Saint Louis University ITS offers support for SLU's Google Apps and listserv (distribution lists) systems.
Google Apps
SLU has partnered with Google to provide Google Apps, a web-based collaboration system explicitly designed for an academic setting. All faculty, staff and students of Saint Louis University are eligible for a SLU Google Apps account. (Please note: Google Docs and Google Sites are not HIPAA or FERPA compliant.)
Training is available through SLU Skillsoft.
Apps offered include:
Chat and video features are available by clicking on Google Hangouts from the mySLU Tools tab. To get the most out of Google Apps, make sure you're opening your account (email, calendar, drive, etc.) in a Google Chrome browser window.
To add contacts, type an individual's username into the "Search" field inside the chat box and select Invite to Chat. If a contact is online and available, a green dot or icon will display by their name.
Video chatting is available to anyone with a webcam. For more information about using Google Video Chat, visit the Google Chat support site at google.com/support/chat. For more information on Google Hangouts, visit google.com/support/hangouts.
Google Drive is the fast, easy, and efficient way to collaborate with others at SLU (faculty, staff and students) and worldwide. With Google Drive, you can import existing or create new documents, spreadsheets, and presentations quickly and easily. Once the documents are imported or created, you can access and edit the documents from any web browser; your documents are stored securely online.
With Google Drive, you can invite people to view your documents and make changes together - in real time.
Please note: Google Drive and Google Sites are not HIPAA or FERPA compliant.
For more information about all that Google Drive has to offer, visit the Google Drive support site at https://support.google.com/drive/.
Google Sites is an easy way to make up-to-date information accessible to your colleagues within SLU, and when necessary, to the public. People can work together on a Site to add videos, presentations, calendars, and free-form text and image content. Creating a collaborative site is as easy as editing a document, and you always control who has access, whether it's just yourself, your team, or your whole organization. You can even publish Sites to the world. You can create or update a Google Site at any computer with internet access.
Please note: Google Docs and Google Sites are not HIPAA or FERPA compliant.
How do I create a site?
Log in to sites.slu.edu, and create a new site by selecting the "Create New Site" link. You'll need to fill in the following information fields to create your page:
- Site name - When creating a site under SLU's Google Sites, your site name cannot conflict with an existing site, or an existing Google Apps username (unless it is your own). The name you assign will determine the URL where the site is located. The Your site will be located at this URL: field is automatically generated based on the Site name field.
- Site categories (optional) - Insert top-line information on how your site should be categorized within SLU's Google sites (this will help people find the site if it has wider sharing permissions).
- Site description (optional) - Describe what content will be located within the site's page.
- Collaborate with - Define the permission levels for your site. The site can be made viewable by everyone at slu.edu, only people you specify (e-mail addresses will need to be entered) or you can make the site completely public. (Note: The permission levels can be changed later, please see question 3 for more information.)
- Site theme - Choose a basic color scheme or background theme for your site. This will affect all sub-pages under your main page. (Note: You can change or modify the theme once a site is created by selecting the "More Actions" button and selecting "Manage Site." Settings for themes and colors/fonts can be changed from there.)
What types of pages are available?
- Web Page - A web page is an unstructured page where you can enter text, images, tables, and
embed spreadsheets, presentations, videos, and more. The web page has standard formatting
controls like bold, italic, underline, font control, text color and text highlighting.
You can create bulleted lists, numbered lists, and easily link to other pages in your
site. You can attach documents from your hard drive to the bottom of the page, and
allow other site collaborators to comment on your pages.
Because Google Sites is built on a wiki foundation, all versions of your document are saved. This means you can always go back to early versions of the document and compare changes between different versions. Page subscribers are notified when the page is updated. - Announcements - An announcement page is a page which makes it easy for an individual or group to post chronological information like news, status updates, or notable events. It can be used to post organizational news, post project updates, announce new releases, post interesting links from around the web, as a simple blog, and more. Page subscribers are notified of new posts, and updates on existing posts.
