code to each page. This tracking code is provided by Office Live Small Business and can be copied and pasted into your page code.

1. On the Office Live Small Business Home page, at the top, click More, and then click Reports.

2. On the Reports page, on the left navigation bar, click Get code.

3. In Get tracking code page click the Highlight code button and then press Ctrl+c to copy the code.

4. In each HTML Web page file, paste the code directly before the </body> tag.

5. Save your changes.

How to Download Reports

You can choose from a variety of reports that Site Reports displays, and then download a comma-separated value (CSV) file to your desktop. Many common programs can read CSV files, including Microsoft Excel.

1. On the Office Live Small Business Home page, at the top, click More, and then click Reports.

2. On the Reports page, on the left navigation bar, click Download Reports.

3. To run a report on a specific time period select a start date, an end date, and select the check boxes for which you want the reports.

4. Click Run report.

5. Reports will be downloaded in CSV format to your local system.

Report Descriptions

Visitors Report

The Visitors report provides the number of people who visit your Web site.

The Visitors report includes the following information:

• The number of visitors who access your site

• The number of pages each visitor views during his or her visit

• The number of views individual pages get hourly, daily, monthly, or yearly

To view this report, on the Reports page, on the left navigation bar, click Visitors.

Additional information: Visitors report: how many people visit your Web site

Site Usage Report

The Site Usage report lists the number of visits to your Web site and the number of page views during a specified time period. The report also shows the number of people who contacted your business through the conversion point pages.

To view this report, on the Reports page, on the left navigation bar, click Site usage.

Additional information: Site Usage report: the activity on your site

Referral Reports

The Referral report provides the number of visitors who reached your site in a given time period and where they came from (the referring source). A referring source could be a link on an affiliate or association Web site or a link to your site from a new online article or blog entry. You can view referring sources by specific page, by domain, and by domain type, such as .edu, .com, or .org.

To view these reports, on the Reports page, on the left navigation bar, click Referring sources.

Additional Information: Referring Sources report, which tracks the pages visitors use to reach your site: Referring Sources report: the pages visitors use to reach your site

Additional Information: Referring Pages report: the pages your visitors use to link to your site

Keywords Reports

The Keywords report provides you with the Keywords and the names of the search engines that visitors used to find your Web site. It also shows how many people visited your Web site and the number of pages that were viewed, including the conversion point pages. This information can be used to help customize your pages to perform well in certain search engines.

To view these reports, on the Reports page, on the left navigation bar, click Keywords.

Additional Information: Keywords reports: which keywords help find your Web Site

Additional Information: Keywords by Search Engines report: the search engines that send visitors to your Web Site

Page Usage Report

The Page Usage report shows your site's most frequently requested pages, which pages your visitors enter your site from, and the pages where they exit from. This information can help you determine the most and least popular pages on your Web site and the pages that receive little or no traffic.

To view this report, on the Reports page, on the left navigation bar, click Page usage.

Additional Information: Page Usage report: which of your Web pages are the most popular

System Statistics Report

The System Statistics report provides the following types of information about your visitors:

• The types of Internet browsers they use, such as Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox

• The screen resolutions visitors use, such as 800 x 600 x 32

• The operating systems in use, such as Windows XP or Apple Mac OS X

Knowing which operating systems and software your site’s visitors are using can help you improve their experiences on your site. For example, if most of your visitors use an older version of Internet Explorer, ensuring your site works properly and is visually appealing when it is viewed in that browser version can improve user experience and therefore encourage increased visits.

To view this report, on the Reports page, on the left navigation bar, click System statistics.

Additional Information: System statistics: which browsers, operating systems, and screen resolutions your visitors use

Terminology

Conversion

Conversion occurs when a visitor to your public Web site decides to take an action and is "converted" from a member of the audience into a participant. One of the goals of your Web site, as a business, is to create customers. By getting your visitors to request information or make a purchase through your site, you have converted them from observers to participants, with the ultimate goal of turning them into customers.

Conversion success is measured by the number of visitors who reach a conversion page.

Additional Information: Add, change or delete a conversion point

Conversion Manager
This page allows you to view, create, or change your site’s conversion points.
Conversion Point

Each time a site visitor clicks a link on your site to request information, contact you, or otherwise interact with you, and they reach a page confirming their request, they generate a conversion point. For example, if 10 people sign up for your newsletter and land on your "Thank you" page, 10 conversion points are recorded for that page's URL.

This data can assist you in determining whether your page content is compelling to your site visitors and which pages are not. For example, if more people are contacting you through your Contact Us page than through your newsletter page, you may want to review the content or design of your newsletter sign-up page to see how you can entice visitors to take action.

Conversion Referrer

This is information about the sites that referred visitors to your Web site and that resulted in conversions. The most common referrers are search engines, Web sites that link to your Web site, search advertising, or visitors directly accessing your Web site. This information will help you determine which of these referrals are bringing the most traffic to your site. For example, if a professional association's Web site is providing your site with a significant number of referrals, you may want to join other professional associations and offer to add a link from your Web site to the association’s.

Keyword

A keyword or a keyword phrase is a word or a phrase that a visitor typed into a search engine to find your site. A significant portion of most Web site’s first time visitors are likely to have come from search engines and directories.

Referrers

A referrer is a Web site or a page that has a link to yours. Search engines are common referrers.

Bookmark/No Referrer

This notation is displayed in your reports when Site Reports cannot determine how a visitor reached your site. This situation is common to Web site statistics and can occur for a variety of reasons, such as because your site was reached through a Web browser bookmark (favorite) or because the URL was typed directly in the Web browser.

Referring URL

When a visitor follows a link on another site to your Web site, the address of the page (URL) on which your link appears is known as the Referring URL.

Tracking code

Tracking code is a piece of HTML code that you include on your site. It keeps track of your visitors’ actions and movements in your site by adding a cookie to the user's system. You must paste this code on each page of your site that you want to track. Tracking code is already included in any page that you create by using Page Editor. However, if you convert your site to Microsoft Office FrontPage, you will have to insert tracking code into any new pages you create.

View

A view, or page view, is counted every time that a visitor visits a page. For example, if a visitor enters your site on the Home page, visits the "About Us" page, and then returns to the Home page before leaving your site, that visit counts as three views.

Visitor

For each specified time period, Site Reports counts visitors. If a person visits your site at 3 a.m., 10 a.m., and 5 p.m. on one day, these visits are counted as three visits in the day as viewed in the hour view but only one visit for that day as viewed in the month view. If the same person visits your site on January 1, 5, and 10, these visits would count as one visit for that month in the year view.

Visitor versus Unique Visitor

If the same person enters your site, leaves, and returns within one hour, Site Reports records two visits, but only one unique visitor. However, if two separate people on different computers each visit your site, Site Reports will record both two visits and two unique visitors.

Because Reports counts unique visitors per time period, Visitor and Unique Visitor totals across charts may not match. Also, it may take up to 24 hours for numbers to start appearing for a newly created Web site or new pages in an existing Web site.

System statistics

As people visit your site, Reports gathers information about their browsers and operating systems. By understanding the tools that customers use to view a site or data, you can better customize your Web site's page design to support your customers.

APPLIES TO: Microsoft Office Live accounts

OLSKB 914007: How to add users to an Office Live domain space

Monte Enbysk — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 23:21:49 GMT

Article ID: OLSKB 914007

Contents:

By the Microsoft Office Live Technical Lead

Steps to add an e-mail address as a user to access the Office Live domain space

Acceptable e-mail addresses

To add a user to a Microsoft Office Live domain space, you can create an e-mail address associated with the domain name or use any existing e-mail address:

1. An existing Hotmail, Live, or MSN account.

2. An existing additional e-mail account(s) associated with the Microsoft Office Live account.

3. An existing non-Microsoft e-mail address.

Creating an associated e-mail account

To create an e-mail account associated with the domain, follow these steps:

1. Make sure you are signed in to Office Live Small Business with the e-mail address and password that you used when signing up.

Notes

A. If you are not sure if you are signed in as the account owner, you can verify this by completing the following:

a. On the Office Live Small Business Home page, at the top, click More, and then click Account Management.

b. On the left navigation bar, click E-Mail Accounts.

c. If you are signed in as the owner, this is indicated in the list of e-mail addresses. If you are denied access to the page, or if the owner isn't indicated in the list, then you are not signed in as the owner.

2. On the Office Live Small Business Home page, at the top, click More, click Account Management.

3. On the left navigation bar of the Account Management page, click E-Mail Accounts, and then click Create new E-mail account.

4. In User E-Mail, type the user name that you would like for the account. If you have multiple domain names, click the drop-down list, and then click the domain that you would like this e-mail account to be associated with.

5. Type the password that you would like for the new account.

6. Enter the user's information. Because the name that you type is the name that users will see, make sure you choose an appropriate first name and a last name. For example, if you are creating this account for your company's support communications and your company name is Adatum, you could specify Adatum as the first name and Support as the last name. Users will then receive e-mail that shows "Adatum Support" <support@adatum.com> as the sender.

7. Write down the e-mail address and password for the new account, and then click Next.

8. If you are creating this account for another user, be sure to give the user the e-mail address and password for the account. You might also want to give the user a printed copy of the instructions for accessing and using their e-mail.

9. For each additional individual a Windows Live ID account is created. The person you created the account for can sign in to Office Live Small Business using the e-mail address and password that you created. At that point, the new user completes the sign-up process for the account and can then read e-mail on Office Live Small Business.

Steps to add an e-mail address as a user to Business Applications

Adding an e-mail Address as a user to Business Applications includes associating the e-mail address as a user with the Microsoft Office Live account, selecting the job roles for the user and then selecting the permission/access level for the user account.

Microsoft Office Live provides the owner of a Microsoft Office Live account with an easy-to-use wizard based step-by-step interface to add a user to their account and assign them permission levels to let them work with the Business Applications in a desired way.

Adding a user

To add users to the Website or business applications, complete the following steps:

1. On the Office Live Small Business Home page, at the top, click More, and then click Account Management.

2. On the left navigation bar of the Account Management page, click Users & Permissions. The Permissions page appears with a list of current users and their permission levels.

3. Click Add user, and then complete one of the following:

A. To use an existing e-mail address, type the e-mail address and display name for the user.

B. To create an Office Live Small Business e-mail account for the user, click Create an Office Live Small Business e-mail account, and then follow the instructions on the screen to create the account. After completing the required steps, repeat step 1 above to return to the Permissions page.

4. Specify one of the following permission levels for each site or application, and then click Next.

Role Permissions

1. Administrator users: Can set user permissions and have full access to add, modify, and delete information.

2. Editor users: Provided with full access to add, modify, and delete information.

3. Reader users: Have limited read-only access.

5. In Additional Comments, if desired, you may type a personalized greeting/message to the new user, and then click Send.

Notes

A. New users must create a Windows Live ID and accept the Office Live Small Business terms of use before they may access Office Live Small Business. The invitation e-mail message provides instructions for creating a Windows Live ID and a link to the Office Live Small Business terms of use.

6. After the Summary page confirms that the invitation e-mail message has been sent, click Finish.

Granting Access

To grant another person access to your Web site or Business Applications, complete the following steps:

1. To grant access for another person to your Web site or Business Applications, the site owner must first create an e-mail account. The individual’s working e-mail address will become the ID that he or she will use to sign into your account.

