Use Rules to Battle Spam in Outlook Web Access

I just added a new page to the MPLIC Wiki which describes how you can battle unwanted spam with Rules in Outlook Web Access. Click here to see the page.

Delay Outgoing Outlook Messages In Case You Instantly Regret What You Sent

Have you ever sent an e-mail message only to instantly realize that you forgot to include an attachment, or sent it to the wrong person, or misspelled something, etc.?

If you have, then this tip from the How-To Geek is right for you. It explains how to delay all messages being sent for a certain brief amount of time. This gives you a chance to stop a message if you press Send and instantly wish that you had not.

via.

See More Messages at One Time in Outlook Web Access

One of the more frustrating things with Outlook Web Access is that you can only see 25 messages at a time. You then have to use the navigational buttons at the top right in order to move around within your Inbox (or other folder). Or worse, you may not even realize that you are not seeing all of your messages...

You can quickly change the number of messages that you see at one time.

• Click on Options.
  
• Then, under the header Messaging Options, you will see Number of items to display per page.
• Change that from 25 to something larger...say 100!
• Then click Save and Close.

There you go!

Find Stuff Easier in Outlook by Using Type-Down Search

Your Inbox (and all other folders) will list messages with three main columns. Those are: From, Subject, and Received. Generally, you want your messages sorted by Received. However, if you are looking for a message about a certain topic or from a specific person, you can click on the column heading to resort your messages (ex. click on From to sort your messages in alphabetical order by the person who sent you the message).

You can then scroll to find the message you need. Or... you can use something called "Type-Down Searching". Basically, after you click on the column heading, type the first couple of letters and Outlook will automatically take you to that part of the list. Example, I sort my Inbox by From as I am looking for all messages from Paul. I then type paul and I am taken to that part of the list (actually, I probably could have typed pa). This works with Subjects as well, but not Received.

Give it a try. This works in both Outlook Web Access and Outlook 2003.

Office Clutter: Physical and Virtual

The Commercial Appeal had an article on the August 5 paper which talks about office clutter, its effect on productivity, and what to do about it (Office Clutter Decreases Productivity).

You can find some good advice as far as the physical clutter that can hamper your productivity. However, virtual clutter has the same effect.

If you have an organized physical workspace, then you probably have a file system in which you store documents related to various aspects of your job. Your computer and your email should have folders with the same structure as your physical file system.

Do you have a file folder for a certain committee in your filing cabinet? Then create a folder in your Outlook account with the same name. Then move all pertinent and important messages regarding that committee into the folder. Not sure how to do that? Outlook 2003 users click here. Outlook Web Access users click here.

Also, you should have a folder on your computer with the same title. This is where you can store all electronic documents regarding that committee (agendas, minutes, stats, etc.). To create a folder, access your My Documents folder. Click on File, point to New, then select Folder. Name the folder then move existing files into that folder by clicking and dragging.

Also, while you are at it, delete all those messages and documents that you no longer need. On top of that, create an Archive folder to keep things that you just can't throw away.

Send Your E-Mail Messages to "Purgatory" Before You Send Them Straight to... the Deleted Items Folder

Someone recently shared with me a tip on managing your Outlook email account. This person has set up a sort-of "purgatory" email folder for those messages that they want to delete but are not too sure if they will need them or not.

Generally, time will be the decider as to whether or not you need a message. If a month goes by and you have not needed the message, you can probably chunk it.

The staff member then can Empty their Deleted Items folder without losing the "purgatory" email items (now located in a separate folder).

This system does two things:

• It rids their Inbox of unwanted messages.
• It allows them to empty their Deleted Items folder more frequently, thereby giving them more space on the Exchange server.

For more information, see these MPLIC Tech Train Wiki entries:

• Outlook Web Access Managing Size Limitations
• Outlook Web Access Creating and Using Folders
  

Is Your Pop-Up Blocker Blocking Your Functionality?

Someone recently reported that they could not open a link in their OWA account because Internet Explorer's Pop-Up blocker was not allowing it.

I investigated this situation and found that there could be a remote possibility that you may come across a computer that would block some of OWA's functionality. For example, if you use the calendar or tasks function of OWA, you usually receive a reminder upon log in. This reminder appears as a separate "pop-up" window that could be blocked. There are a few other instances that could occur.

Luckily, this is easily fixed. As you see in the picture above, if Internet Explorer is blocking a pop-up window, a message will appear immediately below the toolbars. Just click on that message and you will see the option to always allow pop-ups from the current site.

That should fix the problem.

Outlook Web Access Mailbox Over the Size Limit?

This is for you OWA folks out there. If you receive a message that you have exceeded your mailbox limit, then you need to do a few things to get your mailbox under control.

While Outlook 2003 folks have a built-in tool to help them do this, OWA does not have this functionality. However, there are a few actions you can take to quickly lower the size of your mailbox.

