Recent News
Resources for Center Helpdesk staff
Here are some useful FAQ's and resources for Center Helpdesk Focal points to support their users with CGXchange: The SMO Helpdesk will be happy to answer any questions. |
Moving from Google Apps to Office 365
CGIAR Centers are removing CGXchange as a service in 2017 to provide full support to the Office 365 suite. The good news is that the Office 365 platform provides end-users with the same type of tools to communicate and collaborate, so most of the things you were doing in Google Apps, can also be done on Office 365! This online tutorial helps you understand what is the equivalent tool from CGXchange Google Apps, in the Office 365 suite.It also provides instructions to help you export your information from Google and import it on the Office 365 suite if applicable. For some tools, you simply need to contact your IT Helpdesk for help to get you started in the new environment: |
New way to sign-in to CGXchange
As of Thursday, Dec 22, 2016, existing (or new) CGXchange users can login via any one of these links: ü Google Docs/Drive: http://docs.cgxchange.org ü Google Sites? http://sites.cgxchange.org ü Google Groups? http://groups.cgxchange.org ü Google Calendar? http://calendar.cgxchange.org Using the normal Google authentication method with your full CGXchange address (e.g.: t.goldwin@cgxchange.org) on the Google login screen, and enter your current or last known CGIAR password. The password that Google has stored, is the password you had entered the last time you logged in to CGXchange. Given your CGIAR password will no longer be connected automatically to CGXchange, it is recommended to set up a recovery mobile phone number starting any time now, so that if you forget your password or are locked out after Dec 22, you will be able to reset it yourself. Once logged in to CGXchange, please follow these instructions to set up a recovery phone number. Note: the recovery email has already been setup for you, i.e.: your @cgiar.org email address. More instructions to login can be found here: http://www.cgxchange.org/home/sign-in |
Quick guide: moving data from one Google account to another
This year we've had a number of CGIAR staff leave the organization and I've received many questions regarding ways to move data from their corporate CGXchange Google Apps account to their personal Gmail account, or to another Google Apps account, or simply for support on how to backup their information. Export your data: It is recommended that you export your data using a tool provided by Google called: Google Takeout. Google Takeout allows you to download a copy of your data stored within Google products. Follow the step below to export your CGXchange account data:
*If you plan to import your data into another Google account, use the default format options. Please note that Google Takeout does not support all applications. For a list of supported applications, please visit the Google Takeout website. Migrate between Google Suite accounts You can also find more information on how to Migrate data between your Google Suite accounts (Gmail or Google Apps and viceversa) via this link on the Google support site. Re-assigning ownership of documents from one user to another:As a side note, if you are leaving the organization, it is also recommended to transfer ownership of the key documents which should still be accessible by your colleagues. This can be done by selecting the key documents, and assigning them to the new replacement, or to someone else in you team by following instructions here: Transfer file ownership |
Google Slides: accept questions from your audience
I just came across this new feature from Google Slides which may be interesting for our CGXchange users! Google Slides now allows presenters to have an interactive presentation by allowing users to submit questions while they speak, this way encouraging more audience participation. This feature is simply called Q&A, and also allows users to vote on the questions they want answered. How does it work? If you're using Google Slides and want to hold a Q&A, you can display a short URL on your presentation that attendees can go to and submit a question without interrupting the proceedings. At that same URL, anyone in the audience can see all the questions that have been submitted so far, and give them a "thumbs up" to indicate interest in hearing an answer. From the presenter's point of view, the device that's running their presentation will have access to all the questions that come in, and can sort them based on those that received the most votes. A few things to note: § The Slides Q&A feature works on desktop computers, Android mobile devices, and iOS mobile devices. § You can only use Slides Q&A if you have edit or comment access to that Slides presentation. § By default, any user in the CGXchange domain can submit a question. As a CGXchange user, you can allow external users to submit questions as well.
