I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but this book has been written for normal people. If you’re a fiendish technical wizard, then this might not be ideal for you, as I’ve promised my Doctor that I’m going to cut down on fiendish behaviour, as it’s not good for my blood pressure. It’s also true that if you’re absolutely terrified of all things to do with technology, and break out in a cold sweat at the mere mention of computers (and yes – I do mean you Dad!) then this might not be ideal for you. I’d suggest a pencil and paper in that instance – I’m sure you’ll be happier. If you’re in either of those categories, I’m not saying that you shouldn’t read this – I’m just pointing out that it’s not really targeted at you, so it might be a little hard work.
No – I’m writing for people who are keen to understand how to use some of this new-fangled technology stuff to make their lives easier, and who are happy to be guided through some of the important steps that will make that happen. If that’s you, then welcome on board – buckle up and enjoy the ride.
Far too many software books are written with a presumption that the reader already knows whatever the writer knows, and that’s the key reason why most software books never hit the mark. I realise that I’m setting myself up to be shot down in flames here – it’s always a difficult tightrope to walk between confusing people and boring them, but it’s one that I always have fun with in the training room, and I’m going to do my best to translate that here.
I’m deliberately not going to tell you absolutely everything there is to know about OneNote – I’m not going to walk through every possible button you could ever press and every single setting. There’s a lot in there that you won’t need, and there’s also a lot in there that you’ll find for yourself along the way. What I’m keen to do is tell you what you need to know to get started.
If you find that there are sections of this book that are telling you things that you already know, then feel free to skip them. I promise I won’t be hurt. Much. Having said that, it might be worth scanning through that section anyway, because I’d be surprised if there wasn’t something in there that you’d find useful. The other side of that scenario is also important to discuss – if you find that there are sections of this book that you’re just not ‘getting’ then don’t worry about it. Each of the sections can happily stand on their own, so feel free to move on to the next section, and come back to it later. In my experience, you’ll generally find something later on that will make the earlier confusion seem a little less confused and you’ll be able to go back and view the section with clearer eyes.
On with the show.