New Gmail Interface - a leap forward!

For those of you who are still grappling with the idea of moving to the web interface of gmail might find this link helpful in making a decision

See whats new in the Gmail Interface

The search (which has always been a winner for me) has the most exciting changes.

Video: New Look for Google Docs

New features and a new look

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aluEPPNYAlE&feature=uploademail

Tip: Comment-only access in Google documents

Comment-only access in Google documents

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2011

Posted by Sarah Wu, Software Engineer

(Cross-posted on the Google Docs Blog.)

In the past several months, we’ve added new discussion and commenting features to improve collaboration in Google documents. As an engineer, I often create docs with design concepts and send them to my team to review and provide feedback, and we use the commenting features to facilitate these discussions. Sometimes, I want to let team members view and make comments without allowing them to directly edit my document.

Over the next few days, we're releasing a new sharing option so that you can let people view and add comments to your documents without giving them edit access. To give comment-only access to your document, click on the Share button. From there, add in the contact you’d like to share your document with, and select Can comment.


You can also choose to give comment-only access to anyone with the link or anyone on the web by changing the sharing settings within the document. To do this, click Change in the sharing settings window and change visibility options to Public on the web or Anyone with the link, then change the access options to Can comment.

Similarly, if you’re using a Google Apps account, click Change in the sharing settings and select either “People at who have the link can access” or “People at can find and access.” Then change access option to Can comment.


Users that have comment-only access can view your document and add comments throughout -- without being able to change the content of the document directly.

We hope this latest feature in discussions helps you get the feedback you need while providing you with more control over the content in your docs. So comment away and tell us what you think -- below or in the forum.

Tips: Using Gmail, Calendar and Docs without an internet connection

Using Gmail, Calendar and Docs without an internet connection

Posted: 31 Aug 2011 09:00 AM PDT

Posted by Benoît de Boursetty, Product Manager

(Cross-posted on the Gmail Blog.)

The great thing about web apps is that you can access all of your information on the go, and we’ve introduced ways to use Google Apps on a variety of devices like mobile phones and tablets. But it’s inevitable that you’ll occasionally find yourself in situations when you don’t have an internet connection, like planes, trains and carpools. When we announced Chromebooks at Google I/O 2011, we talked about bringing offline access to our web apps, and now we’re taking our first steps in that direction. Gmail offline will be available today, and offline for Google Calendar and Google Docs will be rolling out over the next week, starting today.

Gmail Offline is a Chrome Web Store app that’s intended for situations when you need to read, respond to, organize and archive email without an internet connection. This HTML5-powered app is based on the Gmail web app for tablets, which was built to function with or without web access. After you install the Gmail Offline app from the Chrome Web Store, you can continue using Gmail when you lose your connection by clicking the Gmail Offline icon on Chrome’s “new tab” page.

Google Calendar and Google Docs let you seamlessly transition between on- and offline modes. When you’re offline in Google Calendar, you can view events from your calendars and RSVP to appointments. With Google Docs you can view documents and spreadsheets when you don’t have a connection. Offline editing isn’t ready yet, but we know it’s important to many of you, and we’re working hard to make it a reality. To get started using Google Calendar or Google Docs offline, just click the gear icon at the top right corner of the web app and select the option for offline access.

IT administrators can deploy Chrome Web Store apps to users en masse by setting up organizational policies for Chrome.

Today’s world doesn’t slow down when you’re offline and it’s a great feeling to be productive from anywhere, on any device, at any time. We’re pushing the boundaries of modern browsers to make this possible, and while we hope that many users will already find today’s offline functionality useful, this is only the beginning. Support for offline document editing and customizing the amount of email to be synchronized will be coming in the future. We also look forward to making offline access more widely available when other browsers support advanced functionality (like background pages).

Tip: How to write effective email

Here is a quick video on writing effective email

Email Expert, Mike Song, provide an effective communication tip for anyone using email for business. This content comes from the Get Control! of Email class.

Click here to see Video

Tips: Which Browser works best with Google Apps

For those of you who have decided to drop Outlook and use browsers as their choice for email, here is my opinion on the best browers to use.

