Using voting buttons in Outlook

OK, so this probably doesn't count as "new stuff" though it is new to me and I've since found it useful.

Outlook has an option where you can send an email with the question in the title and then all the recipients have to do is answer the question by choosing one of the options you give them. They do not need to reply. You can also track the responses.

To set up and use the voting buttons, click on the Options tab which is part of the email msg bar (open a new msg and then usually the bottom row has a bar with Options in it). Click the voting buttons checkbox, select the choices from the list, or make your own list. To make your own list, delete one of the lists available and list your own options, with a semi-colon betwene them. To track the responses, open each reply (that tells Outlook to count the responses). Or you can set outlook to track automatically (Tools - Options - Email options - tracking). To see the results open the original email (usually in your sent folder)

When you create an email with voting buttons, make the subject line the question. In the body of the email write something like "Click on the bar as indicated above to give your response. You do not need to reply to this email".

All this sounds a lot more complicated than it is so try it out.

I use this to test whether I am still required to hold a time / appointment, to ask whether more infomration is required and also who is attending a meeting.

(I use Microsoft Outlook 2003)

No acces to the web? Get a page sent to your email inbox

I'm continually finding staff who have web access denied. While I can understand the fear they may spend half the day on Facebook and eBay, they are also missing out on infomration that is available to them and which may help them in their work.

Nice to see someone has found a way round the problem! If you know the web page you want to view (and yes, you need to know the address so you can't go browing - but it is good if someone has sent you a link you can't access) then send a command in the subject to browse@webinmail.com and the system will send you the webpage you wanted to browse in reply to your mail.

You get the page and if you then want to go deeper into the website, then if you click on the webpage buttons the process can be automatically repeated for you.

A clunky way to view web pages but sometimes it has to be done.

www.webinmail.com for more info