RTM’d today: Microsoft Outlook for Mac 2011 Step by Step

We’re very pleased to announce that Maria Langer’s Microsoft Outlook for Mac 2011 Step by Step has shipped to the printer!

Teach yourself the fundamentals of Microsoft Outlook 2011 for Mac -- one step at a time. With this practical tutorial, you'll work at your own pace with easy-to-follow lessons, and learn exactly what you need to know to organize your e-mail and contacts, schedule meetings, and manage tasks on you Mac.

Discover how to switch from Microsoft Entourage with a minimum of disruption; organize your e-mail messages, contact information, calendar, and task lists; read e-mail threads as conversations that you can categorize and file; use rules to automate the categorization and filing of e-mail; schedule appointments and coordinate meetings with contacts; flag e-mail messages and Microsoft Office documents to create tasks on the fly; and customize the Outlook window and toolbar to accommodate the way you work

Your online learning resources include practice exercises and unlimited access to a fully searchable online edition of the book on the Web.

Maria’s book will be available via online retailers around April 15. In the meantime, here’s more information about the book.

Contents at a Glance

Chapter 1: Getting Started Using Outlook 2011

Chapter 2: Introducing the Outlook Interface

Chapter 3: Composing and Sending E-Mail Messages

Chapter 4: Reading and Responding to E-mail Messages

Chapter 5: Organizing Your Inbox

Chapter 6: Fine-Tuning E-Mail Settings

Chapter 7: Scheduling Appointments and Meetings

Chapter 8: Managing Your Calendar

Chapter 9: Managing Contact Information

Chapter 10: Organizing Your Contact List

Chapter 11: Working with Contact Records

Chapter 12: Tracking Tasks

Chapter 13: Taking Notes

Chapter 14: Using Shared Features

Glossary

Introduction

Microsoft Office Outlook 2011 is an electronic communication and personal information management application that can help you take control of your e-mail inbox, contact list, and calendar—all with one attractive and consistent interface. From one place, you can store, organize, manage, and retrieve many types of information. With Outlook, you can:

· Send, receive, forward, and organize e-mail messages.

· Include images and other multimedia files as attachments to e-mail messages you send.

· Send files created with Microsoft Office or other applications to clients, coworkers, family, or friends.

· Preview file attachments received as e-mail attachments from others.

· Filter out junk or spam e-mail messages.

· Schedule events, such as appointments or meetings, including recurring events.

· Invite people to meetings and keep track of their responses so you know who will attend.

· View upcoming events and get reminders for them.

· Store contact information, including phone numbers, e-mail addresses, Web sites, and mailing addresses, for people you know.

· Maintain and organize tasks lists.

· Store information as notes.

· Search through e-mail messages, calendar events, contact lists, tasks, and notes to find the information you need when you need it.

In an enterprise environment, Outlook 2011 interacts with a Microsoft Exchange Server to provide unified communications services, including real-time presence and status information, specialized functionality for internal messaging, scheduling information, and many other useful features.

New Features

Part of the Microsoft Office 2011 for Mac suite of applications, Outlook 2011 replaces Entourage 2008 with a whole new look and powerful new features. Here’s a quick list of some of the ones you’ll find most useful:

· The Microsoft Office ribbon puts the features and commands you use most right at the top of the Outlook window, organized by tab.

· A unified inbox displays all of your incoming messages together.

· Conversations make it possible to view long e-mail threads under a single subject.

· Displaying your calendar in meeting invitations makes it easy to see, at a glance, whether you’re free to attend a meeting.

· .PST import makes it easy to switch from the Windows version of Outlook to the Mac OS version.

· Mac OS X integration taps into standard Mac OS features such as Quick Look and Spotlight.

· Cleaner, more attractive interface makes it easier to work with your information.

Let’s Get Started!

Outlook 2011 offers many great features to help you work smarter and more efficiently with your e-mail, calendar, contacts, tasks, and notes. But don’t just take my word for it. Dive in and see for yourself on the pages that follow.