Unit 2: Google Gmail Last update: 1/31/16

Now it is time to personalize our Google Gmail account. When you use your Gmail account, it is only a small part of what Google has to offer. Though you may not use your email account very often right now, in the business world, it has become one of the main lines of communication (as well as social media). Emailing has generally replaced the “Memo” that businesses once used to communicate with co-workers. The design of an email is very similar to the design of a memo.

There are two forms of email: personal and professional. There are major differences between the two, and it is important to know when you are sending a “personal” email and when you are sending a “professional” email. Your professional email should always include your first and last name so that the person receiving mail recognizes that it is from you.

Here at SVHS, the teachers are expected to know the difference. When teachers compose emails, there is an expectation that we write professionally. Whether we are emailing other teachers, administrator, parents and/or students, we are expected to be professional.

Writing a Professional Email

When writing professional e-mails, it is expected that you follow business grammar, punctuation and capitalization rules and etiquette. Business English is not quite the same as the expectations for a regular English class. In the business world, when you write, you get right to the point. There is rarely a use for flowery adjectives and adverbs. Time is money, so get to the point.

Here are some general rules to follow when writing professional emails:

1. Short-cuts and texting language is NOT APPROPRIATE for professional e-mails. 2. ALWAYS include a short abbreviated note in the subject line of an email. NEVER open

an email without a subject line.3. Keep the email short; emails were NEVER meant to be long. 4. Never use ALL CAPS in an email; it is equivalent to yelling at someone.5. Never try to resolve a major difference in an email; there is too much room for

misunderstandings. Meet one-on-one to resolve the issue if possible.6. Never compose or send an email when you are upset or angry; once it is sent, you cannot

take it back. 7. If you are personally attacked in an email, try to steer the conversation back on track to

the original point of the email.

Why Email? For all of your classes, we are encouraging you to use your email account in a professional manner. A great time to use your email professionally is when you miss class due to illness, doctor appointments, etc. If you have an assignment due, email your teacher to see how s/he would like you to submit it. Some teachers prefer you send by email whereas other

teachers prefer sharing work on Google Drive. Regardless of the method of turning in your assignment, do the best you can to meet established deadlines. If you want to know what you are missing, or what assignment is due, email your teacher and ask. It is important for you to learn now to take the initiative to keep up-to-date in your classes, rather than using a missed class as an excuse to be late with an assignment. In the real world, missing work is not acceptable. People are counting on you to get your work done, and get it done in a timely manner even if you are sick.

Setting up a Professional Email:

Let’s start the process of setting up your professional email account.

1. Go to your G-Mail” account and log in (Find the 9 dots [Google apps] in the top right corner).

2. Personalize your email by clicking on the drop down arrow for “Settings” (see diagram to the right) and scroll down until you find the link named, “Signature.”

a) Type in your professional name (first and last name). After your name, you may follow up with other professional information such as your school name and email address. To add your email address, click on the hyperlink on the menu bar (see diagram below).

b) Scroll to the bottom and click on “Save Changes.”c) When you open up a NEW email to compose, you should see your signature at the

bottom. If you already had an email box open, the signature will not appear. Just close out of the email and open up a new one. Now you should see the personal information that you added to your email.

3. Is it possible to change my password for my email account? Yes, but when you change your email password, it affects all accounts associated with Google. To change your password, follow the instructions below::a) Sign in to My Account (look for the blue image icon on the

top, right side of your account). Click on the blue image icon and then select “My Account.”

b) In the “Sign-in & security” section, select “Signing in to Google.”

c) Choose Password.

d) Enter your new password information, then select Change Password.e) Password Requirements: Google passwords must be at least 8 characters long. As you

have learned, stay away from easy passwords. They include: Uppercase and lowercase letters. Passwords are case-sensitive, so “G” is different

from “g”. Numbers These symbols: ! # $ % & ‘ ( ) * + - / : ; < = > ? @ [ \ ] ^ { | } ~ Spaces: You can’t use a space at the beginning or end of your password, but spaces

inside the password are fine. NOTE: Keep in mind, you will not be able to reuse a password from the past year.

Google also blocks some passwords that are easy to guess, like “12345678.”4. What if I go on vacation? If you go on vacation and will not be checking your email,

you can set a “Message Responder” to let people know that you are unavailable. To do this, go to your “Settings” icon on the top, right side of the page (wheel), the then scroll down until you find the “Vacation responder:” section.

What Does a Professional Email Look Like?

1. First, fill in the TO: section of the email. This is the person that you want to receive the email. You can put in more than one email address in this section. All the email addresses included here will receive the same message.

2. Notice that to the far right, there are two abbreviations (Cc & Bcc)? What is the purpose of these two abbreviations?a. Cc (carbon copy): this features allows you to send a copy of the same email to another

person at the same time by placing her/his name in this section. This section was created when you were only allowed to send an email to one person at a time.

b. Bcc (blind copy): this features sends the same email to another person without the “To” and the “Cc:” people knowing—it is kind of like a secret message to the address listed in the Bcc section.

3. Fill in the Subject line. Never leave the subject line blank. In the subject line, give the receiver a BRIEF message as to the purpose of the email. a. Why do we not leave the subject line blank? When you are writing professionally, the

subject line lets the receiver know the purpose of the email. b. It also distinguishes the email from computer robot emails. Computer robots do not

usually include a subject line; the absence of a subject line should give you a heads up that this email should be deleted rather than opened. Computer robots send out a lot of spam which often contains harmful viruses that can damage or take personal information off your computer. The general rule is that you never open any email that does include a subject line.

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4. Composing the Email: since you have already addressed the person(s) in the email, you DO NOT ADDRESS them again when composing the email (Dear John or Hello Susy). The first paragraph should explain the purpose of the email. Get to the point. Emails should NOT be long. They should get to the point and the details can be worked out in a one-on-one meeting if necessary.

5. The Signature: the signature that you created in Step 1 should follow the message that you placed in the composition section of the email.

6. Click on Send when you have finished proofing and spellchecking your email.

7. Sign out of your email account before exiting.

Other Email Options: There are other options that you can use in an email. At the bottom of the email, across from the “Send” icon, you have eight options:

8. Formatting Options (The Letter A): The formatting feature allows you to change your font style, bold, and italic text, add a list, etc.

9. Attaching a Document (The Paper Clip): to attach your document, click on the paper clip icon across from the “Send” button (see diagram to right). You will have to “browse” for the document you want to send—go to the folder where you have saved your document. Once it is loaded, you will see that a file has been attached (see diagram on above, right). To delete an attached file, just click on the “x” after the file name.

10. Google Drive (Google Drive logo): If you have files on Google Drive that you want to send to others, you can use the Google Drive logo feature. When you click on the logo, it will take you to your Google Drive where you can browse for the documents you want to attach.

11. Dollar Sign (Send & Request Money): this is a special features that you can use if you have a “Wallet” online.

12. Insert Photo Icon: This feature allows you to send pictures to others. When you click on the photo icon, it allows you to browse for the images that you want to attach.

13. Hyperlink: clicking on the hyperlink icon allows you to send someone a URL from a website or for an

Do you have time to meet after school today to go over the SOLs due next week?

Upcoming SOLs

Do you have time to meet after school today to go over the SOLs due next week?

email. This will put the link right in the email so that the receiver of the email can quickly use the URL that you sent.

14. Smiley Face: allows you to add smiley faces into your email. 15. Trash Can: allows you to discard or delete the email draft.