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Cool tips for YaleConnect

Don't use more than one client at a time

You shouldn't run more than one email client at a time. That means if you use Outlook on a PC and Entourage on a Mac, make sure you don't have both programs open at the same time, as it may cause problems with synchronization. You also shouldn't use YaleConnect webmail if you have a local client running (Outlook or Entourage).

If you suspect that your email client and server have gotten out of sync, login to YaleConnect webmail. The web client is a live version of your mailbox. If there are email or calendar items in your webmail that are not in your local client(Outlook or Entourage), you may want to contact your local support provider for remediation.

Make or accept counter proposals to meeting times

Applies to Microsoft Outlook 2003 & Outlook 2007.

1. Open the meeting request.
2. Click Propose New Time.
3. Click a time when all invitees are available. You can use AutoPick Next to find the next available free time.
4. Click Propose Time.
5. Click Send.

Turn an email message into a meeting request

Applies to Microsoft Outlook 2003 & Outlook 2007.

1. In the Navigation Pane (Navigation Pane: The column on the left side of the Outlook window that includes panes such as Shortcuts or Mail and the shortcuts or folders within each pane. Click a folder to show the items in the folder.), drag the message you want to convert to a meeting request to the Calendar button.
2. Click Invite Attendees.
3. Enter a name or names in the To box.
4. Enter the location in the Location box.
5. In the Start time and End time lists, click the date and times.
6. Select any other options that you want.
7. Click Send.

Calendar delegation: Use Outlook 2007

If someone in your department wants to delegate a calendar, the delegates and the manager must all use Outlook 2007. Using Outlook 2003 in combination with 2007 when using delegation will cause unexpected results.

Invite resources to your meeting

When booking a resource, propose the meeting from your calendar and invite the resource. Do not book directly from the resource calendar. Booking directly from the resource calendar is called Direct Booking. Entourage and YaleConnect webmail do not support the Direct Booking of resources. When you Direct Book a resource that is delegated (managed by an appointed individual), the delegate will not get the notification emails. Tracking meeting attendee responses is also affected, and is not possible because when Direct Booking there is no Meeting Organizer to gather the responses.

Don't send meeting requests to distribution lists

Try to avoid sending meeting requests to distribution lists (DLs). If you need to invite all the members of a distribution list, expand the list in the To line by clicking the + before sending the request. If you need to add or remove attendees from a meeting request that you already sent to an unexpanded distribution list, don't expand the list and start adding or deleting names. Instead, cancel the meeting and create a new one.

Send responses to meeting invitations

Make sure you send a response to a meeting invite: Choose either “Edit the response before sending” or “Send the response now”. Selecting “Don’t send a response” interferes with the ability of the meeting organizer to track who is attending.

Display non-adjacent dates

Applies to Microsoft Outlook 2003 & Outlook 2007.

You can display non-adjacent calendar dates (for example, the 5th ,7th ,12th , 19th of the month). In Calendar view Hold down the Ctrl key and click the dates on the mini-calendar in the navigation pane.

Change the time range of your Free/Busy data

Applies to Microsoft Outlook 2003 & Outlook 2007.

You can change the amount of time your Free/Busy data is published to the server. The default time your Free/Busy is published for is 2 months. To not Publish any Free/Busy set the value to 0. To publish Free/Busy for a longer amount of time type in the number of months to publish your Free/Busy data. 12 months is the recommended maximum value; 6 months is preferred. For more information, read the Free/Busy instructions.

Want to see your calendar while you're looking at the Inbox?

Applies to Microsoft Outlook 2003 & Outlook 2007.

• In the Navigation Pane, right-click the Calendar button, and then click Open in New Window on the shortcut window.

You have options when responding to a meeting request or notification

Applies to Microsoft Outlook 2003 & Outlook 2007 and Entourage 2004 & Entourage 2008.

• When receiving an invitation the calendar allows you to send your response with no comments, include comments with your response or not to send a response at all.

Note:  If you do not send a response the organizer will not be able to track your response.

Prevent meeting request replies

Applies to Microsoft Outlook 2003 & Outlook 2007 and Entourage 2008.

You can send a meeting request and not track the attendees' responses. Not tracking the responses can be useful when you send a meeting request to a large number of attendees and tracking attendance is not necessary.

Note: If you turn off the Request Responses option, you will not be able to track whether attendees have accepted, tentatively accepted, or declined. The Tracking tab for the meeting will display None for the response for all of the attendees.

