Comments on: Brief update… and a question http://gravitymedium.com/2008/05/13/brief-update-and-a-question/ Strategies for Public Media 2.0 Sat, 11 Oct 2008 06:50:29 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: John Proffitt http://gravitymedium.com/2008/05/13/brief-update-and-a-question/#comment-320 John Proffitt Sat, 17 May 2008 23:07:06 +0000 http://gravitymedium.com/?p=127#comment-320 @Robert... Indeed! This is a perfect tool for nonprofits that don't want to spend the money to run their own systems and who want lots of newfangled tools -- all for free. There's a free edition of Google Apps that includes advertising in the webmail system. Then there's a paid version for normal corporations that costs $50 per user per year. But for official nonprofits and schools, there's another free version that dumps the advertising and offers all the features. So definitely recommend Google Apps to any nonprofit org that needs e-mail! (The only problem would be with healthcare companies in the U.S. -- the privacy and security requirements of U.S. regulations would put Google Apps off the list of options for e-mail services.) @Robert… Indeed! This is a perfect tool for nonprofits that don’t want to spend the money to run their own systems and who want lots of newfangled tools — all for free.

There’s a free edition of Google Apps that includes advertising in the webmail system. Then there’s a paid version for normal corporations that costs $50 per user per year. But for official nonprofits and schools, there’s another free version that dumps the advertising and offers all the features.

So definitely recommend Google Apps to any nonprofit org that needs e-mail!

(The only problem would be with healthcare companies in the U.S. — the privacy and security requirements of U.S. regulations would put Google Apps off the list of options for e-mail services.)

]]> By: John Proffitt http://gravitymedium.com/2008/05/13/brief-update-and-a-question/#comment-319 John Proffitt Sat, 17 May 2008 23:04:22 +0000 http://gravitymedium.com/?p=127#comment-319 @whardier -- I've had some glitches with the e-mail movement from Outlook to Gmail via IMAP. It seems to error out a lot. Perhaps I'm doing something wrong? I have to restart all kinds of those sessions to keep it running. I also ran into trouble using Google's transfer tools -- via IMAP to my own server it would pull out all the content in the Public Folders as well as the user's own folders. I could probably restrict the connection just to user folders, but haven't figured that out yet. The good news is that as a formal nonprofit company, we get access to the "Education" edition, which is 95% the same as the paid version, with all the tools. The only real difference is the fact that I don't get a 25GB mailbox per person. But that's not a problem -- many users will go from a 0.25 GB mailbox to a 6.7 GB mailbox overnight! I may tap you for more info later! @whardier — I’ve had some glitches with the e-mail movement from Outlook to Gmail via IMAP. It seems to error out a lot. Perhaps I’m doing something wrong? I have to restart all kinds of those sessions to keep it running.

I also ran into trouble using Google’s transfer tools — via IMAP to my own server it would pull out all the content in the Public Folders as well as the user’s own folders. I could probably restrict the connection just to user folders, but haven’t figured that out yet.

The good news is that as a formal nonprofit company, we get access to the “Education” edition, which is 95% the same as the paid version, with all the tools. The only real difference is the fact that I don’t get a 25GB mailbox per person. But that’s not a problem — many users will go from a 0.25 GB mailbox to a 6.7 GB mailbox overnight!

I may tap you for more info later!

]]> By: Rob Paterson http://gravitymedium.com/2008/05/13/brief-update-and-a-question/#comment-305 Rob Paterson Wed, 14 May 2008 14:42:36 +0000 http://gravitymedium.com/?p=127#comment-305 John Surely all hard pressed NGO's and Non Profits should consider this? Rob John
Surely all hard pressed NGO’s and Non Profits should consider this?
Rob

]]> By: whardier http://gravitymedium.com/2008/05/13/brief-update-and-a-question/#comment-300 whardier Wed, 14 May 2008 01:04:05 +0000 http://gravitymedium.com/?p=127#comment-300 I have experience moving outlook users to google apps. Don't bother with the premium editions that offer migration of mail - simply set up all the users - set up gmail imap, then drag-n-drop from outlook. Ta.. da.. If you don't think your employees are hip to watching outlooks progress bar do nothing for an hour then you may want to stick to the pro tools w/ google apps. I just know what I've done, and I recently performed that feat for a neighbor friend. When it comes to your domain be sure to set up DNS correctly and follow everything google wants you to do, including setting the SPF records and the SRV records for the chat/jabber service. After a bit of emailing all of your users will be able to use google talk, or any jabber client, to .. jabber .. with each other. Stay away from pages/sites. You're too good for it. Focus on using distribution lists instead of assigning multiple aliases per user, makes life far more managable. That's it! You can do most of this and more using the gmail for domains free version. I have experience moving outlook users to google apps. Don’t bother with the premium editions that offer migration of mail - simply set up all the users - set up gmail imap, then drag-n-drop from outlook. Ta.. da.. If you don’t think your employees are hip to watching outlooks progress bar do nothing for an hour then you may want to stick to the pro tools w/ google apps. I just know what I’ve done, and I recently performed that feat for a neighbor friend.

When it comes to your domain be sure to set up DNS correctly and follow everything google wants you to do, including setting the SPF records and the SRV records for the chat/jabber service. After a bit of emailing all of your users will be able to use google talk, or any jabber client, to .. jabber .. with each other.

Stay away from pages/sites. You’re too good for it.

Focus on using distribution lists instead of assigning multiple aliases per user, makes life far more managable.

That’s it! You can do most of this and more using the gmail for domains free version.

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