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How I Convert Fellow Students to My Favorite Tools

AdminID’s last post made me think of how I do the same thing to my friends. Among my friends, I am the most tech savvy. If they need to know about something, they usually ask me. I use these powers to push my favorite tools onto them. So far, I have pushed Opera, OneNote, Tablet PCs, Outlook, Blogs, RSS Readers, and lots more. This post will be about OneNote.

I have the two-punch combination/curse of having a Tablet PC with OneNote. It is a two-punch combination because of the wow factor. I attended lecture and see plenty of laptops propped open. I whip out my Tablet PC, prop it open and twist the screen around and fold it back in. All of this happens in slow-motion (think bullet time in the Matrix). I instantly get the “Ooooohhs”, “Ahhhs”, and “Cools”. Macs, eat your heart out. :)

With the coolness established, I fire up OneNote and start writing notes, establishing the usefulness. I don’t say a word at all. I just pay attention to lecture and write my notes, while noticing some eyes on what I am doing. This is the two-punch combination. I push Tablet PCs and OneNote at the same time.

It is a curse because it helps fuel “The Myth”. The myth that you need a Tablet PC to use OneNote. My solution is using OneNote in Tablet mode and Notebook mode during lectures, so people can see the real benefits of OneNote.

After class, people ask me more about my computer and OneNote. Naturally, I am happy to run through a quick demo and answer common questions (handwriting, erasing, pen, etc). I always tell then enough and never bore them. I don’t come off as pushing and hold things back for next time. Next class, if they are interested, they ask me more questions and I let them have a spin with my Tablet PC.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 11th, 2006 at 2:53 pm and is filed under OneNote, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Viewing 4 Comments

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    Why does your story sound so familar...it's the same exact thing I do! Although word has spread basically though the entire biology department and I am now known as that guy with the Tablet PC so I don't get those ohhs and ahhs anymore. I find showing them how the audio syncs with my notes really gets them saying, "I need one of those!"

    Cool to see other students getting the word out! Thanks for sharing!
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    Yeah, the audio sync is awesome and makes people really want to get OneNote. I was going to talk about that in my next post. "Did you know OneNote syncs your Audio and written notes?"
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    First, a bit late, but did you mean "Convert" in the title?

    I've always been a new adopter of technology and consider myself a software junky. I even have a budget with my wife for buying software tools! Like you I love using the stuff where others can see and show it off to them.

    I had a VERY fulfilling instance of this a few months ago, when I offered to take notes with MindManager at a sub-department meeting and display them with the projector. A new manager saw this, gushed that she thinks in exactly the same way and now we've got users through our larger department (400 ) using MindManager and the User Support group pushed the MindManager viewer out to everyone's machines. I even caught someone using MM to present to our VP last month, which re-enforced that it can be used from the grass-roots level to the executive suite. Sweet!

    Now if only I could get a commission on the licenses we've bought! :-)
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    Oops! I did mean "Convert". Thanks Stew. Grass-roots totally work. Just yesterday, my roommate said he is getting a Tablet PC after playing with mine.
 
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