Google Apps For Dummies E-Book

Ryan Teeter

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Wissenschaft und neue Technologien
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 434

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2011

Beschreibung

Your key to making this revolutionary new approach work for you and your organization Google Apps are Web-based, low-cost (or free!) office productivity tools that do everything those expensive applications do -- and you can access them from any computer with an Internet connection. Google Apps For Dummies boosts your "app-titude" by giving you the low-down on choosing, setting up, and using these nifty and powerful gadgets for work or play. Whether you're an individual who wants to take advantage of iGoogle or an organization looking for an enterprise-wide training solution for users at all levels, this comprehensive, practical guide brings you up to speed with all of the basic information and advanced tips and tricks you need to make good use of every Google Apps's tool and capability. Discover how to: * Get productive fast with free or inexpensive Web-based apps * Design your perfect Start Page layout * Choose among the different editions * Use Gmail and Google Talk * Work with Google Docs and spreadsheet documents * Create and collaborate on documents * Import events into your calendar * Build dazzling presentations * Use Dashboard to create and manage user accounts * Create a Web page with a unique domain setting Google Apps are poised to shatter the primacy of the current way of working with PCs, saving businesses, schools, government agencies, and individuals big bucks on software, network infrastructure, and administration.

Leseprobe

Google Apps For Dummies

by Ryan Teeter and Karl Barksdale

Google Apps For Dummies®

Published byWiley Publishing, Inc.111 River St.Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774www.wiley.com

Copyright © 2008 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Manufactured in the United States of America

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About the Authors

Ryan Teeter is an accomplished writer and technology trainer. He has worked closely with business teachers throughout the country and consulted with the National Business Education Association, businesses, and school districts on Google Apps implementation. Ryan spent time working at Google in Mountain View, California, as an External Training Specialist, developing curriculum used for training Fortune 500 companies.

When he’s not conducting training workshops or writing, Ryan’s pursuing his passion for teaching as a doctoral student at Rutgers University, where he’s completing a PhD in accounting information systems. (www.ryanteeter.com, www.technonerd.info)

Karl Barksdale was a former Development Manager for the Training and Certification team at WordPerfect Corporation and a Marketing Manager in the Consumer Products division. He was also the External Training Manager for Google’s Online Sales and Operations division. He’s best known for authoring and co-authoring 59 business and computer education textbooks. Albeit, the job he enjoys most is teaching at the Utah County Academy of Sciences, an early college high school on the Utah Valley University campus. (www.karlbarksdale.com)

Dedication

Ryan Teeter

This book is dedicated to my parents and my friends, for whom this book was originally intended.

Karl Barksdale

For Hilary, Cory, and Mari, who make it all worthwhile.

Authors’ Acknowledgments

This book wouldn’t have happened without the inspiration and guidance of Esther Wojcicki of Palo Alto High School and Jeremy Milo, the Google Apps Product Marketing Manager at Google. Nor could we have accomplished so much without the External Training Team at Google, of which we were so fortunate to be a part. Here’s to Lance Cotton, Erik Gottlieb, Lauren Frandsen, Kristina Cutura, Charbel Semaan, Tyrona Heath, Mary Hekl, Brian Schreier, and Jared Smith. You guys rock!

We’d also like to give special recognition to our outstanding team at Wiley Publishing, including Greg Croy, executive editor; Jean Nelson, project editor; Laura K. Miller, copy editor; James Kelly, technical editor; and the other incredibly talented and amazing people who made working on this project a real treat.

Along those lines, we’d also like to acknowledge our friends and colleagues at the Rutgers Business School and the Utah County Academy of Science for their support.

Finally, we acknowledge you, the reader, for trusting us to help you make the most out of this amazing and incredibly useful technology.

Publisher’s Acknowledgments

We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our online registration form located at www.dummies.com/register/.

Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:

Acquisitions and Editorial

Project Editor: Jean Nelson

Executive Editor: Greg Croy

Copy Editor: Laura K. Miller

Technical Editor: James Kelly

Editorial Manager: Kevin Kirschner

Editorial Assistant: Amanda Foxworth

Sr. Editorial Assistant: Cherie Case

Cartoons: Rich Tennant (www.the5thwave.com)

Composition Services

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Proofreaders: Laura Bowman, John Greenough, Dwight Ramsey

Indexer: Slivoskey Indexing Services

Publishing and Editorial for Technology Dummies

Richard Swadley, Vice President and Executive Group Publisher

Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher

Mary Bednarek, Executive Acquisitions Director

Mary C. Corder, Editorial Director

Publishing for Consumer Dummies

Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher

Joyce Pepple, Acquisitions Director

Composition Services

Gerry Fahey, Vice President of Production Services

Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services

Contents

Title

Introduction

About This Book

How This Book Is Organized

Conventions Used in This Book

Icons Used in This Book

Where to Go from Here

Part I : Up and Going with Google Apps

Chapter 1: Introducing Google Apps

Meeting the Google Apps

Welcome to the New Internet

Choosing the Right Google Apps Edition

What’s in It for My Organization?

Can There Possibly Be a Downside?

