GSUMAIL is an easy way to access your Grambling State University email account from anywhere in the world through the internet. GSUMAIL requires a web browser that supports frames and JavaScript, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 or Netscape Navigator 3.0 (Internet Explorer 5.01 or higher is recommended, Click here for the latest version of Internet Explorer). GSUMAIL uses Outlook Web Access (OWA) 2003 to allow you to gain access to your messages, calendars, contacts, tasks and public folders from any computer with internet access. It has many added features which allow for improved performance, better security and a fresh new look.
Please note: Windows XP Service Pack 2 introduces new behavior in Microsoft Internet Explorer that may affect users of Outlook Web Access (particularly attachments). For assistance with any issues please read the following article (located on the Microsoft web site): http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=883575
Topics:- Accessing your mailbox
- Getting Started - The Mailbox Page Overview
- Viewing Messages/Filtering
- How to create a new message
- Using the To button to find other users
- Spell Check
- Fonts & Colors
- Attachments
- Deleting a message
- How to create a contact
- How to create a personal distribution list
- How to Change your Password
- Options
- Managing your Calendar
- Logoff
- Tips & Notes
Accessing your mailbox
Click on the GSUMail Icon in the GSU Homepage, or type http://gsumail.gram.edu in the address bar of your browser (or click the link). *Note: A Security Alert window may appear on your screen informing you that this is a secure connection. By checking off “In the future, do no show this warning” in the security Alert window you will avoid having to go through this alert message again. Click OK to proceed to the login page.
Login Screen
Type your username and password in the areas provided and click the Log On button to access your email account. *Note: the Security options change the time interval that the system will automatically log you out (requiring you to login again). Please leave the setting to public or shared computer (default).
Getting Started - The Mailbox Page Overview
When you first open OWA 2003 you will find that the screen is divided into 4 main areas: folders, shortcuts, inbox and preview pane. Please see the example and descriptions below for an overview of the page (click the image for a larger view).
- Area where a Preview of the currently selected email will be displayed. *Note: May be hidden (#10).
- Area that displays the contents of your Inbox or whatever Folder is currently selected from the Folder List (#3).
- Displays the Entire Contents (folders) of your Mailbox including Calendar, Contacts, Personal Folders, notes, tasks, etc.
- Quick Shortcuts to popular Mailbox operations such as Calendar, Tasks, also access to Mailbox Rules and Options.
- Logoff Button - Logs you out of your mailbox and returns you to the GSUMail login page.
- Scroll Next/Back Buttons - Opens in the Preview Pane (#1) the Previous/Next message in the currently selected folder (#2).
- New Button - Opens a new window to create a new email message. *Note: Click the down arrow next to the New button to see a list of new items to create (ex. new appointment).
- Move/Delete Buttons - Use these to move or delete the currently selected message from the Inbox/Mailbox Pane (#2).
- Reply/Forward Buttons - These buttons allow you to "Reply to" or "Forward" the currently selected message from the Inbox/Mailbox Pane (#2) in a new message window.
- Show/Hide Preview Button - Allows you to select How/If the Preview Pane (#2) is to be displayed (options: Right, Bottom, Off)
- Check/Search/Address Book Buttons - Checks Email (two envelopes), Searches through messages (magnifying glass), or displays Address Books in new window.
- Help Button - Opens a window with step-by-step instruction on how to use your mailbox and accomplishing common tasks
Viewing Messages/Filtering
The Inbox(Messages) drop down menu above the toolbar(shown
in picture above) is used to change or filter what messages appear in the
inbox. For example, you can use it to show only unread messages. These filters
do not delete mail. They will just temporarily hide them. These options
are also was available on the View menu in the Outlook client. The default
setting for this is Messages, and this setting will show
all the e-mails in the current folder. This setting will be saved if you
log out and log back in.
How to create a new message
To create a new message, click the New button or the downward
arrow located next to the word New. A drop-down list with
various options will appear. Select Message.
An untitled message dialog box will appear on your screen. Compose your
message and click the Send button located at the upper
left-hand corner of the window.
Using the To button to find other users
If you don't want to go through the trouble of entering long, complicated
email addresses, or if you know someone else is a user within Grambling
State University, but you are unsure as to what their email address is,
the Exchange server will help you find it. Start by creating a new email
message. Click the To button.
The Find names dialogue box will appear.
In the “Find names in:” box, click the drop-down to select either Global address book or Contacts.
