Frequently-Asked Questions
Answers to your questions about Google Apps for Education at Macalester College
Google's Help Center:
www.google.com/support/a/users/
Using Google Apps Email
Why does my computer still open Thunderbird when I click an email address in Firefox?
How can I get my address book out of Thunderbird?
How do I access the Macalester address book?
I'm new to Gmail/Google Apps. How do I use this? What's different?
Does it matter which Web browser I use?
Where are the folders?
How do I get more information about a message?
Why am I getting so much SPAM?
How do I set a vacation/out of office message?
Is there a limit on how many messages I can send per day?
Using Google Apps Calendar
My calendar events are an hour off. How can i fix this?
Can I use the Google Apps calendar instead of Oracle (Corporate Time)?
Will I be able to sync my PDA with Google Apps?
Technical Questions
I have a mailing list in Thunderbird. Will it be imported into Google Apps?
Can I continue to use Thunderbird with Google Apps?
Can I move my e-mail stored locally in Thunderbird (not on OCS) to Google Apps?
Can my personal Gmail account be combined
with my Macalester Google Apps account?
Should I periodically purge my Google Apps Sent Mail folder?
How do I backup my email from Google Apps to my personal email account?
About Google Apps for Education
What is the difference between OCS, Webmail, Thunderbird and IMAP?
Will I get a new e-mail address that ends in '@gmail.com?'
Will there be ads in my Google Apps account, like in Gmail?
What about privacy and security? Does Google read my e-mail?
What is the relationship between Gmail and Google Apps for Education?
How much storage space do I get?
Are there attachment limitations?
Why are people appearing in my Chat list?
How do I fix the incorrect characters on the name on outgoing e-mails?
What is [Feature X] and what does it do?
"How do I get my old mail out of OCS?"
Repairs to OCS are complete. The tools to migrate your old OCS e-mail into Google have been built. As of today, you can sign up to have
your mail migrated - or explicitly opt out of the migration - by going here: http://saml.macalester.edu/signup.php. For more information about migrating your mail out of OCS and into Google, visit our email migration site.
"Why does my computer still open Thunderbird when I click an email address in Firefox?"
Your computer needs to be told how to change its default behavior when clicking on an email address within a web browser. Google provides 2 utilities to do this: Google Notifier for the Mac, and Google Talk for Windows. Each application requires some post install configuration.
To Configure Google Notifier for Mac:
• Download and install the application (get it here)
• Choose Preferences
• Click on the E-mail icon on the menu bar on the far right (looks like an envelope)
• Choose Preferences
• Select the Gmail tab and click the checkbox for “Enable Gmail notification”
• Click on the Account tab and click the checkbox for “Start Google Notifier at Login”
To Configure Google Talk for Windows:
• Download and install the application (get it here)
• Click on the Google Talk icon on the Taskbar (far right) - It looks like a balloon with the red letter “M”
• Click on the Settings link in the Google Talk dialog box
• Select General in the left column and then click the following checkboxes: "Start automatically when staring Windows" and "Open Gmail when I click on email links"
• Click the OK button
"How can I get my address book out of OCS Webmail?"
An administrator must export the address book for you. Please contact the ITS Help Desk to request this service (at x.6525 and helpdesk@macalester.edu). If you primarily used Thunderbird, your address book is not stored in OCS. See the next question.
"How can I get my address book out of Thunderbird?"
Thunderbird address books are stored locally on your computer, not on the OCS server, so you can access them even if OCS is down or IMAP access is disabled. Please note that "address books" (in Thunderbird) are called "contacts" in Google Email. We have documented the
steps to follow, in this document:
www.macalester.edu/its/documentation/xplatform/googleapps/TBAddressBooks.pdf.
"How do I access the Macalester address book?"
From the "Compose Mail" window, click "Chose from contacts" located directly bellow the To: box. A window will open allowing you to search the Macalester directory. "I'm new to Gmail/Google Apps. How do I use this? What's different?"