- File Cabinet - A File Cabinet allows you to manage documents from your hard drive and organize them into folders. This can be used to organize common documents in one place. Version history is stored for documents so you can always return to an earlier version. Page subscribers are notified of new files, updated files, and delete files.
- List - List pages allow you to easily track lists of information. You can choose from a list of templates or configure your own custom columns. Items can be easily added, updated and removed. Page subscribers are notified of list additions, deletions, and updates.
How do I control who has access to my site?
To control who has access to your site:
- Click "More Actions," and select "Share This Site" from the menu.
- Enter the email addresses of those you want to share your site with.
- Choose the level of permissions you want to give (Owner, Collaborator, Viewer).
- Click "Invite These People."
Please note that SLU users will need to log in with their Google Apps ID and password if the site is specific to individual users or to the SLU community.
Can I create a main site but give different access levels to the sub-pages within that site?
No. Currently you are not able to assign different access levels to sub-pages within a site. This means that if a user has access to the site, they will be able to see all of the pages and sub-pages within that site.
Please note: You can attach documents to a site that have different access permissions than your site. When you do this, the permission levels from the documents override the site permissions. If you have not shared a document with someone but you post it to a site that they can view, they will still not be able to open that document.
How do I learn more about Google Sites or get help with my Site?
For more help with creating your first Google Site, or assistance with more advanced features, visit google.com/support/sites. You can also visit help.slu.edu for further assistance.
Access your Google Apps account by going to the Tools tab in the mySLU portal.
For information on accessing or syncing your Google Apps with your smartphone, visit m.google.com. Google provides detailed instructions for configuring a variety of smartphones including the iPhone, BlackBerry, and Android.
For information on Google Apps accessibility, visit https://www.google.com/accessibility.
For information on privacy and Google Apps, visit https://privacy.google.com.
Listserv Technology
Saint Louis University's listserv system provides email distribution lists and email discussion lists. This system features web-based administration, message archiving and analytics.
Listserv addresses are on a different server than normal email accounts. This changes the part of the listserv address following the "@" symbol from "@slu.edu" to "@list.slu.edu."
The how-to guides linked below provide basic and advanced instructions for using Listserv technology at SLU. Click on the guide to view, save or print the pdf.
List administrators who maintain multiple lists will always be logged in through list.slu.edu to the last list administered. If you'd like to administer a different list, click on the list name in the upper right corner of the screen. This directs to a menu where a different list can be selected.
Log In
Log in to accounts by going to list.slu.edu and providing the login information.
Subscribing a New User
- Send an email to listmanager@list.slu.edu.
- In the body of the e-mail, provide this information (on three lines as indicated):
"Login [listserv password]
add [listserv name] [e-mail address] [user name]
end"
Ex. - To subscribe "Bob Smith" to the listserv "computergeeks@list.slu.edu," the e-mail to listmanager@list.slu.edu should read:
"Login [listserv password]
add computergeeks smith@slu.edu Bob Smith
end" - Listserv managers will receive a confirmation e-mail of this change.
When adding new subscribers users via the Web interface at list.slu.edu, you may receive an error message stating, "You do not have permission to perform this operation." This error occurs when the "Basics" tab is used to add users. In the "Add Member" window through list.slu.edu, select the "List Admin" tab (second from the left) and save all changes.
Unsubscribing a User
- Send an email to listmanager@list.slu.edu.
- In the body of the email, provide this information (on three lines as indicated):
"Login [Listserv password]
del [Listserv name] [E-mail address]
end"
Ex. - To unsubscribe"Bob Smith" from the listserv "computergeeks@list.slu.edu," the email to listmanager@list.slu.edu should read:
"Login [listserv password]
del computergeeks smith@slu.edu
end" - Listserv managers will receive a confirmation email of this change.
Viewing Listserv Subscribers
- Send an e-mail to listmanager@list.slu.edu.
- In the body of the e-mail, provide this information (on three lines as indicated):
"Login [listserv password]
review [listserv name]
end"
Ex. - To find out who is subscribed to the listserv "computergeeks@list.slu.edu," the e-mail to listmanager@list.slu.edu should read:
"Login [listserv password]
review computergeeks
end"