November 2020 Tips and Tricks

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Tips for Your Maine.edu Account and Password

When you first “joined” the university system, an account was created for you.  Usually, it is firstname.lastname@maine.edu. The part before the @ sign is known as your userid or username.

When you need to manage your account, go to the UMS User Account Management page (accounts.maine.edu).  You will find this list:

Bullet list that shows Activate your account, change your password and recover a lost password.

Activate

The first thing that you had to do was activate your account.  You were given an activation key (or can contact ITHelp https://www.maine.edu/information-technology/support/). This is good only once.

In this process you created three security questions and the answers.  Maybe no one told you:  the ANSWERS are case-sensitive.  And they must match exactly.  So here’s a tip if you ever have to RE-activate your account:  use one word, all lower case answers.

Examples:

Q. What color is red?
A. red
Q. What is my mother’s birthday?  (now this can get tricky — do this as all numbers no slashes, no spaces…)
A. 01091991 (for January 9, 1991)

Your password

There are rules for your password.

  • be at least 8 characters in length
  • contain upper and lower letters
  • contain digits, punctuation and/or special characters
  • NOT be based upon the username, personal name or personal information
  • NOT be a standalone word in any language, slang, dialect or jargon, etc.
  • NOT be a previously selected password
  • be changed within 180 days.

Remember: Your New Password cannot be the same as the old password.

Password Recover/Reset

Reset your password by visiting the UMS User Account Management page and select Recover a Lost Password.  You will need to know your emplid or student ID number (this is not your SSN) and your date of birth. You will also be asked to provide correct answers to 2 of your 3 security questions (Remember… the answers are case sensitive). If you do not recall the answers to your security questions, you can reset your password by using an external email address associated with your account. You will receive an email link that will allow you to reset your password and identity questions. IF either of these options do not work for you, it is easiest to contact ITHelp and get your account set to Activation status.  They will also give you a new activation code. For more details on password recovery, please visit the Password Recover/Reset – UMS ID confluence page.


Manage Multiple Signatures in Gmail

Did you know that you can use different signatures for your emails? For example, you can set a signature default for new emails you compose or reply to. You can also choose a different signature with each email you send.

To create multiple signatures, in Gmail go to Settings (gear icon) > Settings > General. Then, scroll down to “Signature” and select “Create New” to enter multiple signatures.

Displays box for creating new signature in settings. Can type in how you would like your signature to appear.

After Creating New signature, there will be a list on the left.

displays option in settings for signature menu

To use the additional signatures, open the signature menu in the compose action toolbar to switch signatures.

Compose action toolbarIf you want to change your signature while you write an email, at the bottom of the window, click Insert signature.

 


Group Training Request Form

 

Did you know that you can request training on a particular topic for your office or department? Just complete the Group Training Request form to indicate the training topic, level of training and dates during which you would like the training to occur. For additional information on training documentation and upcoming webinars, please see the IT Training Resources page.


 

(Content for this page was provided by Carol Sobczak, IT Technical Education and Outreach Coordinator)