Here are a few Help & Support resources worth making a note of:

Microsoft Helps: http://twitter.com/microsofthelps - Official Microsoft Twitter support account for Windows and Office queries. Based in US so available 7.30am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday Pacific Standard Time (take 8 hours off British Summer Time). Maybe not ideal if you’re stuck at 9am, but if you can hold off til around 3.30pm it’s great!

Microsoft Help and Support Centre: http://support.microsoft.com/?ln=en-gb Tech support issues

Microsoft Answers: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/default.aspx Online Q & A forum - got a question? You should find the answer here.

Source: Microsoft Small Business

Now you can get even more out of Office using Web Apps. Web Apps are your favourite Office programs in a scaled-down form. They’re available completely free as part of our SkyDrive service.

If you have a Windows Live ID you’re already halfway there. From your Hotmail page, go to More > SkyDrive. Under the New tab you’ll see the Word, PowerPoint, Excel and OneNote icons. You can use your favourite apps from within any web browser to create, edit and share files. Try Web Apps now and do real work wherever you are.

‘Borrowed’ from Microsoft’s Office Insider newsletter – you can subscribe here if you’d like more hints and tips on how to get more from Office. Here’s another article from this month’s issue.

Want to share your pictures with family and friends? Are they too big to email? Try using Windows Live SkyDrive. With 25Gb free cloud-based storage there’s plenty of space to share your precious pics, and you stay in control of who sees them and what they can do with them. All you need is your Windows LiveID to get started.

Not sure what a Windows LiveID is? It’s just a login & password that you set - find out more.

Source: Microsoft Small Business

Don’t want to lose your older, line-of-business XP applications? No problem - run them with XP Mode in Windows 7.

Our brief video tells you more

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Source: Microsoft Small Business

Continuing our astronomy discussion (did anyone actually see the Northern Lights?) I can say with much more certainty that the Perseids meteor shower will be visible for a few nights from tomorrow.  The Jodrell Bank website says:

“If it is clear on the 11th to 14th of August, one will have a chance of seeing the meteors in the Perseid Meteor Shower - the year’s most dependable meteor shower.  It is a great year to observe the Perseids as the thin crescent Moon will have set early in the evening so its glare will not hinder our view.   Look up towards the North-East from 11 pm onwards on the nights of August 11th, 12th and 13th and 14th.  The peak of activity - when you might expect to see 20-30 meters an hour is predicted to be between 00:30 and 03:00 BST on the morning of the 13th.   This is the best time to observe on the other nights too, as Perseus is rising in the sky and the Earth is facing the meteor stream.  Most meteors are seen when looking about 50 degrees away from the ‘radiant’ (the point from which the meteors appear to radiate from) which lies between Perseus and Cassiopea.”

The best way to watch them is on a lounger in the garden, maybe with a blanket but definitely with a glass or two of your choice.

Source: Microsoft Small Business

 In our series of Windows 7 Professional videos, here’s a brief (60 or so seconds) video on how you can access your files and programs from anywhere.

Watch the video

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Source: Microsoft Small Business

Have just retweeted an interesting article on the Marketing Donut site, Let your heart rule your head, which advocates accepting emotion as a valid tool in business dealings. This is in the sense of accepting that we’re all emotional beings at heart and not being afraid to appeal to people’s feelings – not suggesting we shout or lose our tempers!

Small business owners in particular are generally passionate about what they do – they have to be in order to compete and survive. And this is why our Office campaign ‘Does your passion deserve more’ has been so successful’, because it features real small business owners talking about what they do (their passion) and how technology (our passion) has helped them do it better.  

Source: Microsoft Small Business

Nothing to do with small business, but apparently the Northern Lights may be visible from the UK tonight, so I for one will be looking upwards when I’m walking the dog later.

There’s a brief explanatory video about it on YouTube.

I’m struggling to find info on times but you can read more on Monday’s solar flare and the how’s and why’s of magnetic energy here BBC website.  

Source: Microsoft Small Business

Guest post from Emma Jones, founder of Enterprise Nation www.enterprisenation.com, a business expert, and author of ‘Spare Room Start Up’ and ‘Working 5 to 9’.

Job satisfaction has fallen to a record low according to an industry body whose research reveals employees are nervous of losing their jobs and unhappy about pay freezes and cuts. It’s a dismal situation but one that can be solved says business expert and author Emma Jones.

Last week’s survey of job satisfaction levels from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) based on responses from 2,000 employees, makes for miserable reading.

