Finding Your Files

There are lots of us who start our internet marketing journey from the business side rather than from the technical computer side.  I know from my own experience as a classic corporate user that my response to any problem with my computer or the software was to pick up the telephone and call for the IT gopher.  And yes, I am sure that every IT department has a gopher, usually the junior member who has to earn his spurs by dealing with the awkward crowd, otherwise known as ‘users’.

But when you start down the internet marketing route you suddently find that you are on your own and you have to develop a better understanding not only of your  computer but also the operating system and the software applications.  First thing is to get organised.  Next is to make sure you know where everything is on your computer – because you will need to back up regularly and that means knowing what is where so you can get it back if you need to.

I’ve just had a friend email me saying that she has lost (I hope, temporarily) the file I attached to an email for her to contribute to.  Here’s my response with some basic file finding methods.  The lesson is not really about finding files.  It’s a lesson relevant to anyone starting down a new path.  The biggest problem is not knowing what you don’t know.

You can plan for things that you know you don’t know.  Do some more research, learn how to do it, outsource the required skills or knowledge.  But when you don’t know what you don’t know that’s a real problem.  In your business developement strategy you always need to include an area like they used to have on medieval maps – ‘Here be Dragons’ with pictures of fire-breathing dragons, swirling maelstoms and spouting steam.

Anyway, enough of this philosophising – here’s some thoughts on finding files.

Yes, if you opened the file from the email, made changes and saved it then it should be saved back to the copy attached to the email.
So just open it again and see if your changes are there.

If not then you saved it somewhere else.  Use your Start>>Recent Documents to find the document.  Or if you have opened lots of files since then and it is not on that list then use Start>>Search to find it.

Open it and do File>>Save As – but without saving it.  This should open the path where you last saved the file.  Use the drop down menu (the down arrow icon) alongside the filename to open up the complete path.

Lesson: You will have many occasions when you may have various tasks and windows open as you transfer material between them – and you need to get yourself organised.  Whenever you start a task with a file, decide what you are going to do with it, where you are going to put it and do File>> Save As.  Then, before you even begin, every time you hit Save it is going to the right place – and you know where that is.

Create a logical file structure on your hard drive the way you would construct a filing system – because that is what it is.
Keep everything in sub folders under My Documents – because back up systems will automatically select My Docs – so you have everything you have created backed up.

Bruce

Bruce is an Internet Business Consultant working with successful business owners to improve their online marketing efforts and ensure they achieve a return on investment. You can find his business site over at http://OnlineMarketingForBusiness.co.uk.

Click Here to Leave a Comment Below

Leave a Comment: