Google Workspace
Google Workspace is Google's collection of services such as Gmail, Google Drive and Google Calendar. Below are links to Google's official documentation for each product, as well as tips for more effectively using Google Workspace at the NBER.
Gmail
Below are some tips for better utilizing Gmail, if you are shifting from a different mail application.
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If you want Gmail to behave more like mail clients with a typical Inbox/Outbox style, you can disable threading (aka conversation view). To do this, click the gear icon in Gmail to open up quick settings, scroll to the bottom, then uncheck the box labeled Conversation View.
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To save an email template, compose a new email and write out the template, then click More options (the triple-dot icon). Click through Templates > Save draft as template > Save as new template.
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Gmail has a comprehensive set of search tools, documentation for which can be found here.
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In Gmail, you can cancel an email you just sent for a short period after sending it by clicking Undo on the "Message sent" popup in the bottom left of the screen. The undo period can be adjusted in the General Settings page.
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Gmail has a mobile app which allows for easily monitoring and sending emails while away from the computer.
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Gmail (and Google Calendar) can be integrated with Zoom by installing the plugin found here.
Important Note: Please do not report emails as spam in Gmail while using your NBER account. Because of the way our email is set up, this will report the NBER mail server as sending spam messages. Please instead email any fraudulent messages you receive to it-support@nber.org.
Google Calendar
One of the major benefits of Google Calendar is that it can be closely integrated with Zoom with an official Google plugin. With this plugin, you can schedule and manage Zoom meetings from both Google Calendar and Gmail. The plugin can be found here.
Google Drive
Google Drive lets you share and edit documents collaboratively in real time. Documents are saved automatically. Content is encrypted by default. It is primarily accessed through your browser, but it can also be accessed as if it were a mapped drive by using Google Drive for Desktop (documented below). Here are some tips for using Google Drive effectively and securely:
- Google Drive products such as Google Docs (think Word) and Google Slides (think Excel) are very useful for documents that multiple people need to edit simultaneously, such as meeting notes, active spreadsheets, and collaborative wordsmithing documents.
- When working on documents that are important to the organization, especially if you are sharing them with others. It is best to keep those documents in a Shared Drive rather than your personal drive. Your personal drive is analogous to your home directory or the desktop of your PC, whereas Shared Drives can be thought of as Samba shares where collaboration and sharing happens. To set up a shared drive, follow these instructions. Shared Drive content is also owned by the organization, so files do not have to be transferred to someone else if you leave the organization.
- While Google Drive encrypts your data, that won't matter if your files have too permissive of sharing permissions. Google Drive has 3 levels of sharing permissions (Viewer, Commenter, Editor) and 2 ways of sharing files (Directly or with a link). Be cautious when sharing files through a link, as it is easy for that link to be distributed more widely than was intended, so set your permissions accordingly.
Google Drive for Desktop
Google Drive For Desktop allows you to treat your Google Drive like it is a mapped drive or Samba share. By using Google Drive for Desktop you can easily use Google Drive to store Google Docs or Microsoft Office files, and edit them with your editor of choice.
Google Takeout
Google Takeout allows you to download almost all of your Google data, including your emails from Gmail, your Google Drive documents, and your calendar from Google Calendar. This is best used if you are leaving the Bureau, and need to transfer content to your home institution (e.g. NBER fellows).
For support, please email it-support@nber.org.