Getting out of your technology comfort zone is very hard to do for some people. When a new version of something comes out, the average person is not about to go download it when their version works just fine. Having an up-to-date IT networking system is important to make sure you can make your team as productive as possible. Small things such as updating your Internet browser will make your more productive and help you get work done.

by S. E. Slack – used with permission from Microsoft At Work

I use Microsoft Internet Explorer all day long, every day. I’ve arranged all the settings just how I like them, and once I’ve done that I don’t like to change. I’m the kind of girl who just wants technology to work when I need it; I’m not into installing all the latest gadgets and upgrades so I can one-up my friends. So whenever I hear there is a new version of Internet Explorer, my first reaction is, “I don’t need that.”

Then I hear about some cool new feature in the newest version and curiosity gets the better of me. I give the new version a try and I’m always impressed by how things just keep getting better. Each version of Internet Explorer seems to be faster, safer, and easier to use than the last. And it’s free. You can always download and install the latest version of Internet Explorer for free from the Microsoft Download Center.

Here are some recently added features that’ll make your browsing experience more productive.

Browse without navigating to other Web sites using Accelerators
I find that I’m often copying and pasting information from one Web page to another when I browse the Web – if I want to map an address, find a definition, translate a word, or e-mail content to a friend, for example. It works, but it’s time-consuming and awkward. But, you know what? My copying and pasting days might be over. Now I can use the Accelerator feature, new in Internet Explorer 8, to find what I need to know and do what I need to do without navigating to other Web sites.

Here’s how it works.

Highlight text from a Web page, such as an address. You’ll see a blue Accelerator (arrow) icon that appears above your selection. Click the icon, and then point to an option from the menu that appears. For example, if you rest your mouse pointer on the Accelerator Map with Bing on the page you see here, you’ll see a preview of the information you’re looking for without leaving the Web page you’re on.

Internet Explorer screen with Accelerator icon selected and mouse resting over the Map with Bing Accelerator option, showing a preview of the map you’ll see if you click that Accelerator. If you want more information than you’re seeing, click the Map with Bing option and a larger version of the map will appear on its own tab.

As I’ve mentioned, I like to set things up so that they suit me exactly. So I want to have the Accelerators I use, and only those, at my fingertips. I click All Accelerators at the bottom of the list and then use the Find More Accelerators and Manage Accelerators options that appear on the bottom of the new list to create the Accelerator list that suits me.

Internet Explorer screen with the All Accelerators option selected and
Find More Accelerators and Manage Accelerators options circled.

Find what you need more quickly with tabbed browsing
When you’ve buried something in a file cabinet, tabbed files are a life saver. A quick glance at each tab lets you know what lies beneath it so you don’t have to open every file. When I’m doing research online and want to move quickly between Web sites, I get the same benefit in Internet Explorer, using a feature called Tabbed Browsing. It lets me manage multiple Web sites from within one browsing window. Just like opening a paper file drawer to see a row of titled files, now I just glance at the tabs across the top of my Internet Explorer window and click one to see the Web page I need.

But sometimes even the tabs can get out of control. If you’re someone whose comprehension is better with visuals, you can use Quick Tabs, which gives you a thumbnail view of up to 20 open tabs at a single glance. Just click the arrow of the Quick Tabs icon to the left of the row of tabs, and then click the thumbnail view of the Web site you want to view. The Quick Tabs button appears only when you have more than one Web page open.

Another feature that can help you control your tabs is Tab Groups, which lets you organize multiple tabs into a single group and then save that group as a Favorite. Let’s say you have several tabs open, displaying Web sites relevant to the Contoso project you’re working on. Save them as a group by clicking Favorites on the Favorites bar the top of the browser window, and then clicking the arrow to the right of Add to Favorites. Then click Add Current Tabs to Favorites and name the folder for the group (Contoso, for example), and then click Add. After this, you’ll be able to open all the tabs with a single click by selecting the tab group from the Favorites list.

And here’s one more tab tip. Be sure to right-click on a tab and check out all your options for tab control, right where you need them. In the latest version of Internet Explorer, you can even reopen a tab you’ve closed by mistake and see a list of recently closed tabs. Right-click any tab to display these options.

Speed up your search using Windows Live Search
I use search engines a lot to find the information I want on the Web, and Internet Explorer has made the search easier. I just type a keyword or phrase in the search box. A list of other possible search terms display as I type my search term into the box. I can continue typing, or use my arrow keys or mouse to choose one of the suggested terms. Then I press ENTER to display the search results. Or I press ALT + ENTER to display the search results in a new tab.

