You can do IT is a regular feature of laterlife.com aimed at trying to help laterlife visitors make the most of Information Technology on or off the web.     

Jackie Sherman who runs the You can do IT Question & Answer section is an IT trainer and author. Jackie has spent her career in education and specialises in teaching IT to adults. Her courses for adults include such topics as MS Office, the Internet, e-mail and basic web page authoring.  

Jackie has also written the four books shown here - you can find more details about these by clicking on the cover images above. Jackie has also been running a course specifically for over 50s.  

Via laterlife.com Jackie aims to particularly help those new to IT and the web to build up knowledge and confidence, so no question is too basic. At the same time she will cover Q&As for the more experienced user. 

So if you would like to ask a question of Jackie, why not email her jackie@laterlife.com

Or if you have discovered something which may be of interest to others in making the most of the web, then she would love to hear about that too jackie@laterlife.com

May 2009

Q: I sometimes need to access a web page very quickly, just for a day or so. Can I add some sort of link to my desktop?

 

A: A very quick way to add such a link is to drag the address out of the browser. What's nice is that, unlike bookmarking, you can open the page without first having to open the browser and go through the Favourites menu.

1. Make sure you restore the browser window down first, so you can see part of the desktop behind the window,
2. Click on the tiny icon inside the Address box with the mouse and hold the button down.
3. Drag the pointer onto the desktop. A white line will show where the link will be placed.
4. When you let go, select the Create shortcuts here option.

5. Next time you want to open the page, double click the labelled shortcut icon on the desktop.

 

 

Q: Is there any way to add a section of a document to the desktop for quick referral? I often need to access some hard-to-remember addresses and it would be really useful to have them to hand. At the moment I have to find and open the various source documents first.

 

A: In the same way that you can add a website link as described above, you can add a scrap or part of a document to the desktop by dragging.

1. Open the document and make sure you can see part of the desktop behind it.
2. Select the text you want to access regularly.
3. Drag it with the mouse onto the desktop.
4. Let go and you will have created an icon labelled "Document Scrap…" followed by the first part of the entry.
5. Double click it any time you want to open it as a small document.

Q: Can you offer any tips on getting a bargain on eBay? With the credit crunch hanging over us, cutting down purchasing costs even for second-hand items is really important.

 

A: One of the problems with buying anything online is the postage costs. It is therefore with great pleasure that I let you into the secret of www.localbargainfinder.co.uk .

This allows you to type in your own postcode and the distance you are prepared to travel, and it will then search eBay for all items on sale that can be collected free. Not only do these items have less purchasers chasing them (as people don't like to travel), but you only have to pay the petrol and can save a huge amount on anything heavy or awkward in shape.

View previous editions of YoucandoIT for more useful Questions and Answers
 

For a wealth of books on the web and IT generally, visit Amazon and under the books section select Computers and Internet.

Don't forget to visit the general laterlife features section called laterlife interest