The Outlook Screen

Using Microsoft Outlook

The Outlook Screen

When you open Microsoft Outlook, the following screen will display:

The Navigation pane displays on the left side of your screen and is a combination of the shortcut bar and folder list found in previous versions of Outlook. Select View, Navigation Pane to turn off/on

Navigation Pane Notes:

· Click on the Calendar, Contacts, icon, etc. to view them. To view Calendar or Tasks separately, right click and select View > Open in New window. Notice that the Notes icon is located at the very bottom of the Navigation Pane.

· By default, viewing an item in the Reading Pane does not cause Outlook to mark the message as "Read". If you would like to change that, select Tools > Options, and on the Other tab, click Reading Pane and select "Mark Item as Read when Viewed in the Reading Pane"

· Favorites Folders section: Any folder can be dragged to the Favorites Folders section. In addition, note the Unread Mail and Follow-up Folder. The Unread Mail folder contains unread mail, and the Follow-up Folder contains all mail flagged for follow-up. IMPORTANT NOTE: Deleting mail or moving mail from the Unread folder or the Follow-up Folder deletes or moves the email in the Inbox as well.

· If you would like Outlook to open displaying the "Outlook Today" screen, select View, Toolbars, Advanced, and then click the Outlook Today icon. Click Customize Outlook Today and select "When starting go directly to Outlook Today" Personally I do not use this. I am always in a hurry and go directly to my email screen.

Message Grouping

Email can be grouped in a variety of ways, such as date, conversation, sender etc. Group Headers can be expanded or collapsed.

NOTE: If you arrange email by conversation (thread), note that only Unread email is shown by default. Click the check mark next to the conversation topic to expand the conversation and view all email.

Working with Email

Creating a Signature File

A signature file contains text that is automatically added to all email messages. To create a signature file:

1. With your Inbox displayed, select Tools > Options

2. Click the Mail Format tab

3. Click Signatures > New

4. In the Create New Signature box, type a name for your signature file( I use my own name), then click Next.

5. In the Edit Signature box, type your name and any additional text, such as your department, extension, etc. as you would like it to display in outgoing email messages. I find this very helpful and cuts down on repeating instructions on how to contact me.

6. Click the Font/Paragraphs buttons to change fonts or paragraph alignment.

7. When you are finished, click Finish > OK. The name of your newly created signature file is now displayed in the Signature for New Messages portion of the Options screen > Apply > OK.

Sending Email

From the Inbox menu, click the New button on the Outlook toolbar, or select File, New, Mail Message from the Outlook menu. A blank message form displays. Complete the message form as follows:

1. Click the To button to display the global address list and/or your personal address book to select recipients. Once you have selected a recipient from the Name box, click the To button to move the name to the Message Recipients box. Continue to select recipients in this manner. You may also select the names of individuals you want to carbon copy (cc) or blind carbon copy (bcc). When finished click OK.

2. Always include something on the Subject line. A brief description of your email message is all that is necessary. Click in the large message body box and type your message.

3. PROOFREAD & SPELLCHECK. Click Send when finished.

Options

To receive notification when your email is delivered and/or read by the recipient(s), click the Options button on the message screen > select the desired option(s) > click OK.
You may also alert the recipient as to the Importance/Sensitivity of your email by selecting the appropriate setting from the drop down lists. Your email will be flagged accordingly. DO NOT OVERUSE THIS OPTION.

Sending Attachments

If a file (not a folder) needs to be sent with the email click the Insert File(paper clip) button on the Outlook toolbar. Browse to the file you wish to attach. After locating the file, Select > Insert. The file name will display in the Attach field of the email. Note that some picture & .pdf (Adobe Acrobat) files are absolutely huge. You have limited space so be cognizant of file sizes, especially if sending to multiple recipients.

Receiving Email

Incoming email messages are stored in the Inbox. Messages that you have not yet read are displayed in bold. In addition, messages that you have not yet read can be accessed through the "Unread Mail" folder. To read a message, double click on the message.

Replying to Email:

To reply to an open email message, click the Reply button on the toolbar. Type your reply then click Send. There is also a Reply To All button that allows you to reply to all recipients of the original mail, including those that were carbon copied and blind carbon copied.

Forwarding Email:

Clicking on the Forward button allows you to forward the email to another individual. The email displays in a new window and you must type or select the email address of the desired recipient, type a message of your own if appropriate, and then click the Send button.

Flagging Email for Follow-up:

You can place a flag on email as a way to remind yourself that additional action needs to be taken. To flag an email for follow up, right click the email message in your Inbox and select Follow-up, then select the color flag you would like to use. You can also click "Add Reminder" to enter additional follow-up options.

Additional Options

You may also print, copy and delete email. Deleted email is stored in the Deleted Items folder, which must be emptied periodically. Empty the Deleted Items folder by right clicking the Deleted Items icon in the Navigation Pane and selecting Empty Deleted Items from the shortcut menu. Note: Once you empty the Deleted Items folder, email that was placed there is no longer accessible. If you want to save mail, you should use Personal Folders. Get rid of old unimportant emails or your friendly IT department will be calling you about your size limit being exceeded. Save large files to your my documents folder. Do not keep them in your Inbox.

Contacts (Personal Address Books)

Frequently used email addresses should be stored in a Personal Address book. The easiest way to do this is use the Contacts feature of Outlook.

