Frequently Asked Questions

Duo also supports login confirmation via voice call to cell phones, office phones, and home phones.  Additionally, ITS has a stock of traditional key-fob security tokens that are provided to community members free of charge. Please reach out to the ITS Helpdesk (helpdesk@carleton.edu) at least a week prior to departure to ensure that we have enough time to configure the key fob for your account.

No.  Carleton classroom and lab computers are configured to not require Duo.

No. When you get the Duo authentication window, there is a checkbox that will remember you for 60 days on that browser and computer (it is specific to each browser/computer combination). In addition, Carleton classroom and lab computers will not prompt you for Duo authentication.

The easiest thing to use is the Duo app on your smartphone, but there are a number of options. You can have Duo call you on a landline, you can use a one-time printed code, you can have Duo text you a code, and you can use a Duo fob, which is a little device you put on your keychain. You can use any of those in combination, too, to make sure you can always get logged in.

Using the Duo app on your smartphone is the fastest way to get logged in. It uses cutting-edge, end-to-end encryption that texting and phone calls can't, and it displays detailed information about the login request that you can't get with any of the other choices. It uses very little data (500 login pushes to your phone will use about 1MB of data total, which is roughly equivalent to loading one web page). The Duo app doesn't have any more access or visibility into your phone than any other app; it can't be used to read your email, track your location, see your browser history, or remotely wipe your phone. And if you don't have an internet connection, you can open the Duo app, tap the key icon, and generate a one-time code to get logged in.

The vast majority of hacks happen because of compromised passwords. Using 2-Factor Authentication, like Duo, means that having your password is no longer enough to steal your account.

Team Folders is a Dropbox feature that allows for easy sharing.  

Dropbox

• Open Windows Explorer/File Explorer
• Find the Dropbox file you’d like to create a shortcut to
• Right click on the file and drag to the desktop
• Select “copy shortcut here”

Drive

• Open the file you want to create a shortcut to in Drive
• Go to the Setting menu in Chrome (the 3 dots in the upper right)
• Hover over “more tools” and then click “add to desktop”

View the list of File Management Stewards for each department, along with the assigned Process Team member from ITS.

By default, Google thinks that we don't want to see emails that we send to email lists that we're a part of. So, for example, if a faculty member sends an email to faculty-all@lists.carleton.edu, all the other faculty on that email list will get a copy of that email delivered to their inboxes, but the sender will not.

If you choose, you can set up a filter that will change this default behavior so that you also get a copy of your email delivered to your inbox when you send to an email list. Here's how:

1. Click the little downward arrow in the far right of the Gmail search box at the top of the page.
2. In the "From" line, enter your email address.
3. In the "To" line, enter the address of the email list followed by upper case OR followed by your own email address. (You can add multiple email list addresses separated by OR if you want.) So, for example:
   
4. Click the "Create filter with this search" link in the bottom right corner of the search box.
5. On the resulting page, check the box that says "Never send it to Spam."
   
6. Click "Create Filter" and you're all set. From now on emails you send to the lists you included in your initial search will also show up in your own inbox.

By default, most iOS (Apple) devices and Android devices archive Gmail messages, rather than delete them when you either swipe or tap the trash can. It's a configurable option, though, and you can change the default behavior. This video is no longer available. View Google Workspace Learning Center for how to configure swipe settings on the mobile app.

To use Google appointments, select a span of time and then select the option telling Calendar that this span of time will contain appointments. As you set up your appointment slots, Calendar will give you a link to your publishable appointment calendar. When another person clicks on that link and logs in, they’ll see their own Google Calendar with your appointment times overlaid, helping them select an appointment that doesn't conflict with their other appointments. As people claim appointment slots, those claimed slots will no longer appear as options for subsequent people. As your time is claimed by appointments or other meetings, slots disappear from the available appointments calendar from that link you sent out. You can even "invite" other people to your appointment slots so that if someone claims an appointment it schedules more than one of you for the meeting.

Check out Google Help, YouTube, or Linda.com for video walk-throughs.

