@u.northwestern.edu Group Account Quick Reference Guide

• How do I activate an @u.northwestern.edu group account?
• What are my responsibilities as the primary group account owner?
• Should I continue to use a Northwestern University listserv to communicate with my group?
• How do I create a contact group within my account?
• How do I edit my contact group?
• Can I share documents and spreadsheets with others who do not have @u.northwestern.edu accounts?
• Are there sharing restrictions on the number of viewers and collaborators with documents, spreadsheets, and presentations?
• What are the advantages of managing calendars from a group account?
• Can I import calendars that were created outside of my @u.northwestern.edu group account?
• How do I create a new calendar for my group?
• How do I modify details for my group calendar?
• How do I add an event to a calendar?
• What are my calendar sharing options?
• How do I share a calendar?
• How do I publicize the availability of a calendar that can be accessed by all @u.northwestern.edu accounts?
• How do I publicize the availability of a calendar whose access is limited to specific @u.northwestern.edu accounts?
• Can I manage access to conference rooms and other calendar resources?
• Do any of these services plan to replace Plan-It Purple or NU Link?
• Where can I find additional information?

How do I activate an @u.northwestern.edu group account?

Complete and submit the Group Account Activation Request Form. You will be notified within three business days of the approval status for your request. Student group requests will be forwarded to the Center for Student Involvement as part of the approval process. If your request for a group account is approved, the primary account owner will be sent instructions for logging in to the new account.

NOTE: Student groups will need to identify a faculty or staff sponsor before submitting this form.

AFTER ACTIVATION: You will need to customize your account settings to facilitate your collaboration with other @u.northwestern.edu accounts.

On the "General" tab, you can set up an automatic responder message by using the Vacation Responder feature. This can be your auto-reply response when your group account receives an e-mail message.

On the "Forwarding and POP" tab, you can also customize your account to automatically forward any e-mail sent to the group account to a list of recipients, including accounts outside of the @u.northwestern.edu domain.

If your group has a logo, you may upload it using the "General" tab.

What are my responsibilities as the primary group account owner?

Primary account owners are responsible for oversight of the group account. You control who can access the account through the distribution of the account password. If you need to change the password, visit the account settings. If you forget your account password, contact the NUIT Support Center.

When transitioning primary account owners, it is imperative that you contact the NUIT Support Center to have the password officially changed and given to the new primary account owner.

NOTE: It is also your responsibility as the primary account owner to communicate any changes to ownership of a group account with the NUIT Support Center. Please be sure to include the NetID of the individual(s) who will be assigned the new ownership responsibilities for the group account.

Should I continue to use a Northwestern University listserv to communicate with my group?

You can manage communications with any group from the @u.northwestern.edu group account by using either a Northwestern University listserv or with a pre-defined set of e-mail addresses that is managed as a contact group from your group account.

How do I create a contact group within my account?

To create a contact group, the first step is to import an address book from another e-mail application. After importing your address book/contact list, follow these steps to set up the contact group.

How do I edit my contact group?

Follow these steps to edit your contact group.

Can I share documents and spreadsheets with others who do not have @u.northwestern.edu accounts?

You can share documents and spreadsheets with others outside of @u.northwestern.edu as long as they have Google accounts.

Are there sharing restrictions on the number of viewers and collaborators with documents, spreadsheets, and presentations?

Documents and presentations are limited to 200 viewers and collaborators. No more than 10 people can edit a document at any given time. There is currently no limit to the number of accounts that can share a spreadsheet. However, no more than 50 people can edit a spreadsheet at any given time.

What are the advantages of managing calendars from a group account?

A group account can manage multiple calendars for a department, school, or student group and can provide a central point of administration. The group account can share calendars with the full @u.northwestern.edu domain or limit access to a pre-defined set of student accounts. Calendars can also be made public and available to anyone who has a Gmail account. The group account should be used for calendar event management as well as for calendar sharing across the @u.northwestern.edu domain.

Can I import calendars that were created outside of my @u.northwestern.edu group account?

