Outlook Calendar Tips & Tricks Outlook Calendar Quick Reference The following provides information on using various features and functionality in Outlook calendar. Outlook Resources Outlook Web Access (OWA) is a webmail service, that is used to access e-mail, calendars, contacts, tasks, and other mailbox content when access to the Microsoft Outlook desktop application is unavailable. OWA provides connectivity to the Web. To access OWA, type exchange.ewu.edu in your browser address window. For various Outlook training videos, visit LyndaCampus at: http://access.ewu.edu/oit/services/ittraining/documentation-and-resources/lyndacampus-information.xml For documentation and online training, visit the OIT Microsoft Outlook page at: http://access.ewu.edu/oit/services/it-training/documentation-and-resources/outlook.xml Google Outlook Calendar Appointments, Meetings and Events Appointments: An appointment is a scheduled block of time that only involves you. The hours are blocked out on your schedule, but it does not include other attendees or resources. Your calendar will show the appointment framed between the start and end times. Events: Once an appointment goes over 24 hours in length, it becomes an event. The event entry does not block out the hours on your calendar and your time continues to show as free. The calendar marks the event by placing a banner at the top of the date on which it occurs. Meetings: A meeting is an activity that involves you and others during the same blocked time period. Outlook allows you to set meetings that affect the calendars of other people. A meeting may also schedule resources, such as meeting rooms. 1
Feature: Scheduling Assistant Benefit: Choose a time when everyone can meet by looking at the invitees free/busy information in Calendar. Use the Scheduling Assistant to view all meeting attendees availability. How to use: Create a new meeting. Click the Scheduling Assistant icon:. Enter the desired names (last name, first name) or use the Address Book Feature: Share your calendar Benefits: Allows people you choose to view your calendar. How to use: Click the Share Calendar icon:. In the To field enter the name of the desired person or use the Address Book look-up. The person selected recieves an email invitation to share your calendar. lookup: The free/busy grid shows the availability of attendees. A green vertical line represents the start of the meeting. A red vertical line represents the end of the meeting. Feature: Insert files Benefit: Use to insert documents that need to be sent to meeting participants ahead of time. How to use: Create the meeting or event. Select the Feature: Tracking Benefit: Find out quickly who has responded to your meeting invitation. How to use: Click on the desired meeting. Click the Insert tab. Select Attach File (search for the desired file) to include the document in Tracking icon: with their response: A list of invitees displays along the meeting body. Feature: Show as Benefits: Note and color coat existing meetings/appointments. How to use: Right-click the meeting/event and select Show As.. To color coat, click on the desired meeting, click the Category down arrow and Feature: Private, High Priority and Color Coated messages Benefit: Before you send a message, you can mark it as private, personal, or confidential, or tag it with a high or low importance indicator. Note: Each sensitivity setting is only an advisory. Recipients can take any action on the message that they want to. How to use: Create a message. Select the desired tag. Click the Category down arrow to color the meeting/event. select the desired color. 2
Feature: Using Events as a tickler. Benefit: Events do not show up as blocked time on your calendar, use to set-up reminders, tasks, and deadlines. How to use: Click the New Items icon and select All Feature: Turn off default appointment reminders Benefit: Pop-up meeting reminders will not display. How to use: Click the File tab and select Options: Day Event: Enter the desired event information. To indicate to people who are viewing your calendar that you are out of office instead of free, use the Show As list to indicate your availability: Select Calendar: the Calendar Options section, deselect the Default Reminders check box: In Creating a Distribution List (or Calendar Group) If you have a set of calendars that you frequently view together, such as your work colleagues or your family, using calendar groups makes it easy for you to see the combined schedules at a glance. Calendar groups can also include resources. A resource is a room, computer, or any equipment needed at a meeting. You can look up a resource's availability, compare its schedule to yours, and block out time in its Calendar. You invite resources to your meetings the same way that you invite people. 1. In the navigation pane, click on Contacts. 3
2. On the Home tab, select New Group Contact. A new window will open. Outlook Calendar Quick Reference 3. Enter a name for your distribution list and then click on Members. You can select From Address Book to open the global addess list. Note: Alternatively, you can also click on Add New to add existing contacts from your personal Contacts folder. 4. Enter a name in the Search field and highlight the name to select it. Click on the Members button to add the name to the distribution list. 4
5. Repeat step 4 to add additional members. Click OK when you are finished. Note: You can also use the short-cut keys SHIFT + Click or CTRL + Click to select multiple names simultaneously. 6. The members have been added to your Distribution List. Click Save & Close. Send an email using a distribution list 1. Compose a new email by clicking on the New E-Mail icon. 2. Click on the To... button to access the Global Address Book. 3. Click on the Address Book drop-down menu and select your Contacts folder. Select your distribution list and then click on To ->. 4. When you are finished, click OK. Your distribution list will now appear in the message's To... field. Compose your email and click Send. 5