One of the powerful but relatively hidden features of the entire Gmail interface is the little downward arrow you see on various buttons or boxes, and the search box is no exception. There's a tiny little downward facing arrow on the right side of the search box that, when clicked, reveals many search options that you can use. Notice that you're able to limit your search to a particular label (using the dropdown box at the top), and that you can also create a filter based on any search you do using the light grey link at the bottom right (so anything matching a particular search can, say, skip the inbox and get a particular label). Another hidden feature of the search box is that almost any advanced search operator that you use in regular Google searching can also be used to search your email. So you can nest things using parentheses or exclude things using these operators, for example: jaguar -car 1..10 from:(azawisto OR mbailey) That search will return emails that have the word jaguar (but not the word car), that includes a number between 1 and 10, and that were sent to me by either Ann Zawistoski or Matt Bailey. You can find the list of Google search operators online.

High-volume mailing lists (carlslist would be an example) can clutter up your inbox. This video will show you how to create a filter in Gmail that will automatically apply a specific label and file those messages, so you can focus on the more immediate things in your inbox.   This video is no longer available. Visit the Google Workspace Learning Center to learn more about automatic labels and filters.

Google Calendar has a very robust "busy search" feature, but it's somewhat hidden. 

This video is no longer available.

View Google Workspace Learning Center to learn more about calendar availability.

There is a Google Lab that will change the icon on the browser tab to include the number of unread email messages. This video is no longer available.

One of the most frequent questions we've gotten so far is "How do I edit the subject line of a reply or forward?" It seems to be one of the best hidden features of the Gmail interface! Here's how you do it:

1. Start your reply or forwarded message.
2. There will be an arrow at the top left of the address area, near your picture. Click that and you'll get a menu that includes "Edit Subject."
   
3. Edit the subject line however you wish!

How do I get to Google Groups?

From any Google application, click on the Google apps grid in the upper right and select Groups.  If you click on "My Groups" you'll see all groups you're currently a member of.  If you click on the group name, you will see the posts for that group.

• General overview of Groups (from Google)
• Read and Respond to Group posts
• Receiving faxes via Google Groups
• Creating your own Carleton Google Group
• Managing your Carleton Google Groups
• Google Group Roles and Use Cases at Carleton

 

Fax mailboxes are configured as Google Groups.  For complete information on how to receive faxes this way, read the wiki documentation.

Google does not publish a complete list of reserved words.  We have been able to identify the following words, and we expect that they will be forbidden in any language.

• Inbox
• Starred
• Important
• Chats
• Sent Mail
• Drafts
• All Mail
• Spam
• Trash

Of note:

• Todo
• Todos
• Stella

Others:

• Archive
• Migrated (but "Migrate" is OK)
• Anything containing the character "^"

After your department moves to Dropbox you'll be able to log in and view your folders and files on COLLAB for one year.

There are two good methods for doing this.

Google Drive

1. Upload the document to docs.carleton.edu
2. Right-click on the link and select "Get Shareable Link"
3. Toggle the button to turn link sharing on.
   • If you want to restrict access to the file beyond the default "Anyone at Carleton Can View," click "Sharing Settings" and then the "Get Shareable Link" text in the upper right-hand corner of the resulting box. There will be several share settings, and the default is "Anyone at Carleton can view." This means that if the person forwards your message on to other Carleton people, those people will also be able to view the document. If you prefer to change that, click the "Anyone at Carleton can view" text and more options will appear (see the image to the right).
4. Copy the resulting link
5. Paste the link into your email message.

Dropbox

1. Put the file into any Dropbox folder.
2. Right-click on the file and select "Copy Dropbox Link."
3. Paste that link into you email message.

Allow Others to Edit

Both Google Drive and Dropbox also offer the option to let other people edit the files you send them.

• Google Drive allows you to add people who can edit in the file or folder's sharing settings (look for an icon that looks like a person with a plus sign by its head).
• Dropbox allows you to add collaborators to a folder (not individual files) -- any files in that shared folder will be editable by the collaborators you designate.

Yes! There are several options available.

