Tech Tip Tuesdays

Tech Tip Tuesday: Improved Search in Google Chat

From the Google Workspace Updates blog:

You can now search Google Chat content faster by quickly editing down your search results using interactive filters on mobile. These filters help you find artifacts like files and links more easily.

You can try searching for a keyword that you remember from a message or use a filter to look at all the files within a specific chat. Additionally, we have also refreshed our visual interface to provide a more balanced view of search results and results will now also include the content of the messages, making it even easier to find the exact content you’re looking for.
Screenshot showing different "chips" in the Google Chat search interface
Filter using different search chips in Chat
Screenshot of various steps in the search results when searching for "Dogfood" in Google chat
Filters will be visible below chat search bar
 
Screenshot showing different filters applied to search results in Google Chat
 Use the ‘Said in’ filter to narrow down to the conversations that matter.
Learn more about Google Chat.
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Tech Tip Tuesday: Pin Apps to the Taskbar or Dock

If there are apps you use often, you can make sure they’re easily available with a single click.

Microsoft offers step-by-step instructions for pinning apps in Windows 10, and Apple has made it equally easy to add apps to the Dock in macOS. Even Chromebooks give you an easy way to add apps to the ChromeOS shelf.

You can use this for major apps, like a web browser, Google Meet, or word processing software, or even for convenient, quick apps like a notepad app or a calculator. This can save you time digging through menus and folders to get to the apps you use most.

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Tech Tip Tuesday: Returning after Break

Before the break, you may have taken steps to establish your “out of the office” status. Here are some pointers for double-checking that you haven’t overlooked anything on your return.

Tech Tip Tuesday: Google Chat Spaces

You may have noticed that what Google Chat used to call “Rooms” is now called “Spaces”. So far, the change has been subtle. For instance, in your Gmail window in a browser you might find something like this in the sidebar:

Screenshot of a portion of the Google Chat sidebar showing "Chat" and "Spaces" sections

You’ll see something very similar if you go to a separate Chat window as well. In the mobile app, it will look something like this:

Screenshot of the bottom of a Google Chat mobile app window, showing icons for "Chat" and "Spaces"

However, it’s more than a name change. Over time, Google will add more features to Spaces. Spaces will also seamlessly integrate with Calendar, Drive, Tasks and other Google Workspace services to allow for better collaboration and communication.

Learn more about Google Spaces.

Tip Tuesday – Vacation Preparation

When you will be away from the office for an extended period of time, there are several steps you can take to help ease the process.

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Tech Tip Tuesday: Screenshots in macOS and ChromeOS

Last week’s Tech Tip provided info on taking and editing screenshots in Windows using Snip & Sketch. But what about people using Macs and Chromebooks?

Apple Support offers clear instructions on how to take screenshots in macOS. Macworld also gives you a rundown on how to edit your screenshots on a Mac.

Chromebook users can check out Google’s own guide to screenshots in ChromeOS. Once you’ve taken your screenshot, ChromeOS offers a basic photo editor to make simple edits.

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Tech Tip Tuesday: Searching in Gmail

Have you ever been certain you received an email (or sent one), but you aren’t sure how to find it so you can view it again?

Fortunately, your Allegheny account with Gmail offers you a rich variety of ways to search for those, using the search bar at the top of your Gmail inbox page. Here are just a few:

There are many more ways to conduct a search in Gmail. Visit the Gmail Help Center to learn more about searching in Gmail.

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Tech Tip Tuesday: Transitioning to New Google Sites

If your organization or department is still using the classic Google Sites service for a web page, please remember to transition to the new Google Sites interface before the end of the year. Google will phase out classic Sites with new Sites, with updated features and a new interface.

Here are the steps to convert a classic Google Site to use new Google Sites:

  1. Open your Google Site.
  2. Click on the Settings icon (the little gear in the upper right corner.)
    Screenshot of the Settings menu in classic Google Sites, highlighting the "Manage Site" option
  3. Choose Manage site.
  4. In the side menu, choose Convert to new Sites.
    Screenshot of the side menu in the Manage sites interface of classic Google Sites, highlighting "Convert to new Sites"
  5. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the conversion.
  6. Note that you will need to do this for each individual Google Site you maintain.
Learn more about transitioning from classic Google Sites to the new Google Sites.
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