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Google Apps News: August 2010

September 1st, 2010 · Collection

Google Apps News:

August 2010
Hello Google Apps administrators!

We’re back with this month’s edition of Google Apps news and updates. We hope you enjoy it and pass on the word to your users. As always, we’d love to know what you would like to see in upcoming newsletters and we welcome you to submit your feedback.

To stay on top of announcements, you can get new feature notifications by email or subscribe to the RSS feed.

Thanks for reading,
The Google Apps Team

New features in Google Apps

Advanced policy management
New user policy management features let administrators segment their users into organizational units and control which Google services are enabled or disabled for each group, making it easy to test new applications with a pilot group or turn certain features off entirely for a subset of users. Read more about this in the Help Center.

Support for organizations with multiple domains
Multi-domain support allows organizations with two or more domains on Google Apps to manage them from a single control panel. Users belonging to different domains within an organization keep their domain-specific email addresses but can also see co-workers from other domains in the organization’s global address book. It’s also easy for users to share across domains in Google Docs, Sites, and the rest of Google Apps.

Google Apps data migration enhancements
We recently made some improvements to this migration tool to make moving to Google Apps even easier. This tool is available to Premier and Education Edition customers. More information on the updated data migration tool is here.

IMAP support – Administrators can use the tool’s new IMAP capabilities to migrate email from systems like Novell Groupwise to Google Apps, or even migrate data between Google Apps accounts.

PST support – Administrators can migrate PST files on behalf of users in their domain once they have aggregated users’ data files in one location.

Better support for hosted Exchange – Administrators can now migrate data from hosted Exchange by running the migration tool on local servers, without requiring the Exchange hosting partner to run any special software on their end.

Horizontal navigation and more in Google Sites
We’re pleased to have introduced several highly-requested features in Google Sites: horizontal navigation, global footer and a deleted items area. Horizontal navigation enables site owners to easily add links across the top of their sites. Site owners can also add a global footer that displays across all pages on a site, and we added a new section for deleted items in sites, making it easier to get to deleted pages and attachments.

Audit API
The Audit API enables admins to perform supervision and compliance tasks on email accounts within the organization. With the API, admins can perform tasks such as export mailboxes, monitor inbox activity, and retrieve account login information. The Audit API is available to Premier and Education Edition customers.

More Google Applications coming to Google Apps
Later this year, Google Apps users will be able to access any Google service allowed by their administrator from a single account. This means users will be able to publish with Blogger, share project images with Picasa, track current events in Google Reader and much more, all without switching back and forth between multiple accounts. Existing Google Apps customers will be moved to the new infrastructure in the fall, though you will be able to make the switch voluntarily soon. More information is available on our Help Center. If you’d like to begin testing this change with your organization, just fill out this form.

Google Apps Marketplace

This Spring, we announced the release of a new API that allows third party vendors to create contextual gadgets in Gmail. With these new integrations, Google Apps users are able to do more than ever without leaving your email. These applications have the ability to “understand” your needs from the content of your email, and display interactive gadgets to help you be more productive. Whether it’s productivity management tools such as Smartsheet and Gist, or customer management solutions such as Solve360, you can get more done than ever right from your inbox!

Check out some of these apps and how they work in this blog post and attend our webinarnext week for more information.

Webinar:
Gmail contextual gadgets: Learn how to access Line of Business data from your inbox
Wednesday, September 8th, 2010
11:00 a.m. PDT / 2:00 p.m. EDT
Register here

How are other customers using Google Apps?

Learn how Imagination, a marketing and communications company in the UK, is using Google Apps. Since moving to Google Apps, they’ve improved collaboration across their 9 offices in 15 countries, as well as improving how they schedule their time with clients more efficiently. Watch their story on the Google Apps YouTube Channel.

Get the most out of Google Apps: Tips and Tricks for your users!

Five things you may not know you can do with attachments:

We know that if you’re using Google Docs then you’re familiar with the ease of no longer having to send attachments back and forth. However, many still use attachments daily, so we’ve put together a few tips on how to get the most out of Gmail and attachments:

1. Drag attachments in and out
In: Simply drag files from your desktop right into the message you’re composing and they’ll upload from there. (Make sure you’re using Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox 3.6 or Safari 5 for this to work.)
Out: Simply drag the icon for a Gmail attachment to your desktop. (Note that dragging attachments out is only supported in Google Chrome for now.)

2. Select multiple attachments
Attaching multiple files one by one is no fun. Instead, just multi-select the files you want to attach by holding down the Ctrl key (or Command on a Mac) and clicking on each file you want to attach. Holding down the shift key will select a continuous list of files.

3. Never forget an attachment again
Gmail looks for phrases in your email that suggest you meant to attach a file (things like “I’ve attached” or “see attachment”) and warns you if it looks like you forgot to do so. Every day, this saves many people the embarrassment of having to send a follow up email with the file actually attached.