Over time, I’ve learned some tricks to help me search more efficiently. So, for example, when I want information about a movie, like The Sound of Music, I make sure to surround the title in quotes—“The Sound of Music”—so that only those Web pages that contain that exact phrase are included in the search results.

If I don’t find what I’m looking for using one search provider, I’ll try another. It’s great that I don’t have to keep opening new browser windows or visit different search engine sites to do this anymore. I’ve even added some specialty search engines to the list of providers available right from the search box. For example, I’ve added eBay to aid in my quest for antique doorknobs and Amazon to satisfy my book lust.

And once I find the page I want, I don’t have to waste time looking for the specific information I want. I press CTRL + F to open the Find box and start typing a keyword or phrase. As I type, highlighted matches appear on the Web page.

Stop being phishing bait
One of the buzzwords on the Internet is “phishing.” Anyone who has e-mail and uses the Internet is a potential victim, so listen up. Phishing occurs when an e-mail is sent falsely claiming to be an established, legitimate enterprise. You’ve probably gotten one of those e-mail messages already: It directs you to visit a Web site, often has an official logo, and asks you to update credit and other personal information.

The motive behind it? To trick you into visiting a bogus Web site that you think is authentic and scam you into releasing personal information to be stolen and used for illegitimate purposes. The sender is sending bait to thousands, hoping a few fish take it. Hence, the term “phishing,” a variation on the leisure sport.

Microsoft SmartScreen Filter is a feature in Internet Explorer that helps detect phishing Web sites and Web sites that distribute malicious software known as malware. This feature was called Phishing Filter in earlier versions of Internet Explorer.

While you browse the Web, SmartScreen Filter runs in the background and (with your consent) sends the Web addresses of the sites you are visiting to the Microsoft SmartScreen service, to be compared against lists of known phishing and malware sites. If the Web site you’re visiting is on the list, Internet Explorer will display a blocking Web page and the Address bar will appear in red. You’ll be given a choice of what to do from there.

SmartScreen Filter screen showing options for how to respond to unsafe Web sites.

You can adjust your SmartScreen Filter settings off the Tools menu or off the Safety command in Internet Explorer 8 or off the Security menu in Internet Explorer 7.

Get content updates through RSS feeds and Web Slices
Internet Explorer makes it easy to keep up-to-date on the information that’s important to you, using RSS feeds and Web Slices.

RSS feeds
When you’re on a site in Internet Explorer, if the RSS Feed icon on the Internet Explorer Command bar is illuminated, it means the site offers a feed. Click the icon, and you can subscribe to the RSS feed by clicking the Subscribe to this feed button . RSS feeds are integrated into Internet Explorer 7 and later.

Note If Internet Explorer also finds Web Slices, the button will change to display the Web Slice button . Since Web Slices are based on feeds, you will usually see both Web Slices and feeds when you view available feeds from the Web slice icon. Read the section on Web Slices below.

Internet Explorer screen with RSS feeds displayed and Subscribe to this feed button circled.

Come back to the page later by opening your Favorites Center and clicking the Feeds tab, which gives you a quick look at all your RSS feeds. You can read news when it arrives and click headline links to get the complete Web page.

Favorites pane with Feeds tab selected, showing all saved RSS feeds at a glance.

Note to tech support If you’re part of the technical team supporting a business, the Windows RSS Platform is included as part of Windows Internet Explorer in Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP. Once a feed is subscribed to in one application, that subscription and associated content are made available for applications across the operating system.

Web Slices
With Internet Explorer 8, subscribing to content just got even easier, using Web Slices. A Web Slice is a specific portion of a Web page that you can subscribe to directly from within the Web page. It lets you see when updated content—such as the current temperature, or a changing auction price—is available from your favorite Web sites.

When a Web Slice is available on a Web page, you will see the Web Slice button on the Command bar. The Web Slice button will also appear on the Web page next to the content that is available when you point to the content with your mouse.

To add the Web Slice to your Favorites bar, do one of the following:

•Click the Web Slice button on the Command bar.
•Click the Web Slice button on the page.

In the dialog box, click Add to Favorites Bar.

Once you have subscribed to the Web Slice, it appears as a link on the Favorites bar. When the Web Slice is updated, the link on the Favorites bar will appear with bold formatting. You can then click the link to see the updated content.

And what you’ve read here is just the tip of the iceberg. You can find out everything you need to know about the latest version on the Internet Explorer home page. You’ll see all the ways that Internet Explorer can make your Web experience safer and easier and your days more productive.