Introduction
WELCOME TOMicrosoft Office Live: Take Your Business Online ! If youve been putting off the idea of getting your business on the Web or are just getting started in the business world and want a fast, inexpensive starting point, I have good news for you. Now creating, hosting, updating, and working with a Web site is so easy that you can do it before lunch (no kidding). And now, designing a professional Web site doesnt require a truckload of talent or confidenceyou can simply click a few links, make a few choices, and youre on your way.
This book introduces Microsoft Office Live Small Business, a completely Web-based way to get your business on the Web and begin growing your business by reaching customers, vendors, and coworkers in a fast, efficient, and professional way. Along the way, youll learn how to create an e-commerce site; create and manage online marketing programs; and manage all your business documents, schedules, and contacts in a way that fits into your fast-paced world of small business ownership.
What Is Office Live Small Business?
Not too long ago, designing a Web site was something only people with specialized skills (or very deep pockets) were able to do successfully. Standards and coding and server space were foreign concepts that most small business owners didnt have time to explore. We needed something simple, fast, and cost-effective that would help us create, update, and fine-tune Web pages for our businesses. We needed something flexible but powerful, intuitive enough that we could remember how to use it in a snap.
Reader, meet Office Live Small Business. Office Live Small Business, meet the reader.
Office Live Small Business is portable, flexible, convenient, powerfuland simple. By the time you finish this book, you can have a professional, effective, interrelated business management system that smartly connects your Web site and your vendors, clients, coworkers, marketing, sales, and communications. All online, right now! And it will cost you nothing to get started. (Monthly charges do apply for some Office Live Small Business features, as youll learn in .)
Does that sound like something youve been looking for? Well, lets get started. Your business could be online by this afternoon!
Who Is This Book For?
Microsoft Office Live: Take Your Business Online is for you if you are looking for a simple but powerful (and customizable) way to get your company on the Web. Here are a few assumptions Im making about the type of book you want and need:
As the owner of a small business, you dont have a lot of time to spend wading through complex descriptions or complicated steps. For that reason, the ideas, procedures, and explanations youll find here are short, to-the-point, and practical.
You wear many hats as the owner of a business, and you need ideas that reflect thatso this book covers topics ranging from Web design to data management to communication with vendors and coworkers. Youll find business articles and how-tos on virtually every area of the program. Why? Because in business, more is usually better, and more is especially better when its fast.
You like to know how other business owners handle their businesses. We all love to hear stories and behind-the-scenes info about choices others make on their road to success, and so this book provides you with a few interviews with business owners who give some insight into how they use Office Live Small Business. Their stories may inspire you to try new things or use the program in a way you hadnt envisioned before.
Whats In This Book?
Microsoft Office Live: Take Your Business Online helps you explore all the features and capabilities of this easy-to-use but powerful offering from Microsoft. Here is a chapter-by-chapter overview of what you will find in the various chapters.
, tells the story of the Web todayhow people are using it, ways in which they are connecting, what the benefits look like, and what you may be missing. Specifically, youll get some of the latest statistics and cost comparisons (as well as inspiring bits such as the numbers related to sales and marketing online) so you can explore how the world of the Web connects with the real world of your budget.
, shows you how Office Live Small Business takes the best capabilities the Web has to offer and brings them together into a low-cost way to create, manage, update, and promote your site with one easy-to-use program.
, shows you how to sign up for the program, get a domain name, choose the features you want to use with your site, set up permissions and security features, work with e-mail and user accounts, and more. Youll also learn how to find and work with the help system available with Office Live Small Business.
, gets into the heart of the program by walking you through the process of using the Web tools included with Office Live Small Business. Even if youve never designed a site before, youll find the design tools easy to understand and use. By the time you finish this chapter, your basic pages will be finished, and youll have a presence online! Thats a pretty exciting idea when youve been waiting monthsor years!to take the leap.