4. View attachments online
When you receive an attachment, sometimes you just want to view it and there’s no need to download or save it to your desktop. The Google Docs viewer allows you to view .pdf, .ppt, .tiff, .doc and .docx files in your browser. Just click the ‘View’ link at the bottom of the message.

5. Find that long-lost attachment
If you’re looking for an attachment someone has sent to you, Gmail’s advanced search operators can help you find what you’re looking for quickly and accurately e.g. ‘has:attachment pdf’.

Recent launches

To learn more about recent launches, watch this recorded webinar that spotlights some of the 50+ improvements and new features we brought to Google Apps in the first half of 2010.

We also have monthly webinars that you can attend where we discuss recently-released features in Google Apps Premier Edition.

Help your users

Help your users quickly learn the basics of Gmail and Google Calendar by distributing weeklyGoogle Apps Tips and Tricks within your organisation. Google Apps Tips and Tricks are designed to help educate your users about Google Apps and to help acquaint them with new functionality. You can distribute most of these tips in any order that suits. We’ve also created aguide for you on how to set up, copy and distribute the weekly tips and tricks to users in your organization which we recommend you read first.

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HostGator.com Newsletter – August 2010

September 1st, 2010 · Collection

Gator Happenings

Welcome to Austin

We have arrived in Austin, TX!  A lot of our customers and employees at our Houston headquarters wanted to know more about the new office and, of course, see some pictures. August 9th, 2010 myself and other members of our management team arrived at our new home. Walking around we saw really nice cubicles (not wired), no workstations, and a blow up mattress in Brent’s office. The date for our first training class was August 16th, we had a total of 7 days to get everything setup for our first Austin employees . We needed at least 40 monitors, we have dual 23.6” monitors on each workstation, yes I am kind of bragging.  And we needed at least 20 extra workstations.  Monitors were rushed to the office and several trips, including one of my own, back to Houston to grab workstations ensued. All in all on August 16th we had enough workstations setup for training to begin. It was a very hectic time here in Austin that first week, but I’m proud to say that everything is running smoothly now. The first group of gators we brought on here are working out great, and we are already setting up another training class. I have taken the liberty to post pictures of the office.  Here are a few features of our new Austin location:

  • World Class 1100 sq ft Gym complete with lockers and showers (gators sweat a lot).
  • Internet Cafe / LAN Party stations (gators game a lot, see sleeping quarters).
  • Dual 23.6” Monitor setups.
  • Game room complete with arcade games and full size pool table.  Also (2) 55″ Flat screen tvs.
  • Outside deck connected to the game room, for BBQ’s and get togethers.
  • Sleeping quarters, for when you just want to nap a bit. (gators are sleepy a lot, see Lan Party).
  • Black and Decker Coffee pot, The 12 Cup kind (nothing but the best).
  • Vending machines that take credit cards (Gators only carry 100s).
  • Really cool lights that only turn on when you walk by!

These are just a few of the wonderful additions that we have made to our brand new office. It is a really big step for our company and all the hard work our Austin crew has put in to get things up and running definitely shows. If you are interested in coming to work for HostGator Austin, please submit your resume on our Jobs page. We are currently hiring for Linux Level 1 -3 System Administrators.


Dedicated/VPS Tutorials

We announced brandable tutorials for our reseller customers a few months back, and the feedback has been great!  We are now proud to announce that we are ready to deploy the tutorials for our Dedicated and VPS accounts!  If you would like to have this feature installed on your VPS or Dedicated server, please contactsupport. One of our technicians will be glad to add this to your WHM!  Our technicians will put the ticket in a special queue and enable this for you Friday morning. Please let us know of any feedback you have regarding the tutorials.


Go Joe! Go!

A few months back we announced a deal with Joe Nemechek and NEMCO sports for a sponsorship of their Nationwide car. After seeing what a huge hit we made in our NASCAR debut, beating out some of the competition and all, we decided to sponsor Joe for the remainder of the season! We will be sponsoring Joe’s #87 car for every remaining Nationwide race. We are also sponsoring the Talladega Sprint Cup race with Joe! Shake and Bake!  Joe is a great guy and very respected in the NASCAR community, We really could not think of a better driver to support then Mr. Nemechek. So make sure you tune in and watch Joe pass up the competition for the remainder of the Nationwide Series! Follow Joe on Twitter @joenemechek!
Till next month,

–  Josh Loe & The Team at HostGator

HostGator Around the Web

Did you know that HostGator has an active presence on both Twitter and Facebook? Consider following us on Twitter and/or becoming a fan of HostGator on Facebookto get the latest HostGator news and updates.

Rate Your Tickets and Save

If you have ever submitted a ticket to HostGator’s ticket system, then you have almost certainly seen the line on the bottom of each email that asks you to rate the response you received. To encourage more ratings, we’re going to be entering everyone who rates a ticket into a drawing for a $25 service credit. Rating a ticket takes less than a minute and can save you some money on your next hosting bill. Details can be found here.


VOIPo Updates

VOIPo is offering all HostGator customers up to 3 months of free phone service with coupon GATORNEWS.

