Jason and The File Conversion Caper

Every once in a while, I get a patron who, eyes wild, hands shaking, and more than likely has a vein throbbing in their forehead, tells me that he or she is trying to print a document but "it won't open on your computers and I need to have this for the presentation I'm giving in ten minutes and if you don't help me my brain may, in fact, boil and cause a cranial explosion that will probably stain that wonderful Superman hoodie you are wearing".

Or something like that, anyway. So, what's going on here? Why can't the patron print?

Long story short, the pesky little culprit is a file type known as ".docx", which is what the new version of MSWord, Microsoft Word 2007, saves documents as by default. Becker does not yet have Word 2007 on its general use computers, making it impossible to open and print in our library. In a world without Web 2.0, our patrons would be in quite the pickle and we might have to send them to a local copy place. How can Web 2.0 keep a patron's brain meats off my Kryptonian clothing and help us help our patrons? I'm glad you asked...

Enter Zamzar, an online file conversion site and perfect for this kind of emergency. Zamzar enables users to convert files types to other file types on the go right there on its front page and WITHOUT making you sign up if you don't want to.

(Warning: A few pop-ups are going to open if you're not using a pop blocker or Mozilla Firefox. I just sayin'.)
I don't know why they have lizards on their front page, but they're really kinda awesome.

Anyway, Zamzar is very simple to use and guide the patron through.

First, tell Zamzar which file you want to upload and convert. If the patron has his document on a flash or thumb drive, offer to plug it into the computer behind the and have them show you which file they want to print. Hit the "Browse" button, find and choose that file in the window that opens, and then click "Open". You'll see the file location in the little bar underneath Step 1.

Next, you'll choose the type of file you want to convert the document to. This list of types is pretty long when you click on the menu, but the one that you want is "PDF". This will change the file to something easily opened by and printed from our computers.

The third step requires you enter an email address. If you're helping a patron through the steps, ask the patron to enter it now or use your own Wash U email. I've used the service enough times to be confident they won't send you any spam.

Finally, hit the "Convert" button under Step 4. Depending on the amount of traffic come though the site, the file should be sent to the email address provided in a few minutes. The patron can then save the file to his drive or print it directly from there.

Problem solved. Woot.

Zamzar also offers other services, such as file management and storage and downloadable tools for sending file directly from your desktop, for those interested in looking into them. As it is, though, Zamzar is a helpful tool to have in your toolbox should the need arise.

Edit: ZohoWriter (which we'll learn about later in our exploration of the 23 Things), has announced compatability with the .docx file type, as well as some other nifty features. I'm testing it out and will probably add thoughts when we get around to that week in the schedule.