2. On the Office Live Small Business Home page, at the top, click More, and then click Contact Manager, or click Business Applications, and then, on the left navigation bar, click the application that you would like.

3. On the Sharing sidebar, click Users, and then click Manage permissions for this application.

4. In the Users and Permissions dialog box, look for the Users panel, click Add user.

5. In the dialog box that appears, type a valid e-mail address and display name for the user, and then click OK. The user's name will now appear in the Users panel.

6. In the Users and Permissions dialog box, click the arrow that corresponds to the role that you would like to add the user to (the user will not appear in your account until you have assigned them a role). The user's name will now move from the Users pane to the selected role pane.

7. Click OK. The new user will be sent an e-mail invitation containing a link that will allow that user access your account.

OLSKB 935431b: How to upload, add, or delete files in the Document Gallery

Monte Enbysk — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 23:13:41 GMT

Article ID: OLSKB 935431b

Contents

By the Microsoft Office Live Technical Lead

Upload a file to the Document Gallery

1. Navigate to http://officelive.com.

2. Click on Sign in on the top right corner of the window.

3. Enter your Windows Live ID and the associated password of your Microsoft Office Live account.

4. On the Office Live Small Business Home page, at the top, click Web Site. Page Manager appears.

5. In Page Manager, on the left navigation bar, click Document Gallery.

6. In the Document Gallery, click the title of the document that you want to change.

7. In the File Download dialog box, click Save.

8. In the Save As dialog box, browse to the location on your computer where you want to save the document, and click Save.

9. In the Download complete dialog box, click Open. The document opens on your computer.

10. Make changes to the document, and then save the document in the same location.

11. In the Document Gallery, delete the document that you changed. For instructions, see Delete a document in the Document Gallery.

12. In the Document Gallery, upload the new version of the document. For more information, see Add a file to the Document Gallery.

Notes

A. You cannot upload a file to the Document Gallery if another file with the same name already exists.

Add a file to the Document Gallery

1. Navigate to http://officelive.com.

2. Click on Sign in on the top right corner of the window.

3. Enter your Windows Live ID and the associated password of your Microsoft Office Live account.

4. On the Office Live Small Business Home page, at the top, click Web Site. Page Manager appears.

5. In Page Manager, on the left navigation bar, click Document Gallery.

6. In the Document Gallery, on the actions bar, click Upload.

7. In the Document Uploader, click Browse to locate the file that you want to add.

8. In the Choose file dialog box, select the file you want, and click Open.

9. In the Document Uploader, click Add to add the file to the Document Uploader list. You can add only one file at a time to the Document Uploader list.

10. Select the check box next to each document to be added, and then click Upload.

Notes

A. You can upload many different file types, but for security reasons, you cannot upload .exe files.

B. You can upload files that are as large as 10 MB.

C. If a message appears that tells you that there are invalid characters in the file name, consider renaming the file and uploading it again.

D. You cannot make changes to a document that is stored on your Web site. You must first save the document to your local computer, make revisions, and then upload the document to the Document Gallery.

Delete a file in the Document Gallery

1. Navigate to http://officelive.com.

2. Click on Sign in on the top right corner of the window.

3. Enter your Windows Live ID and the associated password of your Microsoft Office Live account.

4. On the Office Live Small Business Home page, at the top, click Web Site. Page Manager appears.

5. In Page Manager, on the left navigation bar, click Document Gallery.

6. In the Document Gallery, select the check box next to each document that you want to delete. You can delete several documents at the same time.

7. On the actions bar, click Delete, and then click OK.

Notes

A. Be sure to remove all links to the deleted document from your Web pages.

OLSKB 935431a: How to add links to your Web site using Page Editor

Monte Enbysk — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 23:12:50 GMT

Article ID: OLSKB 935431a

Contents

By the Microsoft Office Live Technical Lead

Add a Text Link

1. Navigate to http://officelive.com.

2. Click on Sign in on the top right corner of the window.

3. Enter your Windows Live ID and the associated password of your Microsoft Office Live account.

4. On the Office Live Small Business Home page, at the top, click Web Site.

5. In Page Manager, next to the page to which you want to add the link, click Edit.

6. In Page Editor, place your cursor where you want to add the link, or select the text that you want to link from.

7. On the toolbar in the Insert group, click Hyperlink.

8. In the Insert a link dialog box, under Link to, select the destination for your link.

9. If you select Web site, type the URL for the page that you want to link to in the URL box.

10. If you select Page on my site, click the page that you want to link to from the list of your Web pages.

11. If you select My documents, click the document that you want to link to from the list of documents uploaded in the Document Gallery.

12. If you select E-mail, type the e-mail address that you want the text to link to.

13. In the Display text box, type or edit the text that you want to use if it is not already correct.

14. If you want the link to open in a new browser window, select the Open link in a new window check box.

15. Click OK.

Add a Link to an Image

1. Navigate to http://officelive.com.

2. Click on Sign in on the top right corner of the window.

3. Enter your Windows Live ID and the associated password of your Microsoft Office Live account.

4. On the Office Live Small Business Home page, at the top, click Web Site.

5. In Page Manager, next to the page on which you want to add the link, click Edit.

6. Add the image to the page. To add an image, right-click and then select Insert Image.

7. In Page Editor, click the image, and then, on the toolbar in the Insert group, click Hyperlink.

8. In the Insert a link dialog box, under Link to, select the destination for your link.

A. If you select Web site, type the URL for the page that you want to link to in the URL box.

B. If you select Page on my site, click the page that you want to link to from the list of your Web pages on your Office Live Small Business Web site.

C. If you select My documents, click the document that you want to link to from the list of documents on your Office Live Small Business Web site.

D. If you select E-mail, type the e-mail address that you want the image to link to.

9. If you want the link to open in a new browser window, select the Open link in a new window check box.

10. Click OK.

Link to a File from a Web Page

1. Navigate to http://officelive.com.

2. Click on Sign in on the top right corner of the window.

3. Enter your Windows Live ID and the associated password of your Microsoft Office Live account.

4. On the Office Live Small Business Home page, at the top, click Web Site. Page Manager appears.

5. In Page Manager, next to the page on which you want to add the document link, click Edit. Page Editor appears.

6. In Page Editor, select the text to which you want to link the document, and then click Hyperlink.

7. In the Insert a link dialog box, under Link to, click My documents.

8. In the list of documents, click the document or file to which you want to link.

9. To have the document open in a new browser window, select the Open link in a new window check box.

10. Click OK to create the link.

11. At the top of the window, click Save.

Notes

A. You must add a file to the Document Gallery before you can link to it from a Web page.

B. When you save your changes, they are published to your Web site immediately.

Change the Document a Link Points to

1. Navigate to http://officelive.com.

2. Click on Sign in on the top right corner of the window.

3. Enter your Windows Live ID and the associated password of your Microsoft Office Live account.

4. On the Office Live Small Business Home page, at the top, click Web Site. Page Manager appears.

5. In Page Manager, next to the page that contains the link, click Edit.

6. In Page Editor, select the text from which the document is linked, right-click the linked text, and then click Create/edit hyperlink.

7. In the Insert a link dialog box, under Link to, select My documents.

8. In the list of documents, click the new document or file that you want to link to.

9. To have the document open in a new browser window, select Open link in a new window check box.

10. Click OK.

11. At the top of the window, click Save.

Delete a Link to a Document

1. Navigate to http://officelive.com.

2. Click on Sign in on the top right corner of the window.

3. Enter your Windows Live ID and the associated password of your Microsoft Office Live account.

4. On the Office Live Small Business Home page, at the top, click Web Site. Page Manager appears.

5. In Page Manager, next to the page that contains the document, click Edit. Page Editor appears.

6. In Page Editor, click the linked text for the document, right-click the text, and then click Remove hyperlink.

7. At the top of the page, click Save.

OLSKB 929776: Resolving an error when signing up for Office Live or its additional services

Monte Enbysk — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 23:11:54 GMT

Article ID: OLSKB 929776

Contents:

By the Microsoft Office Live Technical Lead

Summary

When signing up for Microsoft Office Live or Office Live's additional services, customers may receive an error 8005. This article addresses the potential cause and solution.

Cause

Customers may receive error 8005 when signing up for Microsoft Office Live or Office Live's additional services with a credit card that has failed validation several times in past 24 hours. This failed validation will cause the card to be locked out of use in the system for an unspecified length of time.

Potential Solution

Error 8005 is a credit card validation error that indicates that the card you are using has failed validation in our system several times over the past 24 hours. Customers are advised to either:

1. Wait 24 to 48 hours (in some cases, it may take longer for the card to be unlocked) before attempting to sign up using the same credit card again.

2. Sign up using a different credit card.

APPLIES TO: Microsoft Office Live accounts (1.0, 1.5, and 2.0)

OLSKB 914833: How to synchronize Office Live Business Applications with Outlook

Monte Enbysk — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 23:11:16 GMT

Article ID: OLSKB 914833

Contents:

By the Microsoft Office Live Technical Lead

Summary

This article describes how to synchronize Microsoft Office Live Business Applications with Microsoft Outlook so that Office Live calendars are visible in Outlook.

Required Steps

To synchronize Microsoft Office Live Business Applications with Microsoft Outlook so that Microsoft Office Live calendars are visible in Outlook please follow the steps mentioned below:

1. Sign in to Microsoft Office Live.

2. On the Microsoft Office Live Small Business Home page, at the top, click More, and then click Business Applications.

3. On the left navigation bar of the Business Applications page, click the name of the application containing the list that you would like to link to, and then click the corresponding tab containing that list.

4. On the actions bar, click the Arrow to the right of Actions, and then click Connect to Outlook.

Notes

A. This feature may not be available for all lists. If the Connect to Outlook option does not appear under Actions, this feature is not available for the list that you selected.

5. In the Microsoft Office Outlook window, click Yes.

6. If prompted, enter your Windows Live ID credentials.

Notes

A. You will be prompted to sign into Office Live site when you access calendars from Outlook.

APPLIES TO: Microsoft Office Live accounts

OLSKB 927380: How to remove, restore, or cancel a domain name

Monte Enbysk — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 23:08:36 GMT

Article ID: OLSKB 927380

Contents

By the Microsoft Office Live Technical Lead

Summary

This article describes how to remove, restore and cancel a custom domain name that was originally associated with Microsoft Office Live Small Business.

Notes

A. If you purchased your domain from another domain registrar, such as GoDaddy.com, and you redirected it to Microsoft Office Live Small Business, you must contact your domain registrar to manage the domain after you break its association with Office Live Small Business. For more information about domain redirection, see Redirect your domain name to Office Live Small Business.

B. Removing a domain name that is associated with Office Live Small Business is not the same thing as canceling your Office Live Small Business account. If you cancel your account, your Office Live Small Business Web site and all services associated with your account, such as your e-mail, are also canceled. For more information about canceling your account, see Cancel your Office Live Small Business account.

Melbourne IT is the registrar of the domains registered through Office Live Small Business.

If your Office Live Small Business Web site uses a custom domain name in a format such as fourthcoffee.com, you can remove the association between your custom domain name and Office Live Small Business. When you remove a custom domain from your Office Live Small Business account, your custom domain name is still active, but it no longer points to your Office Live Small Business Web site. However, the free domain name that uses the officelive.com extension, which you received when you signed up for Office Live Small Business, still points to your Office Live Small Business Web site.

