Word 2007 is on the streets along with Vista and the whole bundle of new Office programs. People are beginning to explore the programs to find out what's new and what's missing from Microsoft's next wave.

Feel free to post some questions and I'll do my best to post answers. To get the ball rolling...

New File Formats for Word 2007
One of the first features that's raised eyebrows is the new file format for Word. Before the groans drown out my response, I have to say the change was made with the best intentions. After year's of criticsm, Microsoft is working hard to keep the folks with bad intentions from introducing viruses and other nasties on your computer. The new file format is part of that effort. There are two flavors. The new standard file format ends in .docx and will not run macros. A second file format ends in .docm and will run macros. Obviously, the effort here is to help you be more aware if you're opening a word file that can mess with your computer.

So, the first questions I've been getting from people is: "What about compatibility with the earlier versions of Word?" Here are some answers:

--When you're running Word 2007, you can save documents in one of the previous Word file formats. Choose Save As and then select the file format you want. Choose the "Word 97-2003 Document" option to save your files in a format that your friends and colleagues can use on their computers. After all, not everyone wants to be the first kid on the block with the latest and greatest.

--You can change your Word Options settings so that the program always saves in "Word 97-2003 Document" format. Click the big round Office button in the upper left corner of Word and then choose Word Options, down at the bottom of the menu. Options groups are listed on the left of the dialog box. Click "Save" and you'll see a handful of settings that control the way Word saves files. Use the first option: "Save files in this format." Just select the file format flavor of your choice. You may want to use "Word 97-2003 Document" for a year or so while the rest of the world makes the transition to Office 2007.