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Your computer is mostly just a machine used to accomplish specific tasks. This doesn?t mean that you shouldn?t know all of the advanced tips that help you get the most out of it, though. Here are some of the best shortcuts that you can use to take full advantage of your workstation. WindowsYour Windows workstation has a couple of tricks up its sleeve that even years of use might not necessarily uncover. Here are some of the best ways you can use your Windows computer: Clutter on your screen can be a major cause for distraction throughout the workday, so you should always do your best to keep it to a minimum. There?s a quick shortcut that you can use to minimize all open windows at the same time so you can catch your bearings. All you have to do is click the top bar of any Windows ?window? box that has the minimize, maximize, and close functions, and shake your mouse from side to side. This will minimize any other open windows that you have. If you repeat the function, your windows will return to normal. The taskbar can be used to similar effect. By pressing the Windows key and the number corresponding to your task bar at the bottom of the screen, you can easily minimize or maximize any open applications. If you want to rename a file, just select a file and press F2 rather than going through the right-click and Rename process. To delete a full sentence, just press Ctrl as you hit the Backspace. This deletes your text by the word rather than by the character. To take specific screenshots of any active window, just press the keyboard shortcut Alt and Print Screen. For Google ChromeIf you prefer Google Chrome as your browser of choice, you?ll find plenty of shortcuts available to use as you see fit. If Google is recommending specific searches that you?d prefer it forget about, you can use the arrow keys to select the unwanted suggestion and delete it with Shift + Delete. If you want to move several tabs to a new browser window, hold the Ctrl key to select the tabs you want to move, then drag the mouse to either an existing or entirely new window. For Any BrowserIf you?re not a Google Chrome user, you?ll still find plenty of shortcuts to use that work in most browsers. If selecting the specific text you want isn?t working out for you, just hold down the Shift key and click anywhere in the paragraph you want to select. This selects the entire chunk of text. Access the address bar anytime by using F6 or Ctrl+L. If you?re done with one of your tabs, middle-click it and it will close. This will often be the scroll wheel on the mouse. Do you have any tips to add? Share them with us in the comments.

Facebook Workplace Improves CommunicationIf there?s anything that is critical for collaboration to take place, it would have to be communication. To this end, Facebook has created a desktop app to work with the chat element of their enterprise social network, Workplace. Workplace Chat, as the application is called, allows users to share screens and files in addition to the prerequisite text and video capabilities apps of its kind usually feature. There are also integrations with third-party applications in the pipeline for Workplace Chat, which will only help the over 30,000 organizations that leverage Workplace to communicate more clearly and effectively. Slack Adds Improved Screen SharingSlack has always been intended for collaboration, reaching back to when it was an internal tool to assist in game development. While Slack has offered a comprehensive set of collaboration tools, its screen sharing tool is getting a pretty impressive upgrade: interactivity. After Slack purchased Screenhero in 2014, certain features and elements have been slowly incorporated into Slack?s flagship application, with the latest update as of this writing finally moving the last function over to Slack. Now, paid subscribers will be able to use an improved version of Slack?s remote access capability that enables users to share control of the displayed screen, a useful feature for remote workers. With the ability to make temporary notes, navigate through the shared document, and edit it freely, Slack has given its previous collaboration functions a considerable upgrade. Gmail Accepting Third-Party Add-OnsGoogle plans to make Gmail play nicely with common enterprise applications, potentially improving upon the utility that the email program offers. By accessing the settings button, Gmail users will soon be able to use a variety of tools and programs to incorporate information without having to leave Gmail. With a growing list that includes, among other programs, Trello, DocuSign, Intuit QuickBooks Invoicing, and RingCentral, Gmail will soon have the means to become an invaluable collaboration tool. App developers will even be able to create add-ons for their applications with a write-once code. What is your favorite collaboration tool? Let us know in the comments, and make sure to subscribe to this blog!