Chapter 2: Signing Up for Google Apps

Signing Up for Team Edition

Signing Up for Standard Edition

Signing Up for Premier Edition

Signing Up for Education Edition

Verifying Domain Ownership

Chapter 3: The Start Page

Meeting the Start Page

Authenticating Your Account

Adding Google Gadgets

What to Do When the Start Page Misbehaves

Part II : Keeping in Touch and on Time: Gmail, Talk, and Calendar

Chapter 4: Connecting with Gmail

Setting Up E-mail

Starting Gmail

Getting to Know the Inbox

Composing Mail

Following the Conversation

Searching Your Messages

Chapter 5: Discovering Advanced Gmail Tools

Opening Attachments

Creating Signatures and Vacation Responses

Using Labels and Filters to Take Control of Your Inbox

Alternative Access: Forwarding, POP/IMAP, and Mobile

Chapter 6: Keeping in Touch with the Contacts List

Creating a Contacts List

Using Quick Contacts in Gmail

Adding or Updating Contacts

Sorting Contacts into Groups

Chapter 8: Filling Your Calendar

Starting Calendar

Creating and Changing Events

Setting Up Calendar Notifications

Changing Your Calendar Views

Printing Your Calendar

Using Multiple Calendars

Searching Your Calendar

Chapter 9: Sharing Your Calendar with Others

Working with Invitations

Making Your Calendar Available to Others

Scheduling Resources

Embedding Calendar on Your Web Site or Blog

Importing and Exporting Events

Using Calendar on Your Mobile Device

Part III : Getting to Work: Documents, Spreadsheets, and Presentations

Chapter 10: Finding Your Way around the Google Docs Home

Advantages of Google Docs and the Docs Home

Launching Your Docs Home

Working and Collaborating in Google Docs

Chapter 11: Word Processing with Google Docs

Getting Familiar with the Docs Screen

Editing a Document in Docs

Printing, Publishing, and Converting to Other Formats

Sharing and Collaboration

Chapter 12: Crunching Numbers with Google Spreadsheets

Starting Up a Spreadsheet

Entering, Editing, and Other Spreadsheet Basics

Using Charts, Graphs, and Diagrams

Formula Fixin’

Sharing and Collaboration

Converting and Exporting to Other File Formats

Printing and Publishing Spreadsheets

Chapter 13: Creating Amazing Google Presentations

Starting Up Presentations

Adding Themes, Text, Shapes, and Images to Slides

Organizing Slides

Using the File Menu

Viewing Revisions

Giving Your Presentation

Sharing, Collaborating, and Publishing a Presentation

Part IV : Popping the Hood: Google Apps Administration

Chapter 14: The Dashboard

Exploring the Dashboard

Creating User Accounts

Adjusting User Account Settings

Adjusting Domain Settings

Chapter 15: Start Page Configuration and Administration

Changing the Default Start Page Settings

Creating a Custom Start Page Template for Your Organization

Making Changes to the Start Page after Publishing

Chapter 16: Creating a Web Site for Your Organization

Getting Started with Page Creator

Editing Web Pages in Page Creator

Publishing Your Web Pages

Tweaking Your Site

Chapter 17: Tweaking Your Apps

Creating Custom Apps Addresses

Enabling and Disabling Apps and Services

Tuning Gmail and Talk

Empowering Calendar

Securing Docs

Part V : The Part of Tens

Chapter 18: Ten Solutions to Common Problems

Oops! Errors in Google Apps

Can’t Log Into Google Apps

POP/IMAP Doesn’t Work Correctly for Gmail

Can’t Send Attachments in Gmail

Chat Disappears in Gmail

Voice Chat Doesn’t Work

Everything Looks Garbled in Calendar

Events Don’t Show Up in Calendar

Documents, Spreadsheets, or Presentations Don’t Appear in Docs Home

Documents Don’t Load Properly

Chapter 19: Ten More Google Apps for Your Business, Group, or Organization

1-800-GOOG-411

AdWords

AdSense

Google Notebook

Google Finance

Google Product Search

Google Reader

Google Maps

Google Pack

Google Translate

: Further Reading

Introduction

When most people hear Google, they think of the powerful search tool with its squeaky-clean search box, colorful logo, and reliable search results. A few may know about its advertising tools, AdWords and AdSense, which generate Google’s astounding profits quarter after quarter. Google recently became even more indispensable to teams and useful to organizations when it released Google Apps, a suite of online applications that enables you to create, share, and publish documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and more from any computer with an Internet connection.

If you think it may be time for your team, business, school, or organization to move out of costly, time-consuming information technology boondoggles and start using these powerful online Google applications, then Google Apps For Dummies is for you. If you’re on the fence, turn to Chapter 1, where we discuss all the advantages and disadvantages of complementing your work or academic life with Google Apps. We hope that Google Apps has piqued your interest, even if it’s only because you can save a lot of money and reduce your computing hassles.

If you want to use Google Apps for just yourself (not as part of a business or school), you can. Go to www.google.com and click the iGoogle link in the upper-right corner of the screen. You are given a customizable Start Page that will work like a springboard to the Internet and your Google Apps. From this page, you can set up your gadgets and create a user experience similar to what Google Apps users enjoy. Look for the tips throughout this book directed to iGoogle users.

