New JHU Outlook Email Format

Hello Hopkins!

The TechBlog is going to take a short break from the FrontDoor Software to talk about a topic that has captured the attention of most students on campus. I'm talking about the new Outlook email layout, which hit our corner of the internet over the weekend. It's actually more accurate to call it a new Web App, since the Outlook we use is not the same as the Outlook software.

The new layout mirrors the changes that Microsoft made over the entire Office 2013 Suite. The top bar is blue, instead of the soft orange design that doodled its way around our screens before, and the design is more angular and sharp. The old dinging sound of receiving a new email has been changed to a two-tone quip that sounds more soothing and melodic than the old one. Overall it fits better with the new JHU layout that came into play on September 3, and since the main features are the same, it shouldn't be a major switch.

Still, there are some features that have been getting mixed reviews from the students. One student commented that it looked too plain, and another had an issue scrolling to the stop of the screen to hit the send button. She ended up having to delete the email she was writing because Outlook had some kind of glitch. It could just be the web browser she was using, but it's worth noting that particular issue.

Color is noticeably absent on this version of Outlook; the old version had the buttons for Reply, Reply to All, and Forward colored differently. They are all gray now. There also used to be a way to group your emails according to a small color bar on the right hand side of the email preview box, which has been removed from this version. It's also more difficult to tell which email is new and which has already been read, because the only thing distinguishing the two is the color of the (small) subject line. The new ones are blue, and the read ones are gray. Not the most exciting or eye-catching item, but at least there is a new option on the top to look at "Unread" emails, which separates them for you. Emails that have drafts associated with them say "Draft" in orange letters, and that stands out.

The options appear when multiple emails are selected.

Now onto the good features. A feature I accidentally stumbled upon was that it has a built in "smart" calendar system, which reads through your emails and puts events that you make through the Starfish scheduler in your calendar for you. This was especially helpful to me today, because I had totally forgotten about a meeting I had scheduled. I'm glad the email remembered. If anyone sends you a meeting request, there is an option within the email that allows you to schedule a meeting with one click. It will check your availability for you and report back before making any changes. This is a seamless feature that will actually come in handy if the Calendar function is used often.

It's also possible to delete multiple emails at the same time, although there is still no way to click your entire Inbox and delete everything at once (Outlook developers: take note of Gmail's features to isolate certain emails and perform mass actions on them). Just move the mouse to the upper left corner of the email preview box and click the box. Clicking on one email allows you to view it in the large window, but unchecking the box just clears the entire screen, a new feature. Clicking on multiple emails brings up a new option window in the main part of the screen, and here there are options to delete the selected conversation.

The personal information page for a user on Outlook 2013. The mail button allows you to send an email, and the calendar logo schedules a meeting with the contact

 Finally, there is an easy feature to view basic information about an email contact. Simply click on the name and a window will pop up, with small symbols that allow you to email them or schedule a meeting. It's a nice integration of different Outlook features all compiled into a simple arrangement.

Most of the other features are pretty self-explanatory and located in the same places as the old version. It doesn't take long to get used to the new features and layout, so don't be afraid to use it more often. Leave your comments below for what you think of the new design, and we'll see you next week!

The New Hopkins Portal

Last week, the TechBlog explained the new changes to the Hopkins email system. As promised, this week will handle the new Hopkins Portal layout, which is accessed using your JHED and password at my.jhu.edu. Let's get started!

First the layout of the login page has changed. What was once angular and monochromatic has become softer and more inviting, but the end goal remains the same: enter the information and access your resources. Seniors are veterans at this, and freshmen will soon realize how invaluable this interface can be when used efficiently.

The new Portal login page.

The old Portal homepage looked like this:

The old Portal Dashboard.

It was never the prettiest thing to look at, but it got the job done. On the left hand side were links to email, ISIS, W2 information, and general settings, as well as Blackboard and my JHU Profile. The Profile was a little used element of the Portal, but it allows any student to go in and add information about him or herself. For example, mine has an explanation of my chosen majors and what my independent research is focusing on. It's also the place to go to set up Emergency Alerts, which is the quickest way to be updated of a massive development on campus regarding the safety of the students. I'll talk more about this at the end.

On the top there were multiple headings that led to different tools. It doesn't make sense to describe them all here, since they all changed and the new system is significantly different from this one.

On September 3, every student's Portal Dashboard (home page) will look like the one shown below. If you choose to update your individual Portal before that, click the orange link in the yellow bar at the top of the old page. The screen will immediately change to one that looks like this one:

 

The new Portal Dashboard! Ta da!

On first impression, the design here is a major improvement over the last one. It looks more friendly, and the colors are not dreary (though blue and orange seem an odd combination for Hopkins to have selected).  The main section of the page is virtually identical, but the real differences are along the top and the left side options. The least appealing feature of the new page is the Hopkins sanctioned photograph in the top left corner. It shows the most recent photo of you to be put onto an official Hopkins page. For most students this will be the JCard photograph, but if you have worked at the Medical Campus, the Portal will automatically use that picture. Even if it's a bad picture, you cannot change it. This particularly rigid feature was found on the old page as well, but at least there you could choose to never look at it and hide it fairly well.

Despite this aesthetic inconvenience, the new home page is a step forward in modernity for the greater Hopkins community. In an effort to make the Portal homepage easier to navigate, Hopkins officials have combined like tools under headings accessible by the tabs at the sides, which serve now as umbrella headings. For example, instead of having a tab just for ISIS, it's now embedded in the Education tab, along with Blackboard and MyLearning. The HR tab contains information regarding W2 access and employee verification forms, and the Technology tab connects JConnect, MyJLab, and the Tech Store, among other things. It's worth it to take a few minutes and look around at all the tabs so you're not scrambling later to find something you need.