For under $10 per month, you can get unlimited calls to the US & Canada and over 40 calling features.  VOIPo sends you an adapter that you plug into your router or modem and then you plug your normal telephones into the VOIPo adapter and just use them as you normally
would (no computer required).  For a limited time, VOIPo is also offering free activation, a free phone adapter, and free shipping.

Use coupon code GATORNEWS and get an extra 1 month (monthly plan) or extra 3 months (yearly plan).
Visit www.voipo.com/hostgator to learn more or to order.

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Hurry to Get 20% Off Your Order!

June 24th, 2010 · Collection

Now is the time to expand your Web presence with Go Daddy! Act now to get 20% OFF* your order of $75 or more. This special offer expires soon, so don’t wait – order today!

Save on the products and services YOU want! Go Daddy has everything you need to succeed, from domain names and Web site builders to world-class hosting plans and powerful marketing tools – plus, LIVE 24/7 service and support that’s second to none.

This special offer expires 7/7/2010, so start shopping now! Use source code fb2home20 to get 20% OFF* your order of $75 or more when you order online at GoDaddy.com or by phone at (480) 505-8821.

Thanks as always for being a Go Daddy customer.

 

Sincerely,
Bob Parsons
CEO and Founder
GoDaddy.com


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Tor 0.2.1.26 is released

June 12th, 2010 · Collection

Tor 0.2.1.26 addresses the recent connection and memory overload problems
we’ve been seeing on relays, especially relays with their DirPort open. If
your relay has been crashing, or you turned it off because it used too
many resources, give this release a try.

This release also fixes yet another instance of broken OpenSSL libraries
that was causing some relays to drop out of the consensus.

People running Tor as a relay should upgrade:

https://www.torproject.org/download

Changes in version 0.2.1.26 – 2010-05-02
o Major bugfixes:
- Teach relays to defend themselves from connection overload. Relays
now close idle circuits early if it looks like they were intended
for directory fetches. Relays are also more aggressive about closing
TLS connections that have no circuits on them. Such circuits are
unlikely to be re-used, and tens of thousands of them were piling
up at the fast relays, causing the relays to run out of sockets
and memory. Bugfix on 0.2.0.22-rc (where clients started tunneling
their directory fetches over TLS).
- Fix SSL renegotiation behavior on OpenSSL versions like on Centos
that claim to be earlier than 0.9.8m, but which have in reality
backported huge swaths of 0.9.8m or 0.9.8n renegotiation
behavior. Possible fix for some cases of bug 1346.
- Directory mirrors were fetching relay descriptors only from v2
directory authorities, rather than v3 authorities like they should.
Only 2 v2 authorities remain (compared to 7 v3 authorities), leading
to a serious bottleneck. Bugfix on 0.2.0.9-alpha. Fixes bug 1324.

o Minor bugfixes:
- Finally get rid of the deprecated and now harmful notion of “clique
mode”, where directory authorities maintain TLS connections to
every other relay.

o Testsuite fixes:
- In the util/threads test, no longer free the test_mutex before all
worker threads have finished. Bugfix on 0.2.1.6-alpha.
- The master thread could starve the worker threads quite badly on
certain systems, causing them to run only partially in the allowed
window. This resulted in test failures. Now the master thread sleeps
occasionally for a few microseconds while the two worker-threads
compete for the mutex. Bugfix on 0.2.0.1-alpha.

————————————————————————

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Twitter Newsletter 2010 – Edition #2

April 8th, 2010 · Collection

Hi there,

Last month I restarted this monthly Twitter email update. If you’ve been around for a while, then you might remember getting my emails. If you signed up and requested this update more recently, welcome! A lot happens every month at Twitter so we want to keep you in the know. As always, you’re invited to visithttp://twitter.com – to come see what’s new.

New Front Page
We’ve discovered over the years that Twitter is a work in progress. At first, the idea of tweeting only appealed to a few but then it caught on in a big way. Now Twitter is an incredibly rich and expanding information network. Our design team has changed the front page to reflect this metamorphosis and will continue to adjust accordingly.

Official Twitter Conference
We’re hosting our first official Twitter developer conference this month. It’s called Chirp. The event will take place in San Francisco over two days. The first day is April 14th at the Palace of Fine Arts. On April 15th, we’ll be gathering at Fort Mason right along the bay. We’re looking forward to meeting in person. For info, tickets, or to watch online, visit the Chirp web site.

Fighting Spam
Our Chief Scientist Abdur recently published a short piece titled, “State of Twitter Spam.” In it, he explained how the definition of spam is different when compared to the common email variety. Spam is inevitable on a popular system but we fight it aggressively. Less than 1% of tweets per day are spam and we work diligently to reduce that percentage.

Location, Location, Location
We added a new feature to the Twitter web site that allows you to attach location data to individual tweets. This feature may not appeal to everyone so it requires that you activate it first in your Account Settings. You can choose to share an exact location or a general location such as neighborhood or town. This additional context is potentially very powerful.

Thanks,
Biz Stone, Co-founder (@Biz)
Twitter, Inc.

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