§ You can use your mouse as a laser pointer in Slides on the web. Just choose the laser pointer option from the toolbar and move your mouse, and a red laser-like dot will appear in the same place on screen, helping your audience know where to look and when. § In the Slides iOS app, present to a new Hangout or to a Hangout selected from a meeting on your Google Calendar. For more information, please check the Help Center. |
How to backup and download a Google Site
Note updated Nov 2016: unfortunately, the Google Sites liberation tool outlined below is no longer working properly. To export the contents of a Google Site, there are two options I've seen so far: Option 1: you can use: http://www.httrack.com/ to copy the website. Option 2: If you are a GSuite user with a Spanning Backup license, you can also download one of the backups from Spanning, and open the .gz file with 7zip. This export includes all pages and documents on your GSite. ________________________________________________________ OLD POST: If you need to backup or download the content of a Google
Site, you can use the Google Sites liberation tool.
This tool allows any user in the CGXchange domain to backup their Google Sites locally on their Desktop. Please follow these instructions to get started: https://docs.google.com/a/cgxchange.org/document/d/1mJTU4HB8RV-zjgsrrv02oVpnLbWHRldqU2BpnBMgxnQ/edit?usp=sharing If you do not have permissions to install software on your computer, please ask your IT department for support. |
Creating an institutional Google Calendar to view it from Outlook
In mid April 2015, I was invited by the CGIAR ICT Leaders to deliver a presentation during their annual meeting, on the usage and trends of CGXchange.One of the participants asked me if was possible to create an Institutional meetings/events Calendar in Google Calendar on CGXchange, and make it visible to all staff from within Outlook.Well, the reply was: YES indeed. This can be done!It is key to highlight that this Center currently does not have SharePoint, because otherwise creating a shared Calendar in SharePoint could have been their alternative.This tutorial provides the detailed instructions to create a Google Calendar on CGXchange, add events to it, and generate the required link so staff can configure and open the Google Calendar directly from Outlook:Link to tutorial: https://goo.gl/osD23o Once the Calendar has been added in Outlook, staff will also have the possibility of dragging & dropping events of their interest from the Institutional Google Calendar to their Outlook Calendar.I trust you find this tutorial useful! |
Google+: Enhancing informal communication and collaboration with your team
Google+ is a Facebook / Yammer-type social media platform developed by Google, which intends to bring people together and facilitate collaboration, within the context of the other Google Application productivity services Google+ is available to CGIAR staff as part of the CGXchange suite, and with this tool you can post all sorts of content, such as text messages, links, photos, and videos to share ideas, questions and/or work progress with your team, with other people in your Center, with colleagues from other CGIAR Centers, and with external collaborators as needed. You can create your own groups (e.g.: circles) to share targeted messages, or even create public messages to share with anyone who finds and follows you to extend the reach of your communications. In this new tutorial prepared to help CGXchange users get started with Google+, you will learn: 1. How to follow other CGXchange users / external users on G+; 2. How to share content with them through G+. 3. How to start a Hangout call from G+, linking from resources already prepared for CGX 4. How to create or join Communities Tutorial: http://goo.gl/gVl2C6 I hope you find this tutorial useful to get started with shaping your own circles, and sharing your great ideas on Google+! |
Google Drive: Getting started with sharing files and folders
Documenting, collaborating and sharing files is a key part of the work we do in CGIAR, and there are many tools that can help CGIAR end-users achieve this goal. One of the tools I recommend for file sharing and real-time collaboration with colleagues and external partners is Google Docs/Drive. The good news is that CGIAR staff with cgiar.org email addresses have access to CGXchange's Google Drive, an online space on the cloud to securely store, access and share files and folders. Each user has 30G of space for use on Drive and other Google apps, although we will soon have unlimited space for all users as announced by Google. The following Google Docs online resource will help CGXChange end-users get started with sharing files and folders on Google Drive on CGXchange: http://goo.gl/JcyjgI More on Google Drive: |
Getting started with your cgxchange.org - Google Apps account
This new resource in presentation format will help new users understand what is CGXchange, how to log-in, how to access multiple accounts (CGXchange account vs. personal Gmail), how to access additional help resources and contact support,which I trust you will useful. Credit: A big thanks to Antonella Pastore who shared a set of slides prepared for the CRP on Aquatic Agricultural Systems (AAS) - that is adopting CGXchange.org as the platform for collaboration and information management. Some of those the slides were re-used to prepare this generic resource.Direct link to this resource |