OUTLOOK 2003:

1. On the File menu, point to New, and then click Meeting Request.
2. On the Actions menu, click Request Responses.
   This turns off the Request Responses option. To turn back on requesting responses, on the Actions menu, click Request Responses.
3. Create your meeting request, selecting any other options you want.
4. Click Send.

OUTLOOK 2007:

1. Beneath the File menu, click the drop list arrow for New, and then click Meeting Request.
2. In the attendees section of the ribbon in the Untitled Meeting window, click the drop-list arrow to the right of Responses – exposing the options for accepting responses.  Select Request Responses  to uncheck the option, preventing meeting responses for this meeting proposal only.   The option Request Responses will be turned back on by default when proposing subsequent meetings.
3. Create your meeting request, selecting any other options you want.
4. Click Send.

ENTOURAGE 2008:

1. Click on Calendar.
2. Open new calendar event.
3. Click on the Event menu, select Request Responses to uncheck that option.
   This action  prevents meeting responses for this meeting proposal only.  When proposing subsequent meetings the Request Responses option will be turned back on by default.

Attach an agenda or file to a meeting request

OUTLOOK

• If the agenda or minutes are in a file, you can attach the file to a meeting request. In the meeting request, on the Insert menu, click File, and then locate the file you want to attach.

ENTOURAGE:

• If the agenda or minutes are in a file, you can attach the file to a meeting request by dragging the attachment into the meeting invitation.
  
  
• NOTE: When you recive a meeting request in Entourage that includes an attachment, save the attachement to your hard drive BEFORE accepting the meeting otherwise the attachment will be lost. To avoid this, use YaleConnect Webmail.

Out of Office Assistant

Applies to Microsoft Outlook 2007 and Entourage 2008.

The Out of Office Assistant allows you to create out of office messages. The send auto-replies feature allows you to specify a specific start and end time.

• Using the Out of Office Assistant in Outlook 2007
• Using the Out of Office Assistant in Outlook 2003
• Using the Out of Office Assistant in Entourage 2008
• Using the Out of Office Assistant in YaleConnect Webmail

View calendars overlaid

Applies to Microsoft Outlook 2007.

In Microsoft Office Outlook 2007, you can view multiple calendars at once. These can be your calendars, shared calendars from other people, Internet Calendars, or Internet Calendar Subscriptions.

• About viewing multiple calendars
• Open a calendar in a new window
• Open a calendar in side-by-side view
• Overlay the calendars
• Remove a calendar from the overlay stack

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Cool tips for YaleConnect calendaring

Make or accept counter proposals to meeting times

Applies to Microsoft Outlook 2003 & Outlook 2007.

1. Open the meeting request.
2. Click Propose New Time.
3. Click a time when all invitees are available. You can use AutoPick Next to find the next available free time.
4. Click Propose Time.
5. Click Send.

Turn an email message into a meeting request

Applies to Microsoft Outlook 2003 & Outlook 2007.

1. In the Navigation Pane (Navigation Pane: The column on the left side of the Outlook window that includes panes such as Shortcuts or Mail and the shortcuts or folders within each pane. Click a folder to show the items in the folder.), drag the message you want to convert to a meeting request to the Calendar button.
2. Click Invite Attendees.
3. Enter a name or names in the To box.
4. Enter the location in the Location box.
5. In the Start time and End time lists, click the date and times.
6. Select any other options that you want.
7. Click Send.

Want to see your calendar while you're looking at the Inbox?

Applies to Microsoft Outlook 2003 & Outlook 2007.

• In the Navigation Pane, right-click the Calendar button, and then click Open in New Window on the shortcut window.

You have options when responding to a meeting request or notification

Applies to Microsoft Outlook 2003 & Outlook 2007 and Entourage 2004 & Entourage 2008.

• When receiving an invitation the calendar allows you to send your response with no comments, include comments with your response or not to send a response at all.

Note:  If you do not send a response the organizer will not be able to track your response.

Prevent meeting request replies

Applies to Microsoft Outlook 2003 & Outlook 2007 and Entourage 2004 & Entourage 2008.

You can send a meeting request and not track the attendees' responses. Not tracking the responses can be useful when you send a meeting request to a large number of attendees and tracking attendance is not necessary.

Note: If you turn off the Request Responses option, you will not be able to track whether attendees have accepted, tentatively accepted, or declined. The Tracking tab for the meeting will display None for the response for all of the attendees.

OUTLOOK:

1. On the File menu, point to New, and then click Meeting Request.
2. On the Actions menu, click Request Responses.
   This turns off the Request Responses option. To turn back on requesting responses, on the Actions menu, click Request Responses.
3. Create your meeting request, selecting any other options you want.
4. Click Send.
   