About This Book

We realize that before you can make any software solution effective within an organization, you have to meet the needs of two audiences, so we address each audience in specific parts of this book to keep your training neat and tidy:

General users: Chapters 3 through 13 show you how to use the parts of Google Apps you’ll want to use the most: The Start Page, Gmail, Chat (or Talk), Calendar, Docs, Spreadsheets, and Presentations. If you’re using the apps with a normal Google account, the information in Chapters 3 through 13 will work for you, too.

Information technology (IT) administrators: Chapter 2 shows you how to set up Google Apps, and Part IV is your step-by-step guide to administering Google Apps. (Of course, you’re free to read the rest of the book to make sure you can help users with any of the apps.)

This book is an enterprise-wide training solution for users at every level, but it can also help small businesses, groups, families, and even individual users. We guide the IT team while they set up Google Apps. We bring users up to speed and show them tips and tricks to get the most out of Google Apps. Why? Because we know how frustrating IT administrators can find setting up a new software system and then having staffers or students fail to make good use of the new tools.

How This Book Is Organized

We divided this book into parts and chapters, organizing the chapters into five parts (which we describe in the following sections).

Part I: Up and Going with Google Apps

Part I is the obvious place to start if you’re brand new to Google Apps. Chapter 1 provides a general overview; we kept it short because we realize that if you have the great wisdom to pick up this book in the first place, you’re probably anxious to get started. For Team Edition users and administrators, Chapter 2 runs through the process of setting up Google Apps for your team, business, school, agency, or nonprofit organization. For general users, Chapter 3 introduces your organization’s personalized Start Page and shows you how easily you can access all your Google Apps from one place.

Part II: Keeping in Touch and on Time: Gmail, Talk, and Calendar

Chapters 4 through 6 take you through the Gmail and Contacts List so that you can become proficient with Google’s communications tools. Chapter 7 takes you into Gmail Chat and Google Talk to satisfy your instant-messaging needs. Chapters 8 and 9 show you how to set up and use your Google Calendars personal calendar to keep track of your own activities and how to share that information with other people quickly.

Part III: Getting to Work: Documents, Spreadsheets, and Presentations

Chapter 10 introduces you to the Google Docs Home and discusses how to create and organize your documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. Chapter 11 covers documents, and it has you creating and formatting documents by using Google Docs, as well as accessing documents in Google Docs that you created by using a different word processor. Chapter 12 introduces Google Spreadsheets and has you calculating, writing formulas, creating imaginative charts, and sharing your spreadsheets in the blink of an eye. Chapter 13 takes you through Google Presentations and helps you create professional Web presentations — you can even show off a bit by using Google’s highly visual and shareable Presentations app.

Part IV: Popping the Hood: Google Apps Administration

The chapters in this part are aimed at administrators. Chapter 14 delves into the Dashboard and helps you set up users and adjust basic domain settings. Chapter 15 walks you, step by step, through the process of setting up the Start Page — customizing it to your business, school, or organization, complete with your own logo, domain name, and look and feel. In Chapter 16, we show you the Page Creator and go through the basics of creating a simple, professional-looking Web page. Finally, Chapter 17 helps you tweak your apps even more and add controls for your users.

Part V: The Part of Tens

This part begins by giving you ten solutions to common problems in Chapter 18. Chapter 19 suggests more Google Apps and services that you may want to explore. (This final chapter is one of our favorites.)

Conventions Used in This Book

To make using this book as easy and convenient as possible, we’ve set up a few conventions:

When we throw a new term at you, we place it in italics and define it.

We place text that you actually type in bold.

Web site addresses and file names appear in a monospace font, like this: www.dummies.com. When part of a file name or Web site address varies (depending on what your own Web site address is), we use italics to indicate a placeholder. For example, when you see http://start.yourdomain.com, you type the address with your own domain name in place of yourdomain.com.

When you need to use a menu to select a command, we use the command arrow (⇒). For example, File⇒Rename simply means that you should click the File menu and then select the Rename command.

When we show keyboard shortcuts, we place the plus sign (+) between keys. For example, to use the Cut command, press Ctrl+X. This means to press the Ctrl key and the X key at the same time.

Icons Used in This Book

Everyone gets distracted, starts to daydream, gets a little hungry, and quits paying attention to the lovely prose that they’re reading. In an attempt to regain your attention from that long-overdue Snickers bar, we place icons throughout this book. Each has its own sleep-preventative powers.

We mark paragraphs that we think you’ll find very useful with this icon. Tips show you shortcuts, time-savers, or something that’s otherwise worth noting. So, wake up and pay attention!

When you see this icon, beware. From experience, we know when you can easily make a mistake that may cause irreparable harm or damage to the Internet or national security. Well, maybe the Warning icon doesn’t point out something that dire, but you should still pay attention or risk losing data, time, and possibly hair (because you’re pulling it out in frustration).

Rather than repeat ourselves (because maybe you didn’t pay attention the first time), we pop this icon in place. Commit the information to memory, and it can help you later.

