Microsoft Office Word 2007
...is it the right software for you?

Microsoft Office Word 2007 is the latest version of the software giant’s famous word processing software.

You may have heard stories about the big changes from previous versions of Word. Users seem to either love Word 2007 or hate it…

Of course, that is on par with how most people feel about Microsoft software!

Upgrading to Microsoft Windows 7? Click the link to find out if Word 2007 is compatible with the new operating system.

Before buying or upgrading to Word 2007, be prepared—there is a learning curve. The changes are significant enough that you’ll need to give yourself some time to get used to the new interface.

What is so Different about Word 2007?

As soon as you open Word 2007 for the first time, you see it has a completely new look! The most prominent difference is the new interface—the ribbon.

If you have used Word before, you may find the ribbon confusing. Yes, you will miss the classic menu system…but only for awhile.

The ribbon provides greater functionality, and after you get the hang of it, it helps you work faster and be more productive.

And because Word is part of the Microsoft Office Suite, once you learn the ribbon in Word, you will find it easy to master its use in Outlook, Access, Excel, and PowerPoint.

What’s New Under the Hood?

The new interface isn’t the only big change Microsoft Office Word! Behind the scenes is a totally new structure based on XML.

What does that mean to you, the user? It means smaller file sizes and files less likely to become corrupted for starters. On the other hand, the new format may cause compatibility issues when sharing files with users of other versions.

The new structure also means new file extensions. Microsoft rolled out the docx, docm, dotx and dotm extensions with this new release.

My Personal Experience with Word 2007

My biggest concern with upgrading to Office 2007 was sharing files with coworkers and clients. My concerns were unfounded.

The Word viewer and compatibility pack enable users to share files with few problems. Installing these utilities allows you to open docx files if you have an older version of Word (or even if you do not have Word installed at all).

I’ve learned some tips and workarounds to make file sharing work smoothly. Often, you need to convert docx to doc files and work in compatibility mode if most of your coworkers use an older version of Microsoft Word.

I found the Save As PDF feature to be indispensable for sharing files with co-workers and clients who do not own Word and Mac users. It only requires downloading and installing an add in, or installing the Microsoft Office 2007 Service Pack 2.

After using it for almost two years, overall, I am very happy with Microsoft Office Word 2007. It was well worth the few days it took me to learn the ribbon.

Now when I have to use an older version of Word, I realize how counter–intuitive the classic menu system is. I can’t wait to get back to my own office so I can use Word 2007!

I hope this review helps you determine if Word 2007 is the right choice for you!

Sue Huckle
Freelance Technical Writer

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