University of Missouri Extension- Lawn and Garden Programs

Click the title to find out more!
· Flowers and houseplants
· Fruits
· Grasses and ground covers
· Landscaping
· Trees and shrubs
· Vegetables
· Pests and diseases

Looking for Information you can Trust?

For information and "how to" articles on so many topics- visit the University of Missouri Extension website. You'll find many things on line as well as classes and events scheduled around the state that you can attend.

You can be confident in what you're getting because the information is research based. Be sure to check it out! What kind of information will you find?

• Lawn and Garden
• Nutrition and Health
• Emergency Managementment
• Business and Careers
• Families and Relationships
• Agriculture
• Natural Resources
• Home and Consumer Life
• Community and Leadership

Microsoft Office Communicator

Are you using Microsoft Office Communicator? It is a great tool- for a quick question or for a phone conference at no charge.

It is an instant messaging software that you very likely already have installed on your computer.

Setup audio and video on the tools menu leads you easily through the steps and you're ready to call someone through your computer.

If you're using the chat feature you can email a copy of the conversation to yourself when you're through so you have a record of what was said.

For quick reference cards on Communicator click the title of this post to go to the Microsoft Office website.

Microsoft OneNote

Are you using Microsoft OneNote? If not, you should check it out- there is so much you can do with it.

• Take different types of notes- bulleted and numbered lists, paragraphs, copy and paste from other locations (when you copy and paste from the Internet it also pastes the URL, from a file it also pastes a link to the file!), in tables, in diagrams you make using the Drawing toolbar.
• Organize notes just like you would files- by person, subject, project, etc.- move them around at any time.
• Search for text in all your OneNote notebooks, just the notebook you're in, a section group or one section.
• OneNote works with Outlook- create Outlook tasks, link notes to meetings and contacts, send email messages to OneNote, email notes from OneNote.
• Email notes to others who don't have OneNote, save notes as PDF documents.
• Do calculations and more!

To find OneNote if you have it, click Start, All Programs, Microsoft Office. Once you open it, check out the OneNote Guide (listed on the left- if it doesn't open it) and see the pages in the guide on the right.

It's a fun and useful tool- check it out.

Facebook- New Privacy Settings

Facebook has greatly reduced the number of settings you have to make to keep all of your information private. The settings will not change for everyone on Facebook at the same time- the rollout is gradual. Also- the choices you have currently set on your Facebook information will remain the same. When you do change a privacy setting once your page has upgraded, you will be changing it on multiple things at once. You will get a notice on your Facebook page when the new settings controls are available to you- when you get the announcement, there will be a link on your homepage to the new privacy guide.

You can click this story heading to go to the Facebook blog- look for the article, "Understanding Your Privacy Controls on Facebook", it has the details.

Tips for Social Media Success

I found a good article with some simple basics concerning social media- Facebook, Twitter, etc. and have linked to it from this post title.

I think one main thing to remember is that these are "social" networks. So...use these as if you are having conversations with friends. Think of your conversation with a friend- you tell them what's happening with you, you listen to what's happening with them, you might give and get some useful information- at no charge.

It's fine to use social media as a marketing tool, as long as that's not all you do with it. If all you're doing is sending out ads, pretty soon you won't have a following. Ads should make up a small percentage of your use of social media. Give folks information they can really use- one easy way is to find articles like this to direct them to- and give some of your own opinions.

Let me know your thoughts and suggestions- and have a great day in the social media world!

GED ONLINE CLASSES AVAILABLE AT TRI-LAKES TCRC

GED Online orientation and testing class will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Wednesday, April 14 at Tri-Lakes TCRC, located in the south wing of Reeds Spring High School on Hwy 413 in Reeds Spring, Mo.

There is no fee for this program. Please contact Tri-Lakes TCRC at (417) 272-8707 to pre-register by Monday, April 12th.

This is a great opportunity for residents who do not have their GED to get started on a program to earn it. Tri-Lakes TCRC has computers which will be available for participants of this program to use at no charge

GED online is a free online class offer through Ozarks Technical Community College and Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to improve academic skills before scheduling to take the official GED exam.

Students interested in studying for their GED online can attend this 5 hour orientation and placement test class so they may access the GED online class. Students must be a Missouri resident, must be at least 17 years of age and no longer enrolled in school, have access to a computer (access provided via TCRC by appointment, Monday – Friday, 8:00 am – 4:00 pm), have an email address, have a basic understanding of navigating a web site and have a willingness to learn. Once enrolled in the online course you will be required to complete a lesson and quiz each week. If you have any further questions please call 417-447-8860 or contact ael@otc.edu.

Partnering in this effort: Tri-Lakes TCRC, Ozarks Technical Community College and University of Missouri Extension.

University of Missouri Extension programs focus on the high-priority needs of Missourians. Each county extension center, with oversight by locally elected and appointed citizens, is your local link to practical education on almost anything.

All this technology- what to do?

We had the free Twitter session on February 12 (rescheduled from January 29 due to weather). There was a good turnout, which led to an interesting discussion.

We went through the basics of how Twitter works and struggled with creating accounts due to the web page not opening right after clicking join- you could not scroll all the way to the bottom to get to the Join Now button.

After all this, one student asked why someone would want to join Twitter- an interesting question. I wrote a small description of what Twitter is in the advertising for the class, so was of the mindset that anyone coming would want to join, not be asking why they would want to. Of course, this is the great thing about a free session, if you decide it's not for you, you haven't invested anything except a little bit of your time.

I went over the possible advantage of using Twitter as an advertising tool, but the importance of remembering it is a social network so advertising should not be the only tweets you send out- it's about creating a relationship and giving folks something of value at no charge along the way.

One student said he had come just to learn more about it because technologies like this are the thing of the future- he might not use it now. One said she came to learn and set up an account for the business she works for, but could also see using it to stay in contact with friends and family- like she does with Facebook, but quicker.

I believe it's exciting- and good for us- to learn new things, that's life and when we embrace change it's much less stressful! However, it's up to us to decide which things we learn and which we want to stick with. I just read an article by Martha Beck, life coach who I think is great, and to paraphrase- you should do the things you really need to do and the things you're passionate about. Let the others slide- if they keep coming up do them, otherwise don't worry about them.

eBay Class Jan 14 & 21

Great class Jan 14 & 21. Congratulations to Steve on selling his Laser Jet Toner Cartridge. Have you gotten paid, left feedback, shipped the item and gotten feedback Steve?

Everyone else- have you relisted your item? If so, did you revise anything on the listing? Change keywords, change starting bid, add or remove a reserve price? Or did you go back, research again and just decide to try a different item?

Questions? How can I help you?

My Social Media Solution

Neat site by Jeanne Hurlbert, PhD with trends, tactics and new tools on social media sites. These sites are used more and more all the time- this is a great blog with lots of ideas for marketing your product/business on sites like Twitter and Facebook.