Student life made easier with Outlook

Hi, I am Roby Kurian, Product Manager for Outlook. In 2007, I graduated from University of Washington (go Huskies!). While in school, I used Outlook to send and receive messages with the UW’s email system, but I never made use of Outlook’s rich features. I wish I knew then what I know now. I want to introduce some features in Outlook 2010 that can make your life as a student easier.

Manage multiple mailboxes with Outlook

Chances are you have more than one email account — a school account, and one or more personal accounts. Do you login to multiple sites to check your messages? With Outlook 2010, you can view all your accounts all in one place.

To get started, click the File tab which opens the new Backstage view. Click Add Account and then follow the step-by-step instructions for adding your email account to Outlook. For most accounts, all you need to know is your email address and password.

I’ve added my Windows Live Hotmail account to Outlook in addition to my corporate Microsoft mailbox. Now I can easily view messages and contacts from both accounts in Outlook. I love the convenience. If you use multiple accounts with Outlook, leave a comment below and tell us about your experience. You can find more set up instructions, on Office.com.

Facebook updates in Outlook

When you receive new messages, you can also catch up with the sender’s status updates on Facebook using the Outlook Social Connector. The Social Connector lets you view updates from your favorite social networks such as Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace and Windows Live Messenger without leaving Outlook. The People Pane appears beneath the Reading Pane and displays updates from social networks, as well as messages, meetings, and file attachments that you and the recipient have exchanged.

To connect to your favorite social networks, download the provider add-ins from Office.com.

The Outlook Social Connector is included in Outlook 2010. If you’re using Office Outlook 2007 or Office Outlook 2003, there’s a download available so you too can start using the Outlook Social Connector.

Scheduling made easier

When working on a group project, do you find yourself in endless email threads trying to agree on a meeting time that works for everyone? Wouldn’t it be easier if you could see everyone’s calendars before proposing the meeting time?

The calendar sharing and publishing feature in Outlook can help. With calendar sharing you can share your calendar or publish your calendar online.

We understand privacy is important, so you control access, time span, and the amount of details that are shared in your calendar. Learn more about calendar sharing and publishing on Office.com.

Send us feedback

We also enjoy hearing how Outlook is helping make you more productive. Students, leave us a comment below about how you use Outlook at school.

Roby Kurian
Sr. Product Manager, Microsoft Outlook