Tech Mami Tuesday: One Love to OneNote!

I have been wanting to do this series for a while. But never knew how to really get it going.  Then I had a meeting while at BlissDom that got my brain up and running with the picture of this series. So here it is. It might be a little lengthy but, stick with me. I have an awesome giveaway to tell you about! I'm usually the go-to chick for family and friends with regards to techy stuff. I do not have a degree in it and I don't really think I want one. I just like knowing enough to sound like a smartass when someone asks me a question.  Now, I've worked with PC's my entire career which spans a good number of years (I won't tell you how many in case I feel like lying about my age later).

My first official PM job was in IT and the boys rocked out the Macs. So, when I went looking for a new laptop, that's where I went. I have been the proud owner of iHottie (2007-2011) and iMami (2011-present).  Same Mac Book Pro but, we had a glitch in the hard drive and it had to be replaced in November. I didn't feel right about keeping the same name to something that obviously had a different soul.

I also happen to have siblings that are Mac babies. And so, when I was freaking out on the drive home from the airport,  telling my brother about all the cool Microsoft stuff I'd seen, he smiled, looked over at me and said: you're working for the enemy. Um, I wish! Microsoft, if knowing that I like to hang out at home and possibly take long naps with my kid is cool with you and you STILL want to offer me a job (though I have no idea what that would be, unless you need professional smart-asses to be on call)? *whispers* Call me!

Although I've worked in both worlds, the one constant in both has been Microsoft products. Office especially.  As a PM for Sears Home Improvements, OneNote became my electronic binder and after meeting with the folks from Microsoft at BlissDom a couple of weeks back, damn all I can say is, I want it back!

As a project manager, it was imperative for me to be organized. It's ironic that these days, attempting to work from home while being fully engaged by a 2 year-old who's going on 12, I am no longer executing organization like I used to. But the word, phrase and smell of organization always gets my attention.  Did you know organization has a smell? Yeah, only us demented project managers with OCD know about this.

OneNote in Office 2010 for PC looks slick and sexy, ya'll. I'm not going to lie.  You can snip from the internet, keep yourself organized with lists, your blogs, notes, etc. It's like having a 3-ring binder with a full ream of paper and then some!

For me, I plan on using it to maintain some sort of order in my world of freelance writing and editing as well as for my domestic goddessness (crafts, recipes, home improvement projects, perhaps a record of how dates went when I actually have the time to do the sort of thing).  If you don't have Office 2010 for PC, guess what? You can use the web application!  At this time, there is no OneNote version for Mac but, with a simple sign up for WindowsLive you can have access to SkyDrive (more on this later) along with web versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint.  It was super easy for me to sign up (I didn't have an account):

Following that, I had access to 25GB of free space on SkyDrive! Here's why this is important to me:  I work on editing different documents.  Some of which must be formatted in a certain way. I've noticed that when I upload/maintain MS Word documents within Google docs, some of that formatting is cleared which can cause a problem when I'm editing a dissertation, for example.

The cool thing about this is that I can give my clients access to their specific folders within SkyDrive and we don't have to continue to send docs back and forth! This will also help with my email clutter. But, I digress. Where was I?

Ah, yes! OneNote. Use it! Simple as that. Do I have to say anything else? There are a couple of cool links that show you a little more info and screenshots. I opted to show you the recipe one because it's almost dinnertime and I'm a little distracted at the thought of this fantastic lasagna I'm about to prepare (which, if I had the recipe in OneNote, I could simply share with all of you lovely people! But alas, I've never written it down). And there are templates to help you along with specific projects too! Wedding planning, budget planning, remodels, etc. Check it out and see for yourself because I could go on and on and on.

I must also tell you that, you can download a copy of OneNote to your smartphone.  I downloaded it on to Evangeline (my EVO).  This means that you can throw your to do list on there and not forget it at home (I do this often). Oh and, your shopping list! I'm notorious for making a list and then leaving it on the bathroom counter or in the fridge. Don't judge!

I'm going to be super honest with you guys, right now. I didn't know what to expect when I walked in to the Microsoft suite. But, anything that makes me feel this giddy inside is worth a try, is what I say.  I feel the same way about a new program/gadget/technology as I feel about a new book or new pair of shoes. If it grabs you and doesn't let go and it makes you feel like you need a cigarette after hearing about it? YOU NEED TO HAVE IT! And because I'm a sharer, I had to tell all of my friends and then make you get it too. What fun is it to have a new toy if you can't talk about it with someone that knows what you mean, right?

I believe I made the statement of needing a cigarette to the folks at my meeting. I'm sure they now think I'm a big weirdo.  Glad we got that out of the way, eh?

I wanted you guys to know that I was provided with a product key for Microsoft Office 2011 for Mac prior to meeting with Microsoft at BlissDom.  While there, I got so hyped on OneNote desktop (which is only available on Office for PC's) that the cool dude that was giving us the demo gave me a copy of Microsoft Office 2010 for PC so that I could load it when I run BootCamp and Windows 7 on my Mac (don't get me started on Live Writer! If you're a blogger, hang on to your panties!).

Upon further convo, I was given another copy to giveaway to you crazy people that read my blog because I know that after  reading all this blah blah blah I just wrote, you are going to want to have a copy for yourself. AND, here come the rules.  To be entered to win your very own copy of Microsoft Office  Home and Business 2010 for PC you must:

Sign up for my RSS feed below. Then, be sure to leave a comment on this post to let me know that you did!

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Must be a US Resident 18 and over to participate.  No purchase necessary to win. Giveaway closes at 9:00 p.m. EST 3/26/12. Random.org will be used to select the winner. An email with a link will be sent to you shortly after entering your address above. That link must be clicked in order to verify your subscription. Please be sure to use the same email address when you sign up for the RSS feed above as you use on the comments in order to verify your subscription.  

That's it! Simple enough, right?  I will be closing the comments at 9:00 p.m. on March 26th and will announce the winner on March 27th. It's my birthday so I figure you should get a present on that day as well (read: mark that down on your calendars and be sure to order my presents early).

So, who has tried OneNote? Am I the only one that's crazy in love with it? Tell me! Tell me! Tell me!