Global address book: think of this as the University yellow pages. Every person or group with a Grambling State University email account can be found in the Global address book. *Note: Your account must have privileges to access the Address Book(s).
Contacts: think of this as your personal little phone book. Only addresses you personally enter into your contacts will appear here. These contacts are your personal list and not available to anyone else in the University.
Now you can use any combination of the other fields to find who you are looking for. For example, you wish to email someone but are unsure of how to spell his or her name. In the First name field, type the beginning of a name, e.g. "Iv" and leave the rest blank. Now click the Find button. A list of names that meet the search criteria will appear.
If a list of names appears on your list, simply click the appropriate one to select it. Under the Add recipient to...section, select either To, Cc or Bcc to put the recipients name in the correct box. You can follow these steps again to add additional people. Once you have found all the recipients you would like, select close and you will return to your new message with all the recipients in place.
Spell Check
Spell Check is new in this version of Outlook Web Access. The icon is identical to the Outlook client. The first time you use the feature, you must specify the Language as English(United States). You may also specify whether or not to Always check spelling before sending. Left Click Check Document to perform the check. From then on, the spell check will not ask for a language when you Left Click the icon.
Fonts & Colors
By Left Clicking the large A next to the font setting you will open a Font window that allows you choose from all the fonts installed on the computer. The drop down list(shown above) to the right of the Large A has 5 standard fonts(also shown above). Next to those is another A with a red line underneath. Left Clicking it will reveal a palette for choosing a font color (shown above).
Attachments
With OWA 2003 you can attach a document, picture or other file to the message you are sending. To add an attachment to a new message, simply select the Attachments button. *Note: You can also select the paperclip located at the top of the window. Either one will take you to the Attachments web dialog box.
Once the dialog box is open, select Browse to find the file you would like to attach. Once you have found the correct file, select Attach. Repeat this process if you would like to attach more files to the same email message. When you are done, select Close. The file/s you selected will now be attached to your message ready to be sent.
Please note: Windows XP Service Pack 2 introduces new behavior in Microsoft Internet Explorer that may affect users of Outlook Web Access (particularly attachments). For assistance with any issues please read the following article (located on the Microsoft web site): http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=883575
Deleting a message
To delete any message that appears on your list, simply select it by clicking it once, then hit the Delete key on your keyboard. Hitting the X symbol at the top of your page will do the same thing.
*Note: When you delete a message it is actually moved to your deleted items folder. This still takes up space so it is good practice to periodically go to your deleted items folder and delete the messages from there. This will permanently delete the messages and free up the space.
How to create a contact
The Contacts section is your personal email address book. Select the Contacts
icon either in your folder list or your shortcuts to access it.
Your Contacts window will appear with a list of your personal
contacts. To create a new contact, click the downward arrow located next
to the word New. A drop-down list with various options
will appear. Select Contact.
The New contact dialog box will open on your screen. Enter whatever information you require for this contact into the necessary fields. When you are finished, select the Save and close button. Next time you select your Contacts shortcut or folder, you will see your new contact listed.
How to create a personal distribution list
A personal distribution list (also known as a Group) is one email address given to a group of individuals. This comes in very handy when you have a group of individuals you email the same message to on a frequent basis (ie a special team or class group). This will help you to avoid entering each individual's email separately.
To create a new personal distribution list, select the downward arrow located
next to the word New. A drop-down list with various options
will appear. Select Distribution List.
An untitled distribution list will appear on your screen. Add email addresses
either by manually typing them into the Add to distribution
list field or using the Find names button to locate them
in the global address book or your personal contact list.
Make sure to type in the name of the group under List name.
You can name the group whatever you like. Select Save and close.
The personal distribution list will now be a part of your personal contacts
list.
How to Change your Password
Click on the Options Button in the Shortcut Bar to display the Options control panel. Scroll down to the Password section (marked by the image of Keys to the left) and click the "Change Password" button.
Type "Banner1"
for the Domain in the Change Password dialog box. Type your GSUMail username
in the Account Field. Type your Old password for for GSUMail account in
the appropriate field and your new password (twice) in the appropriate fields
and click "OK"
You will receive a "Password successfully changed" message in the Change Password dialog box after the password has been successfully changed. Please be sure to remember your new password, you will need it to access GSUMail the the next lime you login. Close the Change Password dialog box by clicking the red X in the top right corner of the dialog box.