Okay, we don’t use this icon unless we have to. When you see this icon, we’re flagging some information that’s more technical and nerdy than the rest of the text. You might find the information really cool and very interesting, despite being technical, so read it at your discretion.

When you see this icon, we show you how to use Google’s powerful search features to help you find e-mail messages, calendar events, and so on by using the Search text box at the top of each Google Apps window.

Where to Go from Here

Hey, users! If you’re somewhat timid with software or your computer skills, start with Chapter 3 and read through Chapter 13 to get up to speed with each app. Don’t be afraid to challenge yourself and try some of the advanced instructions, as well. Trust us — you’ll find any time spent in those chapters well worth it.

We don’t want to insult your intelligence and go over basic computing skills, such as highlighting text or using a drop-down list. Instead, we focus on showing you how to use the apps to do your work.

Hey, administrators! Looking for the technical step-by-step details of setting up and running Google Apps for your organization? A little concerned about leaving your old tried-and-traditional software solutions and jumping into Web 2.0? Start by looking over Part I, then immediately jump to the technical stuff in Part IV. General users want to avoid this information like a self-replicating malevolent32 virus. You, on the other hand, should find it as comfortable as a walk along the beach — which is where you can vacation by using the bonus you receive because everyone’s so pleased with how well Google Apps is working.

One final thought: All you IT administrators may want to scan quickly through Parts II and III of this book. A quick skim can let you know exactly where you can send staffers, employees, or students when they have questions that you may not have time to answer on the spot.

Part I

Up and Going with Google Apps

In this part . . .

Take a moment to get to know Google Apps, the perfect complement to your business, group, family, or organization. In this part, we take you on a quick tour of the Google Apps editions, and then we help you register a new domain or point your existing one to Google’s awesome services.

If your group or organization is using Google Apps already, or if you’re a casual Gmail user, we recommend that you skip ahead and start with Chapter 3.

Chapter 1

Introducing Google Apps

In This Chapter

Getting acquainted with Google Apps

Choosing the version of Google Apps that’s right for you

Discovering the pros and cons of using Google Apps

The Internet has evolved, and Google is leading the way. Google began as a small Internet search engine experiment, but when the folks at Google found they had a hit on their hands, they didn’t stop there. Today, you can keep track of everything, from e-mail to stock portfolios to photos, by using free services created by the ingenious Googlers (the bright engineers at Google who work behind the scenes to make the Internet cool and easy for everyone). Google is pushing forward into new territory with the innovative Google Apps and taking key functions, such as calendaring and word processing, into the Internet realm.

This chapter gives you a better understanding of how Google Apps works and helps you choose the version that’s best for your organization. You can also find out more about Google Apps by visiting www.google.com/a. If you’re interested in Google Apps for school or work teams, go to www.google.com/apps instead.

Meeting the Google Apps

With little fanfare, the Mountain View, California, behemoth known as Google has been building, buying, and beta-testing scores of online applications. And Google has been releasing them in a flurry, one right after another, to an unsuspecting world. The first 30 or 40 apps seemed random. It appeared that any cool idea any Googler could think of was turned into an app and tossed onto the Internet just for the fun of it. It was a blur. If you blinked, you missed something. It didn’t seem to have a pattern or a purpose.

With the creation of the Google Apps initiative, the strategy behind the software releases came into sharp focus: Google is building a radically different way of working that can shatter the primacy of the current methods and reduce the need for all the tired, old office productivity software on your hard drive. Oh, and Google provides most of the apps for free or at a fraction of the cost of traditional software.

Google Apps is a powerful set of tools that Google has bundled together to meet the needs of businesses, schools, government agencies, and other organizations of any size. You can use Google Apps as a powerful digital communications infrastructure for your business or school that Google maintains for you. (Very sweet.) The key Google Apps are

Gmail: An e-mail app based on Google’s popular Gmail platform. This version lets you use your organization’s domain, such as [email protected].

Calendar: A calendar and scheduling app that allows easy collaboration.

Talk: Instant messaging, available directly from within Gmail or as a standalone software application. Talk also allows voice calls, voice mail, and file sharing.

Docs: A simple, yet powerful, set of word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation apps.

The Start Page: An app that you can personalize by adding gadgets to access any or all of the other Google Apps, as well as news, weather reports, entertainment information, and more from one place.

In addition to the apps themselves, Google provides some powerful tools for administrators in the Google Apps Dashboard. Features for administrators include

Web page creation tools

Domain settings

Advanced tools, including administrative support and migration tools

Individual apps settings

Custom Web addresses for your Google Apps

Phone-based support tools

Welcome to the New Internet

Google believes that you want to spend more time doing things with your organization, family, group, or school in an online environment.

Called cloud computing, the premise is that users can create, edit, and store massive amounts of information through the Internet (or “cloud”) with any device that has a Web browser (such as a computer or cellphone) and Internet access. The Web applications (or apps, for short), as well as the files themselves, are stored securely on powerful servers in data centers throughout the world, as illustrated in Figure 1-1.

