This step-by-step article explains how to share a Microsoft Excel workbook with other users. If you want several users to work in the same Excel workbook simultaneously, you can save the workbook as a shared workbook. Users can then enter data, insert rows and columns, add and change formulas, and change formatting.
If you're in an application that gives you a link that you can click on, the spinning circle usually means that Windows is busy; it's doing something... it might very well be loading IE9. It's not until IE9 has finished loading that it becomes visible and takes over the screen.
The blue busy circle flashes beside the cursor all the time-about twice a second, it only stops when the cursor is in a text entry or selection field. Being on or off line makes no difference to it. It seems to be associated with almost continual hard disk activity.