Google Apps does a number of things differently than other e-mail systems. See this helpful video tour for more information:
www.google.com/mail/help/tour/start.html
"Does it matter which Web browser I use?"
Using a fully-supported browser gives you full functionality in Google Apps; other browers may give you only limited functionality. Here's Google's list of browsers with versions and support levels:
www.google.com/support/a/macalester.edu/bin/answer.py?answer=6557&topic=10243
"Where are the folders?"
Google Apps uses labels instead of folders. Labels can do everything that folders can do, and more. Please see Google's documentation on labels for more information: www.google.com/support/a/macalester.edu/bin/answer.py?answer=6560&topic=10231
"How do I get more information about a message?"
By default, Google displays messages showing just the names of the members of that conversation. If you want to know more about a message - for instance, to see the full address of the sender - click the "show details" link at the upper right above the message text. Full information on the sender's address, the recipient address(es), the date and time sent, the subject line and the sender's mail domain will be displayed. Details are visible only for this message. You can turn details off either by clicking the "hide details" link or simply returning to the Inbox.
"Why am I getting so much SPAM?"
You may have asked this question since the switch to Google Email. Simply put, you're not getting more spam in Google than you did with OCS - you're actually getting a bit less. However, you are being given more autonomy in dealing with the spam you receive.
All incoming OCS e-mail passed through the Barracuda, an anti-spam appliance. The Barracuda turned aside 99% of all incoming spam before it ever reached you. The remaining 1% of spam were messages that seemed questionable to the Barracuda - they might be spam, but they also could be legitimate. The majority of these messages were delivered to your Barracuda spam file, and a very few to your Inbox. You probably were not aware that you even had a Barracuda spam file, since it required a separate login to the device itself. The Barracuda has been phased out along with OCS.
In Google Email, questionable messages are delivered into your Spam file - you're actually getting less spam, it's just centralized into this one location, so that you can make sure legitimate messages are not lost. Google makes spam easy to see and easy to manage. If you do nothing, messages that go into your Spam file will automatically be deleted after thirty days. At any time, you can open that file and selectively move messages elsewhere or delete them, as you choose. You can even click the 'Delete all spam messages now' command at the top of the Spam File window and delete the entire contents of your Spam file any time you wish. If you receive a message in your Inbox that you know is spam, select it and click the 'Report spam' button. This will move it into your Spam file and will also help train Google's mail filters to be even more effective.
"How do I set a vacation/out of office message?"
While logged into Google Apps, click the "Settings" link in the top right of the window. There, you can type your out of office information in the subject and message fields. As you type, the "Vacation responder on" radio button will become selected. Click the "Save Changes" button. NOTE: There is no expiration date. YOU NEED TO MANUALLY TURN OFF YOUR VACATION MESSAGE.
"Is there a limit on how many messages I can send per day"
In an effort to thwart abuse of their systems, Google has imposed a sending limit of 500 email messages per day from the, outside of the domain. This only applies to emails going to NON Macalester addresses. If you need to send large volumes of emails to addresses outside of the Macalester domain, we recommend using groups, rather than individual email addresses. If you are using Thunderbird, or another email client, the limit is 100 outgoing email messages per day.
"My calendar events are an hour off. How can i fix this?"
Because we have had to roll out Google Apps much more quickly than planned, the default time zone may be set incorrectly (to something other than the United States and Central Time, 6 hours behind GMT). Simply choosing the correct country and time zone in the Calendar Settings will not solve the problem, so we have developed a brief, clear handout that outlines the steps you need to take to fix this glitch. You can download this document here:
www.macalester.edu/its/documentation/xplatform/googleapps/googlecaltimezone.pdf
"Can I use the Google Apps calendar instead of Oracle (Corporate Time)?"