Group accounts can be used to import calendars that have been created in other @u.northwestern.edu accounts. Existing calendars can also be imported from other calendaring applications that can export data in the iCal or .CSV formats (e.g. Microsoft Outlook). Once a calendar has been imported, you can set the options for sharing with other @u.northwestern.edu accounts.

When creating or importing calendars, be sure to assign descriptive names so that other accounts can easily understand the purpose of your calendars. You should consider the use of a naming standard such as prefixing the calendar names with the formal name of your group account.

How do I create a new calendar for my group?

1. Log in to the Group account with the username and password.
2. Select the Calendar link at the top of the page. The Calendar page for the group account will display. The primary calendar for the account uses the first name/last name combination that is assigned to the group account as the primary Calendar name (e.g. Student Affairs Information Department).
3. To create an additional (secondary) calendar within the group account, click on the triangle (drop-down button) to the right of the Add button at the top of the list of calendars. A set of options is displayed for creating additional calendars. You can choose to create a new calendar, add a public calendar, add a calendar from a different @u.northwestern.edu account ("Add a friend's calendar" or "Add by URL" options), or import a calendar from a compatible application.
4. When creating a new Calendar, enter the Calendar Name and Description fields on the "Create New Calendar" tab. Accept the default sharing settings which can be changed at any time.
5. Click the "Create Calendar" button and the new calendar will then appear under the "My Calendars" list.

How do I modify details for my group calendar?

1. Log in to the group account with the username and password.
2. Select the Calendar link at the top of the page. The Calendar page for the Group account will display. The default Calendar for the account is always shown at the top of the "My Calendars" list.
3. If the calendar name or other details need to be changed, click on the triangle (drop-down button) to the right of the Calendar in the "My Calendars" box, then select Calendar settings. Change the Calendar Name or other details on the Calendar Details tab.
4. Click the Save button to update the changes.

How do I add an event to a calendar?

1. Log in to the group account with the username and password.
2. Select the Calendar link at the top of the page. The Calendar page for the group account will display. The default Calendar for the account is always shown at the top of the "My Calendars" list.
3. To add a new event, click on any unused date and time cell to schedule the event. When the popup window appears, click on the "edit event details" link. The following event fields can be set:
   
   • Event name (What)
   • Start and end times and event recurrence (When)
   • Event Location (Where); this can be freeform text or selected from the resource availability list by clicking "check guest and resource availability" link
   • Additional resources, such as projectors; resources can be selected from the resource availability list by clicking the "check guest and resource availability" link
   • Event Description
   • Guests (can be invited to the event if applicable)
   • Reminder (pop-up or e-mail)
   • E-mail reminder can be sent to the group account and forwarded to another account
     
4. From the Calendar drop-down list, select the Calendar to which the event should be applied.
5. Click the Save button

What are my calendar sharing options?

After a calendar has been created or imported, the sharing options for the calendar will need to be adjusted within the group account to assign the required visibility level. Calendars that are managed by your group account can be shared using one of the following access options:

• Access granted to all accounts in the @u.northwestern.edu domain
• Access granted to specific accounts within the @u.northwestern.edu domain
• Public access to all Gmail accounts including those outside of the @u.northwestern.edu domain

How do I share a calendar?

1. Log in to the Group account with the username and password.
2. Select the Calendar link at the top of the page. The Calendar page for the Group account will display. The default Calendar for the account is always shown at the top of the "My Calendars" list.
3. Click on the triangle (drop-down button) to the right of the desired Calendar in the "My Calendars" list, then select "Share this calendar" from the set of options.
4. Set the sharing options to provide the desired level of calendar accessibility.

To share with all accounts in the @u.northwestern.edu domain:
In the "Share with everyone" section, select the "Do not share with everyone" option.
In the "Share with my domain" section, select the "Share all information on this calendar with everyone in my domain" option.

To share with only specific accounts in the @u.northwestern.edu domain:
In the "Share with everyone" section, select the "Do not share with everyone" option.
In the "Share with my domain" section, select the "Do not share with everyone in my domain" option.
In the "Share with specific people" section, add a domain account in the "Add a New Person" box, assign a Permission level to the account and click the "Add Person" button. Other @u.northwestern.edu accounts can be given permission to update events in the Calendar and to manage Calendar Sharing. Additional domain accounts can be added to or deleted from the sharing list as needed.

