The Key(board) to Success

Writing for businesses and about the business of writing is my specialty. I have experience with journalism, web text, and a newsletter column. I also have assisted clients with marketing ideas.

Having been diagnosed with arthritis in my hands, back and neck, I have been looking for ways to ease the stress on my body while writing on the computer. Below I summarize some research.

Laura Moser wrote a column regarding this topic in the St. Petersburg, FL. Times on May 21.
She conducted tests on 6 different ergonomic keyboards with regard to relief of pain for those suffering from ills which compromise comfort when typing for long periods of time. Moser also looked into ease of use and also if any extras are included.

The four keyboards that met her standards ( the price range for all six was $57 to $299) are:

Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Desktop 7000, Logitech Cordless Desktop Wave,Kinesis Freestyle VIP, and Kinesis Advantage Ergonomic Keyboard.

The two keyboards that did not do well in the survey are Adresso Tru-Form Pro Contoured Ergonomic Keyboard, and Goldtouch Ergonomic Keyboard.

Voice recognition software is also a tool for those with physical limitations. I broke down and bought MacSpeech Dictate but just recently fixed my faulty computer so I haven't learned it fully. Seems there is an upgrade now called MacSpeech Dictate 1.5

Of course, taking breaks -for which you may choose to set a timer- is one of the best medicines for a sore body.

Next week, I plan to address press releases since I had someone ask me about this.