Administrative Assistant / Secretary: Using Gmail and Google Docs

Google apps are an excellent free resource for businesses. Imagine having an email account that is yours for life, that doesn’t change when you change jobs or change Internet providers. And this email account has instant messaging and video calls built in. What if it came with an online calendar where you could share your schedule with anyone you wanted anywhere in the world? What if you could easily send invitations to meetings, create word processing documents, spreadsheets, and presentations without having to purchase expensive desktop software? Imagine having access to your files from any computer in the world and being able to access your files from your phone or tablet. Imagine being able to share those files with anyone you choose—coworkers, family, and friends—and collaborating without ever being in the same room. Imagine publishing anything you want on the Internet, and creating free websites for your office, your club, or your family. With Google Apps, all of these things are possible and, what’s more, they’re all free.

The Google Account
To access all the free services available to you through Google, you’ll first create a Google account. There’s no fee for this account, and it’s simple to set up. Your Google account is like a portal into many popular Google services, including Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Drive, Google Sites, and YouTube.
Gmail is Google’s Internet-based email service. With Gmail, you can send and receive messages from any computer that has Internet access. You can also attach photos and videos to your email, and even use Gmail Chat to converse live over the Internet via text, voice, or video just by clicking a few buttons.
Google Calendar is a scheduling tool that integrates with Gmail to help you keep track of appointments and events, organize your to-do list, and invite people to meetings and gatherings.
Google Drive gives you free access to word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, forms, and drawing software, delivered to you through the Internet. It can be accessed from any Internet-ready computer.
Google Sites gives you the tools to create your own free website. The simple design makes it easy to share with a group, keeping the group members posted on upcoming events and updating them on news and assignments.
Access to all of these free services and more are available to you, once you create a Google account.
You do that on Google’s sign-up page. You’ll fill in the simple online form, and make up a user name and password that you’ll use to access your account. You will also be required to fill in your birthday and gender. Phone and current email address are optional. From there you’ll be guided to the Create Your Photo page, where you can add a picture of yourself that will appear on your Gmail page. Or you can skip this step and add a photo at another time. Then on the welcome page, you’ll see your new email address.

Google Chrome
Google services can be accessed from many popular web browsers. But for speed and performance enhancements, its best to use Google Chrome. To install Google Chrome on a PC with Windows, go to www.google.com/chrome and follow the online instructions. To install it on a Mac with Mac OSX 10.5 or later, go to www.google.com/mac.

Gmail
Gmail is the free email program that comes with your Google account. With Gmail, everything is just a matter of a few clicks.
When you sign into your Gmail page, you’ll find everything you need to send and receive emails. You’ll see your Inbox here, where you’ll receive messages. The first time you sign in, a few emails will already be listed, sent to you from the Gmail team. New, unread emails will be listed in bold font. You’ll click on an email to open the message.
You’ll click the red COMPOSE button to send emails. This will take you to a blank email page where you’ll fill in the recipient’s email address and the subject, and type your message.
The Sent Mail tab enables you to see messages you’ve already sent. The Drafts tab saves messages that you’re working on, but haven’t sent yet.
The Circles tab integrates with Google Plus to create circles of family, friends, and colleagues.
The Chat tab is the starting point for conversing live over the Internet through text, voice, and video calls.

Sending and Receiving Email with Gmail
To send and receive email with Gmail, follow these steps:
1. To access your Gmail page, go to www.gmail.com and enter your user name and password to sign in. Click the SIGN IN button.
2. This takes you to your Gmail page. New messages are in bold font.
3. Click on an email message to open it. The message opens so you can read it.
4. To send a message, click the red COMPOSE button.
5. The cursor defaults to the To window. Type in the email address then click on the SUBJECT line.
6. Type in the topic of your message.

The Gmail Inbox.


Google and the Google logo are registered trademarks of Google Inc., used with permission.
7. Then click on the MESSAGE field.
8. Type your message.
9. Then click the red SEND button.
10. Your message has been sent, and you will be returned to the Inbox on your Gmail page.
11. To check your sent message, click SENT MAIL.
12. Your sent mail appears with the name and subject line.