Since I am loving this new SlideShare tool, take a look at this slide show to find out what those actions are:

Changing OWA Password Assistance

The Helpdesk recently notified me of an ongoing situation related to staff having difficulties changing their Outlook Web Access password.

After reviewing the statistics, it appears that staff are requiring assistance from the Helpdesk because of two main factors:

1. Staff forget their password, thereby requiring the Helpdesk to manually reset the password.
2. Staff abstain from changing their password during the 14 days that they are notified that their password is about to expire. When this happens, the Helpdesk must manually reset the password.

A document is available on the Intranet that explains the process of changing the password. Click here to see that document.

I have also created this video that explains the process as well!

Online Tutorials

Here is a list of online resources for learning some of our favorite programs! This will be added to in the future so I will add a link to the sidebar for you to access this list in the future:

Access
BC Schools
Microsoft
Teach on the Net
Teacher Click

Excel
Baycon Group
BC Schools
Learn That
Microsoft
Nevada Learning Series
Peltier
Teacher Click
Tech On The Net
University Of Leeds

Library Databases
PowerSearch Handout
PowerSearch Tour
Rosetta Stone

Mousing
New User Tutorial
Dot to Dot
SeniorNet
Mouserobics or Mousercise

Outlook 2003
Microsoft

PowerPoint
7 Hills Media Group
Baycon Group
BC Schools
Florida Gulf Coast University
Microsoft
Staff Development
University of Rhode Island

Publisher (Whitehaven only location with Publisher)
BC Schools
Learn That
Microsoft

Typing
Peter's Online Typing Course
GoodTyping
TouchTyping
Letters (a game)
PowerTyping
TypingTest
SpeedTypingTest
Word Shoot

Web
Internet Tutorials
UC Berkeley

Word
American University of Beirut
Baycon Group
BC Schools
General Disarray
Internet 4 Classrooms
Learn That
Microsoft
Word Tips

OWA and Plain Text

Someone recently asked if they could send a plain text message with their OWA account. Unfortunately, our OWA does not allow you to send messages in plain text, just HTML.

Click here to see an extensive list that compares all the features between Outlook Web Access and Outlook 2003. This list shows two types of OWA, Premium and Basic. We use Premium.

OWA Attachment Difficulties

Some staff have encountered difficulties opening certain attachments in their Outlook Web Access (OWA) accounts. OWA requests that they right-click on the attachment, then click on Save As... on the menu that appears. This allows the user to save the attachment to a desired drive. The user can then open the document from that point. This occurs because OWA is run through Internet Explorer. Internet Explorer does not know how to open all attachments.

If you cannot right-click, use the Tab key to change your link selection (If you Tab too far, use SHIFT+Tab to move backwards). Once the attachment has been highlighted, press the Menu key found to the right of the Space Bar (in between the CTRL key and the Windows key). Then click on Save As... and save the document to the desired drive. Once saved, you can open the document from that drive. NOTE: Never open attachments from unreliable sources!

Outlook Web Access: AOL problems

Someone recently asked me why they could not access their Outlook Web Access (OWA) account at home using their AOL.

I did some research and found out that other folks have the same problem. It appears that the built-in AOL browser that comes with your AOL account does not work well with OWA.

Here is the solution:

1. Log into your AOL account (you should have your AOL browser up and running). This will open up the internet connection.
   
2. Minimize the AOL browser (do not close it). This will keep the internet connection up and running.
   
3. Open Internet Explorer (chances are, your computer has that program installed).
   
4. Log into your OWA account. The best way to do that is to go to www.memphislibrary.org/intranet and use the drop down menu.
   

Here is a link to a google search result that lets you know how many people have the same problem.

As I do not have AOL, I cannot test this. If any of you AOL users out there have experienced the same thing, let me know if this solution works.

Outlook: Drafts Folder

Here is a tip for all Outlook users (Web Access and Full-Client): If you are composing an email message and you suddenly need to leave and close your account before you are finished, just hit the Save button on your email message window. A copy of your email message will be sent to your Drafts folder. Access the saved email by clicking on the Drafts folder in the Navigation Pane, then double-click on the email message you saved and continue composing.

Outlook: Invite Attendees

The Outlook Calendar feature is not only used to track your own schedule. You can use it to schedule meetings with other staff as well.

1. When you create a new appointment in Outlook Web Access, you will notice two tabs.
   
2. The default tab is labeled “Appointment”. The other tab is labeled “Availability”. Click on that tab and the window will change.
   
3. Type the meeting attendee names and their schedules will appear (details are hidden).
   
4. Select the time that is convenient for all attendees.
   
5. Click on “Invite Attendees”. An email message will automatically be sent to all participants.
   

For Outlook 2003 users:

1. Follow the same procedure.
   
2. The “Availability” tab is labeled “Scheduling”.
   
3. You can also access this feature when in the Calendar View by clicking on Actions on the Menu bar and then clicking on “Plan a Meeting”.
   

Of course, this feature is only useful if all staff use the Calendar.