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How To Learn Any Mac Software Program
It's a matter of using the resources you already have
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Mac OSX: The Missing Manual Review
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By Timothy Arends
Whatever time of year it is, I don't think it's ever too late to make resolutions.
One
of my resolutions was to get after some of the long-neglected software
on my hard drive. That is, programs that I have but never figured out
how to use!
Learning to use your Mac to make money on the
Internet means that you will have to learn to use some software. This
includes word-processing software, article submitting software, HTML
editors, and more. But we all have some software that we've never quite
gotten around to mastering yet. Mac programs tend to be easier to use
than Windows programs, but we Mac users tend to compensate by buying
more stuff!
The best software in the world can't do you any
good if you don't know how to use it. But I've decided that if I make
it a resolution to spend at least thirty minutes every day studying one
of my software programs I will have made substantial progress in
learning them all by the end of the year. After all, thirty minutes
invested daily adds up to 10,950 minutes invested in one year! And
thirty minutes invested daily is better than an hour and a half spent
only sporadically. (Once you get started, chances are you'll spend more
time than you planned, but telling yourself you only have to spend 30
minutes makes it easier to get started.)
The first tip: actually crack open the manual every now and then!
Mac users often like to brag about how they "never read the manual,"
the assumption being that the Mac is so easy to use, they never have to
read manuals. But to me, this is just misplaced pride. Just because the
Mac OS is easy to use (or at least easier than the competition) this
doesn't mean that the applications that run on a Mac are equally
intuitive!
Software still has a long way to go before it really
is as easy to use as it should be. I can't count the times I have used
a piece of software and thought "Why the heck did they design it this
way? It would have made more sense if they had done this." If a piece
of software were really "easy to use," it wouldn't come with a 375-page
manual!
Reading the manual is the only way you're going to find
a whole bunch of hidden features like "pressing command-option-control
and clicking a tool in the toolbar brings up a dialog box with a whole
raft of additional features."
I chuckle when I see Mac users who
"don't read manuals" eagerly buying up magazines and books full of
"hidden tips and tricks" on how to get the most out of a piece of
software—tips that are hidden—in the manual!
So read the manual. Don't feel guilty or stupid because you do so—feel
smart. It's the only way to become a "power user." You'll also avoid
flames from angry net citizens who yell at you to "RTFM" (read the
fabulous manual).
Aside
from using the manual, many ask what the best way is to learn to use
the programs one has on one's Macintosh. Here are a few of Tim's
Instant Tips for learning how to use software quickly.
1. Check
if the software installation CD-ROM or download site has instructional
video clips on it. This is great for people who learn best by seeing.
Unfortunately, not a lot of software programs include this. What a
waste of CD-ROM space and the great QuickTime technology! If your
software doesn't have such videos, make a suggestion to the
manufacturer.
2. Check to see if the software comes with a
tutorial lesson. This is a great way to learn the new features of a
program. A tutorial walks you through the most frequently used features
without bogging down in a lot of details. If you absolutely hate to
read manuals, you could get away with familiarizing yourself with the
tutorial and then referring to the manual whenever you hit a sticking
point.
3. Start using the software right away on real-world
projects. Actually using the software increases your motivation to
learn how to use it effectively.
4. Try to learn something new
every day. Crack open the manual and just read one page. If you learn
one new thing every day, in a year's time you have learned quite a bit.
For example, every time you use Quicken, whether to balance
your checkbook or to record transactions, make it a point to run one of
the interactive "lessons" in Quicken's Help. This is a good way of
"pushing" yourself to learn something new about the program every time
you use it.
Finally, be sure to complain to software
makers when you find their software unnecessarily hard to use. That's
the only way it will improve.
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