Printing a Gmail Message
If you want to print a paper copy of an email message, just click the small printer icon. This will take you to your printer’s onscreen directions. When you’re finished printing, you may need to close the print window to get back to your message.

Replying to and Forwarding Messages
To reply to or forward a Gmail message, follow these steps:
1. Click to open a message in your Inbox.
2. To reply to the message, click the REPLY button.
3. The email is set to reply back to the person and your cursor will be positioned at the top of the message field above the previous message.
4. Enter your reply.
5. Click the SEND button.
6. To forward a message you’ve opened, click the FORWARD button.
7. The cursor defaults to the To field. Enter the person’s email address.
8. Click at the top of the message field and enter your own message.
9. When you are finished, click the SEND button.

Attachments
You can “attach” other files, such as pictures or documents that are stored on your computer, to your email messages using Gmail. To add an attachment to a message you’re composing, click ATTACH A FILE. Then browse to the file you want to attach. Click on the file, then click the OPEN button. This adds the attachment to your message.
If you see that an attachment has been added to a message you’ve received, click VIEW, under the Attachment listing. This opens the attachment.

Contact Manager
To keep track of your contacts, Gmail provides an online address book, called the Contact Manager. The names of your contacts will be listed here in alphabetical order. You can add people to your contacts yourself, or when people email you, you can add them to the list. Google also automatically stores the twenty most frequently used email addresses. You can also organize your contacts into groups for ease in sending group emails.
To access Contact Manager, after signing into Gmail, click the GMAIL tab. Then click CONTACTS from the drop-down list. You can select people who have emailed you and then click ADD TO MY CONTACTS. You can also enter people who haven’t emailed you yet by clicking the NEW CONTACT button and then entering the person’s contact information.

Text, Voice, and Video Calls
Making text, voice, and video calls through your computer is easy with Gmail Chat. Typing quick text messages back and forth with another Gmail user, called Instant Messaging, is available as soon as you set up your Gmail account. To make voice and video calls, you’ll need a microphone and webcam attached to your computer. Then all you need to do is download and install the voice and video plugin. You can get to this download by clicking the down arrow that pops up when you hover your cursor over the Chat tab. Click Voice and Video Plugin. Then follow the online instructions. It’s quick and easy. After you’ve downloaded and installed the plugin, you’re ready to chat by text, voice, or video.
First you’ll need to invite someone to chat. The person will need either to have a Gmail account or to sign up for Gmail Chat through Google Talk at www.google.com/talk.
To send the invitation, hover your cursor over the name in your contacts list to open the contact’s profile. Then click INVITE TO CHAT.
A small pop-up window informs you that your invitation has been sent successfully. You’ll see the name now listed in the Chat section, indicating that the person has been invited. If you don’t see the person’s name, try hovering your cursor over the chat section and then scroll down through the names.
When your contact accepts the invitation, a ball or video camera icon appears next to the contact’s name in the Chat section. If the person is not logged in to Gmail at the time, the icon is gray. If he or she is available to chat, you’ll see a green icon. If the icon is yellow, this indicates that the person is logged-in to Google but is away from his or her computer. If the icon is red, this means your Contact has set his or her status to “Busy” and is not available to chat.
You can set your own status to “Busy” by clicking the down arrow under your name in the Chat section, then click BUSY.
When you’re ready to change your status back to available, click AVAILABLE.
If there’s a green ball or camera icon by a person’s name, you can try sending an Instant Message. Hover your cursor over the name and click CHAT from the person’s profile window. A chat window pops up. Type your message and click enter. A small chat window will pop up on your recipient’s screen with your message. If he or she has time to chat, you’ll see a notification in your screen that the person is typing. When he or she is done, the return message will pop up on your screen, ready for your reply.
When you’re ready to end the conversation, just click the x at the top of the window. Or if you decide to continue your conversation by voice rather than text, you can click the phone button at the top of the chat window.
If the person you’re calling has voice and video enabled on his or her computer, you’ll see an option to call the computer. If you have a phone number entered with the contact information, you’ll have the option of calling his or her phone. Click on your choice and your computer will place the call.
If you don’t have the Contact’s phone number entered with the person’s contact information, you can click the CALL PHONE tab on the left of your Gmail page in the Chat section. A phone pad pops up. Enter your contact’s phone number, area code first. Then click the blue CALL button. You’ll see a dollar amount at the top right of the phone pad, indicating the charge to be billed for the call. Calls within the U.S. and Canada are free, but if you’re calling another country, there will be a low cost per minute charge for the call.
When you’re calling a phone, the recipient will see a phone number on his or her Caller ID, indicating the call is from your state. So the recipient may need to be alerted to pick up. If you call the computer, it will go directly to whichever computer your contact is using for Gmail. You’ll hear a ring tone, and then the person’s voice when they answer. When you’re done with your phone conversation, just click the END button in the chat window.
To Video Chat with someone who has a green camera icon by his or her name, it’s best to first send an Instant Message inviting the person to Video Chat. If the person accepts, click the camera icon at the top of the chat window to start the call.
When the person answers, you’ll see him or her in a small video window on your screen, and the person will be able to see you.
To make the video screen larger, hover your cursor over the screen, then click the FULL SCREEN button that pops up.