Options
Through the Options section, you have the ability to personalize
your OWA 2003 client. Be sure to Save and close when you
are finished, otherwise your changes will not take effect. To access your
options, simply select the Options icon under your shortcuts.
Adding a signature: There are many areas you can personalize in the Options section. Under Messaging options, select the Edit signature... button and enter a signature to go with every email sent out. This way you don't have to type your name and title every time you send a message.
Spell check: Another nice feature is the spelling options. You can check off Always check spelling before sending to avoid embarrassing spelling mistakes.
Junk Email: This server based SPAM filter will significantly
reduce the amount of SPAM you receive in your inbox.
*Important notes regarding SPAM filter.
Check your Junk Email folder regularly. The SPAM filter will move messages suspected to be SPAM in a folder in your mailbox called Junk Email. A false positive is a legitimate message that the SPAM filter suspected as SPAM. To avoid missing legitimate messages, check your Junk Email folder regularly.
Add false positives (or legitimate messages) to White List. You can prevent messages from a particular email address from being filtered as SPAM by simply sending an email to that address using your Grambling State University email account.
Don't reply to SPAM. Replying to SPAM messages will add the sender of the SPAM to the filter's White List. This will reduce the effectiveness of the SPAM filter and result in more SPAM reaching your Inbox. Never reply to a SPAM message.
Managing your Calendar
Selecting the Calendar icon on the left of your browser window brings up your calendar. You can check out the functions available by covering the icons at the top of the screen. Basically you have three views of your calendar: daily, weekly, and monthly. Each appointment is displayed as a link. Clicking on the link will open a window displaying the details of the appointment or event. Also a calendar for the month will appear on the right. *Note: The Calendar itself is identical to the Outlook client. The only difference is how reminders appear in the web client.
Calendar (Month View)
Calendar (Reminder)
When you enter the Outlook Web client, any Reminders you assigned for Appointments will appear in a popup window. Here you can choose to Dismiss All which will close all the reminders or you can choose Open Item to open the highlighted appointment and actually examine it. Choosing Dismiss will dismiss the highlighted. Choosing Snooze allows you to choose a length of time for the reminder to go away before reappearing. If you select Close, the reminders will remain at the bottom left of the screen for this session but will reappear as a popup the next time you login.
Logoff
Please be sure to select this icon when you leave Outlook Web Access to be certain that your account is closed. This will help prevent unauthorized persons from gaining access to your e-mail messages. *Note: Outlook Web Access monitors your activity and will automatically log you out after a pre-set period of inactivity. You will automatically be taken to the login page after you have been logged out. Simply login again to return to your mailbox.
Tips & Notes
To create a shortcut to you inbox on your desktop:
- Login to your account
- Click "File" on the menu at the top of the page.
- Scroll down to "Send"
- Click "Shortcut to Desktop" on the menu that
appears to create a shortcut on your desktop
*Note: You will still be required to enter your user name and password to log in.
To create a custom signature to each message you send (also see Options):
- In the Shortcut Bar (#4), click on Options.
- In the Messaging Options section, click Edit Signature.
- In the Signature window, type and format the signature you want to use. Note that you can select different fonts, sizes, and formatting.
- Click Save and Close.
To automatically append your signature to each message you send:
- Within Options, in the Messaging Options section, select the Automatically include my signature on outgoing messages check box.
- Click Save and Close.
Content Blocking:
GSUMAIL offers blocking of external content in HTML messages by default.
To check or reset this configuration:
- In the Shortcut Bar (#4), click on Options.
- In the Privacy and Junk E-mail Prevention section, select "Block external content in HTML e-mail messages".
- Click Save and Close.
Setting a Junk Email Filter (also see Options):
OWA 2003 permits some basic junk email filtering, sending any messages
from "Blocked Senders" into your "Junk E-mail" folder.
To use:
- In the Shortcut Bar (#4), click on Options.
- In the Privacy and Junk E-mail Prevention section, select Filter Junk E-mail.
- Click on "Manage Junk E-mail Lists".
- In the Manage Junk E-mail Lists dialog box, select Blocked Senders, i.e., those addresses you don't want to receive messages from, then enter the email addresses.
- Click on Add...
- Type an email address or domain into the text box.
- Click OK to close the Manage Junk E-mail Lists dialog box.
- Click Save and Close.
*Note: You may also Edit existing entries or Remove them entirely.
For Questions or Problems regarding GSUMAIL, contact the Web Administrator at webmaster@gram.edu
