What is an MVP?

In 2002, Mary started to participate in the Design Gallery Live discussion group (Design Gallery Live is an earlier name for the Clip Art and Media Web site on Microsoft Office Online). "Next thing I knew," Mary says, "I was contacted about being an MVP." Mary is now officially a Microsoft Office Publisher MVP, but she continues to answer questions and write articles about clip art.

• Editor's note   To learn more about discussion groups and how to participate in them, see Office discussion groups. To read Mary's clip art article, click the link in the See Also box.

Mary lives with her husband in Circleville, Ohio. She has a daughter and two sons. One of her sons (who is now "all grown up with two children and a PhD," and teaches and directs the Disability Services program at the University of Cincinnati) has cerebral palsy. Mary raised funds for the Cerebral Palsy Foundation, and she also delivered meals on wheels in both Ohio and New Jersey. For 10 years, she served as a 4-H adviser, and she has spent what she describes as "20 long years" doing public relations and gofer work for youth sports. For several years, Mary maintained a Web site for the church her husband attends. The site, which was replaced by a new priest who felt it "wasn't Anglican enough," won a Golden Shoestring Award from the Episcopal Communicators. Now, Mary maintains a Web site for a local environmental group — Roundtown Conservancy — to which she belongs.

Why Publisher?   "Many moons ago, when we had our first computer, it was one of the first programs we acquired. Publisher 1.0 allowed us to do the flyers and brochures we needed for the local youth sports associations."

Most common customer question?   "Most of my time has been with the clip art discussion group. Many people who visit that discussion group wonder why they cannot download clip art. It is usually because they have a full cache; that is, their temporary Internet files need to be deleted."

• Editor's note   To empty a full cache, in Internet Explorer, on the Tools menu, click Internet Options. On the General tab, under Temporary Internet files, click Delete Files.

Example of a great publication created using Publisher?   "Personally, I think a good example is a scheduling pamphlet we put out every year for Youth Soccer. Along with the schedules, the pamphlet also contains team names, coaches, sponsors, and advertisements. It is well received."

Most underused Publisher feature?   "The Help files. "

• Editor's note   If you haven't explored Help in Publisher, try it now. On the Help menu, click Microsoft Office Publisher Help. To see the most up-to-date assistance information, in the Help task pane, click the Connect to Office Online link.

Most helpful Office Online information?  

"I read a lot of Knowledge Base articles. I like the Crabby Office Lady!"

• Editor's note   To see a list of all the Crabby Office Lady's columns or to search for a Knowledge Base article, click a link in the See Also list.

Favorite quote or motto?   "Any program that runs right is obsolete!"

When not at a computer, most likely to be found where?   "You're kidding, right? I have an 11-room house, a yard, a dog, a retired husband, and many civic organizations I try to keep up with. I do my own plumbing, wiring, gardening, and computer repair. I cannot fix cars!"

Visit Mary's Web site by clicking the link in the See Also box.