Tech Tip Tuesdays

Tip Tuesday: Using Labels in Google Keep

By March 30th 2021

Labels can help keep your Google Keep notes organized. Here’s a quick introduction.

  1. In your browser, navigate to Google Keep.
  2. Open a note. Click on the three dots for the “More” menu.
    Sample note from Google Keep with the "More" menu open
  3. Choose Add label.
    Screenshot of the "Label note" menu from a Google Keep note
  4. You can search for an already existing label or scroll through the list, and then click on the label you want to apply. You can also type in a new label name and choose Create to apply the new label.
    Screenshot of the "Create" label menu in a Google Keep note
  5. Labels you use will show up on the lefthand side of the Google Keep window in a desktop browser. Clicking on the label will show all of your Keep notes containing that label.
    screenshot of the label side menu in Google Keep
  6. While editing a note, you can mouse over the label showing at the bottom of the note to have the option to remove the label.
    Screenshot of the "Remove label" option in Google Keep
  7. To edit a label name, scroll to the bottom of the list of labels in Google Keep and choose Edit labels.Screenshot of the "Edit labels" option in Google Keep

Learn more about labels and other ways to organize Google Keep notes.

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Tip Tuesday: Mute All Participants in Google Meet

By March 23rd 2021

If you are the meeting host in Google Meet, you now have the option to mute all participants at once.

The meeting host is the only user in a meeting who can use the “mute all” feature. Once all participants are muted, the meeting host cannot unmute them. However, users will be able to unmute themselves as needed.

Note that at present, this feature is only available when using Meet from a browser on your computer. If the host is using the mobile Meet app, this feature will be added in the coming months.

A screenshot of a Google Meet showing all participants as muted.
A screenshot of a Google Meet showing all participants as muted.

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Tip Tuesday: Leave Internet Explorer 11 Behind

By March 16th 2021

In 2021, Microsoft will end support for its legacy browser, Internet Explorer 11. If you still use Internet Explorer, it’s time to switch.

LITS recommends the use of Google Chrome for desktop computers. Chrome works well with Google Enterprise for Education, including Gmail, Google Calendar, Drive, Meet, and other apps widely used by Allegheny College. Chrome is already installed on all college-owned computers.

Other browser options to consider are Microsoft Edge and Mozilla Firefox. Both are available free for Windows and Mac computers. Mac computers also come equipped with the Safari browser.

If you have questions, please reach out to the InfoDesk via email (infodesk@allegheny.edu) or by phone (814-332-3768).

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Tip Tuesday: Print to “Release Printers”

By March 9th 2021

Allegheny College students and employees on campus can print to a number of printers found around campus. LITS recommends sending print jobs to the Release Printer whenever possible.

Students on campus can print from their personal devices to Release Printers at various locations on campus during each building’s open hours by setting up Mobility Print–available for Windows, Mac OS, iOS, Android, or ChromeOS. (You must be on campus to install or use Mobility Print.)

Employee computers on campus already have Release Printers installed, and should not need Mobility Print.

When printing to a Release Printer, your print job will be held by the print server for 24 hours. If the print job is not released within 24 hours, the print job will be deleted. Deleted print jobs will not use a student’s Print Points.

Read more about Printing on Campus.

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Forward All Incoming Calls to Another Extension or Phone Number

By February 23rd 2021

With furlough and vacations, it is often useful for employees to have their incoming calls forwarded to another extension in their department, or to a different number altogether.

  1. Press the Settings button (the “gear” icon on the lower left side of your phone keypad).
    Mitel 6920 desk phone with the "Settings" key highlighted
  2. Use the silver wheel on the phone to navigate left to Call Forward.
    Mitel 6920 desk phone with the "Call Forward" option showing in the screen
  3. Press Select.
    (If necessary, use the backspace button to erase any number in the box labeled Always.)
    Mitel 6920 desk phone showing the dialog screen for entering forwarding numbers
  4. Enter the 4-digit extension, or 10-digit number off campus, that you want to have your calls forwarded to in the Always box. Be sure to prefix an “8” before the number if it is not an on-campus extension.
  5. Before you save, use the wheel to navigate to the checkbox in the upper right corner of the display.
    Mitel 6920 phone showing the checkbox by the "Always" option
  6. Press the center button of the wheel to put a check in the box.
  7. Press Save.
  8. Press Close.

LITS has other tips for managing phones during vacations and furlough as well.