Google Calendar.


Google and the Google logo are registered trademarks of Google Inc., used with permission.
When you’re finished with Gmail and want to sign out of your account, click your name or photo at the top right of your screen to open your profile window. Then click SIGN OUT.

Google Calendar
To access Google Calendar, click on the CALENDAR link at the top of your Gmail page. Your first calendar is automatically created, ready for your input
There are different calendar views possible including the daily, weekly, monthly, four days, or agenda view. You can add events to your calendar to keep track of meetings or to plan your day. To add an event to your calendar, follow these steps:
1. When viewing the daily view, click a particular timeslot.
2. The cursor defaults to the What field in the pop-up window. Enter the event name, then click CREATE EVENT.
3. Click in the WHERE field, then enter the location for the event.

Scheduling Meetings
Another great feature of Google Calendar is the ability to create an event and invite other people. If they accept the invitation, the event will appear on their calendars too. Follow these steps to schedule an event and invite other people:
1. To add your special event, start by clicking the red CREATE button.
2. The cursor defaults to the title field. Enter a name for the event or meeting.
3. Click on the DATE.
4. Enter the date.
5. Click on the START TIME.
6. Enter the start time for the event.
7. Click on the ENDING TIME.
8. Enter the ending time for the event.
9. Click in the WHERE field.
10. Enter the location for the event.
11. Click in the DESCRIPTION field.
12. Enter a description for the event.
13. Click in the email field under ADD GUESTS.
14. Enter the email addresses for the people you want to invite.
15. The names of your guests appear in the Guest section.
16. Click the red SAVE button at the top.
17. Click SEND to send the invitations.
18. The event appears on the Calendar.

Receiving an Event Invitation
If you receive an event invitation created through Gmail, all you have to do is open the email and click Yes, Maybe, or No. The sender will automatically receive your reply. If you then go to your calendar page, you’ll see that the event has been automatically added to your schedule.

Checking Replies to a Special Event
To check the replies to an invitation you’ve sent, double click on the event in your calendar to quickly bring up the full Event window. The guest status is listed under Guests. It updates automatically as people send their replies. Written responses will go directly to your Gmail.

Printing a Calendar
To print a copy of your schedule, first select the calendar view: a day, a week, a month, or another view. Then click the MORE tab, and select PRINT from the drop-down window. From here, you’ll follow your printer’s online instructions.