Users can share their information with others, including friends and co-workers, and collaborate in real time on important projects. Because the files are already online, a user simply sends a message to his or her friends that contains a link to a file, and those friends can click the link to see and contribute to the sender’s great work. Using Google Apps, you don’t need to send attachments back and forth or keep track of different file versions.

Figure 1-1: Users can access information from anywhere by using a Web browser.

Google Apps brings cloud computing to the masses. And it helps alleviate some of the issues of traditional computing:

Cost: Computer hardware and software is expensive. For schools and businesses alike, buying PCs and servers, and all the software that goes with them, is making less and less financial sense — especially when it all becomes obsolete before anyone figures out how to use the new stuff. These organizations want solutions that can provide a better return on investment.

Maintenance: Maintaining all those PCs and the network software is a pain. Information technology costs even more money and uses a lot of resources — especially when organizations grow and someone needs to maintain all those new users.

Hassle: People are tired of installing new software, downloading and installing updates, backing up files, scanning for viruses, maintaining firewalls — it’s all a bit much. Most people just want to get their work done, and most companies want to focus on their real business, not on information technology. (Unless, of course, their business is information technology. Those companies love all the hassle.)

So, why not go with Google and leave all the tedious technical stuff to the people not savvy enough to jump on the Google bandwagon? If you keep your information in their Internet cloud, you don’t need to buy any servers, load any software, scan for any viruses, or back anything up. No more rebooting the server or your PC when the system crashes, again. Everything just works with a lot less cost, maintenance, and hassle because it’s coming to you directly from Google.

To put it all into perspective, here’s an analogy for you: Would you rather hide your life savings under your mattress and risk it being stolen or lost in a fire, or store it in a bank where you have access to it anytime, anywhere, from an ATM machine?

In this new, Web-enabled world, your Web browser becomes your ATM, and Google becomes your bank. You can use your own domain name, company logo, and all that branded identity stuff to personalize your Google Apps. You can preserve your corporate, school, or organizational identity and slash your costs in a dramatic way.

Choosing the Right Google Apps Edition

As we mention in the “Meeting the Google Apps” section, earlier in this chapter, Google Apps consists of four main programs: Gmail, Calendar, Docs, and Talk. Anyone can use these services without signing up for Google Apps, but to help organizations replace or complement their existing systems, Google has some powerful administrative and collaborative tools for those ready to take the plunge.

You can choose from four Google Apps editions: Team, Standard, Premier, and Education. Each edition has been customized to meet the needs of different types of organizations, large and small:

Team Edition: This is the easiest way to start using the collaborative tools available with Google Apps with your school or work team. You don’t have to change your e-mail address or worry about any administration tools. Sign up for free with your existing e-mail address (see Chapter 2 on how to do this) and you can start connecting with other people in your domain right away. Gmail is not included in this edition.

Standard Edition: Use this edition if you’re a family, group, or small business. Register or transfer your domain to access Gmail, Calendar, Talk, Docs, and the Start Page. This version is free (meaning ad-sponsored) and supported by online help. You can always upgrade to Premier Edition later, if you want to.

Premier Edition: Medium to large organizations should generally use this edition. At the time of this publication, it costs $50 per user per year, but you likely currently spend more than that on maintenance of your existing setup. Because this is a paid edition, you can choose to turn Gmail ads off. This edition also has additional administration tools and security settings. Your users receive significantly more storage space than with the Standard Edition.

Education Edition: Built for — you guessed it — schools, colleges, and universities. Nonprofit organizations can also use this version. This version is free (although not supported by ads), and it includes many of the features from the Premier Edition (albeit a little less storage space). If you’re interested in the Education Edition, Google requires you to provide proof of accredited not-for-profit status.

The best program is the one that best meets the needs of your organization. See Chapter 2 to find out how to sign up.

Table 1-1 shows which features are available in each edition of Google Apps.

Table 1-1 Features in the Google Apps EditionsFeature Team Standard Premier EducationGmail, Calendar, Calendar, Docs, Yes Yes YesDocs, Talk, Page Talk, and Start Creator, and PageStart PageE-mail storage No 6+ GB 25+ GB 6+ GB per user per user per userConference room No No Yes Yesand resources schedulingIMAP for Gmail No Yes Yes YesMobile access Yes Yes Yes YesAdministrator No Yes Yes Yescontrol panel (Dashboard)

(continued)

Table 1-1 (continued)Feature Team Standard Premier EducationPolicy management No No Yes NoAPIs to integrate No No Yes Yeswith existing structureE-mail migration No No Yes Yesand routingOnline support Yes Yes Yes YesLive/phone support No No Yes Yes

What’s in It for My Organization?

As part of the Google Apps program, Google hosts your e-mail, documents, spreadsheets, presentations, calendars, and more at little or no cost. A team, business, school, or organization of any size can have Google Apps up and running quickly. When you use Google Apps, your IT resources aren’t so drained because Google takes care of the technical details. Oh, yeah — and they keep your information safe and secure.

Here are a few additional features of Google Apps that may grab the attention of decision makers and your IT department:

You don’t have to purchase or set up any hardware.

Because Google Apps are Web-based applications, you don’t need to download, install, update, or pay for software again when new versions are released. (Except for a Web browser, of course, and at least you don’t have to pay for that.)

