Chicago  ACT! USER GROUP

Meeting Date: April 1998

NEWS YOU CAN USE:

As we reported last month, ACT! 4.0 is now shipping. Owners of earlier Windows versions can purchase an upgrade to version 4.0 for $89. If you purchased version 3.0 within 60 days of version 4.0's mid March release date, you're entitled to a free copy of ACT! 4.0 (though you'll have to kick in $10 for shipping and handling). In order to take advantage of this offer, send a copy of your dated sales receipt to Symantec's Order Processing department. Include a short note describing which product you'd like to upgrade, your name, address, credit card information, and telephone number. Direct faxes to: Symantec Order Processing-Free Upgrade, Fax: (541) 984-8011. Or contact Symantec by writing to: Symantec Order Processing, P.O. Box 10849, Eugene, OR 97440.

Also, remember: ACT! User Group meeting notices are now available via e-mail. To sign up for e-mail notification of meetings, simply send a message to info@etechsys.com. We'll happily e-mail you meeting reminders.

MEETING FEATURE: What's New in ACT! 4.0 – Part 1

On the surface, ACT! 4.0 is more like a refined and enhanced version of ACT! 3.0 rather than a totally revised program. But look closely and you'll find that ACT! 4.0 has some nifty new features as well as a new look. ACT! 4.0's got an improved Internet interface, tighter integration with e-mail and faxing, enhanced synchronization, and includes SideACT! – a mini scheduling program. Symantec has also included a bunch of multimedia mini-lessons covering ACT! basics with each copy of the program on CD ROM. The complete manual is also included on CD in PDF format (along with the necessary Adobe software to read it). Jim Koretz, ACT! Certified Consultant, described these and other new ACT! 4.0 features at our April meeting.

Jim explained that ACT! 4.0 is more closely linked to the Internet than ever before. For example, users with Internet connections can get driving directions to a contact's office, or, current stock prices or news about a customer's company with just a couple of mouse clicks (via Yahoo). Plus ACT!'s "LDAP" mapping protocol enables users to not only look up name and address information on the Internet directory service of their choice but to map this information directly into ACT! contact records. The command to access all this good stuff is TOOLS, INTERNET LINKS.

ACT! ACT! 4.0 is POP 3 compatible. Jim explained that this means that ACT! 4.0 will interface with any POP 3 e-mail program such as Eudora Pro (which sells for about $39). You'll need at least Eudora Pro version 3.05 or higher. (The latest version of Eudora is 4.0.) Keep in mind that the shareware version of Eudora is not supported. ACT! 4.0 is also compatible with CompuServe and cc:Mail, but not with America Online. This makes it possible to send an e-mail message to a contact (or group of contacts) just as simply as sending letters. Note that since e-mail messages are sent from within ACT!, they are automatically recorded in history. An added bonus is that ACT! users can now attach contact records to e-mail messages they send. Also, inbound messages can be attached to ACT! contact records as well.

If you use WinFax Pro with ACT!, you'll notice tighter integration. All faxes sent from ACT! can be recorded in history. Plus, sending a fax to a single contact or to a group (broadcast faxing) is now easier than ever since information flows readily between the two programs. For example if you change the spelling of a contact's name in WinFax, the change will be reflected in the contact record in the ACT database. Jim pointed out that users should be using WinFax 8.03. A free update for WinFax 8 users is included on the ACT! 4.0 CD ROM and may also be obtained via ACT!'s LiveUpdate feature.

Symantec has also included SideACT!, a separate mini program meant for keeping track of phone calls, to-dos, and activities without starting up ACT!. SideACT! makes it easy to leave yourself reminders. Think of SideACT! as an electronic note pad always handy for recording notes. You can even drag and drop calls, to-dos, etc. from SideACT! into ACT! contacts.

 

ACT! ACT! 4.0 also comes with multimedia help covering the basics of about a dozen different areas such as creating a database, using lookups and calendars. To access multimedia help, use the command HELP, GETTING STARTED WITH ACT! 4.0. Note: you'll need to leave the program disc in your CD ROM drive. You'll also find that the complete ACT! manual is available on CD ROM in the PDF format.

Other improvements include the ability to print "quick reports" from notes and history, filtering specific events or columns as well as a built-in backup utility and reminder. Jim cautioned that ACT!'s backup utility is good for backing up one's database but does not backup queries, documents, etc. making it's use limited. You will want to consider backing them up separately.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of this article coming this summer. We'll discuss some tips and provide suggestions for upgrading from ACT! 3.0 to ACT! 4.0.

Q: Q: How many contact names can I list under one company? How many phone numbers?

AA: Right out of the box, ACT! 4.0 gives you 'two spots for additional contacts. They are called '2nd contact' and '3rd contact' and can be found on the "Alt Contacts" tab. However, ACT! 3.0 or 4.0 permits users to create their own tab and enter as many contact names and phone numbers as desired. (Just make sure to format phone number fields properly.) While it may seem like it makes sense to keep everyone associated with a single company to in one contact record, there are serious drawbacks. It complicates keeping notes and history for, and, writing, letters, faxes, and e-mail letters/messages to all contacts other than main contact for the record. ACT! associates these tasks with the primary contact name only. Each time you want to send a fax or write a letter to an alternate contact, you will have to manually enter a different contact's name (in the salutation). Plus you will lose the ability to track the history for alternate contacts.

Q: Where are contact layout files stored?

AA: In general, they can be found in the c\:ACT\layout directory. You can determine where ACT! looks for layouts by using the command EDIT, PREFERENCES. Select the General tab and examine the Default Location for Layout. If the layouts are not there, ACT! will not find them. You may want to use Windows 95 Explorer to look for the Layouts folder or *.lay files. When they are located, put them in the appropriate directory.

OUR NEXT MEETING

will be Tuesday September 8, 1998. Have a pleasant summer! We'll update you with the latest ACT! news and information from Symantec and, of course, will answer your ACT!-related questions during our Open Forum Q&A session. The meeting will be held at the Schaumburg Prairie Center for the Arts Lecture Hall located at 201 Schaumburg Court (just off Schaumburg Road, between Plum Grove and Roselle Roads).

The ACT! User Group (a SIG of the C.C.S.) holds meetings on the second Tuesday of the month, eight months out of the year. User Group meetings are free and open to all C.C.S. members. Call E Tech Systems at 847-352-4770 to get meeting notices or e-mail us at info@etechsys.com.

E Tech Systems is an ACT! Certified Consulting firm and Symantec Authorized Training Center. E Tech has installed, configured, and customized ACT! for dozens of companies and trained hundreds of ACT! users. Alan Lee can be reached at E Tech at 847-352-4770 or via e-mail to alee@etechsys.com.

© Copyright 1998 by Alan M. Lee. Other nonprofit computer user's groups may reprint this material providing credit is given the author and C.C.S. Future rights for publication reserved by Alan M. Lee. ACT! is a registered trademark of Symantec Corporation.

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