Remove Your Domain Name Association

What Happens

When you remove a domain name from your Office Live Small Business account, two things happen:

· Your domain name no longer points to the Web site that was created in Office Live Small Business.

· Any e-mail addresses that were created in Office Live Small Business that use that domain name are also removed.

If you would like to save your e-mail messages, contacts, and calendar information, you must do so before you remove the domain. For more information, see Take your data with you.

Notes

A. You cannot remove the free domain name with the officelive.com extension that you received when you signed up for your Office Live account.

Removal Steps

To remove your domain name association, do the following:

1. On the Office Live Small Business Home page, at the top, click More, and then click Add/Manage Services.

2. Under Choose a Category, click Web Site and E-Mail, and then next to Domains, click Remove.

3. Under Select which domains to remove, review the domain names and select Remove for those you would like to remove, and then click Confirm Remove.

Manage Your Domain Using Melbourne IT

If you purchased your custom domain name through Office Live Small Business, your domain registrar is Melbourne IT. When you remove the domain name association with Office Live Small Business, you will receive an e-mail from the Office Live Small Business team that includes the Domain Registry Key for your domain. You must use this key to enable Melbourne IT to manage the information and billing for that domain going forward.

1. Open your browser, and go to the Go Direct page on the Melbourne IT Web site.

2. In the Domain Name box, type the name of your domain, such as fourthcoffee.com.

3. In the Domain Registry Key box, type the registry key that you received from the Microsoft Office Live Small Business team.

4. Click Continue. You might need to scroll to the right in your browser to see this button. The My Account Login / Create page will appear. You must create an account with Melbourne IT to manage your domain.

5. Fill in the requested information as described on the page.

A. The telephone country code for the United States is 1. Your phone or fax number should use the format X-XXX-XXX-XXXX.

B. The e-mail address that you enter must not be related to the domain that you are trying to transfer or manage.

6. When you have finished entering the required information, click Create.

7. The Go Direct page will appear when you confirm the information that you provided or edit it if necessary. When you’re satisfied with the information, click Continue.

Your domain will now be managed by Melbourne IT. You can find answers to questions or issues on the Melbourne IT Help page.

Notes

A. At the time of this article’s creation, all e-mail messages and support from Melbourne IT were in English only.

Restore a Domain Name to Your Microsoft Office Live Small Business Account

If you remove the association between your domain name and Office Live Small Business, you can later restore it to your Office Live Small Business account by redirecting the domain name from your registrar to Office Live Small Business.

To restore your domain, see Redirect your domain name to Office Live Small Business.

Notes

A. There is a mandatory 60-day waiting period between changes in redirection for each domain name you own. This means that if you redirect a specific domain to a different Web hosting service (different registrar), you must wait 60 days before you can redirect that domain again.

B. There is a mandatory 90-day waiting period before you can bring your domain name back to Office Live Small Business, and you must re-create any e-mail accounts that you had set up on your domain before you canceled it.

Cancel a Domain

After you remove your domain name from Office Live Small Business, you can work with the domain registrar to cancel your domain altogether if you would like to do so. To cancel a domain name, you can do one of the following:

1. Do nothing: The domain name expires when the term of your purchase agreement with the registrar ends, typically within a one- or two-year period. If the term expires without your renewing it, the domain name becomes available for anyone to purchase.

2. Actively cancel it through your registrar: To do this, you must contact your registrar directly, either through their Web site or by contacting their customer support.

APPLIES TO: Microsoft Office Live accounts

OLSKB 938059: Your Web site is inaccessible because a Web page is corrupted

Monte Enbysk — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 22:08:26 GMT

Article ID: OLSKB 938059

Contents:

By the Microsoft Office Live Technical Lead

Summary

When attempting to access your Web site from your home page, you receive an error message. However, other pages are still accessible. This article addresses the potential cause and solution.

Symptoms

1. Your Web site is inaccessible from the home page, but you can still view other Web pages within the site, for example, the "About Us" or "Contact Us" pages.

2. You may receive the following error message:

"An error occurred during the processing of /default.aspx. Only Content controls are allowed directly in a content page that contains Content controls.

Our apologies. The Microsoft Office Live Web service has encountered an unexpected problem in processing your request. Please check the Address bar to ensure that you have entered the correct URL.

The Back browser button will return you to the previous page where you may retry your request or work on another task if the service you are requesting is temporarily interrupted.

If you continue to encounter this problem or would like assistance with this action, please use Contact Us link below."

Cause

The Home page has become corrupted.

Potential Solution

For these type of cases, the corrupted Home page of the Web site should be overwritten. This process will completely remove the current Home page, any information that is on the Home page and will replaced it with the default page selected in the Templates under the Create Web page window.

To overwrite the Home page of the Web site, please complete the following steps:

1. Sign in to Microsoft Office Live.

2. On the Microsoft Office Live Small Business Home page, at the top, click Web Site. Page Manager will appear.

3. In Page Manager, on the actions bar, click New page.

4. In the Create Web Page dialog box, select a template from the Standard Templates list, and then click Next.

5. Complete the information for the Home page. Templates list, and then click Next.

6. In the Page information area, type your Page title and the name that you want to use for the page's Web address. Do not type the full Web address, and do not include a file name extension (such as .htm or .aspx). Please ensure that you enter the same page's Web address as the corrupted home page address ("default") or the page which is corrupted. Then make sure that the Overwrite existing page check box is selected.

Notes

A. The Web address can contain only letters, numbers, and the underscore (_) symbol. It cannot contain spaces, periods, or special characters.

7. In the Navigation area, select the check box next to Show this page in the Navigation bar if you would like a link to this page from your Navigation bar. In the Navigation title box, type a title for the navigation link, and then, in the Select Parent drop-down list, select the location where you want the link to appear.

8. Click Finish.

9. If the issues continue after overwriting the Home page of the website then please contact Microsoft Office Live Support.

Notes

A. If the same issue occurs with any other page in addition to the Home page of the Web site, then please follow the same procedure to overwrite the page or delete the corrupted page and re-upload a new version of the page.

APPLIES TO: Microsoft Office Live accounts

OLSKB 914008: What to do when you can't sign into Office Live because the Passport sign-in fails

Monte Enbysk — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 22:01:55 GMT

Article ID: OLSKB 914008

Contents:

1. Symptoms

2. Potential Causes

3. Potential Solutions

By the Microsoft Office Live Technical Lead

Symptoms

You cannot sign in to Microsoft Office Live. The following may be a few cases where you may identify this problem:

The sign-in fails and you are prompted by the system to enter correct username/password.

You entered your username and password correctly but when you click on the "Sign in" button you receive an error stating "HTTP:404 Page cannot be displayed."

You entered your username and password correctly but when you click on the "Sign in" button you receive an error stating, "Windows Live ID is facing technical difficulties. Please try again later."

You entered your username and password correctly but when you click on the "Sign in" button you receive an error stating, "Microsoft Office Live is currently experiencing technical difficulties. Please try again after sometime."

Potential Causes

Forgot your password or your password should be correct but it is not working.

Forgot your username or your username looks correct but is not working.

You may be typing the password incorrectly (for instance your cap lock may be on or you may have forgotten to capitalize a particular character).

The site owner has granted you access, however the credentials you are using do not match those assigned by the site owner.

The e-mail address used to open your Microsoft Office Live Small Business account may not match the one you are currently attempting to sign in with.

The sign-in page is experiencing loading issues.

Error or issue other than those listed above.

Potential Solutions

You forgot your password or your password is correct but it is not working: For security, forgotten or lost passwords must be reset.

To reset the password by requesting a password reset e-mail:

Go to www.officelive.com.

Click on the Sign in link on upper right side of the screen.

On the Sign-in page, click Forgot your password.

Enter your username, type the characters you see in the Picture box, and then click Continue.

Was your username accepted by Microsoft Office Live?

If yes, continue with the procedure.

If no, please ensure that you are using the same username as the that which was used in the Your e-mail address field during the original set up of your Microsoft Office Live account.

Select Send password reset instructions to me in e-mail.

In the list, select the e-mail address where you would like for your password reset e-mail to be sent, and then click Continue.

On the confirmation page, click OK.

When you receive the password reset e-mail, click the link in the e-mail to reset your password, and then follow the online instructions.

To reset the password online by providing location information and answering your secret question.

On the sign-in page, click Forgot your password.

Enter your username, type the characters you see in the Picture box, and then click Continue.

Click Use my location information and secret answer to verify my identity.

In the Country/Region list, select the name of your country or region, select your state, and then type your ZIP code or postal code if you’re prompted to do so. When asked, in the Question area, provide your Secret Answer to the verification question previously selected by the site owner during the account’s creation.

Click Continue.

Enter and confirm a new password, and then click Continue.

If prompted, enter an alternate e-mail address and click Continue, or click Skip to bypass this step.

On the You've changed your password page, click Sign in to Windows Live.

If you are still unable to receive the password of your Microsoft Office Live account, please contact Microsoft Office Live Support.

Forgotten username:

To retrieve the username of your Microsoft Office Live account, please contact Microsoft Office Live Support.

Also, if you have any domain name registered through your Microsoft Office Live account, you may try retrieving your domain details through public whois databases that may contain your domain registrant information. For this, please visit any of the public whois search Web sites, including the following:

http://who.is

http://whois.net

http://whois.domaintools.com/

http://www.easywhois.com/

http://www.internic.net/whois.html

http://www.networksolutions.com/whois/index.jsp

http://www.whois-search.com/

http://www.betterwhois.com/

http://www.whois.com/

After visiting these Web sites, enter your domain name in the "Look-up" search bars located on the front page of these sites and then click the "Search" or "Look up" or "Find," etc., options listed for executing the domain details search on the page.

When the domain registration details appear, try locating the "admin e-mail" section which may list your username that you used to register this domain through your Microsoft Office Live account. However, if this is not the case, please contact Microsoft Office Live support.

You may be typing the password incorrectly.

Ensure your cap lock is off and only those letters that should be are capitalized.

The site owner has granted you access, however the credentials you are using do not match those assigned by the site owner.

Contact the owner of the Microsoft Office Live account to retrieve the correct username and password to sign in to Microsoft Office Live.

The e-mail address used to open your Microsoft Office Live Small Business account may not match the one you are currently attempting to sign in with.

Double check the e-mail address to ensure it is the correct address to use.

Microsoft Office Live does not provide an inbox for the e-mail ID you using during the signup process for Microsoft Office Live. Therefore, you need to use an e-mail address which has a valid inbox, so that you can verify the e-mail address you have used to sign up for a Microsoft Office Live account. Only after verifying the e-mail address you can sign in to your Microsoft Office Live account.

Notes

E-mail addresses which are other than Hotmail, Live, or MSN are EASI IDs (E-Mail As Sign In) and Microsoft Office Live does not provide an inbox for those e-mail addresses.

Sign-in page loading issues:

Please try to clear your browser cache, cookies and try to sign in to your Microsoft Office Live account. If you are still unable to then please contact Microsoft Office Live Support.

Additional errors or issues not listed above:

Please contact Microsoft Office Live Support.

APPLIES TO: Microsoft Office Live accounts (1.0, 1.5, and 2.0)

OLSKB 914473: How to sign up for Office Live

Monte Enbysk — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 21:13:41 GMT

Article ID: OLSKB 914473

Contents

By the Microsoft Office Live Technical Lead

Steps to sign up for Microsoft Office Live Small Business

Sign-up process

1. Navigate to http://officelive.com.

2. On the Office Live Small Business sign-up page, click Create a Free Website button. A sign-up page appears.

3. If you would like to change the country or language of the site, at the top of the page, click change, and then select a new country or language. A sign-up page appears for the country or language that you selected.