Your organization can use its own domain name for e-mail addresses and Web pages when you use Google Apps.

Google boasts a 99.9% reliability rate, which means that the service rarely, if ever, goes down.

Google takes care of all the data backup and support operations.

Google provides online support resources for free and gives 24/7 support — including phone-based support — for Premier Edition and Education Edition users.

You can set up users quickly by using the Dashboard.

A single sign-on adds convenience for Premier Edition users. Users can sign in once and access all their Google Apps in addition to other corporate intranet or school resources.

Gmail can support an existing e-mail gateway.

Administrators can access e-mail migration tools for Premier Edition and Education Edition customers.

Gmail protects users by constantly updating and running very effective and efficient spam-blocking, virus-protection, and filtering software.

Don’t forget one of the biggest advantages of using Google Apps: Whether you’re at the office, traveling, working from home, or sipping a latte in a café that has a wireless hotspot, as long as you have a live Internet connection, you can log into your Google Apps account. Also, you can check your e-mail and do other tasks from your mobile device.

Can There Possibly Be a Downside?

If using Google Apps has any disadvantages, they mostly revolve around your personal relationship with your Internet connection. Assuming you do have a decent connection (something high-speed in nature is best), you’re good to go. If you don’t have an Internet connection, we recommend you put this book down, buy another book — we recommend Writing on Stone Tablets For Dummies — and take up activities that don’t require the use of electricity.

You must be online to use Google Apps. Checking your e-mail, updating your calendar, and collaborating on a document require online interactivity. Google Apps doesn’t work without an Internet connection. Internet connection speed is important, too: Google Apps does work over dial-up connections, but it’s soooo slow. (Nevertheless, you can always connect with dial-up when you’re away from your high-speed connection.)

When deciding whether to use Google Apps, remember that all these services are in perpetual beta, meaning that unlike traditional software that gets a new, big update every year or so, Google is constantly updating its services and adding new features. Although the most common features are fully implemented, you should check to make sure that the features your organization needs are available. (Along those lines, you may occasionally notice a slight difference between what you see on your screen and what you see in the figures in this book if Google made an update after this book was published.)

The upside, of course, to the perpetual beta model is that by the time the features of the new version have been rolled out, Google Apps users are already familiar with the changes, so you have to deal with only a minimal learning curve. When you and your fellow users get up to speed, you just need to keep using the products to stay up to date. And keeping ahead of the curve is an advantage, all by itself.

Chapter 2

Signing Up for Google Apps

In This Chapter

Getting online with Team Edition

Starting with Standard Edition

Upgrading to Premier Edition

Using Education Edition for your school or nonprofit organization

Proving that you own your domain

Wouldn’t you know it, your good fortune has led you to the most exciting chapter in the book! You’re either dipping in your big toe to test the water, or you’re ready to make the cannonball that gets the pool party started. Either way, we take you through the steps of setting up Google Apps for your team or organization and show you how simple the setup process is. (Okay, you can find a couple not-so-simple sets of steps at the end of this chapter, but we guide you through those steps in a breeze, too.)

Because no two organizations are the same, this chapter helps you register for the edition of Google Apps that best fits your organization’s needs. Each edition has its own unique registration requirements that we discuss in each edition’s section in this chapter.

Chapter 1 provides a detailed breakdown of features available in each edition of Google Apps. Here’s our quick advice about choosing among the different editions of Google Apps:

Use Google Apps Team Edition to get your school team or work group collaborating online in a snap, without having to register a domain name. All you need to sign up is a school or work e-mail address. The very next section of this chapter will take you through the setup.

If you own a small business or plan to use Google Apps for your family or group, you probably want to use Google Apps Standard Edition. You likely won’t need the advanced features and support (and cost) of Premier Edition. Also, if you don’t already have a domain name, sign up for Standard Edition first. You can then upgrade to Premier or Education Edition later. Follow the instructions in the “Signing Up for Standard Edition,” later in this chapter.

If you’re the IT administrator or decision maker for a medium to large business or enterprise, we recommend that you skip ahead to the section “Signing Up for Premier Edition,” later in this chapter. Premier Edition has the added migration and security tools, APIs, and support that your larger organization needs. You will need to have an existing domain name to register for Premier Edition.

If you’re the techie for your school, school district, or nonprofit organization, you get most of the benefits of Premier Edition for free with the Education Editions. You will need to have an existing EDUCAUSE or other domain name to sign up for Education Edition. Otherwise, you should start with Standard Edition. Flip to the “Signing Up for Education Edition” section, near the end of this chapter. We wrote it for you.

Although everything in this chapter was accurate when this book went to press, Google is constantly updating. By the time you register for your chosen edition of Google Apps, you may notice slight differences between what you see on your screen and the steps and figures in this chapter.

Signing Up for Team Edition

Are you ready to bring your team up to speed? Follow the steps in this section to set up your own Google Apps account and then invite your fellow team members to join in on the fun:

1.Open your Web browser and navigate to www.google.com/apps for work teams or www.google.com/apps/edu for students.

You see a screen similar to Figure 2-1.