To share with all Gmail accounts within or outside of the @u.northwestern.edu domain:
For the Primary Calendar:
In the "Share with everyone" section, select the "Share only my free / busy information (hide details)" option.
In the "Share with my domain" section, select the "Share all information on this calendar with everyone in my domain" option.

NOTE: Using this option, the Calendar will not appear in the search results of any Google Calendar search. Additionally, only the free/busy information will be visible to those who access your calendar at its address, or by adding it to their Calendars list.

For a Secondary Calendar:
In the "Share with everyone" section, select the "Share all information on this calendar with everyone" option.
In the "Share with my domain" section, select the "Share all information on this calendar with everyone in my domain" option.

5. Click the Save button at the bottom of the "Share this calendar" tab.

How do I publicize the availability of a calendar that can be accessed by all @u.northwestern.edu accounts?

After the group account has shared a calendar with all users in the @u.northwestern.edu domain, the calendar can be "published". Publishing the calendar to the full domain involves adding a link on the @u.northwestern.edu Calendar Support Page. Once the link has been added to this page, any user who clicks on the calendar name will be automatically subscribed to the calendar. Follow these steps to find a calendar address:

1. Log in to the Group account with the username and password.
2. Select the Calendar link at the top of the page. The Calendar page for the Group account will display. The default Calendar for the account is always shown at the top of the "My Calendars" list.
3. Click on the triangle to the right of the desired Calendar in the "My Calendars" list and select "Calendar settings" from the set of options.
4. On the Calendar Details tab, click the HTML button in the Calendar Address section. This will display the Calendar Address (URL) that is needed to publish the calendar. Copy the URL for use in the following step.

After retrieving the calendar address, the group owner must complete and submit the @u.northwestern.edu Calendar Publication Request Form. Approval notification will arrive within three business days.

How do I publicize the availability of a calendar whose access is limited to specific @u.northwestern.edu accounts?

1. Log in to the Group account with the username and password.
2. Select the Calendar link at the top of the page. The Calendar page for the Group account will display. The default Calendar for the account is always shown at the top of the "My Calendars" list.
3. Click on the triangle to the right of the desired calendar in the "My Calendars" list, then select Calendar settings from the set of options.
4. On the Calendar Details tab, click the ICAL button in the Calendar Address section. This will display the Calendar Address (URL) that is needed for other accounts to be able to add your calendar. Copy the URL for use in the following step.
5. Send an e-mail message with the URL and instructions to the @u.northwestern.edu accounts that have been given shared access to the calendar.

To add the calendar, users will need to follow these steps:

1. Click on the triangle (drop-down button) to the right of the "Add" button at the top of the list of calendars
2. Select the "Add a friend's calendar" option
3. Click on the "Add by URL" tab
4. Paste the URL (ICAL address) that was sent in the e-mail into the text box
5. Click the "Add" button, and the calendar will immediately appear in the user's calendar list

Can I manage access to conference rooms and other calendar resources?

Group accounts can be used to manage the sharing of conference rooms, projectors, and other meeting resources that are offered for scheduling from a @u.northwestern.edu calendar. Resource access can be restricted to a limited set of accounts or made available to all of the @u.northwestern.edu accounts.

To create a calendar resource, contact student-admin@u.northwestern.edu. After a calendar resource has been created, responsibility for managing the sharing of the resource will be assigned to your specific group account.

NOTE: The calendar resource should be unique to @u.northwestern.edu and not offered for scheduling within the MeetingMaker calendar. Otherwise, you will need to manually coordinate resource scheduling in multiple calendars.

Do any of these services plan to replace Plan-It Purple or NU Link?

@u.northwestern.edu collaboration services do not replace Plan-It Purple and NU Link; rather, these services are merely another way for the Northwestern community to facilitate a more robust collaboration experience.

Where can I find additional information?

• For additional information on e-mail, visit the Email Help Center.
• For additional information on calendars, visit the Calendar Help Center.
• For additional information on documents and spreadsheets, visit the Docs & Spreadsheets Help Center.