ENTOURAGE:

1. Click on Calendar.
2. Open new calendar event.
3. Click on Events menu, click Request Responses.
   This turns off the Request Responses option. To turn back on requesting responses, on the Events menu, click Request Responses.

Attach an agenda or file to a meeting request

Applies to Microsoft Outlook 2003 & Outlook 2007.

• If the agenda or minutes are in a file, you can attach the file to a meeting request. In the meeting request, on the Insert menu, click File, and then locate the file you want to attach.

Out of Office Assistant

Applies to Microsoft Outlook 2007 and Entourage 2008.

The Out of Office Assistant allows you to create out of office messages. The send auto-replies feature allows you to specify a specific start and end time.

• Using the Out of Office Assistant in Outlook 2007
• Using the Out of Office Assistant in Outlook 2003
• Using the Out of Office Assistant in Entourage 2008
• Using the Out of Office Assistant in YaleConnect Webmail

The Scheduling Assistant

• Using the Scheduling Assistant in Outlook 2007
• Using the Scheduling Assistant in Outlook 2003
• Using the Scheduling Assistant in Outlook 2007 (online training)

View calendars overlaid

Applies to Microsoft Outlook 2007.

In Microsoft Office Outlook 2007, you can view multiple calendars at once. These can be your calendars, shared calendars from other people, Internet Calendars, or Internet Calendar Subscriptions.

• About viewing multiple calendars
• Open a calendar in a new window
• Open a calendar in side-by-side view
• Overlay the calendars
• Remove a calendar from the overlay stack

More tips

For more Outlook tips visit the Microsoft website: Outlook 2003 or Outlook 2007.

 

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Entourage 2008 tips & tricks

• Customize the toolbar
• Preview messages
• Create a distribution list
• Open the contacts folder
• Open the calendar or another folder in a separate window
• Change the look of your Entourage window
• Change your sync settings
• Turn off My Day
• Tips for improving Entourage meeting scheduling

Customize the toolbar

The toolbar can take up a lot of real estate.  Ctrl-Click or right-click on the grey area of the toolbar to customize:

Preview messages

You can change the view of your preview messages to be on, off, to the right or below your email listing.  By default, the preview pane is on the right.

 

 

Create a distribution list

This type of list can only be saved to the local address book on your machine, and not your Exchange mailbox Contacts folder.

Open the Contact folder.

Select New >> Group

Type a name for your list in the Group name box.

Click inside the white list area (that is blank) and a new entry box appears for you to add a user. As you type, AutoComplete will make suggestions from your Contacts list and the GAL.
You can continue to add addresses until your list is complete.
Click on the red close button in the top left hand corner of the contact windows you have just filled in. You will be asked if you wish to save changes - do so.

Open calendar or another folder in a separate window

To open multiple Entourage windows ctrl-click or right clicking on an icon and choose Open... A new window will open. 

 

Change the look of your Entourage window

Click Entourage then Preferences.
Highlight Fonts
List Items is the list of your folders along the left hand side of the window and your list of emails.
HTML and Plan Text is your emails.
Printed Items is how your emails would look if printed out.

Change your sync settings

Make sure your sync with the Exchange server is complete prior to shutting down Entourage.  Since Entourage syncs automatically every 5 or 10 mins, shutting down Entourage prior to a complete sync will cause a disruption of your email.

Within Entourage, click Tools -> Run Schedule -> Edit Schedules.

Double Click Send & Receive All.

Under Repeating Schedule, change the time that you wish to sync.

Note: If you sync to often and have a lot of files and folders, you might run into the risk of not completing a sync before it starts again.  This may result in missing emails.  For the “average” user, every 5 minutes should be ok.  For a higher end user, 20 or more folders, 10 minutes would be recommended.

Turn off My Day

To lesson the clutter of your desktop, you may want to disable the My Day application.  The best way to do this is to Open My Day and click on the button in the lower right corner. This will open up a Preference window.  Uncheck everything in the panels.  This will disable My Day and stop the desktop alerts.

Tips for improving Entourage meeting scheduling:

1. To change a meeting properly using Entourage, open the meeting and send an update to the invitees.  Dragging and dropping the meeting will not send a meeting update out to invitees.
2. To lower the risk of duplicates and missing email, only run one instance of Entourage at a time.  Also, the same holds true with running an instance of Outlook and Entourage on two separate computers at once.
3. Prior to closing Entourage, make sure your sync with the Exchange server is complete.  
4. If you are an Entourage/Outlook user, it is highly recommended that any calendar changes be made in Entourage and not in Outlook.