Creating Additional Calendars
You can create many different calendars for various purposes with Google Calendar. You can also share your calendar with select people, such as all the employees and vendors working on a particular project.
To create and share a calendar, follow these steps:
1. Click the down arrow next to the MY CALENDARS tab.
2. Click CREATE NEW CALENDAR from the drop-down list.
3. The cursor defaults to the CALENDAR NAME field. Enter a name for the new calendar.
4. Click in the DESCRIPTION field, then enter a description for the calendar.
5. The rest of the form is optional, but make sure you select the correct time zone.
6. To enable others to see this calendar, click the email address field under SHARE WITH SPECIFIC PEOPLE. Enter email addresses for people with whom you want to share the calendar.
7. Click the CREATE CALENDAR button.
8. A window pops up asking if you want to invite people who don’t use Google Calendar to use this service. This is optional.
9. Click the INVITE button.

Task List
You can also have a to-do list that is part of your calendar. By adding tasks that have a specific due date, you can set reminders. Your task list pops up to the right of your calendar. To create a task list, follow these steps:
1. To open your Task list, click the TASKS tab under MY CALENDARS.
2. Now click on the blank task field.
3. Enter a description of the task, then click the right arrow.
4. Click on the DUE DATE window.
5. Enter the due date on the pop-up calendar.
6. The date appears in the field. It also appears above the date on your calendar.
7. Click in the NOTES field.
8. Enter any notes about the task, then click BACK TO LIST.
9. Click on the task to see your details.

Completing Tasks
After you’ve finished a task, you can mark it as completed by clicking the box to the left of the item in the task list. A line marks through the task to show it as completed.
To clear completed tasks from your task list, click the ACTIONS tab at the bottom right of your screen. Then click CLEAR COMPLETED TASKS.
The completed tasks disappear. To see your completed tasks, click the ACTION tab and click VIEW COMPLETED TASKS from the pop-up window. A listing of completed tasks appears in the task list window. They also appear by date in the calendar.
To go back to your task list, click the ACTIONS tab and again click CLEAR COMPLETED Tasks.

Google Drive
Google Drive gives you free access to word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, forms, and drawing software, delivered to you through the Internet. Because your Google Drive files are online rather than on one computer, you can pull up your files from any computer with Internet access and a recent web browser, anywhere in the world.

Google Drive.



Google Drive is an online storage system. It gives you access to all the files, folders, and Google Docs you’ve stored in Google Drive (Figure 27-3). You’ll have five gigabytes of free storage space, with the capability of upgrading to twenty-five gigabytes for less than $2.50 per month.
You can also give access to selected individuals to view or collaborate on documents stored in your Google Drive by using the Share feature.
You can collaborate on the same online document, at the same time, from different computers anywhere in the world. Rather than sending a copy of the document to each collaborator to work on individually and send back to you, everyone’s input is together in the one online document. All your feedback and changes are in one place.
Google Docs are the free web-based applications available from Google. They include word document, spreadsheet, presentation, forms, and drawing apps. They are similar to Microsoft Office applications, but with the added online collaboration feature.
Google Documents is a word processing app used to create text documents, similar to Microsoft Word. It has many of the same basic tools. You can import Microsoft Word and other word processing documents, as well as export back to them.
Google Spreadsheets allows you to create spreadsheets, charts, and graphs. You can import spreadsheets from other software apps like Excel, and convert them to a Google Spreadsheet. You can also export a Google Spreadsheet to Excel and other formats.
Google Presentations lets you create visual presentations using text, images, and video; it is somewhat similar to PowerPoint. You can also import and convert PowerPoint presentations, or export to PowerPoint if needed.
Google Forms gives you access to simple forms to help collect RSVPs, send out a survey or quiz, or collect other information. The forms are connected to a spreadsheet that automatically collects and organizes the responses.
Google Drawings gives you the tools to create charts and diagrams and add them to your documents, presentations, and websites.
Google Drive works with many popular web browsers, but for speed and compatibility, it’s best to use Google Chrome. The new, improved Google Drive is replacing what used to be called the Google Documents List. As Google makes this transition, you may see either Documents or Drive on the tab at the top of your Gmail and calendar pages.
To install Google Drive, click the DOCUMENTS or DRIVE tab on your Gmail page. Then follow the online instructions. It’s quick and easy. You should be ready to go in minutes. Once you’ve installed Google Drive, the tab should now read Drive. Click on it anytime you want to access Google Drive. This takes you to your Google Drive page. Your Google Docs are listed there under My Drive, along with any other computer files and folders you move there.
There are some basic features common to all Google Docs applications. To create a new document, click the red CREATE button. Click on the app you want to open from the drop-down window and it takes you to a blank page, ready for your input.
If you want to upload files from your computer into your Google Drive, you do this by clicking the UPLOAD icon, just to the right of the Create button. On an uploaded file, you can choose to export to an editable format by clicking the FILE tab and choosing EXPORT TO GOOGLE DOCUMENT to convert the file. Now on your My Drive page, you’ll see both the original, view-only document, and the editable Google Docs version of the document.
Within the Google Docs applications, many of the tabs are the same. Under the File tab, you can quickly start a new app by clicking the right arrow next to NEW and selecting the desired application.
You can rename a document you’re working on by clicking rename here, or just by clicking on the title to access the Rename window.
Click DOWNLOAD to export to other applications, and PRINT to access your printer.
You can also access the Share feature under the File tab, to share the document with others. There is also a separate Share button at the top right of your document.
There’s no Save button, because Google Docs are saved automatically in your online files.
Under Edit are familiar features like Undo, Cut, Paste, and Delete.
Under the Format tab are common formatting tools. Some of these are also accessible from the Formatting Palette at the top. There is also a printer icon here for quick access.

