I think I'll start by organizing my MSN TV Favorites. You're probably familiar with Favorites; if not, check out this link for more info. This month, we'll take a look at the cool things you can do to keep your favorites in order once you've saved them.


Using, naming & adding folders
Think of Favorites as a big filing cabinet; without folders, it would be a hodge-podge of Web sites on all different topics thrown together. Folders let you keep your favorite Web sites on, say travel, separate from sites on home improvement or entertainment or local events. You can add, rename, and personalize your Favorites folders to make them more useful for you.

When you first get started with Favorites, you'll see two folders: Personal and Recommended. These folders each have a few sample favorites that you can choose to either keep or delete. You can also delete an entire folder (we'll talk more about that later).

Whether you keep or toss these folders, you can add your own by choosing theAdd folder button on the main Favorites page. When you add a folder, you can either create and name one on your own, or choose Samples to select from a list of already named folders (like Fun, Money or Reference). Either way, any folder you add will appear in the list that shows up when you save a favorite as well as the list of folders on your main Favorites page.

Want to give an existing Favorites folder a different name? Simply choose Rename on the main Favorites page, and you'll be able to type a new name for any of your folders. Want to get rid of a folder altogether? Choose Remove on the main Favorites page. Keep in mind that deleting a Favorites folder also deletes all of its contents; if there are favorites you want to keep, you may want to move them to another folder. How? That's up next.

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Organizing favorites within a folder
Once you've got your folders in order, you can get down to the nitty gritty of organizing the favorites within them. When you choose any of your folders from the main Favorites page, you'll see the contents of that folder. On the left side of the page, you'll also see a button labeled Organize. The "Organize favorites page" is where all the fun stuff happens.

Near the top of the "Organize favorites" page, you'll see the name of the folder you're in — a handy reminder that any changes you make will apply only to the favorites within this folder. This allows you to organize each folder differently.

There are five options on this page: Discard, Listing, Move to folder, Rename, and Shortcuts.

Choose Discard to delete favorites in this folder one at a time (or, if you prefer, use the Discard All button at the bottom of the page to get rid of all of them at once). Remember that this Discard button will let you delete only the favorites in your folder, not the folder itself.

Listing lets you choose how the favorites in this folder appear: with names and thumbnail images (tiny snapshots of what the Web page looks like) or with names only. Favorites normally appear with both names and pictures; to see them listed by name only, uncheck the With pictures box on the Listing page.

You can shift favorites from one folder to another with the Move to folder option. This is especially useful if you want to delete one of your folders without deleting the favorites within it. When you choose Move to folder, you'll see a list of all the favorites within this folder. Next to each, you'll see a drop-down list of your other folders. For each favorite you want to move, simply choose the appropriate folder from the drop-down list. When you're ready, choose Done on the bottom of the page and voilà! — your favorites will be moved.

Use the Rename option to specify different names for favorites within this folder. Simply choose Rename, type a different name for any and all of your favorites, and then choose Done. (Remember, to rename a folder — not just the favorites inside it — choose the Rename button on the main Favorites page.)

Finally, the Shortcuts option lets you make use of those mysterious F keys on your keyboard: you can set them up so that they take you right to your most-used (or best-loved) favorites. To assign a keyboard shortcut to a favorite in this folder, choose Shortcuts, and then choose the button next to the appropriate favorite. On the page that follows, choose the F key you want to pair with that favorite, and then choose Done. Then give it a whirl: press the F key for the shortcut you created, and you'll wind up directly at the correct favorite. (Of course, this shortcut trick works anywhere on the MSN TV service; you don't have to be in Favorites.)

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Everything changes
The best part about all of this is that you can organize, rename and change around your favorites and folders as often as you'd like, which is a definite plus if like me, you're always finding new favorite Web sites. With a few simple steps, you can keep your favorites in near perfect order. Now, if only the same could be said of my desk!

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