2.In the Email text box, enter your work or school e-mail address and click the Get Started button.

A sign-up screen appears.

3.Fill in all the text boxes (they’re all required) and click the I Accept. Continue to Google Apps button at the bottom of the screen.

The Email Verification screen appears, telling you to verify that you own your e-mail account.

If you already have a Google account associated with your work or school e-mail address, all new calendar and document invitations will go to your Google Apps account. You’re given the option to migrate your existing calendar events and documents into your new account when you log into these services for the first time.

4.Log into your work or school e-mail account and open the message titled Google Apps: Sign-up Verification.

The e-mail message looks similar to Figure 2-2.

Figure 2-1: Enter your e-mail and click the Get Started button to sign up for Team Edition.

Figure 2-2: Click the verification link to activate your Google Apps account.

5.Click the verification link in the e-mail message to activate your Google Apps account.

A new window opens, indicating that your e-mail address has been verified.

6.Click the Click Here to Continue link to go to your Google Apps sign-in screen. Enter your new username and password in the text boxes on the left and click the Sign In button.

You are taken to your Google Apps Dashboard, shown in Figure 2-3. Here you can click the links located on the right side of the screen to access your apps, such as Docs and Calendar. To view other users from your office or school, click the X Users link on the left side of the screen.

Figure 2-3: Launch your Google Apps from the user Dashboard.

7.Invite other team members by clicking the Invite More Users button, located on the left side of the screen.

8.On the screen that appears, type your co-workers’ or fellow students’ e-mail addresses, separated by commas, into the first text box. Write a short invitation message in the second text box and then click the Invite Users button.

When you are finished, you will be taken to the User Accounts screen where you can see all the other users who have joined from your company or school.

9.Click the Back to Home link in the top-left corner of the screen to return to your Dashboard.

To add a custom logo to your Google Apps, click the Customize Appearance link on the left side of the screen. There you can upload your company or school logo and change the color of the sign-in box. See the section about customizing your domain’s appearance in Chapter 14 for more details.

Table 2-1 has all the quick links you need to get back into your apps. Just replace yourdomain.com with your actual work or school domain. If you forget these, look for a Welcome e-mail message from Google that contains these links.

Table 2-1 Team Edition Quick LinksGoogle App Quick LinkDashboard www.google.com/a/yourdomain.comDocs http://docs.google.com/a/yourdomain.comCalendar http://calendar.google.com/a/yourdomain.comStart Page http://partnerpage.google.com/yourdomain.comTalk http://google.com/talk

Signing Up for Standard Edition

If you’re a small business owner or decision maker who’s taking the initiative, this section is for you.

The easiest way to start using Google Apps is to start from scratch and register a shiny new domain name. A domain is the address for your Web site or the part of an e-mail address that follows the @ sign (such as www.yourdomain.com or [email protected]). If you want to register a new domain name for your organization, head to the following section. If your organization already has a Web address, skip ahead to the section “Signing up and migrating an existing domain,” later in this chapter.

After you register your domain name with Google and create an administrator account, you can begin using Google Apps. In Part IV of this book, we go more in depth into setting up users, creating your own Web pages, and customizing your organization’s personalized Start Page.

Signing up and registering a new domain

So, you have a business or group but don’t have a Web address yet. You’re not alone. Organizations may not have a Web site because setting one up and maintaining it was very difficult in the past. First, you had to register a domain and find a place to host it (which either cost a lot of money or forced you to display annoying banner advertisements). After that, you had to use complicated software to create your site, and you could only hope that your software would connect with your host. And that’s not even getting into setting up other programs for features such as e-mail and calendars.

Google Apps changes all that. With Google, you can register a new domain in three steps: choose a domain, sign up for Google Apps, and create an administrator account.

You pay ten dollars per year to register a domain name with one of Google’s domain registration partners. You need a credit card to sign up for Google Apps with a new domain.

The toughest part of signing up for Google Apps is finding the right domain name. A lot of other people have already registered many of the more common names, so don’t be surprised if someone has already taken the first name that you think of. You might have to be a little creative if someone has already taken your first choice for a domain name.

Follow these steps to register a new domain name and sign up for Google Apps Standard Edition:

1.Go to www.google.com/a and click the Businesses and Employees button or the Organizations and Members button on the right side of the page. Then, on the next screen, click the blue Compare Editions and Sign Up button in the top-right corner.

2.In the Standard Edition column, click the blue Sign Up button.

The Google Apps Sign Up screen appears. You can enter an existing domain name (if you already have one) by clicking the I Want to Use an Existing Domain Name tab or register for a new domain name by clicking the I Want to Buy a Domain Name tab, as shown in Figure 2-4.

3.Click the I Want to Buy a Domain Name tab (on the right side of the screen), enter the domain name that you want in the text box, and select a top-level domain (for example, .com or .net) from the drop-down list.

Figure 2-4: Choose a domain name on the Google Apps sign up page.

A top-level domain (TLD) is the last part of a domain name. The most common TLD, .com, is primarily used for commercial businesses. Many businesses are also using .biz now. Depending on what your organization does, you can choose other TLDs, also. Use .net or .infofor an information-only site, such as a blog or group site. The TLD .org is generally used by nonprofit organizations.

