Exploring Google Workspace: real-time collaboration, organization and productivity tools for Wake Forest

Many are familiar with Gmail. Google Workspace is that and more, with many apps not available to personal accounts. Google Workspace is the official Wake Forest (@wfu.edu) platform for email, cloud storage, calendaring, chat, presentation tools, data management and more. Modern companion mobile apps for Android and iOS help our campus stay connected from anywhere. 

Discover and learn

Google Workspace apps help you work from anywhere on any device. Training resources are linked for each app, below.

Google Learning Guides for Workspace

Your first days with Google Workspace

Use these checklists to guide you through your first days and weeks with Google Workspace.

What to do on day 1  Week 1 & beyond

Connect across campus

	Gmail Custom business email		Google Side Panel Handy sidebar in your Google Workspace apps with a quick view of contact, meeting, notes and more
	Calendar Shared calendars		Groups Team email & security lists. WFU information on Google Groups
	Chat Messaging & spaces for teams		Contacts Personal email lists
	Meet Video & voice conferencing

Collaborate on your next project

	Docs Word processing		Keep Note & organization tool
	Sheets Spreadsheets
	Slides Presentations		Google Apps Script App development tool: customize menus and build automation with javascript.
	Forms Surveys & quizzes
	Sites Website builder		Tasks Assignment tracking

Organize, share and access files and data

	Drive Cloud storage, collaboration and file management. Declutter: Scan paper documents into your drive easily from your mobile device.		Shared Drives in your Google Drive Shared spaces where teams can easily store, search, and access their files anywhere, from any device. Manage access easily with a Google Group.
	Cloud Search Smart search through all of your Google Workspace		Google Side Panel Handy sidebar in your Google Workspace apps with a quick view of contact, meeting, notes and more.

IS "did you know?" quick tips for Workspace

• Mail: extend your "unsend" grace period to undo send for up to 30 seconds after you send a message. 
• Snooze emails to temporarily remove them from your inbox until you need them. Set the date and time they return to the top of your inbox.
• Working late but hoping to not disrupt others who aren't? Support work-life balance and check off your list at the same time. Schedule send your message to arrive at a later time
• Share your calendar with colleagues and mark certain events private, if appropriate. 
• Set your scheduled work hours and work location. You can add a weekly working location routine and update your location as plans change. 
• Create Out of Office (OOO) entries. An OOO banner will show up in Gmail and Chat for colleagues who you have shared your calendar with if they are trying to reach you when you are away. 
• Set up a Vacation Responder in Gmail when out of the office.
• Declutter: Scan paper documents into your Drive easily from your mobile device.
• Building Blocks: if you use similar verbiage or standard language repeatedly, create a custom building block and insert easily to reduce and automate your effort.

Join the conversation

Become a part of the Google Workspace Collaboration group, a Google Chat Space for learning and sharing cool things in Google Workspace. Quick, casual and friendly chats from across Wake Forest ease learning and discovery of new and existing features.