Tip Tuesday: Vacation Reply in Gmail

By February 16th 2021

When you’re planning to be out of office, you can set an automatic vacation reply in Gmail. Here’s how:

  1. On your computer, open Gmail.
  2. In the top right, click Settings Settings and then See all settings.
  3. Scroll down to the “Vacation responder” section.
  4. Select Vacation responder on.
  5. Fill in the date range, subject, and message.
  6. Under your message, check the box if you only want your contacts to see your vacation reply.
  7. At the bottom of the page, click Save Changes.
Note: If you have a Gmail signature, it will be shown at the bottom of your vacation response.
On a related note, LITS also offers tips for managing phones during vacations and furloughs.
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Tip Tuesday: “Out of Office” in Google Calendar

By February 9th 2021

In Google Calendar, you can define a stretch of time when you will be out of office. This can be a few hours, a particular day, or a range of days. When you indicate you’re out of office, your calendar will automatically decline all meetings during that time, using a custom decline message if you choose.

  1. On your computer, open Google Calendar.
  2. At the top of your calendar, click the date you’ll be out of the office (or the first date, if you’re planning on multiple days).
  3. Click Out of office.
  4. Select the dates that you’ll be out of the office.
  5. Optional: Update the time range and edit your decline message.
  6. Click Save.

"Out of office" dialog box in Google Calendar

During the time when your status is set to Out of office, others who contact you through Google Chat messages or Gmail will see a notification alerting them to that fact. So will users who mention or tag you in comments in a Google Doc.

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Tip Tuesday: Laptop Care

By February 2nd 2021

With so many of the college community working from laptop computers, it’s useful to keep some basic guidelines in mind for taking good physical care of your laptop. Here are some tips:

  • Wash your hands. In addition to helping protect against illness, washing your hands can help prevent dirt and oils from your skin from staining your laptop’s keys, touchpad, and other surfaces.
  • Keep food and drink away. Liquids, sugar, and food crumbs can interfere with keyboard function and damage electronics. It’s always best practice to keep liquids away from electronics.
  • Close carefully. It’s easy to forget a pen or paper clip is on the keyboard when you close the lid in a hurry. But such items can dent, scratch or even crack the screen. Be sure to close the laptop gently and carefully–don’t just snap it shut and go.
  • Don’t pick up by the monitor. This puts undue strain on the delicate electronics of the screen, and can result in damage to the hinges as well. Lift your laptop by the base, preferably with two hands, to prevent any twisting of the laptop frame.
  • Watch what you put on top. Heavy items and items with sharp edges can damage your laptop surprisingly easily. Even resting your hands or an elbow on top without thinking can damage delicate LCD screens. Cold or heat, such as from a can of soda or a mug of coffee, can likewise risk damage to your laptop.
  • Keep an even temperature. Rapid temperature changes can cause condensation inside your laptop, and glass and plastic components can crack from extreme cold. Try never to leave your laptop in a cold or hot car. If your laptop has become colder or warmer than room temperature, give it time to return to room temperature before turning it on.
  • Bag it. Bags made for a laptop are the safest way to transport a laptop from one place to another. If possible, use one sized specifically for your model of laptop. If that’s not an option, consider using a cushioned laptop sleeve to carry your laptop inside another bag, to keep other items in the bag from scratching or bending your laptop frame. If you’re using a sleeve, don’t put other items inside–even a mouse or the laptop’s own power supply can risk damage if they are pressed against the laptop cover.
  • Keep it clean. Check your laptop manufacturer’s website for their recommended methods. Properly used, compressed air and isopropyl alcohol wipes designed for electronics can be important tools for keeping your keyboard, monitor, and ports clean.

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Tip Tuesday: Forward an Entire Gmail Conversation

By January 26th 2021

Did you know you can forward an entire Gmail conversation thread at once? This can be useful if you want to bring someone new into the conversation without having to forward every individual email that’s been exchanged so far. It will save you and the new participant time sorting through each message one at a time.

Gmail offers a way to forward an entire email conversation all bundled into a single email, in chronological order with the oldest messages at the top.

To forward a conversation, first open it in Gmail on your computer. Then click on the “More” menu (the three dots in the toolbar at the top of the conversation.) Choose “Forward all.”

Screenshot of a sample Gmail conversation with the 'More' menu open

This will create a new message with the entire conversation all in one place.

You can then choose recipients and, if you like, add additional text at the top of the message. Click on the blue “Send” button and the recipients will get a single email message containing the entire Gmail conversation thread.

All attachments in the thread will also be included.

Note: “Forward all” will not show as an option in a conversation with only one message.

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