Google Email & Calendars

[@HeatherSmithAU]

I have been advised to move from my computers microsoft Outlook (which I love) to Google Email & Calendars.

I have also been using a Brisbane based VA and she has suggested I use calendars so she can book appointments.

What has been your experience in this area?

I have an email address 'info@aniseconsulting.com' can I use the Google features, but still make it look like it is coming from 'info@aniseconsulting.com'.

I have watched a couple of their videos, but am moving slowly - I don't appear to be grasping what I should be doing quickly, e.g. have not worked out how to make folders, to redirect email, and clicked achieve and it just disappeared.

Do you have any feedback

[linkartist]

Yep, you can have Google Apps power your email. I use it for mine and its great because using IMAP I can still have my email locally in my email client on multiple computers and it syncs with online... so for my 2 computers & iphone, I have my email everywhere.

It can be fiddly to setup so you'd probably need someone who knows what they're doing, but I have found it to be rock-solid reliable... and one of the best benefits is that you also get gmail's brilliant anti-spam & filter etc.

Same with the Calendar -- I use iCal on my Mac and have it set to sync with all my ther computers -- so again my Calendars are synced between computers and my iphone... its excellent.

I actually recommend that all of my clients routinely use Google Apps for their email rather than their in-house host email. So much more reliable & Flexible IMO.

[@HeatherSmithAU]

Hi Tea,

Thank-you for your detailed response - I did not subscribe to the link so missed your response - sorry.

Did you sign up for the standard or premier edition?

If you have the standard edition - does gmail have adverts on it.

I just tested my own ordinary gmail account and it does not have adverts on the email but I have heard and read that gmail has adverts.

Also - maybe too technical for you to answer - I have the .com and .com.au domain, will I be able to set it up to re-route accidental email sent to .com.au to the .com email address?

[@HeatherSmithAU]

test

[@HeatherSmithAU]

sorry trying to get mail to post updates

[gregpritchard.virtualcio]

Heather,

The advice I would give is similar to Tea.

If you're looking for an email client that is compatible with Google Gmail and Calendar; then Thunderbird (its just like Outlook) is a great option and works on Linux, Mac, and Windows. In addition; the Lightning plug-in for Thunderbird synch's with Google Calendar. Thunderbird and Lightning are both free and come from the Mozilla (think Firefox) stable of open-source applications.

We use a Google Calendar to share bookable time with certain clients. This calendar is synch'd with Lightning; so we're using a desktop application with Google Calendar hosted with Google. Best of both worlds. If we're on the road, we can jump on the google website; or if we have our own laptop; we can use Thunderbird. Either way, its all the same data.

Lastly, we use Nokia E71's and synch Google Calendar with them. So, basically, Google Calendar is the central offsite hub, and it doesn't matter which PC/phone/website we use - its all synch'd up.

Outlook never factors into it, and you're not tied to Windows (we use Mac & Linux).

[@HeatherSmithAU]

Hi Greg,

Thanks for your input, I am now on step 3 of the 6 step process of Signing up to Google Apps, I have been working on it all weekend, between the Easter Bunny, and my 10 year old's 24 hour slumber party

It looks like it is going to work for me, just fine stuning step 3.

[Ken Wood]

Originally Posted by MYOB

I am now on step 3 of the 6 step process of Signing up to Google Apps

Playing devil's advocate for a minute, wouldn't it have been easier to just sign up for hosted Exchange and keep using Outlook, since you're already very familiar with it?

Cheers,
Ken

[DanR]

Another step in world-wide Google domination... now they will know what you and your business are up to!

[vstacy]

I'm going to add my 5c ....

I switched to Google for my business and it rocks. Yes I'm a Mac user and have a Nokia 6233... yup.. I'm all synced as well.

I like Google because I can even mask my google email address with my "old" yahoo.com.au address ... this was great as then I didn't have to tell all my current clients to have to now email me at a different address.... AND i can still get email directed to it.

Thus you can get email that is being sent to you from whatever domain to your google account.

As for re-directing any .com.au email to your .com .... that is something you can do via your website's Cpanel if you have access to it (if not, get whomever controls the creation of your email addresses to do it).

Otherwise, just have all google "check" the .com.au domain for email.. and reply to anyone using the .com !

It's actually really easy to use ...


oh.. and as for the advertisements. they are not on the bottom of any emails (like yahoo does! grr). they are IN the web based application - adsense links. they're pretty un-intrusive and i easily ignore them as i use the web based gmail to access my email.