Greetings All!
Here is your weekly issue of Tools of Tech, news and notes on the tools you love and use. Please feel free to forward this along to friends.
š Welcome
A hearty welcome to the new people joining this week.
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š Add Bling To Google Sheets (and Docs) With ChipsĀ
Chips and salsa - yes, please! Chips and dip - oh yeah! Chips and spreadsheets - huh? If youāve used project management software or other collaboration apps, then the idea of āchipsā is not unknown to you (though the term may be). A chip is a dropdown list that allows you to select the status or phase for a particular item, typically. Instead of just plain text in a cell there can be a colorful chip enclosing the text. Like so.
Hereās how to add chips to Google Sheets.
Open a Google Sheets spreadsheet
Select Insert > Dropdown (or type ā@dropdownā in a cell)
On the right side of the screen a Data Validation panel will appear
The options for the dropdown list can be defined
The color of the chip for each option can be set (use Customize to set the text and background color separately)
Advanced options: If the chip styling is too fancy for you then it can be changed to an arrow or plain text (shudder)
Extra credit: Smart chips, like email addresses and calendar events, can also be added to your Google Sheets. (more details)
If you are more of an Excel person then what Iāve used in the past is conditional formatting based on text to get a similar effect. (If you are aware of how to add chips to Excel, let me know.)
Believe it or not, Google first added chips to Docs. They can be found at Insert > Table > Table Templates. A number of pre-formatted tables include headers, columns, and dropdown chips, are available. They may provide inspiration on how to format your Google Sheet.
š Polish Your Chrome Experience with Extensions
Start 2023 off right by reviewing your Chrome extensions and perhaps, just maybe, adding one or two to make your day go zoom. (And removing those extensions with a layer of dust on them.) Lifehacker, a veritable fount of useful information, brings us Googleās list of the best Chrome extensions of 2022. For me, Iām going to give Tango a try. Creating beautiful how-to guides is up my alley. And Workona looks interesting.
Other lists
11 best Gmail Chrome extensions and add-ons (GMass.co): for those who live in Gmail all day every day
Momentum, LastPass, Pocket: my favorite and most used Chrome extensions
š Business Cards From the Future
Next up we have an item that can set you apart from the also-rans in your industry. Business cards. Wait! What? Ahh, these are not just any business cards. NFC-enabled business cards allow you to share your contact information via a quick tap. No more printing. Edit your contact information any time you want. Forget carrying around cards. When you want to share your contact information just whip out your wood (!), metal (!), or plastic (?) card for a quick tap. Information sent. Zip. Zap.
Best NFC Business Cards (Small Business Bonfire)
š¤© Feedback
Got feedback? Use the Comments button below (or reply to this email). Iād love to hear from you. Which tech tool is your favorite? What do you want more or less of? Other suggestions? Please let me know. Leave a comment with all the juicy details.
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š§¾ Mission
My mission is to provide valuable, actionable information about tech tools to small business owners, entrepreneurs, and organization leaders. Iāll look for the tastiest morsels of useful news and notes to share while you focus on the success of you, your business, your organization.
Until next time.
Take care and be well,
Rob