1. The best browser is actually Firefox (Click to download) - it only has an edge over Chrome in that you can setup it up for use offline - i.e. you can continue working if your loose internet connection.
2. Google Chrome - (Download Chrome) - Equally good - has the added benefit of being able to synchronise your bookmarks
3. Internet Explorer - Not as quick and easy as the two above.

Chances are you are probably using Internet Explorer and i recommend you give the others a try.

Tip: 'Undo Send' available for Google Apps mail users

Ever sent an email and realised that you sent it to the wrong person? or perhaps forgot to attach a file?

There is a labs feature you can turn on (click Undo Send in Labs ) that allows you to click an Undo button which recalls the email. The 'undo' is only available for a few seconds after sending - but that's better than nothing!

Hope this helps

Tip: Preview Pane now available for Gmail

One of the sorely missed functions of outlook was the ability to preview an email without having to open it. Finally this is now available for your email in Google Apps.

Please follow this link to switch your preview pane on

Preview Pane in Gmail / Google Apps Mail

News: 3G now available on Airtel

The wait is over - 3G is finally available on Airtel. Coverage is not city wide as yet but certainly Mombasa Rd, Westlands, Parklands and Loresho are active.

If you notice that your phone hasn't picked 3G yet - you can change your mobile network settings to 3G only and force the connection.

Remember - 3G drains battery faster.

Tips: Video to show you how to delegate access to your Google Calendar to a Personal Assistant

Hi - This is a very useful feature if you have a PA

Click on the link to view

http://v21.lscache8.c.bigcache.googleapis.com/enterprisetraining/gapps/aa/calendardel/delegating_cal_020510.mov

Tips: How to automatically forward email on Google Apps

Gmail lets you automatically forward incoming mail to another address, if you'd like.
Here's how to forward messages automatically:

1. Click Settings at the top of any Gmail page.
2. Click the Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab.
3. From the first drop-down menu in the "Forwarding" section, select 'Add new email address.'
4. Enter the email address to which you'd like your messages forwarded.
5. For your security, we'll send a verification to that email address.
6. Open your forwarding email account, and find the confirmation message from the Gmail team.
7. Click the verification link in that email.
8. Back in your Gmail account, select the 'Forward a copy of incoming mail to...' option and select your forwarding address from the drop-down menu.
9. Select the action you'd like your messages to take from the drop-down menu. You can choose to keep Gmail's copy of the message in your inbox, or you can send it automatically to All Mail or Trash.
10. Click Save Changes.

You also can set up filters to forward messages that meet specific criteria. You can create 20 filters that forward to other addresses. You can maximize your filtered forwarding bycombining filters that send to the same address.

How to stop auto-forwarding

If you no longer want to auto-forward your mail, follow these instructions:

1. Click the Settings at the top of any Gmail page
2. Click the Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab, or if you use Google Apps, you might have a Forwarding tab instead.
3. In the "Forwarding" section, select the Disable forwarding radio button.
4. Click the first drop-down menu in the "Forwarding" section and check for any forwards created by filtering.

Tips: Keyboard Shortcuts when using Google Interface

Keyboard shortcuts help you save time by allowing you to never take your hands off the keyboard to use the mouse.


To turn these case-sensitive shortcuts on or off, click Settings, and then pick an option next to Keyboard shortcuts.

