gmail and google calendar

Calendaring and email is one of the most crucial areas of efficiency in our world today. Organizing life with a schedule is key to success and reliability. Communication in our digital world is no longer just for those tech savvy ministers. However, finding the right tools to make this happen can be a challenge. Many churches make this easy for ministers with tools like Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Exchange. But many ministers are just left to find their own way in this realm. My wife continues to keep her calendar on paper and refuses to go the digital route. Nevertheless for those looking for the right solution, there are some new tools that can really make life simple. And best of all, they are free.

There are hundreds of calendar and email options on the web (many of them free), but allow me to suggest google’s new suite of applications. Gmail and Google calendar are superb! There are several advantages to using this system that might make the shift.

Gmail

In my opinion, Gmail is the best free web based email solution out there. It is easy to use and offers all the features that you could want. It even allows you to set it up to send from any email address that you own. So, if you have a web site and therefore have a domain name, you can set Gmail up to send from yourname@yourwebsite.com . It also gives you plenty of storage (2GB).

Being web based, you can work on email anywhere that you have a web browser. There is no software needed and your emails are always accessible, as long as you have an internet connection. Gmail also works great on cell phones.

Gmail is Google's free webmail service. It comes with built-in Google search technology and over 2,600 megabytes of storage (and growing every day). You can keep all your important messages, files and pictures forever, use search to quickly and easily find anything you're looking for, and make sense of it all with a new way of viewing messages as part of conversations.

There are no pop-ups or untargeted banner ads in Gmail, only small text ads. Ads and related information are relevant to your messages, so instead of being obtrusive, they may even be useful for once.

Gmail also integrates instant messaging right into the email experience, so you can stay in even better touch with your friends when you're online. Easy, efficient and maybe even fun to use. It's a whole new way to think about email. It's Google's approach to email.

Read more about Gmail at http://mail.google.com/mail/help/about.html

Google Calendar

Google calendar has only been out a few weeks, but is rating very high for most people. If you do not have a good digital calendar system and are looking for something easy and efficient, I would recommend Google calendar. You can even set it up to remind you via text message or email about important stuff.

Calendar Sharing: Set up a calendar for your company softball team, and share it with the whole roster. (Your shortstop will never forget about practice again.) Or share with friends and family so you can view each other's schedules side by side.

Invitations: Create event invitations, send them to friends, and keep track of people's responses and comments, all in one place. Your friends can receive your invitation and post responses even if they don't use Google Calendar themselves.

Quick Add: Click anywhere on your calendar where an event belongs (or use the Quick Add link), and start typing. Google Calendar understands whole phrases like "Brunch with mom at Java Cafe 11am on Saturday," and will pop new events right into your agenda.

Gmail Integration: Add your friend's Super Bowl party to your calendar without ever leaving your Gmail inbox. Gmail now recognizes events mentioned in emails.

Search: Find the date of the Baxter family BBQ (you knew it was sometime this summer). Or, search public calendars to discover new events you're interested in and add them to your own calendar.

Mobile Access: Receive event reminders and notifications on your mobile phone.

Event Publishing: Share your organization's events with the world. Learn more with our Event Publisher Guide.

Read more about Google calendar at http://www.google.com/googlecalendar/overview.html

Looking for efficiency in ministry, try these free tools.