For the ShutterbugThese days, we have the technology that enables a complete novice to pick up a camera and take a passable picture. There?s plenty of gift options out there, whether the recipient prefers using a mobile device to take their shots, or is a camera-lugging hobbyist. For the smartphone ?togger, there?s accessories like a lens adapter, a selfie light or remote, while a camera-user might prefer receiving a basic point-and-shoot like the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 V or Nikon D5500, or might prefer some accessory that provides quite a bit of use, like a tripod. Some photography fans might even like a portable backup and editing tool, like the GNARBOX. For the IoT DevoteeThe consumer market has become flooded with connected devices and other Internet of Things doodads. As a result, there are potential gifts for users of every level of experience with the IoT. For beginners, there are kits like the Philips Hue Starter Kit to introduce the idea of the IoT and what it can do. Digital assistants make a great gift for someone who wants to automate the world they live in. Some gifts to consider getting someone like this include the Amazon Echo, Echo Spot, and Echo Show, or the Google Home, Home Max and Home Mini. For the Media JunkieEntertainment has always been a driving force behind technological advancement, which means that there is always a new gadget to give someone who loves gaming, reading, or watching. The groundbreaking Nintendo Switch and Microsoft?s latest console, the Xbox One X make great gift options for a gamer, while someone who always has their nose in a book might appreciate the library they can carry in an e-reader like the Amazon Kindle Oasis. For those who you might plan to spend a little more on, there are always televisions like the Samsung 4K HD and the Sony A1E series OLED 4K. While these items might cost a little more, the smiles these gifts will bring will be worth the cost. What other gifts can you think of for a technology lover who has another particular interest? Have there been gifts that you have given that we haven?t mentioned but belong on these lists? Tell us in the comments!

Online Shopping at Work – By the numbers. 53 percent of employees are using time at work to shop online, an increase from last year. 49 percent of employees use their personal smart phones or tablets to shop at work, an increase from 42 percent last year. Here?s a few ideas that might help you address the issue of excessive use of the Internet for personal purposes: Develop a solid Internet and email policy that provides employees with clear expectations about the employer’s stance on personal time online at work. Follow through with enforcement of the policy when necessary. Train your managers and supervisors about how to establish and maintain the expectations and policies of your workplace. Train them to recognize when an employee might be abusing their Internet access at work. Designate times and/or durations that your team is allowed to use company Internet for personal purposes. Stress that those who don?t comply with designated time/duration will lose the privilege altogether. For those businesses that are looking for a more aggressive approach to handling Internet abuse, consider implementing a web content filter. Web filters give you access control, allowing you to decide which websites your team can access. Filter settings can be deployed company wide, as well as individually for specific user permissions. Since no two companies are alike, you may have to use trial and error to curb Internet abuse by your staff. Whatever you choose to do, White Mountain IT Services can help. We can design an Internet usage policy that works for your company, or implement content filtering or other solutions to keep your staff on-task and productive. Contact us today at (603) 889-0800

Brief is BetterWhat?s your knee-jerk reaction to a long email? Best-case scenario for the sender, you skim it briefly before moving on to the rest of your inbox. You have other things to do, after all, which probably include reading the rest of your emails. Your contacts are in the same position, so it is better to keep your emails concise and direct. Any extra information that doesn?t serve the email?s purpose can be chopped. If an email is too long for you to read, it will be too long for the recipient to read as well. Write a Persuasive Subject LineYour subject line is your first, and only, opportunity to convince the recipient of your message that it is worth their time to read. You want to introduce the topic of your email in such a way that grabs the attention of the reader and encourages them to open the email and at least see what is inside. Give them a reason to open the email, not fluff. Personalization can HelpIf your email messages read like they could be sent to anyone, from any company, you need to revisit them. Each email that is sent out should look like the time was spent to create a genuine message, which means that you need to take the time to create that genuine message. You should always identify yourself and your company, especially when communicating with vendors, new clients, and prospects. Check Your SpellingIf you want to immediately discredit everything you have to say in your email, try misspelling a word or using improper grammar. These embarrassing and reputation-harming mistakes are easy enough to avoid by proofreading any message that is about to go out before clicking the Send button. Furthermore, don?t write anything that may be conveyed as unprofessional, like a sentence with Caps Lock activated. Business Messages Should be ProfessionalWe?re not saying that you shouldn?t share the occasional meme or joke with your organization, we?re saying that some ground rules need to be established. Provide your employees with an outlet that they can use to share these kinds of casual messages, so that their business inboxes aren?t filled with clutter that distracts them from their work. Otherwise, your email could start to contribute to a lack of productivity and focus. For more information on possible business communication solutions, including email, give White Mountain IT Services a call at (603) 889-0800.