Shortcut Key	Definition	Action
c	Compose	Allows you to compose a new message. <Shift> + c allows you to compose a message in a new window.
/	Search	Puts your cursor in the search box.
k	Move to newer conversation	Opens or moves your cursor to a more recent conversation. You can hit <Enter> to expand a conversation.
j	Move to older conversation	Opens or moves your cursor to the next oldest conversation. You can hit <Enter> to expand a conversation.
n	Next message	Moves your cursor to the next message. You can hit <Enter> to expand or collapse a message. (Only applicable in 'Conversation View.')
p	Previous message	Moves your cursor to the previous message. You can hit <Enter> to expand or collapse a message. (Only applicable in 'Conversation View.')
o or <Enter>	Open	Opens your conversation. Also expands or collapses a message if you are in 'Conversation View.'
u	Return to conversation list	Refreshes your page and returns you to the inbox, or list of conversations.
e	Archive	Archive your conversation from any view.
m	Mute	Archives the conversation, and all future messages skip the Inbox unless sent or cc'd directly to you. Learn more.
x	Select conversation	Automatically checks and selects a conversation so that you can archive, apply a label, or choose an action from the drop-down menu to apply to that conversation.
s	Star a message or conversation	Adds or removes a star to a message or conversation. Stars allow you to give a message or conversation a special status.
!	Report spam	Marks a message as spam and removes it from your conversation list.
r	Reply	Replies to the message sender. <Shift> + r allows you to reply to a message in a new window. (Only applicable in 'Conversation View.')
a	Reply all	Replies to all message recipients. <Shift> +a allows you to reply to all message recipients in a new window. (Only applicable in 'Conversation View.')
f	Forward	Forwards a message. <Shift> + f allows you to forward a message in a new window. (Only applicable in 'Conversation View.')
<Esc>	Escape from input field	Removes the cursor from your current input field.
<Ctrl> + s	Save draft	Saves the current text as a draft when composing a message. Hold the <Ctrl> key while pressing s and make sure your cursor is in one of the text fields -- either the composition pane, or any of the To, CC, BCC, or Subject fields -- when using this shortcut.
#	Delete	Moves the conversation to Trash.
l	Label	Opens the Labels menu to label a conversation.
v	Move to	Moves the conversation from the inbox to a different label, Spam or Trash.
<Shift> + i	Mark as read	Marks your message as 'read' and skip to the next message.
<Shift> + u	Mark as unread	Marks your message as 'unread' so you can go back to it later.
[	Archive and previous	Archives your conversation and moves to the previous one.
]	Archive and next	Archives your conversation and moves to the next one.
z	Undo	Undoes your previous action, if possible (works for actions with an 'undo' link).
<Shift> + n	Update current conversation	Updates your current conversation when there are new messages.
q	Move cursor to chat search	Moves your cursor directly to the chat search box.
y	Remove from Current View*	Automatically removes the message or conversation from your current view. From 'Inbox,' 'y' means Archive From 'Starred,' 'y' means Unstar From 'Trash,' 'y' means Move to inbox From any label, 'y' means Remove the label * 'y' has no effect if you're in 'Spam,' 'Sent,' or 'All Mail.'
.	Show more actions	Displays the 'More Actions' drop-down menu.
?	Show keyboard shortcuts help	Displays the keyboard shortcuts help menu within any page you're on.

Combo-keys - Use the following combinations of keys to navigate through Gmail.

Shortcut Key	Definition	Action
<tab> then <Enter>	Send message	After composing your message, use this combination to send it automatically. (Supported in Internet Explorer and Firefox, on Windows.)
y then o	Archive and next	Archives your conversation and moves to the next one.
g then a	Go to 'All Mail'	Takes you to 'All Mail,' the storage site for all mail you've ever sent or received (and have not deleted).
g then s	Go to 'Starred'	Takes you to all conversations you have starred.
g then c	Go to 'Contacts'	Takes you to your Contacts list.
g then d	Go to 'Drafts'	Takes you to all drafts you have saved.
g then i	Go to 'Inbox'	Returns you to the inbox.
g then t	Go to 'Sent Mail'	Takes you to all mail you've sent.
* then a	Select all	Selects all mail.
* then n	Select none	Deselects all mail.
* then r	Select read	Selects all mail you've read.
* then u	Select unread	Selects all unread mail.
* then s	Select starred	Selects all starred mail.
* then t	Select unstarred	Selects all unstarred mail.

Tips: Ipad: Why does your iPad battery drain so quickly?

If you have a 3G iPad and notice your battery levels dropping rapidly, one of the reasons could be that you have no credit left for data on your prepaid sim card. Battery drain is faster when email has been setup on your iPad.

