1. EDW647 Internet For Educators Setting Up a Gmail Account Roger W. Webster, Ph.D. Department of Computer Science Millersville University (717) 872-3539 office Email: Roger.Webster@millersville.edu Home Page: http://cs.millersville.edu/~webster/ EDW647 Info: http://cs.millersville.edu/~webster/edw647/

2. Setting Up a Gmail Account If you don’t already have an email account, or if you would like to consolidate your accounts so you only have to check one, Gmail is the perfect mail client. Here is how to set up a free account that you can access from any computer.

3. Creating and Accessing Free Google e-mail Open your web browser by clicking on the icon on your desktop (Internet Explorer, FireFox, Netscape, etc.) In your browser’s web address bar, type in the URL www.gmail.com and hit the [Enter] key. www.gmail.com Google’s e-mail website should appear on your screen as shown in the next picture.

4. URL Address: www.gmail.com Click Link to [Sign up for Gmail]

5. Creating a Gmail (Google e-mail) Account In the bottom right hand portion of the website, there is a link titled [Sign Up For Gmail]. Click on it. A screen will appear, guiding you with the process of creating your account. Make sure to fill out the required information.

6. Creating a Gmail (Google e-mail) Account

7. After typing your first and last names in the appropriate text boxes, Google Mail will ask you to type in your [Desired Login Name]. This login name will be your email address: DesiredLoginName@gmail.com DesiredLoginName@gmail.com The name you want may not be available, so click the [Check Availability] button to make sure another user isn’t already using that name. If your login name is unavailable you will need to use one of Gmail’s suggested names or think of a different one yourself.

8. Creating a Gmail (Google e-mail) Account When creating a password, notice the bar next to the text box. As you type your new password, the bar will change color and level to indicate the strength of your password. The stronger your password, the more difficult it is for other people to guess it.

9. Check Login Name Availability. Make a strong password.

10. Create My Account. After you have filled out all text boxes and reviewed the terms of acceptance, click [I accept. Create my account.] The next page may take a few moments to load while Google sets up your email. The next page is your Introduction to Gmail. After reading the blurbs telling you about some of the features, you are ready to access your new account. Click [I’m ready – show me my account.]

11. Introduction to Gmail. Feature blurbs. Show me my account.

12. Your Inbox. Compose Mail. Contacts.

13. You never have to abandon an email address with Gmail. Got a personal email address? Got an email address with a University or two? Got an email address that comes with your internet service provider (ISP)? With Gmail, you can have all the emails forwarded to your Gmail account. Thus you never have to check more than just your gmail account. And you can send emails from your gmail account that appear to be from your University (or work) email address.

14. Create a New Contact In the left hand column of your gmail account, you will notice the tab [Contacts]. This is your address book. Click the word [Contacts].

15. Click the Contacts tab.

16. The page that appears is your address book. In the top left portion of the address book section, there is a button with a picture of a plus (+) sign and a person. Click on the button to create a new contact. Tip: If you hold the cursor over top of the button, a small window will appear, telling you the function of the button.

17. Click the new contact button.

18. Fill out as much contact information as you feel is necessary. For most contacts, just a name and email address will suffice. But you can also keep a contact’s telephone number and home address in your Gmail Contacts. When you have the info filled out MAKE SURE TO CLICK [SAVE].

19. Fill out contact info. Click [Save].

20. After you click save, you may notice that you have the option to add a picture of your contact. You can click [add photo] if you wish to do so. Whenever you need to [edit] your contact’s information or add more info, return to your [Contacts] section of your Gmail account. And feel free to poke around Gmail’s options. It is possible to create spreadsheets within your Gmail account as well as Word Documents. These documents can be accessed any time you access your email. (A feature like this can save space on a USB drive.)

21. Chatting in Gmail In order to show you how to use the Chat function of your Gmail account, create a new contact for a person in the class currently. Use their new Gmail address in their contact info. After clicking save, notice the option to [Show in Chat List:] followed by a drop down menu with the options of Auto, Always, Never, Block. For now, choose Always from the menu.

23. After you choose Always, notice in the left hand column, a green circle beside your name. This is your ‘Quick Contacts’ as well as your ‘Chat Window’. You may have to ‘exit’ out of a small window under your name in order to see your new contact. Otherwise, you will notice that your classmate’s name is listed there.

25. Hold the cursor over their name to view Chat or Email options.

26. Instant chatting in Gmail. The Green circle beside your name and beside your classmate’s name signifies that they are currently available and online. If the circle beside their name is green, try clicking on their name. A Chat screen will appear in your gmail. Go ahead and type a message to them.

28. Compose a message on Gmail Locate the [Compose Mail] link in the left hand column of your gmail inbox and click on it. The page to write and send emails will appear on your screen.

30. To: Place the cursor in the text box titled [To:] Then begin typing one of your contact’s names. For example, in my Contacts, I added Leah, so now I will type the letter ‘L’. As soon as I type the letter ‘L’ everyone who I have already in my contacts whose name starts with L will appear in a drop down menu. Click the person’s name in the menu to whom you intend to send the message.

31. Type in your contact’s first name and choose from the address menu.

32. Subject and Message Place your cursor the the respective text boxes to begin typing a subject for your email and then the body of the message.

34. Save Draft, Discard, or Send After you have completed the message and wish to send it, click the tab [Send]. If you wish to finish writing the message later and/or send the email later, click the tab [Save Draft]. You can access the message later by finding the [Drafts] tab on the left. If you wish to discard the message altogether, click [Discard].

36. How to import other emails to your gmail. So you have a gmail account, and you don’t want to use more than one email client. Here is how to forward mail from your other email addresses to your gmail account. From your gmail inbox you can access your settings. In the top right hand portion of the page, there is a link titled [Settings]. Click on it to access your email settings.

37. Access your account Settings.

38. Setting up email forwarding. Once you have reached your settings page, you will see tabs across the settings portion of the page. ie, General, Accounts, Labels, Filters, etc. Click on [Accounts]. The accounts menu will appear, listing options for changing how your gmail works. Find the option [Get Mail From Other Accounts]. There is a link titled [Learn More]. This link will have all the information you need to continue using your gmail account to access your other accounts.

39. Get mail from other accounts.

40. Once you are in Gmail’s [Learn More] section, click on the [Set Up] tab to view and follow their directions.

42. Signing Out. Now you have a gmail account. When you are finished checking your email, make sure to sign out by clicking the [Sign Out] button in the top right hand portion of the screen. The next time you need to check your email, all you have to do is log on to the internet and type in the URL: www.gmail.com

43. Make sure to sign out when you’re done.