Beginning June 1, Google Calendar will replace Oracle Calendar (Corporate Time) as our supported calendaring tool. This means you should stop using Oracle Calendar after June 1 except for reference to past meetings, and use Google to schedule all of your events and meetings.
You can open Google Calendar by clicking the 'calendar' link in the upper left-hand corner of your Google Email window. The calendar will open in a second tab. The very first thing you should do in Google Calendar is doublecheck your Country and Current Time Zone settings (click on the 'settings' link in the upper right of the Calendar window). If you see anything other than "United States" and "GMT-06:00 Central Time" in these boxes, please correct the settings. We have written up some quick, clear instructions on setting these options - get them here:
http://www.macalester.edu/its/documentation/xplatform/googleapps/googlecaltimezone.pdf
We will be offering further documentation, hands-on training opportunities (both classes and one-on-one sessions) and direct Help Desk and AIA support for Google Calendar. Watch our Google Apps Web page for further announcements and more detailed information:
http://www.macalester.edu/its/googleapps/
"Will I be able to sync my PDA with Google Apps?"
Right now the Blackberry is the only PDA fully supported by Google. We anticipate Google will offer full support in the near future for the iPhone. For more information on Google's support of mobile devices, go to http://www.google.com/a/help/intl/en/users/mobile.html.
"I have a mailing list in Thunderbird. Will it be imported into Google Apps?"
Partially. Thunderbird mailing lists cannot be directly imported as-is. The contacts (names) in the list will be imported, they just won't have a group or list automatically made with them. You must build this group manually. Alternatively, you may be able to move your mailing list to the ITS Mailing List server, which is a more robust solution for large and persistent lists. If your list has more than about ten names on it, the List Server is a
much better option. Please contact the ITS Help Desk for more information on the Mailing List server (at x.6525 and helpdesk@macalester.edu).
"Can I continue to use Thunderbird with Google Apps?"
Yes. Google Apps does support IMAP and POP3 access, so you can use Thunderbird to send and receive mail. At this time, we are concentrating
on rolling out basic 'send and receive' capability in Google Apps. You may enable IMAP/POP and set up Thunderbird, or
your preferred client, but we are not currently able to assist you. We may develop a document on setting up IMAP/POP clients,
and if so, it will be linked from this location. However, we encourage you to give the Google Apps Email interface
a try before choosing to use a local mail client.
"Can I move my e-mail stored locally in Thunderbird (not on the OCS server) to Google Apps?"
Yes. Google Apps does support IMAP, so you can transfer mail between your local computer and your Google Apps account. At this time, we are concentrating
on rolling out basic 'send and receive' capability in Google Apps. We may develop a document on this aspect of Thunderbird,
and if so, it will be linked from this location.
"Can my personal Gmail account be combined
with my Macalester Google Apps account?"
Yes. If you want to move all of your mail from your separate Gmail account into your Macalester
Google Apps account (or vice versa), you can use the Mail Fetcher tool, clearly
explained here:
www.google.com/support/a/users/bin/answer.py?answer=21288&topic=11362.
In fact
you can use the Mail Fetcher to bring mail in from other types of accounts as well, as
long as they support POP access. If you prefer to forward mail from your Google Apps account
to another account, check these instructions:
www.google.com/support/a/users/bin/answer.py?answer=10957&topic=10222.
"Should I periodically purge my Google Apps Sent Mail folder?"
You may. However, since Google Apps mail uses "conversations", if you delete the conversations in your Sent Mail, it may remove conversation threads you wanted to keep!
"How do I backup my email from Google Apps to my personal email account?"
Here's how to download a copy of every message* in Gmail to an mail client:
1. Sign in to Google Apps for Macalester and go to your email.
2. Click Settings at the top of any email page.
3. Open the Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab.
4. Select Enable POP for all mail (even mail that's already been downloaded).
5. Click Save Changes.
* Messages in Spam and Trash aren't downloaded unless you move them to your inbox or All Mail.
