Kelly LaForest

Over the last year, I have finally freed my mind from the rigid shackles of folder structure – thanks to the mind-expanding magic of metadata. I have also discovered a new hobby – exploring the various rabbit holes of endless folders in our legacy SharePoint site via Windows Explorer. I treat my explorations like detective work – wandering through …

When I mention using “Windows Explorer” in class, I often find myself in a sea of blank looks or furrowed brows, particularly by information workers or management who are not fluent in the language of computers. For those that speak geek,  this description makes perfect sense: For those that don’t, here’s my attempt to explain to explain what the heck I’m talking about, …

Dear Future Kelly, Are your co-workers glaring at you over the desk dividers while your latest favourite EDM tune is blaring through your computer speakers? Sounds like you’ve forgotten how to fix your computer audio again… Yes, I know your USB headset is plugged into your computer … Yes, I know you’ve clicked on the “Speaker …

One consistent request I heard from a group I was assisting with their transition from Microsoft Office 2003 to Office 2013 involved a certain missing button. This colourful, circular actually had nothing to do with the Office software – but everything to do with their operating system experience. The Start button has been visible in the bottom …

At a training session for a group that was transition from Microsoft Office 2003 to Office 2013, a number of questions came up about Windows 8. There was too much content to deviate from the outline, so I took some time to write out the answers to their questions later that week. Realizing that others may be shying away …

At a recent training session, a number of questions came up about Windows 8. The focus of the class was on transitioning from Office 2003 to Office 2013 so I answered what I could in the time available, but felt the need to whip up a more detailed series of blog posts when I was …

The first step in my process to assist an end user with trouble shooting an issue is to know what operating system they are using. This is so I can frame my directions in a context that makes sense to them. So what? Well, I’m not going to tell a Windows 8 user to click on …

Every morning, after a quick scan of my Microsoft Outlook calendar and inbox, I open up my internet browser to take a peek at our social media efforts. I have over 20 folders in my Internet Explorer Favourites – including one for Social Media bookmarks, which has six links to itgroove’s various social profiles including Facebook, …

Today my colleague Colin Phillips noticed the ridiculous amount of screen real estate my Windows 8 Notification Area was using up. After clarifying that I did not actually want to be drowning in screen clutter (see below), he offered the following suggestion for how to improve my Windows 8 experience. My original attempt to remove the insignificant icons in the Notification …