1. From the menu, select File > New > Contact. The Contact dialog box will display

2. Type the name of the contact, and the email address

3. Any other information you enter is optional. When you are finished, click Save and Close

4. To select a Contact in a new email message, click the To button in the message

5. Select Contacts from the Show Names In field.

NOTE: If the Contact list does not display as an address book:

1. Click the Contacts icon at the bottom of the Navigation pane.

2. When the Contacts screen displays, right click Contacts under "My Contacts" and select Properties.

3. Select the Outlook Address Book tab and make sure that Show This Folder as an Email Address Book is checked.

Distribution Lists

Distribution lists simplify the process of sending mail to groups of individuals. For example, if you frequently email everyone in your department, you might wish to create a distribution list for your department.

1. To create a distribution list, select File, New, Distribution List from the Inbox menu.

2. The Distribution List dialog box displays. Type a name for the Distribution list in the Name field.

3. Click Select Members to select members from the global address list or your personal address book.

4. Once the address list displays, click on the name of any individual you wish to add to the distribution list, then click the Members button. To select multiple names, hold down the Ctrl key while selecting names

5. If the person is not in the global address list, you can click Add New in the Distribution List dialog box. Clicking Add New displays a dialog box in which you type the display name and email address of the person you are adding to the distribution list.

6. Click Save and Close when finished. Distribution lists are stored in the Contacts folder

To use a distribution list when sending email, click the To button on the email message screen, then select Contacts from the "Show Names from the" field in the Select Names dialog box. Click on the name of your distribution list, > To, > OK

Out of Office Assistant

If you plan to be out of the office for a day or longer, you should use the Out of Office Assistant to automatically generate replies to any email you receive while you are gone. This will alert people that you are not ignoring their important emails you are simply out of the office.

From the Inbox menu, select Tools, Out of Office Assistant. Complete the dialog box and click OK when you are finished. MS Outlook will automatically send the response you indicate for as long as "I am currently out of the office" is selected" When you return to the office, you may be prompted to turn of the alert. If not, follow the above steps and click "I am currently in the Office" to deactivate the Out Of Office Assistant.

Common Calendar Questions

1. How do I share my calendar?

In Outlook, your calendar is a folder that stores information about your meetings, appointments, and so on. Sharing your calendar makes all this information visible to others that you select. Here’s all you have to do to share:

You would view your calendar, and on the Navigation Pane, under the Calendar folder, you would click Share My Calendar.

Next you would add the name of the person you want to share with, and you would set permissions. Permission levels that you would be likely to use for calendar sharing include:

· Reviewer—Can read calendar entries but cannot create, modify, or delete them.

· Author—Can read or create calendar entries, and can modify or delete only entries that the author has created.

· Editor—Can read, create, modify, or delete all calendar entries, whether or not the editor has created them.

2. How do I view a shared calendar?

When you’re viewing your calendar, you’ll see a link in that pane called Open a Shared Calendar. To open the shared calendar, you would click this link, click the Name button, and select or type the name for the person sharing with you. Right away, you’d see the name listed under Other Calendars.

3. How do I view my calendar on the same screen with my mail?

Simply right-click on the calendar bar and choose “Open in New Window” then size your mail and calendar windows so you can see both.

4. Can I set my calendar to display in other than 30 minute increments?

Right-click on the Time Bar in the Outlook client and select the increment you want.

5. How do I change the number of days displayed in the calendar?

In Calendar, click any of the following:

Day

Week

Work Week

Month

Netiquette

Be informal, not sloppy. Your colleagues may use commonly accepted abbreviations in e-mail, but when communicating with external customers, everyone should follow standard writing protocol. Your e-mail message reflects you and your school, so traditional spelling, grammar, and punctuation rules apply.

Keep messages brief and to the point. Just because your writing is grammatically correct does not mean that it has to be long. Nothing is more frustrating than wading through an e-mail message that is twice as long as necessary.

Use sentence case. USING ALL CAPITAL LETTERS LOOKS AS IF YOU’RE SHOUTING. Using all lowercase letters looks lazy. For emphasis, use asterisks or bold formatting to emphasize important words.

Remember that e-mail isn’t private. I’ve seen people fired for using e-mail inappropriately. E-mail is considered company property and can be retrieved, examined, and used in a court of law. Unless you are using an encryption device (hardware or software), you should assume that e-mail over the Internet is not secure. Never put in an e-mail message anything that you wouldn’t put on a postcard. Remember that e-mail can be forwarded, so unintended audiences may see what you’ve written. You might also inadvertently send something to the wrong party, so always keep the content professional to avoid embarrassment.

Use the subject field to indicate content and purpose. Don’t just say, “Hi!” or “From Andrea.” Do not leave the subject field blank. Do not use the word important. Instead flag the email and again indicate content.

Don’t send chain letters, virus warnings, or junk mail. Always check a reputable antivirus Web site or your IT department before sending out an alarm. If a constant stream of jokes from a friend annoys you, be honest and ask to be removed from the list. Direct personal e-mail to your home e-mail account.

Use a signature that includes contact information. To ensure that people know who you are, include a signature that has your contact information, including your mailing address, web site, and phone numbers.

Notes

____________________________________________________________________________________