4. In the Your e-mail address area, type an e-mail address that you already own and which has a valid Inbox, and then click Next.

Notes

A. You can use an e-mail address that you already use for other Microsoft services, such as Windows Live Hotmail or Windows Live Messenger, or you can use any existing e-mail address that you own (the e-mail address should have a valid inbox as we would be sending an verification e-mail on that e-mail address).

5. If you typed an e-mail address that you already use for other Microsoft services, you will be prompted to type the associated password for the email account. After you have provided the password, click Sign in

Note: If you forget the password that is associated with your e-mail address, under the Type Your Password box, click Forgot your password? and follow the instructions to reset your password (Refer to article: OLSB 914008).

6. If you typed an e-mail address that has not previously been used for a Microsoft provided service, in the Enter your password information area, follow the instructions to create a password.

Notes

A. The password is case sensitive, so you must always type your password with the same capitalization that you used when you created it.

B. Providing a secret question and answer is a protective measure to prevent other users from accessing your account or changing your password without your permission. Office Live Small Business uses your secret answer to verify your identity if you forget your password.

C. Your alternate e-mail address is used if you forget your password and request to have password reset instructions sent to you.

7. Click Save and continue.

8. In the Enter your information section, follow the instructions to provide information about yourself and your organization.

Notes

A. Choose a first and last name that you would like other users to see. The name you provide will be used as the display name that appears when you send e-mail from this account.

B. The information that you provide in the Organization name field is used to create your free domain. For example, a coffee company named Fourth Coffee might receive this domain: http://www.fourthcoffee.web.officelive.com.

9. Click Save and continue.

10. Next, in the Match the characters in the picture section, type the characters that appear on the screen into the Characters box. This requirement helps Office Live Small Business confirm that a person and not an automated program is trying to sign up for an account. It prevents automated programs from misusing our service by sending spam.

Notes

A. The characters you type do not have to be case sensitive.

B. To see a new picture, click the refresh button.

C. To hear an audio recording of the characters, click the speaker button. The recording provides a different set of characters than those that appear in the picture. If, after you click the speaker button, you decide that you want to type the characters that you see in the picture instead, you must first click the refresh button to see a new picture. You can then type in the numbers and letters that appear.

11. Click Save and continue.

12. In the Complete signing up section, review the user agreement, and if you agree, click I accept.

13. After doing so, you will receive a page which will instruct you to check the inbox of the e-mail address you have used to set up an account. This e-mail is to verify the e-mail address you have used to set up the account.

Verify your e-mail address

After you complete the sign-up process for Office Live Small Business, you may be asked to confirm that you are the owner of the e-mail address that you used to sign up. If so, you will receive an e-mail message from the Office Live Small Business team at the e-mail address that you used to create your account. The following steps should be followed to verify your email address:

1. Check your e-mail inbox for an e-mail message from the Office Live Small Business team.

Note: If the e-mail message does not appear in your inbox, look in your Junk Mail folder. The message may have been mistakenly delivered to the Junk Mail folder instead of the inbox.

2. Open the e-mail message, and click the link in the first paragraph to begin the e-mail verification process.

3. After you click this link, you will be asked to sign into your Office Live Small Business site again.

Access Office Live Workspace

After you have completed signing up for Office Live Small Business, you will automatically receive free access to Microsoft Office Live Workspace, where you can save and share documents online. To access your workspace, on the Office Live Small Business Home page, at the top, click Workspaces. For more information about Office Live Workspace, see Create and share your projects online

Steps to sign up for Microsoft Office Live Workspace

Before signing up for Office Live Workspace, make sure that you have one of the following Internet browser and operating system combinations:

1. Microsoft Internet Explorer 6, Windows Internet Explorer 7, Windows Internet Explorer 8 or Mozilla Firefox on Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, or Windows Vista.

2. Mozilla Firefox or Safari on Mac OS X 10.2x and later.

Sign-up process

1. Navigate to http://officelive.com.

2. On the Office Live Workspace sign-up page, click Get Started Free.

3. In the Type Your E-mail Address box, type an e-mail address that you already own with a valid Inbox, and then click Next.

Notes

A. You can use an e-mail address that you use for other Microsoft provided services, such as Windows Live Hotmail or Windows Live Messenger, or you can use any existing e-mail address that you own with a valid Inbox (the email address should have a valid Inbox as we would be sending an verification email on that email address).

B. If you sign up for an Office Live Workspace account using an e-mail address that is not associated with an e-mail inbox, see Sign up using an e-mail address that is not associated with an e-mail inbox later in this article.

C. If you use an e-mail address from a reserved domain (such as verizon.net or orange.fr), you may be prompted to choose a different e-mail address or to contact your e-mail provider. You can use an e-mail address from a reserved domain, however to do so you must first contact the e-mail provider's customer support department for their permission and assistance. For example, if you have an e-mail account with orange.fr, you can contact the orange.fr customer service department for assistance with this issue. If you prefer, you can create a free Web e-mail account and then use that new e-mail address to sign up for Office Live Workspace.

4. If you type an e-mail address that you already use for other Microsoft provided services, you will be prompted to type the password that is associated with that e-mail address in the Type Your Password box. After doing so, please click Sign in.

5. If you type an e-mail address that you have not used for other Microsoft provided services, the Create Your Account page will appear.

To create an account (from the Create Your Account Page)

Once the Create Your Account page has opened, complete the following steps:

1. Type a password that contains 6 to 16 characters, and then retype the password to confirm it.

Note

A. If you receive a message that your e-mail address is already in use, you may have used this e-mail address to sign up for another Microsoft online service, such as Windows Live Messenger or Windows Live Hotmail. If you forget the password that is associated with your e-mail address, in the Type Your Password box, click Forgot your password? and follow the instructions to reset your password.

2. Type your first and last name, these names will be displayed to others that you send e-mail messages.

3. Select the country or region where you live.

4. Select a secret question, and then type your secret answer using a minimum of five characters.

Note

A. Providing a secret question and answer is a protective measure to prevent other users from accessing your account or changing your password without your permission. Office Live Workspace uses your secret answer to verify your identity if you forget your password.

5. Type the eight numbers and/or letters that you see in the Picture box. This requirement helps Office Live Workspace confirm that a person and not an automated program is trying to sign up for an account. It prevents automated programs from misusing our service by sending spam.

A. To see a new picture, click the refresh button.

B. To hear an audio recording of the characters, click the speaker button. The recording provides a different set of characters than those that appear in the Picture box. If, after you click the speaker button, you decide that you want to type the characters that you see in the picture instead, you must first click the refresh button to see a new picture. You can then type in the numbers and letters that appear.

Note

A. The characters that you type do not have to match the case of the characters shown in the Picture box. For example: If the picture shows a capital B, you may type a lowercase b and it will still be accepted as correct.

6. Click Finish.

James Bazelle, owner of Mert’s Heart and Soul

Joe C - MSFT — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 14:22:37 GMT

Follow James as he uses his Visa Business card to move his business forward.

5 Web design tips you should know about

Monte Enbysk — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 00:45:51 GMT

By the Microsoft Office Live Small Business team

Let's face it, we've all seen Web sites that make us dizzy there's so much going on. Or sites that may offer exactly what we're looking for, but may require a private eye to find it.

One of the biggest problems people have when designing Web sites is keeping it simple. They think Empire State Building when they should be thinking split-level home.

What happens when they create these big, busy Web sites is people get overwhelmed. There is so much going on—so much to absorb—that they may quickly decide it's easier to give up and go elsewhere.

If you're ready to start building your Microsoft Office Live Small Business site, please take a few really basic tips from a Web marketing guy (me) who gets really cranky when Web site design interferes with my ability to use a site.

Put your contact information in a prominent location. People shouldn't have to hunt for something so basic. Plus, being up front about how people can get in touch with you suggests you're a legitimate business. It increases your credibility in the eyes of potential customers who may know nothing about you.
You might think about the contact information on your Web site like an electronic version of your business card that you would hand someone when you want to make it easy for them to get in touch with you. Be sure to include a:
- Phone number
- E-mail address
- Physical address
- Fax number
Restrain yourself when it comes to graphics. I like eye candy as much as anyone. But if I want art, I'll go to a gallery. Like everyone else these days, I'm usually in a hurry. So when I'm looking for information on the Web, what's most important to me is being able to find it quickly. Slow-loading graphics or distracting animations often hinder rather than help visitors find what they need quickly. Avoid using them.

However, you don't want to just put a bunch of words on a page and call it a Web site. Some color, your logo, and an image or two along with your text can make your site appealing, without being distracting. Consider using the pre-formatted "themes" included in the Site Designer tool in Office Live Small Business to create a design look and feel that matches your business. Whether you fix cars or sell furniture, chances are you can find a theme that will fit and save you some time.
Keep text focused and friendly. Just as too many graphics can lead to sensory overload, too much text can have the same effect. Respect your visitor's time and keep text focused—and brief.

Since people tend to scan Web pages rather than read word-for-word, things like bulleted lists, boxes, and boldface lead-in sentences make Web content more scannable and reader-friendly.
Keep your customer top-of-mind. Too many Web site designers think that once someone has landed on their site, they've got them. But that's simply not the case. You've got to give the visitor what they want—immediately. If you sell shoes, and they came to your Web site looking for shoes, don't sidetrack them with the story of your great-grandfather who started your business or—worse yet—your mission statement. Give them shoes!

That's not to say there's no place for a page on your company's roots or your mission statement if you think your customers would be interested in them. But make them secondary to your primary reason for having a Web site, which is to sell shoes.
Keep your navigation simple. Your Web site should scream out to people how easy it is to do business with you. When they come to your site they shouldn't have to guess what you had in mind when you put an image of Abe Lincoln next to your discount merchandise or why there's a little duck icon at the bottom of every page.

To avoid confusion, stick with commonly understood Web standards when it comes to navigation and directive icons. The Web works pretty well and there's no reason to try to re-invent it. The Site Designer tool I mentioned earlier offers some tried-and-true navigation options you can experiment with.

Just keep in mind that you can get a basic site up quickly and then, with the Web site traffic reports you get as part of Office Live Small Business, you can monitor what people are doing on your site and make adjustments or add pages as needed.

If you do the five things I've listed above, you should have a nice-looking Web site that is easy for visitors to use—and one they'll happily return to.

And that's what it's all about.

6 tips for reducing e-mail overload

Monte Enbysk — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 00:34:25 GMT

By Kim Komando

Lately, more people are declaring bankruptcy. No, they’re not financially insolvent. They just can’t keep up with e-mail. They empty their inbox, announce e-mail bankruptcy, and start over from scratch.

Don’t let it happen to you. Get a grip on the problem before it is too late.

Slash the number of new messages

Your first goal is to reduce the amount of incoming e-mail. So cancel subscriptions to unwanted mailing lists. The messages become a nuisance if you don’t have time to read them.

A good spam filter reduces the amount of spam reaching your inbox. But don’t expect to eliminate spam completely. Some will still get through.

Do your friends send jokes or chain messages? Explain your situation and ask that they stop. Hopefully, they’ll oblige.