Check your balance by going to Settings -> Mobile (or Cellular) Data -> SIM Applications and follow the steps to find your balance

Tips: Google Calendar: New Feature Appointment Slots

About Appointment slots

The Appointment slots feature lets you set time slots on your calendar that other people can book.
For instance, a CEO could allow his or her PA to reserve time during office hours each week.

This is a handy tool with many possibilities! Read on to learn how to set up and start using it.

Set up an appointment slot

To start, you’ll need to set a time slot that you’d like to make available for appointments. To do that, follow these steps:

1. Sign into your Google Calendar account at https://calendar.google.com.
2. Click anywhere in the calendar grid. In the event bubble that pops up, click Appointment slots.
3. Indicate the details for the appointment slot using these fields:
• What: Enter a short title for the appointment(s), like “Hasit Available Office Hours.”
• Calendar drop-down menu: Choose the calendar you’d like to create the appointment slot on.
• Offer as a single appointment: Select this button if the entire time slot will be for one appointment.
• Split into smaller slots: Select this option if you’d like to allow multiple appointments to be scheduled during the slot. Simply select and indicate the duration for each appointment (in minutes) in the text box to the right.
4. If you’re all finished, click Create slots on the bubble, or continue to the next step to add more details to your appointment slot.
5. Click Edit details to open the appointment slot details page and add more information, such as a location or description, or to make the appointment slot repeat. To make the appointment slot recur, click the Repeat checkbox to choose your settings. Read more about repeating events here.
6. If other people should be present during the appointment slot, you can invite them using the Add Guests field. For instance, a professor may want their assistant to be there during office hours and could invite them using this feature.
7. When you’re finished, click Save.

You’re set up! Your appointment slot will display as a single event on your calendar and the calendars of any invitees. You’ll be able to distinguish the appointment slot from other events by its striped pattern. Once actual appointments are booked, they’ll appear as regular events overlapping with the striped appointment slot.

Make appointments

To let people start booking appointments, simply direct them to the appointment page. You can find the URL for it at the top of the appointment slot details page.
Visitors to this page will see a calendar showing the available appointments. They’ll also see their own calendar overlaid on the appointment page, making it easy to see what times work for them.
To book an appointment, visitors simply click one of the available appointment buttons and click Save. Visitors can also edit other fields in the popup to make changes to the title, location, and event description.
Appointments that have been booked won’t be visible to future visitors to the appointment page.
Attendees can cancel their appointment by deleting or declining the event on their own calendar, which will appear as a decline on your calendar. The appointment then becomes bookable for future visitors to the appointment page.

Tips: Google Docs: Setting Automatic Notifications for documents that change

You can set notifications to find out when your collaborators have modified documents, and learn what changes have been made.You can also choose how often you'd like to be notified. Here's how you can enable notifications:

1. Click Share at the top right of the document and select Set Notification Rules.
2. In the window that appears, select when and how often you want to receive notifications:
   • When changes are made to the entire spreadsheet
   • When changes are made to a specific sheet
   • When changes are made to specific cells
   • When collaborators are added or removed
   • When changes are made to forms
   • By 'daily digest' or 'right away'
3. Click Save.

Ramco Group has signed up with Google Apps

We have finally signed an agreement with google to take our group into google apps. Those that wish to migrate will be able to take advantage of collaborative features within their own organisation.

The agreement is for Google apps and Postini - their leading archiving service. If you want to read more on Postini please visit http://www.google.com/postini/

The Beginning...

So you have devices and no time to learn them? Your organisation's IT policy is rapid fire and it's hard to keep up? Subscribe to this blog and get simple tips on using your IT infrastructure to get the most out of life!

While this blog is primarily for users within the Ramco Group of Companies in Kenya you will find that the technologies we adopt are ones that almost all companies deploy - making this a useful tool for your organisation.

The success of a blog lies in the people who follow it - I am always looking for topics that might interest you and others in this part of the world, so please feel free to drop a line if you are looking for answers in particular. write to blog@ramco.co.ke.