Online Training via iChat Screen Sharing: A Better Way to Train

iChat screen sharingWould you like to get smarter and better at your job without even changing out of your pajamas? Here’s how: online Macintosh training via iChat screen sharing.

I’m a hands-on guy, so I like sitting down with clients to teach them how to use their computers, peripherals, and gadgets—or how to use them more effectively. But when time is short or we can’t be in the same room for some other reason, it’s easy and convenient to sign into iChat, share the client’s screen, and give an online lesson instead. There are some real advantages to this mode of training:

  • It’s hands-on. Without me there handling the mouse or trackpad, I find that clients take a more active role in their own learning. Instead of demonstrating a technique or application, I get the client to demonstrate it to me. I walk them through the steps or point them in the right direction, but ultimately, the machine is in the client’s hands. I only take control if I see that the client is struggling. This method of teaching is like taking off the training wheels—and I’m there to catch you if you need it.
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Using Your Address Book (Almost) Everywhere

Address Book preferences

Sync your Mac Address Book with your Google or Yahoo! e‑mail account to make it available to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other social‑media sites.

Many Mac users already make their contacts available everywhere by synchronizing between laptops, desktops, and smart phones, either using MobileMe or third-party utilities. But in Leopard and Snow Leopard (Mac OS X versions 10.5 and 10.6), there’s another very powerful option—synchronize your Mac Address Book with Google (Gmail) and Yahoo! e‑mail accounts. The advantage: these two services have become nearly universal resources for sharing your contact list with social‑media sites.

Here’s how it works …[READ MORE]

Snow Leopard now available from Apple Store, ships August 28

Apple has announced the release of its next operating system upgrade, called “Snow Leopard” (a.k.a. Mac OS X 10.6). This OS will work only on Intel-based Macs, but as a result of stripping out PowerPC support, it’s much more compact, and it’s supposed to run faster and more smoothly than Leopard (Mac OS X 10.5).

Customers can pre-order now for delivery on Friday, or visit an Apple retail store or Apple Authorized Reseller on Friday. As soon as we get a chance to test-drive Snow Leopard, we’ll post a review here.

Read the full story at Ars Technica.