Respond appropriately

Not all e-mail requires a response. If you receive an e-mail addressed to several people, you may not need to respond. If a response is required, it may not need to go to everybody.

Be succinct; restrict your messages to a few sentences. If you can’t, pick up the phone or talk in person.

If an e-mail contains several different points, respond to each in separate messages. This may take longer at first. But, it will be easier to deal with each e-mail thread.

Take advantage of subject lines

Subject lines should relate to the body of the e-mail. So be as descriptive as possible. Subject lines that say things like "question" or "hello" should be avoided. Recipients won’t know what the message is about. And it will be difficult for you to categorize responses.

If you have a one-line e-mail, put it in the subject line. This will save you and the recipient valuable time.

If possible, create a set of codes with your co-workers. Placed in the subject line, codes help you process and prioritize messages.

For example, use "FYI" for informational messages. Use "AR" for action required and "URG" for urgent messages.

Forwarding and copying

Be courteous when forwarding an e-mail. Summarize the message and say why you’re forwarding it. This is particularly helpful if the e-mail contains several messages.

Recipients will appreciate your thoughtfulness. They won’t need to read through several messages to guess your thoughts. This will cut down on questions from recipients.

Don’t copy someone on a message unless it is necessary. And explain why you’re copying them. Recipients won’t need to guess your intentions. This means less back and forth messages.

Be disciplined

Avoid the temptation to check your e-mail every few minutes. Check it every hour on the hour for important messages. If you can go longer, do so. Of course, this might not be feasible in some work environments.

Set time aside each morning and evening to process your inbox. When you’re done, it should be completely empty. File messages you need to keep. Set reminders for messages that require you to follow up.

Respond to messages immediately, so you only read them once. There is an exception to this rule. If emotions might govern your response, give yourself a cooling-down period.

Use your e-mail program’s tools

Explore the tools your e-mail program offers. I already mentioned setting follow-up reminders. Filters and folders can help you file and prioritize mail. Auto-responders can alert business associates when you’re out of town. You won’t come back to a full inbox.

Check out this audio course about managing your inbox in Microsoft Office Outlook 2007.

Using pictures on your Web site

Monte Enbysk — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 01:51:32 GMT

By the Microsoft Office Live Small Business team

Using images is a great way to boost the appeal of your Web site. Pictures also convey a lot of information quickly, and they make your site much more interesting. This article gets you started with adding images to your site.

Before you begin, consider the intended purpose of the images you want to use. For example, an image that you plan to use for print material should be of high quality, which results in a larger file size. However, if you plan to use an image only on your Web site, it is important to keep the image file size smaller, to ensure that the Web page loads quickly. If you have an image that serves multiple purposes, you should create different versions of it, with each version being of a size and quality setting that is appropriate for each purpose.

Note: If you partially redirected a domain name to your Office Live Small Business account: Before you can make changes to your Web site after partial redirection, you must change the primary domain to your free Office Live Small Business domain that ends in .officelive.com. For more information, see Make changes to your Web site after partial redirection.

Use the Image Gallery

You can add an image to a Web page from two sources: your computer or the Image Gallery. You can upload images and store them in the Image Gallery and conveniently reuse those images throughout your site. For information about uploading images to the Image Gallery, see Add or remove an image.

Tip: It is a good idea to remove the images that you don't use from the Image Gallery. This makes it easier for you to find the images you need and helps you to avoid running out of Web site storage for your account.

To add an image to the Image Gallery, do the following:

Sign in to Microsoft Office Live Small Business. On the Home page, on the left navigation bar, click Web Site.
In Page Manager, on the left navigation bar, click Image Gallery. The Image Gallery appears.
On the actions bar, click Upload. The Image Uploader appears.

Click Select Image, and browse to the image on your computer or in a network folder.
Select the image, and then click Open. You can add an image file in any of the following file formats: JPEG, BMP, GIF, and PNG.
- To optimize the images being uploaded, select the Optimize my images text box. Optimizing your images will help them load faster on the Web page. You can also use photo editing software to convert your high resolution images to JPEG files 800 x 800 pixels or smaller before you upload them to the Image Gallery.
- To change the title of the image, click the current title and type a new title. Note that this only changes the title in the Image Gallery. The file name of the image on your computer does not change.
- To rotate, crop, or change the brightness and contrast of the image, click Edit Photos.
Repeat steps 4 and 5 to select other images to upload.
When you have finished selecting your images, click Upload
Click OK, and then click Close.

If you use Windows Internet Explorer, you can use the Multiple Image Uploader, which makes it easier to add pictures to the Image Gallery. This requires that you install a Microsoft ActiveX control. For information about the Multiple Image Uploader and the Image Gallery, see Add or remove an image.

To remove an image from the Image Gallery, do the following:

On the Office Live Small Business Home page, on the left navigation bar, click Web Site.
Click Image Gallery.
Select the check box at the top-left corner of each image that you want to delete, and then, on the actions bar, click Delete.

Note: When you remove an image from the Image Gallery, it is removed from your Web site.

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Add an image to a Web page

You can add an image to a Web site page from two sources: your computer or the Image Gallery. The Image Gallery contains images that you have already uploaded to your account. After you upload an image in the Image Gallery, you can place it anywhere on your Web site. The following procedures describe how to add, move, remove, and wrap text around images on a Web page to get the exact look and feel that you want for your site. For information about adding a logo, see Branding your site with your company logo.

To add an image

On the Office Live Small Business Home page, on the left navigation bar, click Web Site.
In the list of Web pages on your site, click Edit next to the page where you want to add the image.
Place your cursor where you want to insert the image.
In Page Editor, on the actions bar, click Image. In the Insert Image dialog box, you can select images from your computer's hard drive or from the Image Gallery, if you have uploaded images there.

Do one of the following:
- To add an image from the Image Gallery, select My uploaded images, click the image that you want to use, and then click Insert image.
- To add an image from your computer, select My computer, and then click Browse for an image. Select the image you want, and then click Open. If you want to optimize your image for Web site viewing, select the Optimize my image check box .
Note: If you select this option, the image is converted to JPG if it is not already in this format, and the JPG conversion quality level is set to 100%. The image is resized to a maximum of 640 pixels, maintaining its aspect ratio. These settings help the image load faster in Web browsers.
To resize the image, click the anchor at the bottom right of the image, and then drag the corner of the image until it is the size that you want.

To add an image as a link

When you add an image to your site, you can set it up so that the image is also a link, either to another Web page on your site or to an external site. You can also choose to have the link open in the same browser window, or open it in a new browser window. To add an image as a link, take the following steps:

On the Office Live Small Business Home page, at the top, click Web Site.
In the list of Web pages on your site, click Edit next to the page where you want to add the image.
Place your cursor where you want to insert the image.
Click Module, and then click HTML. The HTML module appears.
Click Images. The Insert an image dialog box appears.
Do one of the following:
- To add an image from the Image Gallery, select My uploaded images, click the image that you want to use, and then click Insert image.
- To add an image from your computer, select My computer and then click Browse for an image. Select the image you want, and then click Open.
The HTML code for the image appears in the HTML module. In front of the image code, type the code for the URL that you want to use. The following examples illustrate how the code should appear in the module:
- Link to another page on your Web site <a href="default.aspx"><img src="/images/PortfolioPiece.jpg"/></a>
  
  If you don't know the file name for the page, navigate to the page in Page Editor, and then click Page Properties. The file name is displayed in the Web address box.
- Link to an external Web site <a href="http://www.microsoft.com"><img src="/images/PortfolioPiece.jpg"/></a> </p>
- Open a link in a new browser <a href="http://www.microsoft.com" target="_blank"><img src="/images/PortfolioPiece.JPG"/></a>

To move or remove an image

After you place an image on a Web page, you can reposition it on the page if you want. To do so, simply drag the image to the location on the page where you want it to appear.

To remove an image, click the image and then press DELETE. Note that this only removes the image from the page, and the image remains in the Image Gallery and on your computer.

To wrap text around an image

You can decide how you want to position the image relative to the text on a page. To select the option that you want, right-click the image on the page, and then select one of the following:

Float Left The image is displayed at the left margin of the zone, and the text is located to the right of the image.
Float Right The image is displayed at the right margin of the zone, and the text is located to the left of the image.
No text wrapping The text does not wrap around the image, but appears below it.

By simply adding images, you can quickly achieve a polished and professional look for your site. And because the process is easy, you can change or move the images on your site whenever you want. A few clicks, and you can have a new look!

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Lay out a better Web page

Monte Enbysk — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 01:41:29 GMT

By the Microsoft Office Live Small Business team

When visitors come to your Web site, you should make sure that they have a great experience and want to come back. A good way to do that is by customizing the site to make it work for your specific business, and the needs of your customers. "One size fits all" is not always the best approach here, so take advantage of the features Microsoft Office Live Small Business offers to personalize your site.

A good place to start is by choosing an effective layout for your pages. A good layout gets your message across to customers, both existing and potential, and makes it easy for them to find the information that they want. Once the layout of your pages is organized, you can modify each page even further with customized tables and special modules. What are you waiting for? Let’s get started.

Customize the page layout

The layout of a Web page — that is, the organization of content zones on that page — is an important aspect of the overall professionalism of the page and the site.

You can choose from a number of page layouts in Page Editor, and you can also resize zones within a page, giving you many options to arrange content exactly how you want it to appear.

Title	Layout	Description
Single area		One zone, 100% width
Two zones, 50% width each		Two zones, 50% width each
Three, side by side		Three zones, 33% width each
Two, stacked together		Two zones stacked. 100% width top and bottom
Three, stacked together		Three zones stacked. 100% width top, middle, and bottom
Three, span bottom		Three zones, 50% width top each, 100% width bottom
Three, span top		Three zones, 100% width top, 50% width bottom each
Four, span bottom		Four zones. 33% width top each, 100% width bottom
Four, span top		Four zones. 33% width bottom each, 100% width top
Four, span top and bottom		Four zones. 100% width top and bottom. 50% width middle each
Five, span top and bottom		Five zones. 100% width top and bottom. 33% width middle each

To customize the layout of a Web page, follow these steps:

Sign in to Office Live Small Business. On the Office Live Small Business Home page, at the top, click Web Site. Page Manager appears.
In Page Manager, click Edit next to the page that you want to change. The Page Editor appears.
In Page Editor, click Layout, and then click the format that you want.

When you change the layout of an existing page, any content that is already on the page is rearranged into the new layout. Move the information on the page around as needed to fit into the zones. You can also change the width of zones to fit your content.

Change the width of a zone

Zones are areas in your page layout where you can place content. In Page Editor, a zone is indicated by a dotted line, and it contains a double-arrow in each upper corner. You can use these arrows to change the width of the zone.

On the Office Live Small Business Home page, at the top, click Web Site.
In Page Manager, next to the page that you want to modify, click Edit.
To change the width of a zone, click the arrow in one of the upper corners, and drag the arrow until the zone is the width you want.

The height of the zone is determined by the content. To insert blank space into a zone, place your cursor in the zone, and then press ENTER.

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Use tables to organize information

Tables can be a great way to present information clearly, which your site visitors will appreciate. A table can contain text, images, or links. To add a table to a Web page, do the following:

Sign in to Office Live Small Business. On the Office Live Small Business Home page, at the top, click Web Site.
In Page Manager click Edit next to the page that you want to add a table to. The Page Editor appears.
Place your cursor in the spot on the page where you want to insert the table, and then click Table.