One of the most important things to note is that the myJHED tab that was formerly located on the top of the screen has now been moved to the side as an umbrella tab. It now allows easy access for students to register an alias, request a group ID, and enter the Spam Quarantine area.

The Library tab is a nice touch in that it takes the user to a page with all the links to the libraries included in the Hopkins Enterprise system, including the SAIS and the Welch Medical Libraries. The Students tab is a new feature that shows a compilation of all the links an undergraduate could ever need, including KSAS and WSE Academic Advising pages, Daily Announcements, and every student oriented office on the Homewood campus. Another nice touch is the column of links created to give students perspective on the city of Baltimore, and some visitor information on what to do and attractions to see.

As for the Dashboard page, this is different in the new version. Dashboard used to mean the central home page, but here it is pitched as "your private space within the myJH." Not much is known about it yet, aside from links to recent Hopkins press releases, but the myJH team assures its student body a plethora of exciting, new features to "make myJH even more valuable to you," the student. This blog will follow these updates in the future.

As for the Emergency Alerts, that option is the first one on the MyProfile umbrella tab on the left side. Click on it, type in your phone number, select your mobile carrier, agree to the terms and service, and forget about it. I strongly suggest that every student sign up for the service. While it's very helpful for dangerous situations, it also will inform you of a snow day, and you definitely don't want to be the only one showing up for a 9 am Orgo class after shoving through the snow.

How to reach the Emergency Alerts sign up page.

That's it for the TechBlog this week. Questions/rants/comments can go in the Comments section below. Until next week!

New Hopkins email system

Well, fellow students, we are approaching the end of August, which means that we’re about to start another exciting school year with some significant changes all around campus. Construction on Malone Hall is progressing well, North Charles Street is completing the final stages before the street is reopened, and the new biology labs have finally been opened and they are ready to go. Internally the campus has changed as well: Aramark has been replaced as the food provider by Bon Appetit, and the campus dining options and lounges have been completely renovated with new stations and services. The worst part is Einstein’s Bagel Bros. is gone, but judging from the food at Levering, we’re not going to miss it for long.

This is what CharMar looked like a month ago, but no pictures have been posted since. They're clearly hiding something amazing. From https://www.facebook.com/HopkinsDining

Another difference between this year and last year is the renovations to the Hopkins websites that are happening in every department and office associated with Johns Hopkins. They are everywhere, and the place where they are most noticeable is within the Hopkins portal. We’ll talk about the changes to the dashboard and home page next week, because today is going to focus solely on the Johns Hopkins email system. 

What it used to be.

On June 17 Johns Hopkins switched its email provider from Outlook 2010 to Office 365, and while the transition has been smooth for some, others have expressed displeasure at the change in the email. Personally, I always used the ending @jhu.edu. If you are like me, then you probably had no issues with forwarding Outlook email to your Gmail or Yahoo accounts. If you instead used the ending @live.johnshopkins.edu, however, you’ll need to know that this ending has changed. The implications of this are your Gmail won’t accept mail that isn’t from the address listed on the options page, and mail that used to reach your Hopkins mail account just bounces back. 

What it is now.

The new ending, for the record, is @jh.edu.It's pretty simple and short, unlike the cumbersome @live.johnshopkins.edu domain.

As you can imagine, the login page for Outlook also doesn’t work anymore. The old address, login.live.com, is still accessible, and you can still enter your Hopkins ID and password, but it will only take you to the storage space you were afforded with the original Live@edu account. This means the SkyDrive and cloud storage space is still available to you, but your email is not. To access your email without traveling through the portal, the new address is outlook.office365.com. The login page for this email looks identical to the ones for the portal, but it does open directly to the familiar Outlook email system. 

The login page for the email system and the new JH Portal.

You can also prevent yourself from ever looking at Outlook again, if you are so inclined, since you can easily forward your email to another interface, such as Gmail. To do this, just go to the top right corner of the Outlook mail screen and make the drop down menu appear. Click “See All Options,” then click the tab at the top of the middle section of the page called “Connected Accounts.” You can choose to connect your two email accounts, so you can access all the information from both and send from either email address by using only one interface, or you could choose to simply forward email from Outlook to the other.  Of course, if you want to use the portal to access your email, ISIS, Blackboard, and other Hopkins sites and keep the other mailbox separate, that’s fine too. It really depends on what you want, and it’s great that the system is flexible enough to give you choices. 

Where the See All Options tab is in the upper right corner.

One of the best advantages to this upgrade is the increase in email storage space in Office 365. While Outlook only permitted a maximum of 10 GB of email data, Office 365 is equipped to handle 25 GB per user of space. SharePoint Online is also the cloud storage system, reserving SkyDrive for the independent Microsoft account now associated with live.johnshopkins.edu. This upgrade has not been completed yet, and will happen independently at a later date.

Lastly, to set up the Office 365 email on your mobile phone requires a bit of cellular gymnastics. Some phones will accept the JHEDID@jhu.edu and password, and start working immediately. Androids and iPhones also require the name of the server, and there are three different servers that could satisfy this requirement. For more information on these servers, you can go here, but in general one of these should work for your mobile phone.

POP 3 Server Name: outlook.office365.com, Port 995 SSL

IMAP4 Server Name: outlook.office365, Port 993 SSL

SMTP Server Name: smtp.office365.com, Port 587 TLS

For more information on the email system in general, the link is here. Hopefully this has alleviated any concerns that you’ve had with the new email system, but if you have any comments, please leave them below. Until next time!