4.Click the Check Availability button.

If someone has already taken the domain name that you want, Google suggests other related names that are available, as shown in Figure 2-5. Repeat Steps 3 and 4, trying different words or names until you find an available one that works for you.

5.When you find an available domain name that works for you, click the Continue to Registration button.

Have your personal information and credit card ready.

6.In the form, click in the text boxes and enter your personal information.

Make sure you select the Automatically Renew My Registration Every Year check box to ensure that your domain name doesn’t expire and leave you without your e-mail and other services. Google automatically bills your credit card on the same day that you originally registered your domain name. You can always cancel the service later.

Figure 2-5: Google suggests other available domain names if someone has already taken the one you enter.

7.After you enter all the registration information, click the I Accept. Proceed to Google Checkout button.

The Google Checkout page appears, as shown in Figure 2-6.

Figure 2-6: Use Google Checkout to pay for your new domain.

8.If you already use a Google account, click in the Email and Password text boxes on the right of the screen and enter your e-mail address and password, respectively, then click the Sign In and Continue button on the right. Otherwise, click in the text boxes below Create a Google Account to Complete This Purchase and enter the appropriate information, and then click the Agree and Continue button at the bottom of the screen.

Google Checkout allows you to store your credit card information in one place. If you haven’t used Google Checkout with your Google account before, Google gives you the option to save your billing information for future Internet purchases. You can find out more about Google Checkout at http://google.com/checkout.

9.Review your order, then click Place Your Order Now — $10.00.

Google sends you a receipt by e-mail, along with instructions to access your account.

10.On the next screen click the Click Here to Retrieve Your Purchase link. You can also log into your e-mail account later and click the link in the message from Google to access the Dashboard.

The last thing that you need to do to register for Google Apps is to create an administrator account. You need an administrator account to access the Google Apps Dashboard and create additional users.

If you don’t have time to create an administrator account now, don’t worry. Remember that e-mail Google sent you? It tells you how to get back to this page later.

11.Enter a username and password for yourself (if you’re going to be the administrator) or for the person whom you want to administer your account.

12.Click the Continue with Set Up button to open your Dashboard.

If you’re ready to explore the Dashboard, skip ahead to Chapter 14.

Congratulations! You’ve successfully signed up for Google Apps. Because you registered your domain name through Google, your Gmail and Calendar should be ready for you to use in a few moments, although it may take up to 24 hours for all the services to activate.

Signing up and migrating an existing domain

Like so many other organizations out there, you have a Web site, and you’re ready to trade your old set of e-mail and Web services for the power and ease of Google Apps. Just follow these three steps to register your domain with Google Apps: Enter your existing domain name, sign up and create an administrator account (both of which we cover in this section), and verify your domain ownership (described in the “Verifying Domain Ownership” section, later in this chapter). Have your original domain registration information (either your Web site’s FTP address and login, or your domain registrar’s address and login) handy for that third part.

Follow these steps to sign up for Google Apps Standard Edition by using your existing domain name:

1.Go to www.google.com/a and click the Businesses and Employees button or the Organizations and Members button on the right side of the page. Then, on the next screen, click the blue Compare Editions and Sign Up button in the top-right corner.

2.In the Standard Edition column, click the blue Sign Up button.

The Google Apps Sign Up screen appears. You can enter an existing domain name (if you already have one) by clicking the I Want to Use an Existing Domain Name tab or register for a new domain name by clicking the I Want to Buy a Domain Name tab, as shown in Figure 2-7.

Figure 2-7: Enter your domain name in the Google Apps Sign Up page.

3.In the I Want to Use an Existing Domain Name section, select the I Am an IT Admin for This Domain radio button, click in the text box below and enter your existing domain name, and finally click the Get Started button.

The Google Apps Information screen appears.

4.Click in the text boxes and fill in the organization information associated with your domain, then click Continue.

The Domain Setup screen appears. You create an administrator account on this screen.

5.Enter a username and password for yourself (if you’re going to be the administrator), and then click the I Accept. Continue with Set Up button.

The Dashboard appears.

Now, you’re registered for Google Apps! Grab your domain registration information and head to the “Verifying Domain Ownership”section, later in this chapter.

Signing Up for Premier Edition

So, your enterprise wants to add Google Apps to its arsenal. Fortunately for you, Google has some robust tools to help make the transition as smooth as possible.

If you don’t have a domain already, follow the instructions in the “Signing up and registering a new domain” section, earlier in this chapter. After you register, you can upgrade to Premier Edition from the Dashboard.

You need to follow three steps to register your domain for Premier Edition: Sign up for Google Apps, purchase the subscription service, and set up your administrator account. You then have to verify your domain by following the instructions in the “Verifying Your Domain” section, later in this chapter.

Ready to sign up for Google Apps Premier Edition? Grab your company credit card and follow these steps:

1.Go to www.google.com/a and click the Businesses and Employees button or the Organizations and Members button on the right side of the page. Then, on the next screen, click the blue Compare Editions and Sign Up button in the top-right corner.

2.