In the Create Table dialog box, select a table type, color scheme, and the number of columns and rows that you want, and then click OK.

Modify your table

When your table is in place, there are many ways to customize that table to suit your needs. You can easily change the number of columns or rows, for example, or make sure that nearby text wraps around the table exactly the way you want.

To add or remove columns or rows, right-click the table cell that you want to change, and then choose one of the following:

Delete column Deletes the column for that cell (including all rows in the column).
Delete row Deletes the row for that cell (including all columns in the row).
Insert column Inserts a column to the left of the selected cell.
Insert row Inserts a row above the selected cell.

To wrap text around the table, right-click the table, and then choose one of the following:

Float left Left-justifies the table.
Float right Right-justifies the table.
No text wrapping Prevents text from wrapping around the table. Instead, text will appear above or below the table.

To delete a table, click the outside border of the table to select it, and then press DELETE.

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Use modules to enhance a page

A module is essentially a mini-application that you can add to a Web page to gain specialized functionality on that page. For example, you can add real-time weather reports, driving directions to your business, and HTML code. This section describes how to add a map and driving directions to a page. For more information about adding HTML, see Inserting HTML code into your Web site.

To add a map and directions to your business, do the following:

On the Office Live Small Business Home page, at the top, click Web Site.
In the list of Web pages, click Edit next to the page where you want to add the map or directions. The page opens in edit mode.
Place the cursor in the zone where you want to add the map or driving directions.
On the taskbar, click Module, and then click Map & directions.

On the Location tab, enter your location information.
On the Display Options tab, specify whether you want to display a map, give driving directions, or show an address on your Web site, and then click OK.

Note: You can edit the information at any time by right-clicking in the module and then clicking Properties.

With these simple changes, you can customize your Web site and make it more appealing to your visitors, increasing the likelihood that they will return.

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Inserting HTML code into your Web site

Monte Enbysk — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 00:44:18 GMT

By the Microsoft Office Live Small Business team

Flex your creative muscles by adding HTML code to your Web pages with the HTML module. With the ability to insert HTML code in your pages, you can inform, entertain, and get your visitors' attention in an engaging way. For example, you can insert the code to add a video, a scrolling marquee, or a stock ticker to your page. Inserting HTML code into your Web page can be as simple as copy and paste.

A word about your HTML code

If you change or customize the HTML code on your Web site, Microsoft Office Live Small Business does not check the code for you.

Important: If the HTML code is no longer correct, it may break the page, and you may experience problems such as the page not loading completely.

To ensure that the HTML code renders correctly, you should access your Web site from the Internet and check that everything appears as expected. Also, do not use a third-party Web editing tool, such as Microsoft FrontPage, because pages created by these tools cannot be uploaded to Office Live Small Business.

Respect copyright

Please respect the rights of artists and content creators. Content such as music, photos, and video may be protected by copyright, and people appearing in content may have a right to control the use of their image. You may not share other people's content unless you own the rights or have permission from the owner.

Add HTML code to your Web page

This section explains how you can access the HTML module and provides sample HTML code snippets that you can copy, and then customize to meet your own particular needs.

To open the HTML module

On the Office Live Small Business Home page, at the top, click Web Site. Page Manager appears.
In the list of Web pages, click Edit next to the page that you want to insert the HTML code in. The page opens in edit mode.
Place the cursor in the zone where you want to insert the HTML code.
On the taskbar, click Module, and then click HTML. The HTML module appears.
Copy and paste the HTML code that you want into the text box.
Customize the code to meet your particular needs. For example, if you are adding a video player, be sure to point the player to the URL where your video is hosted. Click OK when you have finished.

Notes:

You can edit the HTML code at any time by right-clicking the module on the page and then clicking Properties.
You can add as many HTML modules to your site as you want.
Certain items, such as background audio files that play when a visitor opens your Web page, are not currently available, because they are normally inserted into the header of a Web page, and the HTML module only edits the body of a Web page.

If you need room to add text that describes what your site visitor will see, such as "Tour our new offices" above a video that you made showing your office and employees, you can add space above and below the HTML code you are adding by pressing the SPACEBAR.

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Add an embedded video player to your site

Note: This tutorial shows you how to add a video using the HTML module, but you can also add videos using the video module and Silverlight. For more information, see Add or remove a video and Add a video to your Web site using Silverlight.

You can embed one of several different video players in your Web page using the HTML module. The following examples provide directions and HTML code to embed an MSN Video, Mydeo, YouTube, or Google video.

To insert an MSN Video

On the MSN Video Web site, select the video that you want to add to your Web site.
Below the video player, click video link and then select and copy the link with image code.
In Page Manager, on the actions bar, next to the page to which you want to add the module, click Edit.
In Page Editor, place your pointer where you want the module to be located, click Module, and then click HTML.
In the text box, paste your video link HTML code.
Click OK to save your changes.

To embed a Mydeo video using Windows Media Player

If you have a Mydeo account, follow these instructions to embed the video on a Web page using Windows Media Player.

Important: Be sure to read and follow the Mydeo terms of use.

Log in to your Mydeo account, and then browse to the video that you want to embed.
Next to the video, click the HTML icon, and then copy the code that appears in the first box in the Option 1- Embed the player section.
In Page Manager, on the actions bar, next to the page to which you want to add the module, click Edit.
In Page Editor, place your pointer where you want the module to be located, click Module, and then click HTML.
Paste the code into the HTML module text box, and then click OK.

To embed a YouTube video player

If you have a YouTube account, follow these instructions to add a YouTube video player to your Web site.

Important: Be sure to read and follow the YouTube terms of use.

Write down the YouTube video ID number that you want to embed. For example, if you want to link to your video at http://www.youtube.com/?v=ABc12DEfGHi , the video ID number is ABc12DEfGHi. If you do not know the video ID number, go to your YouTube account, browse to find your video, and then copy the number.
In Page Manager, on the actions bar, next to the page to which you want to add the module, click Edit.
In Page Editor, place your pointer where you want the module to be located, click Module, and then click HTML.
Copy the following HTML code, paste it into the HTML module text box, and then replace both instances of ABc12DEfGH in the code with your video ID number.


<object width="425" height="350"> 
<param name="movie" 
value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ABc12DEfGHi">
</param> 
<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ABc12DEfGHi" 
type="application/x-shockwave-flash" 
width="425" height="350">
</embed> </object>

To embed a Google video player

If you have uploaded a video to Google Video, follow these instructions to add the Google video player to your Web site.

Important: Be sure to read and follow the Google terms of service.

Write down the Google Video ID number that you want to embed. For example, if you want to link to the video at http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1234567890123456789, the video ID number is 1234567890123456789. If you do not know your video ID number, go to Google Video, browse to find your video, and then copy the number.
In Page Manager, on the actions bar, next to the page to which you want to add the module, click Edit.
In Page Editor, place your pointer where you want the module to be located, click Module, and then click HTML.
Copy the following HTML code, paste it into the HTML module text box, and then replace both instances of 1234567890123456789 in the code with your video ID number.


<object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" 
data="http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf
?1234567890123456789" 
width="400" height="326" id="VideoPlayback"> 
<param name="movie" 
value="http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf
?docId=1234567890123456789" /> 
<param name="allowScriptAcess" 
value="sameDomain" /> 
<param name="quality" value="best" /> 
<param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /> 
<param name="scale" value="noScale" /> 
<param name="salign" value="TL" /> 
<param name="FlashVars" 
value="playerMode=embedded" /> 
</object>

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Add a slide show to your site

A slide show can be an effective way of bringing products to the attention of your customers. Use a slide show to emphasize new products, to highlight products on sale, or even to display products that your customers might not usually find. For information about using the Slide Show module in Office Live Small Business to add a slide show to your Web site, see Increase visual interest with a slide show. The following example provides HTML code to add a slide show using Flickr.

To add a Flickr slide show

Do you already have a Flickr slide show? Great! If you know your user ID, you can add your Flickr slide show to your Office Live Small Business Web site to personalize it even more. First, you need to create a Flickr Flash badge (do not use the HTML Flickr badge tool). From the Flickr Web site, copy the HTML code that is created for the badge and paste it into your Web site using the HTML module.

Important: Be sure to follow the Yahoo Terms of Service before you embed the Flickr Flash badge.

Go to the Flickr badge Web site, log in, and follow the Flash instructions.
In Page Manager, on the actions bar, next to the page to which you want to add the module, click Edit.
In Page Editor, place your pointer where you want the module to be located, click Module, and then click HTML.
Paste the HTML code that you copied from the Flickr badge page into the HTML module text box, and then click OK.

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Let site visitors open a new browser window from a link

By adding a link on your Web site that opens another browser window, you can point your site visitors to other Web content without having them leave your Web site.

To create a link that opens a new browser window

In Office Live Small Business, open the HTML module in the location on your Web site where you want it to appear.
Copy and paste the following code into the HTML module text box:
<A HREF="http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/default.aspx" target="_blank"> Open a new browser window to Office Live Small Business</a>
Replace "http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/default.aspx" with the URL that you want the new browser window to open.
Replace the "Open a new browser window to Office Live Small Business" text with text that describes what will happen when your visitors click the link.
Click OK.

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Add a scrolling marquee to your Web page

Use scrolling marquees to highlight new products, post breaking news about an award that your company received, or let customers know that a special offer is about to end. But keep your text short and succinct, and make it scroll slowly enough so that customers can read it. You can change the controls for your marquee, such as how quickly the text scrolls, to suit your customers' needs.

To add a scrolling marquee

In Office Live Small Business, open the HTML module in the location on your Web site where you want the marquee to appear.
Copy and paste the following HTML code into the HTML module text box, and then click OK.
<marquee height=50 width="30%" scrollamount=3 scrolldelay=1 direction=right> testing 1 2 3 testing</marquee>
Replace “testing 1 2 3” with the text that you want to display in the marquee, and then click OK.

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Increase visual interest with a slide show

Monte Enbysk — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 22:54:53 GMT

By the Microsoft Office Live Small Business team

Adding images to your Web site will make it more attractive to visitors. A great way to organize many of those images, particularly if they are related, is to put them into a slide show. For example, you might have a slide show that contains pictures of the products that your company sells, and then site visitors can watch the slide show to help them decide exactly which product they want to buy.

Slide shows are organized into albums, each of which can contain 50 images. You can add as many albums to your site as you want.

Create an album

To add an image to a slide show, you must first add the image to your Image Gallery. For information about using the Image Gallery, see Using pictures on your Web site.

In the list of Web pages on your site, click Edit next to the page where you want to add the images.

Place your cursor where you want to add the slide show.

Click Module, and then click Slideshow. The Slide show module appears.

Do one or more of the following:
- In Album name, type the name that you want to appear at the top of the slide show on your Web page.
- In Slide interval, select how long you want each image to be displayed.
- By default, controls appear at the bottom of the slide show to allow site visitors to control the speed of the slide show. If you don't want visitors to have this control, clear the Show slide show controls check box.

In the Images list, click an image that you want to include in the slide show, and then click Add. Repeat this step for each image that you want to appear in the slide show.

Use the Move left and Move Right buttons to arrange the images in the order that you want them to appear.

Click Next.

To add a caption to your images, do the following:
- In the Images in slide show box, select an image.
- In the Caption box, add your caption, and then click Save caption. Repeat this step for each image to which you want to add a caption.

