3: Gmail

Let's verify your email account works and go over some features.

Here's a brief summary of this section

Make sure you can log in to your school email. Notice how entering your @gilmour.org address takes you over to a Microsoft page to sign in. We told you why that happens back on the first step.

https://gmail.comgmail.com

Log in with your @gilmour.org account

If you're already logged into Gmail with a personal account, you may have to look for this button

Theme

Not only is a theme helpful in keeping your spirits up, but it also allows you to quickly distinguish your inbox from your friend's or, if you have one, from your personal Gmail account.

Hangouts is now Google Chat

Google has a built-in chat service to Gmail. It grew into its own app called Hangouts but then folded back into Gmail under the name "Google Chat."

https://mail.google.com/chatmail.google.com

Talk to everyone at the school in a safe, convenient way

Options

Gmail has loads of helpful options to explore. We'll just take a look at three important ones for now.

Categories

Don't let your inbox get overwhelmed. Google can help auto-sort

Delayed Send

It'll happen sooner or later: You'll hit sent by mistake. This feature holds your email for 30 seconds to give you a moment to undo the send and finish writing your email.

Signature

It's in your settings just below the option shown above. Take a moment to set it up. Keep it simple.

Professionalism

1. All emails should include a salutation and a signature. Just a simple "Hello," at the start and a "Thanks," at the end is always a solid play.

2. Avoid sending emails at odd hours. Right by the send button is a feature where you can schedule an email to be sent later. Don't risk dinging someone's phone if it's not needed. Be a hero.

3. Do not use tabs to indent lines. That was a technique made to avoid adding lines and it doesn't make much sense in an electronic medium where a blank line doesn't mean more paper.

4. Add a blank line between paragraphs. Big blocks of text freak people out and should be avoided.

Don't know how to look and sound professional when writing an email? Check out this guide.

After the second reply, you don't need to keep using salutations and signatures. Keep it to short messages. The longer the conversation goes on, the more direct you can be.

You now have easy access to your school email and know how to chat with your teachers and peers. You know how to sort your inbox and write an email professionally. Next, we'll go to our class pages.