Sharing Files with Google Drive
Once you’ve created a document you want to share, you can access the Share feature within the document. Or you can access it from your Google Drive page by clicking on the box next to the document you want to share, then clicking the SHARE icon that pops up near the top of the page.
This takes you to a pop-up window where you can enter email addresses for people with whom you want to share your document. As you begin entering email addresses, you’ll select what kind of access you want for each contact. You can choose for a person to be able to change and edit the document, or to comment on a document but not edit, or to just be able to view the document.
Each collaborator’s changes and comments will then be shown in a separate color on the original document. No more confusion about which version of the document each person is working on because everyone is working on the same online file.

Google Mobile Apps
If you have a Smartphone or a tablet, you can access your Gmail and your Google Drive documents while you’re out and about.
Gmail, Google Drive, and the Google app are available for the iPhone, iPad, Android phones, and Android tablets. And like the Web-based versions, they are all available for free.
To install these apps on your iPhone or iPad, go to the Apple Apps store and search for Gmail, Google Drive, and Google. To install them on your Android phone or tablet, go to the Google Play Store and search for Gmail and Google Drive. Once the apps are installed, when you first access the app, you’ll need to sign into your Google account.
In the case of the Gmail app, after signing in, you can access your email on your mobile device (Figure 27-4). You can then read your messages; however, the interface for Gmail is a bit different from what you see in the Web-based version.
The icons at the bottom of each message allow you to reply or forward the message to someone else. The pencil icon on the toolbar will take you to a new message screen, where you can compose an email message. The magnifying glass icon allows you to search your mail for specific words or phrases. The trash can icon allows you to delete messages from your inbox. The menu icon which looks like three horizontal lines gives you access to the same folder structure you’ll see in the web-based version of Gmail.

The Gmail App.



The Google Drive App.



The Google Drive mobile app gives you a way to access the files stored in your Google Drive using your smartphone or tablet (Figure 27-5). The first time you access the Google Drive app, you’ll also have to sign in using your Google account. Once you’ve signed in, you’ll then have access to all the files stored in your Google Drive account. You can add people who can view shared documents, and you can read your documents here. On some versions of Google Drive, you can create new Google Drive documents.

The Google App for an iPad.



A third useful app is the Google app for the iPad. After signing into your account, the Applications choice on the Home screen gives you access to Gmail, your Google Calendar, as well as Google Drive documents. In this version, the mobile version of Gmail offers the same features but has a slightly different interface. The Calendar option allows you to view your schedule as well as create new calendar events. The Google Docs application allows you to view all the files in your Google Drive as well as create new word processing documents and spreadsheets.