How to get there from here

[Maria]

I sometimes read very complex (at least, it seems that
way to me) questions and answers in this newsgroup--NEW
USERS, YET!--and wonder if you could give me an example
or two of the types of jobs in which the very highest
levels of expertise in Word are used. I know first hand
that your information is helpful at any level, but right
now I'm wondering to what I can aspire if I get to know
lots more about, say, VBA for applications, etc.

I thought I was a pretty good word processor before
reading this wonderful newsgroup, but now I'm developing
an inferiority complex!

 

[Shauna Kelly]

Hi Maria

Word is very big, and very complex. So people develop interest and expertise in particular areas. Some people who know VBA backwards
struggle with what seems like relatively simple uses of, say, tables. And vice versa. Some people who can whip up a complex
mailmerge in a flash may know nothing about, say, international language issues. And vice versa.

I think it depends in part on your work and how you use Word. If you're in an academic environment, you're more likely to learn
about numbering, captions and footnotes. If you're in a legal environment, you'll know about tables of authorities and the joys of
copying styles to and from different documents. If you work in a multinational corporation, you might know about right-to-left
languages and the special functionality to cope with some Asian alphabets. And so on.

So you might well be an experienced and successful user of Word, but have never had the need to use some particular bit of
functionality.

For an idea of the breadth of things that Word can do, wander around www.mvps.org/word.

Hope this helps.

Shauna Kelly. Microsoft MVP.
http://www.shaunakelly.com/word
Melbourne, Australia

 

[Larry]

Related to what Shauna was saying about the size of Word, let's say that
there were 100,000 things that could be known about Word. If someone
knew 10,000 things about Word, he'd be pretty knowledgeable, right? Yet
there would still be 90,000 things he didn't know.

Larry

 

[Gordon Burgess-Parker]

I sometimes read very complex (at least, it seems that
way to me) questions and answers in this newsgroup--NEW
USERS, YET!--and wonder if you could give me an example
or two of the types of jobs in which the very highest
levels of expertise in Word are used. I know first hand
that your information is helpful at any level, but right
now I'm wondering to what I can aspire if I get to know
lots more about, say, VBA for applications, etc.

I thought I was a pretty good word processor before
reading this wonderful newsgroup, but now I'm developing
an inferiority complex!

Well I'm the opposite - I only use Word when I have to.... I find it does
very complicated things well, but the simple things, it doesn't seem to act
rationally AT ALL and they drive me to distraction - see my rant about
indenting.....

 

[TF]

Gordon

As I have replied to your 'Rant'. turn off all the Auto features until you
reach the stage of understanding and 'knowing' that you need to use them.


--
Terry Farrell - Word MVP
http://www.mvps.org/word/

I sometimes read very complex (at least, it seems that
way to me) questions and answers in this newsgroup--NEW
USERS, YET!--and wonder if you could give me an example
or two of the types of jobs in which the very highest
levels of expertise in Word are used. I know first hand
that your information is helpful at any level, but right
now I'm wondering to what I can aspire if I get to know
lots more about, say, VBA for applications, etc.

I thought I was a pretty good word processor before
reading this wonderful newsgroup, but now I'm developing
an inferiority complex!

Well I'm the opposite - I only use Word when I have to.... I find it does
very complicated things well, but the simple things, it doesn't seem to act
rationally AT ALL and they drive me to distraction - see my rant about
indenting.....

 

[Maria]

Shauna, thank you so much for helping me see the bigger
picture. I feel much better.

Also, let me tell you how much your website has helped me
become a better word processor. God bless you, Shauna,
for all your help. Please don't stop!

P. S. This may be my second reply to your newsgroup post,
because just as I clicked "Send" earlier, my internet
connection went haywire. But then, you desire two emails
anyway!

-----Original Message-----
Hi Maria

Word is very big, and very complex. So people develop

interest and expertise in particular areas. Some people
who know VBA backwards

struggle with what seems like relatively simple uses of,

say, tables. And vice versa. Some people who can whip up a
complex

mailmerge in a flash may know nothing about, say,

international language issues. And vice versa.

I think it depends in part on your work and how you use

Word. If you're in an academic environment, you're more
likely to learn

about numbering, captions and footnotes. If you're in a

legal environment, you'll know about tables of authorities
and the joys of

copying styles to and from different documents. If you

work in a multinational corporation, you might know about
right-to-left

languages and the special functionality to cope with some Asian alphabets. And so on.

So you might well be an experienced and successful user

of Word, but have never had the need to use some
particular bit of

functionality.

For an idea of the breadth of things that Word can do,

wander around www.mvps.org/word.

Hope this helps.

Shauna Kelly. Microsoft MVP.
http://www.shaunakelly.com/word
Melbourne, Australia


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