Gmail for your domain beta live

[MkII]

Google just mailed to say the beta is now live

 

Welcome to our beta test!

 

 

Thanks for helping us test Gmail for your domain! We're excited to help you offer Gmail accounts with your domain.

 

Here's how to get started:

 

* First, click the link below. Log in with the same Google Account you used to volunteer to become a beta tester.

 

https://www.google.com/hosted/newtown-hs.powys.sch.uk

 

* Next, we'll guide you through a series of steps to register your domain for this service.

* We'll then ask you to create a new administrative account for your domain. Most people choose something like [email protected].

* You can then log in to the control panel ( https://www.google.com/hosted/newtown-hs.powys.sch.uk ) with your administrative account. Within the control panel, you can create new users, modify or suspend accounts, create aliases and lists, and customize the look and feel of Gmail for newtown-hs.powys.sch.uk. You can even upload whole lists of new users with the bulk upload feature, and assign administrative rights to multiple accounts.

* Finally, you'll need to configure your DNS MX records to work with Gmail. Once you log in to the control panel, you'll see detailed instructions on how to complete this step. If you get stuck, you can access our help center.

 

Thanks again for helping us out,

 

The Google Team

 

Not much to play with as yet. An added menu button 'Manage Your Domain' lets you use Bulk user import, mail lists and ver minor tweaks : turn on chat, add your own logo, enter your organisations details, change some colours.

 

You can't send mail until you change the Mail Exchange (MX) records for your domain. So dunno how to do that for a test environment!?

[indiegirl]

What a useful development. Do we know yet how much Google will charge for this service - not that we need it here but it could be very useful to the smaller schools in the area...

[Guest]

Interesting - cheers for the info Mark. Might come in useful for my Primary schools.

 

Got any invites?

[indiegirl]

Sysman - have you got a Gmail account anyway?

 

If you go to https://www.google.com/hosted/ you can sign in and register your interest for the Domain.

 

If you need a Gmail account PM me your email addy and I'll invite you.

[Guest]

Yeh got a gmail account and have registered interest. Just seeing if there are any invites going like when googlemail was first going.

 

Thanks anyways

[edie209]

I registered an interest about two weeks ago and I got a reply last night I have decided not to go with it, but I will see if there are any invites with it and if so I will post back

[edie209]

There are no invites available that i can see for domain email, but I do have a large number of invites available for google mail if anyone is after a google mail account.

[deerwood]

Hang on guys.

Is anyone seriously suggesting allowing pupils, even primary pupils, access to gmail accounts?

I have had a gmail account ever since Google first announced their service.

To be honest, over time it has proved to be dreadful. I am especially disappointed with the lack of adequate spam filtering which means that each day I get 2 to 3 times as much spam as I do genuine mail.

I'd suggest that this is certainly NOT a service to give to schools.

[webman]

@deerwood: I've also had a gmail account for a similar amount of time and only had 1 spam message.

 

But, I think this is down to the sort of username you choose - common ones will be in a spammers database and just append @yahoo.com, @hotmail.com and so on. My six-letter hotmail account for example receives loads of spam, where as a test one I made of 11 letters had none over a similar period of time.

[Guest]

Its just anonther option that schools can investigate.

 

I am sure that most schools will prefer something else, but for small cash strapped schools it could be a viable way of providing staff / student email accounts that are accessible from anywhere at no cost and with little setup and configuration.

[MkII]

Don't see the problem Deerwood - on my Gmail accounts I have no problems with spam at all.

 

This is still in beta, and the schools testers are on there requesting features that we need to make it usable. http://www.google.com/support/hosted

 

For instance there's logging and controls for abuse, that Google also handle. The downside is that your whole domain may be blocked! [need to keep one seperate for staff & admin then!! ]. This is by far preferable to our own LEA squirrel solution, where we can't monitor what kids are up to, there are no filters, and we pay for support and hardware.

[mrforgetful]

My reservations are the fact it's well known Google analyze everything in your Gmail. I'm sure there are serious Data Protection infringements for use in a school.

[webman]

My reservations are the fact it's well known Google analyze everything in your Gmail.

 

Their automated systems scan messages for common words to offer subject-based targeted advertising.

[mrforgetful]

Ahh my mind's at rest now, when the kids have emailed each other 'sex' and 'porn' and 'big bouncing round things' the ads will be tailored to that right?

[webman]

Don't know, can't say I've noticed ... Although the hosted service may be slightly different.

[MkII]

Google are big brother - overtaking MS in the world dominance stakes - that data is money!

 

Agreed, have to consider sensitive data. Staff email could still be managed locally.

[webman]

Not another Google conspiracy

[mrforgetful]

I don't see why we should all get as MS and not at Google

[ZeroHour]

Ahh my mind's at rest now, when the kids have emailed each other 'sex' and 'porn' and 'big bouncing round things' the ads will be tailored to that right?

I wish lol

They only show "decent" ad's

[webman]

I don't see why we should all get as MS and not at Google

 

Because MS are known theives, liars, abuse their monopoly and don't adhere to standards.

 

What have Google done in comparison?

[webman]

Right, I've got Google Mail for my other personal domain. Can provide accounts/screenshots/videos etc. if anybody is interested. Seems as though you can upload a CSV of accounts; and the advert is text-based and in its usual position on the right. Free account seems to offer only 25 addresses.

[Face-Man]

What have Google done in comparison?

 

Surely google earth is the planning stage for world domination ...

 

after all they know where I live 8O