How TO Explore Public Folder

If you use Microsoft Exchange Server, Outlook 2002 has a feature called public folders that allows groups to share information easily. Imagine you're a teacher interested in sharing tools such as lesson plans with other teachers in your school district. You may make calls and write e-mails to set up the project or to schedule meetings. You wait for responses from the other teachers and then share updates with the group. As problems come up, you send more updates and wonder if your messages have become confusing.

In the end you have to contact everyone again to make sure that they have the right information. All this before you even start sharing the lesson plans, which requires more arranging. You sure could use a way to share information in a timely, efficient manner. Public folders may be the answer.

What are public folders?

Public folders provide an effective way to collect, organize, and share information with others in your organization. They are central, shared folders that anyone can view to share information and ideas. Public folders can contain any Outlook item type, such as messages, appointments, contacts, tasks, journal entries, notes, forms, files, and posts. Once you are connected to your Exchange Server, Public Folders appear on your Outlook Folder List.

How do I set up public folders?

Public folders must be set up on a Microsoft Exchange Server. Your Exchange Server administrator must grant you owner permissions to create the public folder. Once you've created the public folder, you can set options, such as user permissions, rules, and default views. For more information, see the following Outlook 2002 Help topics:

• Create a public folder
• Change the default view for a public folder
• Create or modify a rule for a public folder

How do I use public folders?

For detailed procedures for working with public folders, see the following Outlook 2002 Help topics:

• Open a public folder
• Post information in a public folder
• Reply to information posted in a public folder
• Add an e-mail address for a public folder to your Contacts folder
• Add a public folder shortcut to Favorites
• Permit others to access a folder
• Search for a public folder