The report claims “worsening standards of living, falling job satisfaction, and high levels of job insecurity in the workplace” with the job satisfaction index having fallen to a record low.  The survey revealed particular deterioration amongst public sector employees’ attitudes towards their jobs and management, as the impact of government spending cuts on jobs, pay and benefits kicks in.

But there is a way out of this malaise, claims Emma Jones who is founder of the home business website Enterprise Nation www.enterprisenation.com, a business expert, and author of two books, the most recent having been written for anyone who wants to start and build a business whilst holding on to the day job.

“The results from CIPD don’t come as a surprise” says Jones “we hear every day from employees who want to earn more and be more in control of their working life. This is why I wrote the book ‘Working 5 to 9’ which shows employees how to build a business after office hours. It’s the best way to start as you give yourself time to build confidence and cash, and before you know it you could be operating  full time as  your own boss and benefiting from the freedom and flexibility that comes with being self-employed.”

But not only can ‘Working 5 to 9’ increase earnings and confidence, claims Jones, it can also improve your attitude towards, and performance in, the day job. This is what happened for Rob Birkett who was disillusioned with being a lawyer at a London firm so decided to launch Leavinglaw.com as a possible route out of employment. Twelve months on and Rob’s site and business are going well, as is the day job:

“The cathartic experience of having leavinglaw outside of the day job actually lifts my spirits, and that is reflected in the enjoyment of my employment.”

David Sandy of Integreat Media says the same. By day, he is a web developer for the NHS and by night works for himself as a business development entrepreneur.  

 “I have been totally upfront with my employer about my self-employment status and continue to put 110% effort and dedication into my employed role. Integreat Media then gets the same amount of input from me from 5 to 9! Since starting the business, my business acumen has improved and I’ve learnt new management, customer service and accounting skills; all of which help my performance in the day job.”

As the impact of Government cuts continues to be felt and companies maintain the great pay freeze, expect to see employees respond in a way that bodes well for all; by working 5 to 9, employees will savour the security of the day job and taste the delight of self-employment. You really can have it all! 

Source: Microsoft Small Business

Want to see how Excel can help you - whether managing finances at home or at work? Take a look at this video.

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Source: Microsoft Small Business

Guest blog from Emma Jones, founder of Enterprise Nation www.enterprisenation.com, a business expert, and author of ‘Spare Room Start Up’ and ‘Working 5 to 9’.

When you start and grow a business, you’re involved each day in the detail of running the business; perfecting customer service, ensuring positive cashflow, making new products, and so on. This is all good and right but to plan for business growth, it’s important to step away from day-to-day affairs and take a good look at the business from a distance.

Leave home

Years ago someone told me the story of a successful business owner who, once a year, would pack his bags, leave the family home, and head off to spend a week alone with the business plan. I’ve emulated this ever since and every year I think it’s time well spent. Freshly back from this year’s break, here are my five tips on how you can reap rewards from taking a business break.  

1.      Head to a place that stimulates the senses – this place doesn’t have to be far from home but it’s important you travel to it as the journey itself gives a sense of separation. As the car drives away/train pulls out/plane takes off, you positively feel yourself moving farther from the detail of the business and heading towards a space and place that will help you focus on ‘the bigger picture.’ Ideally, choose a place with dramatic scenery; open seas, rolling hills, tall skyscrapers; essentially you’re looking for a landscape that’s different to the one you’re used to as this will stimulate the imagination and create the perfect setting for planning.

2.      Get settled – you’re in the setting and a new place, get yourself accustomed to it; take a walk, have a drink, allow your mind to wander and people watch! Feel yourself starting to relax? Good. You’re in the right frame of mind to start planning!  

3.      Ask yourself two questions - how has the business performed over the past six months/year and where do you want to take the business in the next 6 to 12 months. Write down your thoughts .. on napkins … in a notebook .. on your phone ..whatever is closest to hand. Be ambitious in your goals and make the most of being in a place that’s encouraging you to plan for your dream business.

4.      Don’t rush it – it’s likely you will come up with a new idea for the business in a ‘eureka’ moment of ‘Ah! Why didn’t I think of that before!’ – allow time for this moment to come. You’ve certainly created the right conditions for innovation as your brain is finely tuned on the business and not distracted by detail.

5.      And now for action – possibly the most important point of all. Take your notes, head home, and get started on turning plans into reality!  

Business breaks don’t have to be a full week, or far away. What’s important is to place yourself in conducive surroundings. I do this alone as did the man I emulate but you may choose to go with a business partner or friend so you can vocalise your thoughts. Go with what works for you and know that taking time out may seem like an extravagance, but it will pay dividends.

Source: Microsoft Small Business