Having a word processor that thinks it is smarter than you is annoying, which is why I hate it whenever Word “corrects” what I am typing. To turn off “Auto Formatting As You Type” in Microsoft Word (97 or later) go to Format/Auto Format/Options. For more Word tips, read Word Answers and sign up for their free weekly WordTips newsletter .

Lots of Internet sites offer great free e-mail newsletters on topics as wide-ranging as your imagination can soar. Signing up for double opt-in lists is a two-step process that requires you check your mailbox for a confirmation message after entering your email address into the subscription form. This second step is done to verify that you are the owner of the subscribing e-mail address. Some confirmation messages require you to reply to the message (always leave the subject line in tact.) Others ask you to click on a link which opens a browser window. If the link is so long that it breaks onto multiple lines, it might not be clickable. In this case you will need to copy and paste the URL into your browser address bar manually.

Email newsletters are a convenient way to keep up with what’s happening online. My favorite educational newsletters are Blue Web’n , Encarta Highlights and, of course, the weekly Surfnetkids newsletter I publish.

In these days of e-mail overload, segregating newsletter subscriptions into a separate e-mail account can be just what you need to help you cope. Free web accounts are perfect for this, as long as you remember to login frequently and delete old messages so you don’t exceed your storage limit. Hotmail is a particularly good choice for a free newsletter-reading account because you can set your junk mail filter to “Exclusive” and thereby avoid getting any unwanted mail. Simply add each newsletter publisher to your “Safe List.”