Click OK to save your changes.

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Edit or delete an album

You can easily add or remove images in an existing slide show, or change other settings.

On the Office Live Small Business Home page, on the left navigation bar, click Web Site.

In the list of Web pages on your site, click Edit next to the page that contains the slide show.

Do one of the following:
- To edit the slide show, right-click the slide show, click Properties, make the changes that you want, and then click OK.
- To delete the album, right-click the slide show, and then click Delete.

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Resize or wrap text around an album

Another way to give your site a polished look is to adjust the size of the frame that contains the slide show, and then to set the way that text wraps around it.

On the Office Live Small Business Home page, on the left navigation bar, click Web Site.

In the list of Web pages on your site, click Edit next to the page that contains the slide show.

To resize the frame that contains the slide show, click the anchor in the bottom right of the slide show, and then drag it until it is the size that you want.

To choose a text wrapping option, right-click the slide show, and then select either Float Left, Float Right, or No Text Wrapping.

It doesn't take a degree in Web site design to achieve an attractive and professional-looking site. Little touches like adding a slide show can make a significant impression on visitors to your site.

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First steps to a more attractive Web site

Monte Enbysk — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 20:58:51 GMT

By the Microsoft Office Live Small Business team

Having an attractive Web site plays an important role in getting repeat visits. Microsoft Office Live Small Business has several built-in features — including themes, styles, colors, and fonts — that make it easy for you to improve the appearance of your site. And you don't need a degree in graphic design to do it.

Choose a site theme

A good place to start when you are planning the overall look and feel of your site is to select a theme. The theme you choose controls the image that appears in the header at the top of each page. You can select from a variety of built-in themes for many industries, including automotive, finance, manufacturing, and real estate.

To select a theme, follow these steps:

Sign in to Office Live Small Business. On the Home page, at the top, click Web Site.
On the actions bar, click Design Site, and then, in the drop-down list, click Design site.
Click Theme. A list of theme categories appears.

In the drop-down list, click the theme category that you want. For each category, a list of images appears.
Click the image that you want to use in your header. It is automatically selected and placed in the header on all of the Web pages on your site.

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Apply a style

After you have chosen a theme that suits the purpose of your Web site, you can select a style. The style controls the placement of all elements in your Web site header. The header elements that are affected by your style choice include the logo, theme image, and the site title and slogan.

When you select the style, the header is reconfigured according to the definition of that style. For example, one style may show your logo as left-justified and another may show your logo as right-justified.

To select a style, do the following:

On the Office Live Small Business Home page, at the top, click Web Site.
On the actions bar, click Design Site, and then, in the drop-down list, click Design site.
Click Style. A list of styles appears.
In the drop-down list, click the style you want to use. You can select different styles until you find the one that works for your site.

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Use balanced colors

Color arguably has the most immediate visual impact on your Web site. The color you select should correspond with the theme you chose and should also work well with your logo, if you have one on your site. If the color is out of balance with the other elements, a site can sometimes look unprofessional.

Fortunately, it's easy to choose or change colors on your site. You can select colors and see what they look like with your theme and logo before you save your choices.

There are several color choices for you to make. For example, one color is used for the background of the site while another color is used for the menus. To simplify the decision-making, Office Live Small Business groups all colors used on a Web site into color themes and gives them names that in some way describe the overall feel of the theme. The Ocean color theme uses mostly blue colors, for example, while the Mustard color theme uses mostly orange and brown shades. You can select one of these predesigned color themes, or you can create your own custom color scheme.

Select a predesigned color scheme

To select a color theme for your site, do the following:

On the Office Live Small Business Home page, at the top, click Web Site.
On the actions bar, click Design Site, and then, in the drop-down list, click Design site.
Click Color.
In the drop-down list, click the color theme that you want. You can select different color themes until you find the one that works for your site.

Create a custom color scheme

If you don't want to use one of the predesigned color schemes, you can create your own in Site Designer.

On the Office Live Small Business Home page, at the top, click Web Site. Page Manager appears.
In Page Manager, on the actions bar, click Design Site.
In the drop-down list, click Design site. Site Designer appears.
In Site Designer, click Color, and then click Create custom color scheme.
In the Create custom color scheme dialog box, under Theme colors, a list of color groups appears. Click the color group name to expand the list of colors. The color groups are areas of your Web site where you can apply color — for example, Header or Body.
Click an item in the list to select it, and under Select a color, select a color that you want for that item.
To specify a custom color, click More colors.
Under Select a color, set the slider on the right to the hue that you want. On the left, click and hold the color selector circle, and drag it to the shade and saturation that you want. The hex number for the color you are currently selecting appears in the Hex box. You can also specify a precise color by typing the hex number into the Hex box.

Note: Note the Hex number of the color you select if you want to use it elsewhere on your site.
Click Apply.
Repeat these steps for each color group that you want to apply a custom color to, and then click OK.

After you create your custom color scheme, it appears in the Color drop-down menu in Site Designer. You can switch between this custom color scheme and any of the predesigned schemes; however, you can have only one custom color scheme. If you create another custom color scheme, it overwrites the previous one.

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Choose the right font

Another important visual element for your Web site is the font you choose for the content. You can select a font to use on all of the pages on your site, or you can pick a different font for different pieces of text. Applying a font to the whole Web site enables you to quickly and easily give the entire site a common look and feel, which typically is more attractive to site visitors.

The fonts that you select should be applicable to the message you want to portray. For example, if you have a Web site that displays legal content, you would probably not want to use a font with a lot of embellishments, such as Trebuchet MS. Instead, you would use a font that is easy to read, such as Arial or Times New Roman.

Note: Not all fonts render correctly on all Web browsers (for example, Windows Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox). The available fonts have been tested on a range of browsers to ensure that the text renders correctly, regardless of the browser that your site visitors use.

To select a font for your site, do the following:

On the Office Live Small Business Home page, at the top, click Web Site.
On the actions bar, click Design Site, and then, in the drop-down list, click Design site.
Click Font, and then, in the drop-down list, click the font that you want.

There are several ways that you can add impact to the look and feel of your Web site. By making a few simple changes to the theme, the colors, and the font, you can give your site a professional and personalized look that will appeal to your visitors.

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Add special background effects

You can enhance the appearance of your Web site by adding a background image to a Web page or by adding a color gradient to the background of your entire Web site.

Add a background image to a Web page

A background image appears in the content area of the page.

On the Office Live Small Business Home page, at the top, click Web site.
In Page Manager, locate the page you want to add a background image to, and click Edit.
On the Page Editor tab, In the Advanced group, click Page background.
Select the Use background image check box.
Next to the Image file box, click Select.
In the Select an image box, under Choose images from, do one of the following:
- To use an image that is located on your computer, select My computer. Click Browse for an image, locate the image that you want to use, and then click Open. If you want to optimize the image for the Web, select the Optimize my image check box. Then click Insert image.
  
  Note: If you select this option, the image is converted to JPG (if it is not already in this format), and the JPG conversion quality level is set to 100%. The image is resized to a maximum of 640 pixels, maintaining its aspect ratio. These improvements help the image load faster in Web browsers.
- To select an image that you uploaded to the Image Gallery, select My uploaded images. Select the image, and then click Insert Image.
  
  Note: For more information about the Image Gallery, see Add or remove an image.
In the Page background dialog box, in the Position list, select the place on the background you want to position the image. If you want to tile the image on the page, in the Tiling list, select how you want it to be tiled. Click OK.

Add a gradient color background to your Web site

You can add a gradient to the background of your entire site. The background color will be the same on each page.

On the Office Live Small Business Home page, at the top, click Web site.
In Page Manager, click Design Site, and then select Design site.
On the Site Designer tab, in the Advanced group, click Options.
In the Site Options dialog box, under Display options, select Gradient in the drop-down list.

Note: You can also select Flat color for a solid color or Blank for no color in your site background.
Click OK.

Note: To change the color of your background, see Customize your Web site color scheme.

For more tips on improving your Web site, see this video, "Customize your Web site look."

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Build a Web site from a site template

Monte Enbysk — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 20:50:21 GMT

By the Microsoft Office Live Small Business team

You can use a Web site template to create a beautiful and highly functional Web site for your business. After you add a template to your Microsoft Office Live Small Business account, you can quickly tweak a few items to make it your own. Several Web site templates are available from the MSDN Code Gallery Office Live Web site templates page. Each template contains Web pages and images, a style sheet, and a small business application designed to support a specific type of business. Each Web page in the template includes suggested text, beautiful graphics, and custom Web parts.

This article describes how the owner of a coffee shop quickly and easily builds his Web site by starting with the Cafe Web site template.

What do you want to do?

Add the template to your Office Live Small Business account

Delete the duplicate Web pages

Customize the Web page text

Activate a list on a Web page

Activate a form on a Web page

Add the template to your Office Live Small Business account

The Web site templates are designed to be used by a business that has not yet started to customize the Web site associated with their Office Live Small Business account. Our coffee shop owner hasn't yet started his site. If you want to add a template, and you have already customized your Web pages, you probably want to back up your site before adding this template. You can back up your pages, including the related data, using the back-up feature in Office Live Small Business. For more information about backing up your site, see Back up, restore, or reset your Web site.

To start the process of building his site, the coffee shop owner downloads the Cafe Web site template using the following steps.

In the MSDN Code Gallery, on the Downloads tab, open the Cafe Web site template download page.
Under Files, click cafe.olp.
In the license agreement dialog box, read the agreement, and then click I Agree if you agree with the license terms.
In the File Download dialog box, click Save.
In the Save As dialog box, click the folder where you want to save this solution file, and then click Open.
Click Save.
If the Download complete dialog box appears, click Close.

The coffee shop owner then adds the template to his Office Live Small Business account.

On the Office Live Small Business Home page, at the top, click Web Site.
In Page Manager, on the actions bar, click Design site, and then click Install solution.
On the Add a solution page, click Browse, and locate the solution file (.olp) that you downloaded.
Select the Overwrite existing files check box.

Note: Although we do not generally recommend that you select this check box, the coffee shop owner must select it to install this site template.
Click Add solution.

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Delete the duplicate Web pages

Each Web site template includes a Home page that is named default.aspx. Every Web site associated with an Office Live Small Business account already has a page named default.aspx. When the coffee shop owner adds the site template to his account, his Home page is replaced with the Home page included in the template.

In addition, the following Web pages are added to his Web site.

About Us
Cafe Events
Coffee To Go
Community
Menu
Contact Us
Feedback
Site Map
Making Great Coffee
Secrets of Roasting

When the coffee shop owner opens the Web Site page in his account, Page Manager shows him that he now has duplicate Web pages with the titles About Us, Contact Us, and Site Map. He wants to keep the pages that were added with the site template and remove the original default pages. He can distinguish between the the two pages by looking at the Last Modified column. All of the pages added by the site template have the current date in this column.

Note: If you add the template the same day that you open your account, you can still determine which pages in Page Manager were added by the template. The pages that are included in the template are named using an underscore as the first character. For example, the default Contact Us page is named "contactus.aspx", and the Contact Us page in the template is named "_contactus.aspx". To view the file name of a particular Web page in Page Manager, click Properties in the Options column next to the page name.

The coffee shop owner uses the following steps to delete the default About Us, Contact Us, and Site Map pages.

On the Office Live Small Business Home page, at the top, click Web Site.
In Page Manager, next to each page that you want to delete, click Delete.

