Newsletter Archives

• Microsoft 365: Year in review

  Posted on December 26, 2022 at 02:44 CST by Peter Deegan • Comment in the Forums

  MICROSOFT 365

  

  By Peter Deegan

  Let’s take a minute to check the rearview mirror and review what’s happened this year with Microsoft Office. We’ll also peer over the horizon to speculate about 2023.

  There were obvious (and not-so-obvious) changes to Microsoft Office and Microsoft 365. I’ll look at just some of the changes. They might not be the most hyped changes coming from the never-ending road that is Microsoft marketing, and some of them might be overlooked but yet interesting.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.52.0, 2022-12-26).

  Microsoft 365 Clipchamp, Designer, Excel, Microsoft 365, Newsletters, Office 365, PowerPoint, Sketchup, Teams, Word

• Use free Teams to make calls like Zoom

  Posted on October 10, 2022 at 02:44 CDT by Peter Deegan • Comment in the Forums

  MICROSOFT 365

  

  By Peter Deegan

  Anyone can use Teams Free to set up a group call with video, screen sharing, and other goodies — bypassing all the other Teams stuff about channels, posts, and mentions — which can confuse less-confident computer users.

  Microsoft Teams has a lot going for it, perhaps too much at times. In this article, I’ll explain how to use it for one-to-one and small-group calls. I’ll also review which features are available and what’s not possible with Teams Free.

  Microsoft loves to confuse Teams customers by mixing up the free and paid options. Many of the promoted “Teams features” are really for paid plans only — but you’d know that only by looking in the very fine print.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.41.0, 2022-10-10).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Microsoft 365 AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Microsoft 365, Teams, Zoom

• Microsoft’s calling confusion: Teams, Meet Now, or Skype?

  Posted on December 20, 2021 at 02:43 CST by Peter Deegan • Comment in the Forums

  MICROSOFT 365

  

  By Peter Deegan

  Microsoft has a split personality when it comes to video and audio calling. There’s Skype, Skype for Business, Teams calling/meetings, and “Meet Now” in Windows 11.

  All three can do the same basic thing — computer-to-computer video/audio calls and meetings. What’s the difference, which one to use, and what’s the future of all these overlapping Microsoft options?

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.49.0 (2021-12-20).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Microsoft 365 AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Microsoft 365, Skype, Teams

• All the stuff to use or ignore in Teams

  Posted on October 4, 2021 at 02:43 CDT by Peter Deegan • Comment in the Forums

  MICROSOFT 365

  

  By Peter Deegan

  Get a grip on Teams by exploring its “nuts and bolts,” including what to ignore, what’s compulsory, what’s possible, and why some people move away from Teams to get things done.

  Teams is confusing because Microsoft has thrown everything except the proverbial kitchen sink into it. Even people who’ve used it for a while get a little lost. Microsoft doesn’t help by making some elements compulsory — with no way to remove, hide, or even rename them. There’s a wide range of Teams apps that can be useful but also add to the confusion.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.38.0 (2021-10-04).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Microsoft 365 AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Collaboration, Microsoft 365, Office 365, Teams

• iPhone/iPad users of Teams and To Do need to keep up to date

  Posted on September 6, 2021 at 02:45 CDT by Peter Deegan • Comment in the Forums

  ISSUE 18.34 • 2021-09-06

  MICROSOFT 365

  

  By Peter Deegan

  There are critical changes coming to the Teams, To Do, and Outlook mobile apps for iPhone, iPad, and Android.

  Recent announcements from Microsoft mean some updates are necessary for Teams and To Do apps, and some Outlook mobile users are in for a nasty surprise within the next few weeks.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.34.0 (2021-09-06).
  This story also appears in the AskWoody Free Newsletter 18.34.F (2021-09-06).

  AskWoody FREE Newsletter, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Microsoft 365 AskWoody Plus Newsletter, iOS, iPadOS, Microsoft 365, Teams, To Do

• Calling all Teams, Slack and Zoom gurus

  Posted on March 20, 2020 at 10:03 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  There’s lots of competition right now for free collaboration/meeting software.

  Microsoft says that use of Teams has spiked 40% in the past week.

  Slack says it’s added 7,000 new users in the past seven weeks.

  Zoom hasn’t released any usage numbers lately (at least none I’ve found), but I’m seeing lots and lots of references to it. Kids in my son’s school are all over it.

  And, yes, I know there’s Skype for Business and Cisco. Go boomers.

  Each is different, and there are certain situations where each has obvious benefits.

  What I want to know is if you have specific, real-world experience with any two of them and, if so, which did you end up using more frequently? Why?

  Other Cisco, Skype, Slack, Teams, Zoom

• With COVID-19 as impetus, Microsoft and Google come out swinging with their collaboration software

  Posted on March 4, 2020 at 08:01 CST by woody • Comment in the Forums

  Talk about silver linings to a very dark cloud…

  Apparently prodded by the collapse of the convention industry, both Microsoft and Google are offering free use of their meeting software. From Mehedi Hassan, on Thurrot.com:

  Microsoft Teams Giving Away Paid Features for Six Months Due to Coronavirus

  Google Making Advanced G Suite Meeting Features Free in Response to Coronavirus

  There’s also an overview from Charlotte Trueman at Computerworld, As coronavirus worsens, companies renew focus on collaboration, remote work.

  Very good news, indeed.

  Other COVID-19, G Suite, Teams

• The lowdown on Microsoft Teams

  Posted on March 14, 2017 at 11:23 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  Today marks general availability of Microsoft Teams, the Slack-like communication product that’s now part of the paid Office 365 E3 and E5 packages.

  Galen Gruman has an unbiased take at InfoWorld:

  Teams is underwhelming in its formal debut and definitely not a match for the hype Microsoft has been providing since October 2016. For a product so late to market, Microsoft should have delivered much more…

  Slack is great, and no one needs Teams to replace it.

  If you’re getting caught up in the Teams advertising push, take a minute to read the rest of the story.

  Office News Slack, Teams