Picking up from the last step:
1. Open your personal Gmail account.
2. Go to the Settings, Accounts, Add another account.
3. Enter your macalester email address.
4. Change username to be your full macalester email address.
5. Enter your macalester password.
6. For the POP server, choose Other then enter pop.gmail.com and port 995.
7. Uncheck "leave a copy of retrieved messages on the server". (This is determined by the setting in your Macalester account, not here.)
8. Check "Always use SSL".
9. Optionally check the label and archive boxes (recommended).
10. Click Add account. Your messages will trickle in over time, they will not appear all at once.
"What is the difference between OCS, Webmail, Thunderbird and IMAP?"
Oracle Collaboration Suite (OCS) was Macalester's e-mail system
through the end of March 2008. E-mail sent to and from Macalester
e-mail accounts was handled by OCS. The main interface for OCS was on
the Web, and was called 'Webmail' or 'OCS Webmail.' Many people at
Macalester, including most students, used only OCS' Webmail interface.
Faculty and staff mainly accessed their OCS e-mail through Thunderbird,
a desktop mail client made by Mozilla. Thunderbird was very popular
since it handled e-mail with more elegance and better functionality than
OCS Webmail. The connection between OCS and Thunderbird is an email
transfer protocol called Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP). IMAP is a technical
specification rather than a product, and other e-mail packages
(including Google Apps) support it.
"Will I get a new e-mail address that ends in '@gmail.com?'"
No, you will retain your current username@macalester.edu e-mail address. People outside of Macalester will not know that anything has changed.
"Will there be ads in my Google Apps account, like in Gmail?"
No. Google allows us to disable this feature for students, faculty and staff.
"What about privacy and security? Does Google read my e-mail?"
Google does not read your e-mail. Google also explicitly does not own your data (e-mail and documents). We feel that our community's e-mail is secure in Google's hands, and that our personal information remains private.
"What is the relationship between Gmail and Google Apps for Education?"
Gmail is Google's free Webmail. Google Apps for Education is a suite of Google applications (e-mail, calendar, docs) that have been combined for ease of use. Google Apps includes a version of Gmail, but it is not quite identical to regular Gmail. To reduce confusion about the two products, the Google Apps version is called Google Apps Email. To increase confusion, many of the Help materials provided for Google Apps are borrowed from Gmail's documentation, so you may see the names used interchangeably.
"How much storage space do I get?"
Right now, about 7.3 GB (gigabytes). That's over 14 times as much as was available in your OCS account. The amount of storage space is also slowly increasing, and Google suggests that you never need to delete anything.
"Are there attachment limitations?"
Yes. The size limit on attachments is 25 Mb. Also, Google blocks all .exe files, even those contained in a zip file. This is to prevent the spread of viruses. Tip: add an attachment before you start typing your message. Google Apps will upload the attachment while you type.
"Why are people appearing in my Chat list?"
Chat functionality is built into Google Apps Email. It will automatically add people you communicate with frequently to your chat list. You can change this setting by going to Settings -> Chat -> Auto-add suggested contacts and changing the selection to Only allow people that I've explicitly approved to chat with me and see when I'm online. To remove people from your chat list, go to their entry in your Contacts and change the Show in Chat list option to Block. This will prevent chatting but not block e-mail or other communication. The other person is not notified.
"The name on my outgoing e-mails isn't what I want/has incorrect characters. How do I fix this?"
You can change the name displayed with your e-mail address in Google Apps. Go to Settings in the upper right, then pick Account (the second option), then edit info next to your name. Press the button next to the text box, and type the name you wish to be displayed with your e-mail address there.
"What is [Feature X] and what does it do?"
If you have questions about a particular Google Apps feature, button or behavior, we encourage you to consult Google's Help
documentation. You may also wish to watch the Gmail Tour, which gives a very good overview of how the Google Email
system works: http://www.google.com/mail/help/tour/start.html
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