Hah! Here’s something I didn’t know yet. Apparently we have an online Office community! All you need to do to start using it, is have a Windows Live ID. Plain and simple. So what exactly is this? Well, there’s a site called Office Labs and that’s a proving ground for ideas that come from regular employees and interns who work anywhere in Microsoft. Most of the code prototypes are developed by the Office Labs team in partnership with the teams that make the products. After all, they produce most of the ideas. Some of the things you find here will be web-based, others are downloads. Some will be a combination, something we call “software + services.”
So, one of those projects is Community Clips, a portal for viewing, sharing, and discussing informal “how-to” videos (screencasts) on Microsoft Office products. It also includes a client application for easy recording of screen views and voice. Think of it as a dedicated MSN Video for Office tips and tricks. I’ve been checking out some of the clips and already I’ve learned some small things that make me master the Office products even better.
Here’s an overview of how Community Clips works:
