Recently I had a user in one of the Google Help Communities ask, “Where did the advanced sharing settings go in a Google Drive File?” Well, they are still there! It’s just the share settings taken on a modern look. You can now locate the advanced share settings by clicking on the gear (settings) icon in the upper right of the share screen. The advanced share settings still provide the following tools:
Stop editors by changing sharing settings or permissions
Stop viewers and commenters from downloading, printing, and copying
All you have to do is uncheck the box to the feature tool you’d like to block.
In both the Google Drive & Docs Help Communities, there is a surge of users complaining about receiving mention notifications. Some spammers are using Google Slides Comments notification to send spam files to GMAIL users. I’ve never understood why there are people who misuse technology to harm or play games with other people. It’s my goal with this post to help Google users learn why this happens and how to protect themselves.
The following are some best practice tips for preventing spammers from obtaining personal email addresses. Unfortunately, spammers have multiple methods for obtaining emails and creating lists to use for spamming purposes. The email lists are not limited to capturing GMAIL addresses. However, this post will focus on GMAIL due to the way the Spammers are using Google Drive Files for spamming & phishing purposes.
It is sad there are malicious people on the internet looking to cause trouble. You may protect yourself by thinking twice before sharing your email address with third parties. Email lists are sometimes generated when you sign up at websites, online newsletters, online contests, Extensions, and etc…
Never give out or post your email address publicly
Think before you click
Do not reply to spam messages
Download spam filtering tools and anti-virus software
Avoid using your personal or business email address
In the meantime, I do suggest reporting the abuse to the Google Drive Team.
Tap 3 vertical dots
Select Send Feedback
Type as many details as possible
Tap Send
NOTE: Reporting abuse will help provide the data Google needs to collect for deleting the file and possibly closing the SPAMMERS account.
In the Google Drive mobile APP there is a Notification Settings which you may use to protect yourself from receiving further SPAM
Tap Settings (3 horizontal bars)
Select Settings
Tap Notifications
Select Toggle Off All Notifications
NOTE: You may also toggle off receiving comments and share notification from specific email addresses. Turning off notifications doesn’t stop the spammers but does save you from being bombarded by unwanted notifications.
Hope these tips and suggestions are helpful with minimizing the effects of the comment notification spammers.
Using Voice Typing is a quick method to provide responses and answers. In my busy life, timesaving tips are so so important! I look for tools that allow me to add precious free time back into my schedule without losing quality. Tools such as voice typing come in handy to use for saving loads of time.
Today I discovered how well my iPad voice to text keyboard integrates with the YouTube Studio APP. I decided to use voice typing to quickly answer comments left by viewers of my YouTube Channel. As someone with small motor issues, this is sometimes a daunting task. My fingers don’t always function when trying to type.
During a spine issue flare-up, it isn’t unusual for me to lose some control of my fingers. It can be very frustrating when trying to type. Either my finger brushes over a key or lays heavy upon the keys causing multiple letters to type out. I’m thankful for voice typing! It supports me with typing despite the many challenges presented by my neuro-muscular spine condition.
The best part about typing by voice is the ability to quickly respond and answer a zillion questions in a short period.
It’s almost two decades since I created a Print On Demand (POD) store to offer my art designs on products. I’ve noticed in the last few months some of my old designs were selling. In the past few weeks, content review messages started showing up in my inbox.
It seems some of the hashtags were reaching the search engines once more. Of course, I was a happy camper to be making sales due to this. However, it was a surprise to discover a company either owned a license or copyright to the words used in my hashtags. The POD company told me, “it is possible to resubmit all the products that they took down.” All I have to do is take out the problematic hashtags and words in the product descriptions.
When teaching digital citizenship skills, using social media for marketing, or selling online, learn your copyright and licensing rules. Now I have to spend a lot of extra time resubmitting the products due to those hashtags and words used in the product descriptions. I hope you learn from my experiences. Don’t think words are free to be used in product descriptions and as hashtags.
COVID 19 forced students and teachers into remote learning, and the loss of structure. Students didn’t know how to maintain and stay on schedule. Now parents can use the Google Assistant APP along with a mobile device or Google Speaker to support students by providing a bell schedule. Imagine an audio alert stating, “Johnny, it’s time for Math Class” or “Take a break for lunch.” Why not use a simple tech tool to help a child or even an adult to stay on schedule? It may be a simple way to motivate a child or adult to stay on task.