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Customize the Web page text

Each Web page that the template adds includes text in the zones on the page and in the footer. For example, let's look at text that the coffee shop owner might want to edit on his new Home page after he adds the template to his site.

Edit the text in an HTML module

At the top of Zone 1 on the coffee shop's new Home page is an area that shows the shop name, address, phone number, and hours of business.

This Web part is an HTML module, so all of the text that is being displayed is part of the HTML in the module. To customize this text, the shop owner follows these steps:

On the Office Live Small Business Home page, at the top, click Web Site.
In Page Manager, in the Options column next to the Home page, click Edit.
At the top of Zone 1, right-click the dashed blue square, and then click Properties. The HTML dialog box appears. The last four lines of the HTML code in this dialog box are as follows:

id="callout_rounded_bottom"> <div id="callout_content">Fourth Coffee<br/>123 Fourth

Avenue West<br />Franklin, USA<br /> 555-1212<br /><br> Our hours: </br>6 a.m. -

11 p.m. Monday-Saturday<br />7 a.m. - 10 p.m. on Sunday<br /> </div> </div> </div>

</div> </body> </html>
In the HTML dialog box, type over the text in these lines of HTML code to replace the business name ("Fourth Coffee"), address ("123 Fourth Avenue West" and "Franklin, USA"), phone number ("555-1212"), and hours. Click OK.

For more information about using the HTML module, see Inserting HTML code into your Web site.

Edit the text in a zone

Zones 2 and 3 on the Home page are located on the right side and at the bottom of the page. The text in these zones was typed directly into the zone. To customize this text, the coffee shop owner can click in the zone and type over the existing text.

The existing text includes some hyperlinks to other pages on this site. For example, the second paragraph contains a link with the text Fourth Coffee that opens the Cafe Events page. If the owner wants to add links to the text on any page, he can do the following:

On the Office Live Small Business Home page, at the top, click Web Site.
In Page Manager, in the Options column next to the page to which you want to add the link, click Edit.
In the Web design tool, in the zone where you want to add the link, type the text for the link, and then select the text.
Right-click the selected text, and then click Create/edit hyperlink.
In the Insert a Link dialog box, fill in the fields, and then click OK.

For more information about adding hyperlinks to Web page text, see Add or remove links.

Edit the text in the footer

By default, a footer is included on all pages of a Web site. The same text is displayed in each footer. After the Cafe site template is added to a site, the footer text on all pages starts with the words "This template provides a visual of how your site can look ...". The coffee shop owner can customize the footer text by following these steps:

On the Office Live Small Business Home page, at the top, click Web Site.
In Page Manager, on the actions bar, click Design Site, and then click Design site.
In Site Designer, on the Web page that is currently displayed, click the footer.
In the Customize your footer dialog box, in the Footer Text box, select the text, and then type the new text. Click OK.

For more information about customizing the footer, see Change the footer content and links.

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Activate a list on a Web page

The Cafe Web site template includes a Cafe Events page with a list of scheduled events. This list is a Web part that is connected to a list in the Cafe template business application that was added to the Office Live Small Business account as part of the Web site template. The coffee shop owner adds a couple of events to the events list by following these steps:

On the Office Live Small Business Home page, at the top, click More, and then click Business Applications.
On the Business Applications Home page, on the left navigation bar, click Cafe template.
Click the Cafe Events tab.
For each item to be added to the list, on the actions bar, click New.
Fill in the details of the event, and then click OK.

When the Cafe Events page is added to a Web site, the lists Web part is all set up; all the coffee shop owner needs to do is activate it to display the list on his Web site. To activate the lists Web part:

On the Office Live Small Business Home page, at the top, click Web Site.
In Page Manager, next to the Cafe Events page, click Edit. At the bottom of the page, the deactivated Web part appears as a large square with text that starts with You're almost done!.

Right-click the Web part, and then click Properties.
In the List Publisher dialog box, all of the settings are already completed. To accept these settings, click OK. The list is now displayed on the Web page with the items from the list in the business application.

For more information about publishing a business application list on a Web page, see Display a list on your public Web site.

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Activate a form on a Web page

The Cafe Web site template includes a Coffee To Go Web page that holds a form designed to collect order information from Web site visitors. When an order is submitted, the order information is added to the Coffee To Go list in the Cafe Template business application.

The form is all set up; all the coffee shop owner needs to do is activate it to display the form on his Web site and connect it to his business application. To activate the Web part:

On the Office Live Small Business Home page, at the top, click Web Site.
In Page Manager, next to the Coffee To Go page, click Edit. At the bottom of the page, the deactivated form appears as a large square with text that starts with You're almost done!.

Right-click the form, and then click Properties.
In the Form Designer dialog box, all of the settings were completed as the page was added from the template. To accept these settings, click OK. The form is displayed on the Web page and is ready to collect items for the list in the business application.

For more information about adding a form on a Web page, see Collect customer information through a Web page.

After following these steps, the coffee shop owner has a fully functional and customized Web site designed to support his business. He also feels confident that he can update the pages himself in the future.

If you have a cafe, a restaurant, a spa, a landscaping business, or a business that has similar Web site needs, consider using a Web site template to jump-start your Web site.

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Branding your site with your company logo

Monte Enbysk — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 20:28:33 GMT

By the Microsoft Office Live Small Business team

A company logo uniquely identifies your company at a glance, from your letterhead and business cards to your company's Web site. Because a logo is simply an image, you can use Microsoft Office Live Small Business to easily customize your company logo and add it to your Web site for a more polished and professional look that your customers will appreciate.

If you don't have an existing logo, see Create your own logo for information about creating a logo. Or if you are interested in finding a professional to create a logo for you, see the Microsoft Office Live Small Business Marketplace.

Note: Office Live Small Business supports the following image file formats: JPEG, BMP, GIF, and PNG. One advantage in using a GIF or PNG file for your logo is that both GIF and PNG files can have a transparent background, so your logo can appear without any borders or white space.

Important: If you partially redirected a domain name to your Office Live Small Business account: Before you can make changes to your Web site after partial redirection, you must change the primary domain to your free Office Live Small Business domain that ends in .officelive.com. For more information, see Make changes to your Web site after partial redirection.

Add a logo

You can add your logo to the header of your Web site; it then automatically appears at the top of every page on your site. You can add an image from two sources: your computer or the Image Gallery. The Image Gallery contains images that you have already uploaded to your account. To add a logo, do the following:

Sign in to Office Live Small Business. On the Home page, at the top, click Web Site.
On the Web Site Home page, in Page Manager, on the actions bar, click Design Site, and then, in the drop-down list, click Design site.
On the Site Designer toolbar, click Theme, click Custom Theme Image, and then click New. The Insert Image dialog box appears.
In the Insert image dialog box, under Choose images from, do one of the following:
- To use an image that is located on your computer, select My computer. Click Browse for an image, locate the image that you want to use, and then click Open. If you want to optimize the image for the Web, select the Optimize my image check box. Then click Insert image.
  
  Note: If you select this option, the image is converted to JPG (if it is not already in this format), and the JPG conversion quality level is set to 100%. The image is resized to a maximum of 640 pixels, maintaining its aspect ratio. These improvements help the image load faster in Web browsers.
- To select an image that you uploaded to the Image Gallery, select My uploaded images. Select the image, and then click Insert Image.

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Customize your logo

You can customize the appearance of your logo directly in the Image Uploader. After you add your logo to your site, you can also change the style of the header to customize the layout of your logo.

Crop, rotate, or change the image brightness or contrast

When you select a file to upload to the Image Gallery using the Image Uploader, you can crop, rotate, or change the brightness and contrast of the image before you upload it. To do this, select the image to upload, and then click Edit Photos, as shown in the following image.

When you use these tools to edit your image, only the copy of the image that you are uploading to the Image Gallery is edited. The original image file on your computer remains unchanged.

Note: These editing tools are available only when you use the Image Uploader to upload a file to the Image Gallery. If you add a logo to your Web site by inserting an image directly from your computer, you must use your own image-editing software to edit the image. In addition, you cannot use these editing tools to edit an image after the image is already uploaded to the Image Gallery.

Change the layout of your logo

After you add your logo to the header of your Web site, you can select from 20 available layouts to find the style that best fits the shape and style of your logo. To change your header style, do the following:

On the Office Live Small Business Home page, at the top, click Web Site.
On the actions bar, click Design Site, and then, in the drop-down list, click Design site.
On the Site Designer toolbar, click Style. Then click a style to select it from the menu of options. Your header layout updates automatically.

If your logo is not the correct size for your preferred header style, resize it on your computer, and then upload the edited image.

Resize your logo

You can resize your logo in almost any image-editing program that you own. For example, if Microsoft Office is installed on your computer, you may have the Microsoft Office Picture Manager tool. To resize your image using Picture Manager, do the following:

On your computer, locate the folder where your logo image file is stored.
Right-click the file name of the logo file, point to Open With, and then click Microsoft Office Picture Manager.
On the toolbar, click Edit Pictures. Then, in the Edit Pictures task pane, click Resize.
In the Resize task pane, set the size you need, and then click OK.
On the File menu, click Save (or press CTRL + S).

Notes:
- Your Image Gallery cannot store two files that have the same name and file type. So before you upload the resized logo, either rename the file or delete the original logo file from your Image Gallery. To access your Image Gallery, in Office Live Small Business, at the top, click Web Site, and then click Image Gallery.
- If you are resizing the logo to make it larger than the original, you may lose image quality depending on the resolution of the image file. If that happens, resize a copy of the original logo artwork in the program used to create the logo (such as Microsoft Office PowerPoint or a graphics program), and then save the picture file again.

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Replace your logo

To replace the logo that is currently in the header of your Web site, follow the steps earlier in this article for adding a logo. When you select a new logo from the Image Gallery or from your computer, the existing logo in your header is automatically replaced.

To use an image that is tailored to your type of business instead of your company logo, select an available image from the categories provided on the Theme menu. To remove the logo from your header without replacing it, on the Theme menu, select General (no photos).

Adding your own custom logo is a simple way to help your customers identify your company and to give your Web site a professional look.

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How-to Articles

How to make a good home office great

8 tips for using Twitter for your business

By Monte Enbysk

Get an audience for yourself, your business

8 ways to get Twitter working for you

Create a user name that people will associate with you and your business.

Likewise, create a background and profile that reflects your business or profession

Use your tweets (140 characters maximum) to add value.

Engage with people.

Use Twitter as your support desk.

Check out Twitter tools and mobile applications.

Track your results — and use shortcuts to follow what is said about your company.

Know the 8 steps to Twitter failure, courtesy of Joel Comm.

Embrace — and enjoy

5 ways to protect new digital gear

By Kim Komando

Technology tips for improving your work-life balance

How technology can save time and money

7 pages every business Web site must have

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5 surefire ways to stand out online

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Biggest financing mistakes by first-time entrepreneurs

Attention women: Top 7 businesses to start from home

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Gain creative control over your layouts with zone resizing

Give your site more visual impact with background options

Before and boosted

Before: the original Fourth Coffee site

After: "French Roast," the boosted site design

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Symptoms

Potential Causes

Potential Solutions

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James Bazelle, owner of Mert’s Heart and Soul

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Slash the number of new messages

Respond appropriately

Take advantage of subject lines

Forwarding and copying

Be disciplined

Use your e-mail program’s tools

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