Click the "settings" gear icon and then click "Inbox." Here, you can change your Inbox Type:

1. Default, which is how it looks when you first got your account. If you don't want to see the tabbed categories, uncheck the category boxes in the next section of the Inbox Settings page.
2. Important First, which puts any messages marked as "Important" and messages from people you email often at the top of your inbox.
3. Unread First, which puts unread messages at the top of your inbox.
4. Starred First, which puts any starred messages at the top of your inbox.
5. Priority Inbox, which attempts to automatically identify your important incoming messages and separates them out from everything else. Messages classified as important and unread are in the top section, then starred messages, then everything else. Each section can be customized further.

You can also explore the options in the "Labs" section of Gmail Settings. Some Labs options that may appeal to you include the "Preview Pane" and "Right-Side Chat."

Yes! In Gmail click the Settings "Gear" icon. In the "General" settings you'll find "Conversation View" with an option for "Conversation View On" and "Conversation View Off." Select your preferred view!

There are two main ways of maintaining two Google accounts at the same time, telling Google that you have two accounts, or using two different browsers. Whichever you choose, you may want to set your "theme" differently for each account, so that you have a visual cue about which account you're in whenever you look at your screen.

"Add Account"

1. When you're in Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Drive, or even just the main Google search page, click on your account picture in the upper right-hand corner of the screen.
2. Click "Add Account"
3. Log into your other Google account.

Now Google will know that you have two accounts, and you can switch between them by clicking on your account picture and selecting one or the other.

Use two browsers

Some people prefer to use two browsers and keep one account on one browser and the other account on the other browser. For example, you may decide to have your Carleton Google account on your Chrome browser and your personal Google account on your Firefox browser. This way you'll always know which account you're using at any given time.

Your department has a designated File Management Steward. This person will work with ITS and with your department to create a migration plan for your department's files. The actual moving of files from one location to the other will be managed by the File Management Stewards or the people they delegate to within the department.

It is likely that your browser has you logged in to your personal Google account rather than your Carleton Google account. Try logging out of your personal Google account and then logging in with your Carleton username and password at docs.carleton.edu.

On your department's migration date, your DEPT-Only COLLAB folders will become "read only," which means that you will be able to log in, open, and see the files and folders under your DEPT-Only drive, and you can save copies of those files and folders to any non-COLLAB folder, but you will not be able to modify anything or add new files and folders to those "read only" folders any more.

Dropbox for Business allows you to have both a work and a personal Dropbox account synced to your devices. Discover information on how to make that work. Dropbox provides details and screenshots but here are your three options if your personal Dropbox account currently uses your carleton.edu email address:

1. Prior to your transition date, you can change the email address associated with your personal Dropbox account.
2. On your transition date, Dropbox will allow you to move your current files into Carleton's Dropbox for Business folders.
3. On your transition date, Dropbox will allow you to move your files and folders to a new personal account, and will walk you through separating and managing your personal and work files. If you choose this route, have an email address handy that is not already associated with a Dropbox account. This is the email address that Dropbox will use for the files you do not wish to move into Carleton's Dropbox for Business folders.

For options 2 and 3, if you pay for a personal Pro account using your Carleton email address, that subscription will be canceled and any remaining credit on the Pro subscription will be refunded to you (see the bottom of this page from Dropbox). Connecting your personal and work Dropbox accounts will allow you to access both accounts from your desktop, tablet, or mobile phone, but it will NOT give Carleton ITS access to your personal account.

On your department's migration date, your DEPT-Only COLLAB folders will become "read only," which means that you will be able to log in and see the files and folders under your DEPT-Only drive but you will not be able to modify anything or add new files and folders.

No. COURSES folders will stay exactly as they are right now. Only the DEPT-Only drive on COLLAB is included in this migration project.

We are working with File Management Stewards on planning their move of the department folders (often referred to as Dept-Only) at this time, but the contents of Home will need to be moved to Dropbox or Drive eventually. 

Click "Create" as though you are creating an appointment, and put the name of the person(s) you'd like to busy search in the "Add: Guests" field on the right side of the screen.  Then click the tab labeled "Find a Time" to view availability of the people you are busy searching.

