kempenfelt 2014 email and cloud computing
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Reader's Advisory for Email and Cloud ComputingTRANSCRIPT
Reader’s Advisory
For Webmail and
Cloud Computing
Aimee Sparzynski,MLIS
Kempenfelt 2014
Goodwill Community Foundation International
Computer Hope Home & Learn
Gale Courses
NoteIf you offer access to public computers or wifi in your branch, if you loan laptops, tablets or emails be prepared to provide answer questions and troubleshoot problems. This means getting to know your hardware, your software, your OPAC, your wifi network.
About
• Free web-based email provided by Microsoft; formally known as Hotmail. (Hotmail users retained their email addresses, but have been forced to migrate to the new platform).
• Outlook.com is tied to OneDrive and gives users access to Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel and OneNote web apps.
• Your Outlook email address is also your Microsoft ID which serves to identify you as you navigate through all these services as well as the Windows Store and Windows Phone Store.
Creating an
Account
• New Users must provide 1 of the following to create an account:o Phone number
o Alternate email address
• Birthdate, gender, county and postal code are also required.
• New accounts begin with 5 GB of storage and this grows automatically.
• Accounts expire after 270 days of no use
Tips for Use
To print the content of a message,click on the 3 dots and select ‘print’ from the drop down menu.
To write a new message click on
There are two options for opening attachments. ‘View online’ creates an online preview of the attachment or opens it in the appropriate Microsoft web app. ‘Download as zip’ save the file in a zip folder on your computer
Tips for Use
Selecting the down arrow next to Outlook in the upper right hand corner allows users to select from a number of options:
The ‘Outlook.com’ tile takes users to their inbox and ‘People’ to their contacts. OneDrive is cloud storage and the other tiles take you to Microsoft Office web apps.
About
• Free web-based email service provided by Google.
• Your Gmail account also gives you access to Google Drive, their cloud computing service. This includes apps for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, and drawings.
• It also serves as your Google ID and identifies you as you navigate through a number of Google services including YouTube and if you own an Andriod device the Google Play store.
Creating an
Account• A phone number and alternate email are
requested, but not required to create an account.• Birthday, gender, and country are required.• 15 GB of storage is available immediately.• Accounts are deleted after approximately nine
months of inactivity.• Gmail no longer offers a security question
password recovery option. Users not willing/unable to provide a phone number or alternate email will not be able to recover an account with a forgotten password.
Tips for Use
To print the content of a message
click on the printer icon in the upper
right corner of the message
You can either download attachments to your computer or save to Google Drive. Once save to Google Drive you can open and print all within the web browser
To write a new email click on
Tips for Use
Clicking the images of nine small squares will give users access to a number of Google Services including Google+, YouTube and their Google Drive.
Your Google account will follow you from service to service saving information about your searches and views. The save information will also travel to any of Google’s mobile apps that you have associated with your Google ID.
About
• Yahoo! Mail is free web-based email service provided by the company Yahoo!
• Yahoo! Does not offer cloud computing. They have partnered with a service called Dropbox to offer cloud storage to their mail users, however this requires creating a separate Dropbox account.
• Your Yahoo! Mail address also serves as a Yahoo! Id, allowing you to customize the information you see on their website as well as access their other services (fantasy sports, dating, games and more).
Creating an Account
• A mobile number is required to create a new account.
• Birthday and gender are also required.
• Email storage is unlimited.
• The time period before expiry due to inactivity is 6 months plus 2 months for each year the account has been active. Accounts can be retrieved but all stored data, such as emails, are lost.
Tips for Use
To print the content of an email
select ‘More’ and then ‘Print’ from the drop down menu
You can choose to either view your attachment online or to download in. If downloading you can save it to your computer or to Dropbox.
To create a new message click on ‘Compose’
Other Webmail Options
• Top 13 Free Email Services from About
• A comprehensive list from freemail.com
• Article from SitePoint
• www.mail.com
What is cloud computing?
• This term has a number of different meanings and has been used differently by various companies.
• Typically, it is used to refer to the idea of storing files on a remote server rather than the hard drive of a computer so that the files are accessible from anywhere via the internet.
• Some providers are now offering web-based apps that allow you to edit and create files in a web-based environment. This means you aren’t required to have the necessary program installed on your computer.
About
• Google Drive allows users to store uploaded files so they are accessible on any computer with an internet connection. Users are given 15 GBs of storage for free and additional space can be purchased.
• Users may also sync their computer with Google Drive. This means all the information stored on your computer’s hard drive is also stored on Drive. This is done by installing software on your computer.
• Mobile apps are available for Android, Apple and Windows 8 to enable on-the-go access.
Features
• Google Docs, Slides and Sheets are web based applications that allow you to create and edit documents, presentations, and spread sheets. Utilizing drive these files can be edited by multiple users at the same time.
• Files can be viewed anyone, simply provide them with the link and make sure the privacy settings are set as desired.
• Files can also be made searchable, which means they will appear in search engine results.
Getting Started
• Create a Google account. If you have a Gmail address, it also serves as your Google account or you can create a Google account with an email address from another provider.
• Then upload files to your account or sync Google Drive with your computer. You can also create files with Google Docs, Slides and Drawings.
• To invite others to view or edit a file, open the file and click the ‘Share’ button in the upper left corner. Under ‘Who has Access’ select change and choose the desired setting.
• Users must have a Google Account to edit a shared file but the file can be viewed by anyone if set to public.
About
• Microsoft OneDrive allows users to store uploaded files so they are accessible on any computer with an internet connection. Users are given 7 GBs of storage for free and additional space can be earned or purchased.
• You can sync across your devices and computers by installing the app on your desktop and mobile devices.
• Desktop users of Microsoft Office can choose to have files saved on OneDrive simultaneously updated while they are working.
• Files can be viewed and edited by multiple users at the same time.
Features
• OneDrive gives you access to Microsoft Office web apps for Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote.
• Anyone you choose to share a file with can edit and save changes without logging into a Microsoft Account.
• You are able to make files completely public, which means they are searchable and viewable by anyone.
Getting Started
• Create a Microsoft account. If you have a Outlook.com address, it also serves as your Microsoft account or you can create a Microsoft account with an email address from another provider.
• Upload or create documents or sync with your computer.• To share with others, select a file and click the ‘Share’ link
along the top. Here you have two options:• Invite People – only the people you email this too can view
or edit the file (depending on settings).• Get a Link – anyone with access to the link can view or edit
the file (depending on settings) and you can choose to make it public, meaning it is searchable.
About
• Only Apple device users can create a new account. Once created the account can be sync'd with Windows PCs.
• iCloud serves as storage for any digital products you purchase from Apple (music books, apps). You can also choose to save photos and other files. They will be instantly sync’d across your devices.
• New users are granted 5 GBs of storage (although and can purchase more space.
Features
• Web-based productivity apps (called ‘pages’, ‘numbers’ and ‘keynote’) are still in beta.
• Each iCloud account includes a free, ad-free email account.
• You can access iCloud through any computer by visiting www.icloud.com
• The ‘Find My iPhone’ feature is managed through iCloud.
Getting Started
• Make sure you are using iOS device or Mac and that the OS is up to date.
• Go into the settings and turn on iCloud by clicking or tapping on the icon. Entering your existing Apple ID or create a new one to manage your iCloud account.
• Activate your iCloud email account (you cannot opt out of this step).
• Do the same on your other Apple devices.• Download the iCloud Control Panel to sync your
PC.
