Setting up Group Email Lists

An e-mail group, or “mailing list,” as it’s often called, is an easy way to send e-mail to specific group of people.

An e-mail group is useful for everything from interoffice memos to long-term projects, especially those projects which involve teams made up of people in multiple locations. Rather than daily phone conferences or time-consuming face-to-face meetings, an e-mail group can enhance collaboration by ensuring everyone involved in a project stays up to date.

They’re also great for non-technical users, since members can reply to everyone in the group at once by sending mail to one address — there’s no need to add a bunch of addresses to an e-mail by hand every time they want to send a message.

While e-mail might not entirely replace human meetings, a list that delivers important updates and facilitates communication between project participants can significantly smooth your workflow.

Step 1: Create a group

The first step is to create a new group within your e-mail client — different clients have different names for it, but it’s almost always called a “group” or a “list.” Give your group a name relevant to the project.

Step 2: Add your members

Next, add the names and e-mail addresses of everyone in your group. You should be able to add people to your group directly from your contacts.

Step 3: Individual or digest?

Some e-mail software lets members chose between individual messages or what are called “digests.” Digests simply collect up all the e-mails sent to the group — including any replies to older messages — and deliver them as a single e-mail, usually about once per day.

Typically, individual messages will work just fine, but some members may want to receive daily digests since they cut down on the number of e-mails flowing into one’s inbox.

If you’d like to allow group members to select the digest option, make sure you enable it when you set up your e-mail group.

Step 4: Send a welcome message.

Once you group is set up, send out a welcome e-mail to all your group members with some basic instructions on how to use the group — how to reply, how to behave and how to unsubscribe. Make sure you include vital contacts for technical issues — your address or the address of your technical administrator. That way, if any of your group members have problems, they know where to get help.

 Simple Reminders:

Unless you run your office like Michael Scott (Steve Carrell’s bumbling manager in The Office), you’ll probably want to set up some ground rules for group e-mail etiquette. Gently remind your group members that the success of the list depends on their behavior.

Document Sharing with Dropbox in Mac

You can share a folder right from your computer if you’ve installed the Dropbox desktop application.

  1. Open your Dropbox folder.
  2. Right-click or Control-click on the folder you want to share to bring up a menu.
  3. Select Dropbox > Share This Folder…. This will open the Sharing page on the Dropbox website.
    Share this folder option
  4. Enter the email addresses of the people you want to invite.
  5. Add a personal message if you’d like and click Share folder.

Document Sharing with Dropbox in PC

You can share a folder right from your computer if you’ve installed the Dropbox desktop application.

  1. Open your Dropbox folder.
  2. Right-click on the folder you want to share to bring up a menu.
  3. Select Dropbox > Share This Folder…. This will open the Sharing page on the Dropbox website.share-this-folder
  4. Enter the email addresses of the people you want to invite.
  5. Add a personal message if you’d like and click Share folder.

How to Add a PDF Document

These are the steps to be followed to add a PDF Document in your post in WordPress:

1.)    If you are going to create a new post, click Posts then select Add new post or you can just click All Post and look for the post that you wanted to edit.

2.)    Click the Add Media button.

Add media

3.)    Locate the PDF file from your computer that you want to upload and publish in your post in WordPress.

4.)    After uploading the file, select it and click the Insert into Post button. If you wanted to select more than one file, you need hold down CMD/CTRL key in your keyboard while selecting the files.

Select PDF

5.)    The Name of the PDF will be displayed in link form.  After clicking the previous button in step 4, this output will be displayed:

Samplw

6.)    Click Publish if you are done.

 

How to Write Effective Content

Web readers may be a difficult bunch, they may take a while to digest information and they may need convincing of every single point you deliver but they are essential.

Writing for the Internet is a different skill to writing for paper print or paper publications. Website readers digest smaller amounts of information in less time when compared to reading from paper.

Use An Inverted Pyramid Style Of Writing

The inverted pyramid style of writing means getting the point early in the text of your article. Web readers are an impatient bunch and they need to know that the page they’re reading is relevant. Include a summary or conclusion of the page’s main points at the beginning of the text and then elaborate on this as you progress.

Make It Concise

As well as being impatient, web readers aren’t able to digest and process information as well on a computer screen as they are on paper. There are masses of studies and numerous sets of data giving statistics on this, but the general point is that basic pages need to be between a third and a half of the length they would be on paper. Try to aim for 300-500 words for web pages, with longer pages for technical articles, newsletters, and other web based publications.

Use Headers and Sub-Headers

Headers and sub-headers not only enable you, as the writer, to properly structure the page; they also enable the reader to scan through and find the information that is most pertinent to them. Don’t try anything too clever with your headers and do ensure that they are relevant and informational.

Use Bullets and Lists

Bullets and lists are another method of enabling readers to quickly navigate around a page and grab the most important information. Many readers will simply scroll down a page and if no information jumps out at them then they won’t read anything. Prevent these readers from clicking away from your website by offering bite sized chunks of information.

Use Simple Language

Another area where statistics and figures differ is in the comprehension level of website readers. No matter which figures you listen to, though, one point is clear – we simply can’t process information as well when reading from a computer. Use simple language, avoid jargon that isn’t necessary or clearly defined, and engage your readers using language that everybody can understand.

Use Short Paragraphs And Shorter Sentences

A paragraph should contain text relating to a single, simple idea. When you reach the conclusion of that idea, you should also reach the end of that paragraph. Paragraphs should contain no more than 70-80 words where possible. If a paragraph requires fewer words then make it shorter. The same goes for sentences.

Make It Easy To Scan

Shorter paragraphs, more concise pages, and good headers make a page easy to scan. So too do bullets and lists. Add formatting such as bold and italicized text, quotes, and even hyper linked text to make the page easier to scan. Remember to use a degree of caution, however, because a page that consists of different formatting techniques will be very difficult to read and understand. Many readers will simply close your page and move on.

Write Objectively

We’ve already discussed how Internet users are impatient and find it difficult to digest information; they’re also a highly skeptical bunch that will take convincing of virtually anything you have to say. Use objective language and avoid the use of too much marketing fluff. Avoid exaggerated claims such telling readers that yours is the best product in the world and instead show them why – convince them to come to that conclusion on their own and you will enjoy better results for your effort.

One Idea per Paragraph, One Subject per Page

A single paragraph should contain a single idea and a single page should cover one topic. If a page is becoming too wordy because it includes information on other subjects, then break it down and hyperlink to those other pages. For longer pages remember the bookmark function and use it wisely to help readers navigate their way around your site and take in all of the information that you have to offer.