1. Open the Settings app. 
2. Tap Mail, Contacts, Calendars.
3. Scroll to the Contacts section.
4. The account listed in the "Default Account" field is where new contacts are stored.

To check where your existing contacts live:

1. Open the Contacts app (or open the Phone app and select Contacts).
2. In the upper left corner, tap Groups.
3. The list of groups that appears is separated by account (for instance: Gmail, iCloud).  You can tell which contacts are in which groups by unchecking the "All [ACCOUNT_NAME]" group, tapping Done in the upper right corner, and looking to see what contacts are still visible to you.

If you would like to change your username to more closely resemble your last name, please contact the ITS Helpdesk.  Usernames can now be up to 16 characters in length.  Usernames still need to be unique; it is possible that your first choice of a new one will be unavailable. Changing usernames is a complex process, because of the number of Carleton systems they exist in; depending on the number of requests we get, there may be a backlog and it may take several months to fulfill all requests.  We will contact you to confirm the request and to schedule a time to make the change.

No. The ITS Helpdesk will continue to provide email support. ITS has the option to use Google’s technical support if we need to. This is a great time to explore the self-service help provided by Google or by going to settings and choosing "Help" from within Gmail or Calendar. We also have many training resources available on our own website.

Our license for Google Apps for Education specifically prohibits data mining in the “core” Google Apps, which includes Gmail, Calendar, the address book, Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Hangouts. Google will not display any ads on any of those core apps.

It works with the built­in (Apple-­provided) email and calendar clients on iPhones and iPads; Google has also written their own email and calendar apps which you can choose to download. Discover complete directions on setting up the built-in apps.

Yes! For example, Gmail has a feature called Appointment Slots that allows someone to create a block of time for other people to sign up for, e.g. for office hours or music lessons. It will also search the calendars of all people invited to a meeting to try to find a time that works for everyone. We will be sharing more tips, tricks, and new features on our blog. If you're eager to explore, take a look at these great ideas at the Google Apps Learning Center.

Outlook will work with Gmail. You can find directions to configure Outlook. There is one area where you may notice unusual behavior in Outlook. If you flag an email for Follow Up, and if that email is part of a conversation that includes sent mail, Gmail associates a minimum of 2 "labels" with that email (e.g. "Sent" and "Inbox"). Because of this, you will have duplicate tasks, one for each label.

We surveyed more than 65 other schools, including our “Peer 25.” There is a nearly even split between Google and Microsoft Office365 for email. 7 schools we surveyed transitioned in the last year; of those seven, 3 went with Google, 3 went with Microsoft Office365, and the seventh went with Google for their students and Microsoft Of ice365 for their faculty and staff. By way of comparison to our "Peer 25", Williams and Smith use Google and Amherst and Grinnell use Microsoft Of ice365. More locally, St. Olaf is a Google school and has been for more than 5 years, as is Macalaster.

While Google certainly came in with some strong advocates, Microsoft’s Office 365 was a strong contender. Members of the steering committee commented that their own opinions as to which was the right answer alternated regularly, depending on what they were testing on any given day. Feedback on the 840 testing points was mostly positive for both platforms, with a higher degree of feature parity than originally expected. In the end, it was a very difficult decision, as both options would have provided some advantages over Zimbra and each other, while also having some drawbacks that we would have to accept. In no way was it a “slam dunk” by either tool.

A steering committee made up of faculty, staff, and students led extensive campus testing of the two contenders for a replacement, Google and Microsoft, and provided an evaluation of the product's strengths and weaknesses to the Technology Planning and Priorities Committee. The Tuesday Group and the CTO made the final decision as to which product would be selected.

The process tested basic email and calendar functionality, as well as “surrogate/sharing” of mailboxes and calendars, across the web client, mobile clients, and desktop clients on Macs, Windows, Android devices, and iOS devices. There were 60 unique features tested across 14 environments, for a total of 840 testing points. The testers included staff, faculty, and students, for a total of more than 100 testers spending more than 500 hours combined. Some testers used test accounts with manufactured data, while more than half had their entire accounts migrated to each of the systems and tested using their own data.