How to Use the Mail Merge Feature in Word

how to use mail mergeThe Microsoft Mail Merge feature and I have a love-hate relationship. About twelve years ago, while I was employed as an intern for a consular service, I was asked to draft a letter that was to be mailed to five hundred people. I was given a list of addresses on a sheet of paper and asked to print the letters and envelopes after drafting them in a Word document and send them on their way. I was given two days to complete this task along with the excessive amount of other work I was to keep up on simultaneously.

I spent hours typing out each address and copying and pasting the content of the letter into each document prior to sending the envelopes and letters to print. Imagine the anger I felt when upon completing the project with little time to spare, my boss pointed out that I could have used the Excel version of the address list and the mail merge feature to have completed the task in a fraction of the time.

So you see, I love the mail merge feature for its ability to simplify my life immensely, but I hate it for not having introduced itself sooner.

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Ecommerce Retailers: To Pay Per Click or Not to Pay Per Click

ppc puzzle

Marketing your ecommerce store can be difficult. Since you’re selling things online, it’s best to market yourself online. One of the most common forms of online marketing that ecommerce merchants use is pay per click (PPC) advertising. PPC, however, can be a financial investment, and it can be an investment that doesn’t always pay off significantly. Why? PPC requires a lot of analysis and effort before it makes you any sort of profit. If you’re deciding whether PPC is right for you, keep reading.

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Apple vs Microsoft: Tablet Market Clash between iPad and Windows 8

windows 8 vs ipad

Besides Google Android, the tablet king Apple iPad is about to get a taut rival in Windows 8. A row of Windows 8-based tablets are to enter to the scene later this 2012. Microsoft has already previewed its ARM compatible Windows 8 and a dedicated app store called the Windows Store for it. Most analysts think that Windows 8 and Windows Store will haul up crucial threat to iOS and its App Store. Maybe, Google’s Android might not have overcome Apple iPad in number of products sold. But the open source firmware enjoys a clear edge over iPad in escalating popularity. But when it comes to Windows 8, iPad may be grounded on the fact that Microsoft’s firmware is more enterprise friendlier and innovative.

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iPhone Apps for the American League Western Division Baseball Fan

baseball iphone apps

Major League Baseball’s American League Western Division teams each have only three other teams to contend with in their annual hunt for playoff gold. Some teams have all the luck. It could be the Milwaukee Brewers’ fault for defecting to the National League a while back. Now there are 14 teams total in the AL to the NL’s 16 teams. Everything seems to work out and if the Western Division get’s a pass by only having 4 total teams, then that’s how the baseball cookies crumble. Install these four apps on your iPhone to become the baseball analyst supreme.

Texas Baseball Live

texas baseball live

Texas Baseball Live sends you the newest facts and figures about the 2011 American League Champions right to your iPhone for perusal at your convenience. Can Ron Washington pilot those Rangers to still another 1st place finish in the AL West? They are the team to beat this year. Don’t miss the trials and tribulations of the champs’ dramas. Download this app to receive the best, news, blues and gossip about the Rangers 2012 season. Program it into your Twitter feed to make sure that you cover all of the bases.

Oakland Baseball Live

oakland baseball live

Oakland Baseball Live is the app that you need for the best coverage of A’s baseball. The team that brought you ‘Money Ball’ is a perennial contender in the AL Western division. Brad Pitt has exquisitely brought to life the savvy business decisions of Oakland’s Billy Beane. How he gets the most for the least has confounded the experts and deep pocketed teams to distraction. Yuan Ventures is a leader in baseball apps for the iPhone. Download this app and learn the whys and the hows. The news centric data feeds and collection of content-rich sources shines in the Oakland sun.

Seattle Baseball

seattle baseball iphone

Seattle Baseball is the next best thing to being at Safeco Field. The app gives you the complete low down on the team. Get it to learn the entire goings on of this outstanding baseball team and their efforts to turn around a disappointing stretch of baseball purgatory. With a dedicated fan base leading the way, anything is possible in this new 2012 season. Remember always that it’s how you play the game and to always root for your team no matter what. With a beautiful park like Safeco, you can still count your blessings. Say a prayer for Wedge and hope for a miracle.

Anaheim Baseball

anaheim baseball iphone

Anaheim Baseball tells it like it is. The Angels are a baseball team from Anaheim, not really Los Angeles. They are different cities aren’t they? They shoot horses don’t they? Oh well. I know that it isn’t the fans’ fault. They are victims of baseball’s rampant commercialism. The players and the fans are what it is all about. If the owners seek to distance themselves from their true roots, then that is their right I, I reckon. It is pretty cool that they got that big fancy home run hitter from the Cardinals. I suppose he will start hitting some time during the season. In the meantime, if they can just keep throwing those no-hitters, they just may have a shot at the playoffs.

8 Tips for Using QR Codes in Marketing

qr code model

QR codes are a good way to get consumers involved, to keep them engaged and interested in what you have to offer.

Here are 8 tips for using QR codes in your marketing campaign.

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iPhone Apps for National League Eastern Division Baseball Fans

baseball eastern league division iphone

Welcome to the second installment of lists of iPhone apps that you need to follow your favorite baseball team to glory or to that proverbial agony of defeat. Thanks to the many readers who have made this series the awesome success that it is. It ain’t over until it’s over. So ignore the naysayers and root for your team until every statistical probability is exhausted. That is the way of the true baseball fan. It is about hope and optimism. These apps will give you the low down on the home town boys of summer.

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Concentrate on Your Business with Adwords Management

google adwords management

One of the main problems with running your own business is that entrepreneurs often become too much of a jack of all trades and master of none. We spend too much time trying to run everything ourselves and become quite inefficient. Instead of focusing on the core activity of our businesses, you know, the one that actually creates value and brings home the bills, we waste time in running other  tasks. A perfect example is the management of your Google Adwords account.

The Lowdown on Making Your Site Mobile-Friendly

mobile siteIt has been easy until recently to ignore the concept of mobile browsing as it did not impact a significant portion of the traffic on the internet.  That notion has changed, however, with 2011 seeing a total of 20% of all web traffic coming through mobile phones.  That is a huge jump and change from just a few years ago when phones barely could connect to a carrier’s online store to purchase ringtones and wallpaper.

It is now vital for the success of your website to have a mobile-friendly version in place for anyone who discovers your site on their phone, especially if you are selling a product.  While the process of creating a mobile version of your site is too complex to explain here, I will show you the basics of what needs to be done and where you can find more information on the subject.

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