Personal pictures in Gmail

[Andre Schmidt]

All,

I've had a few questions about pictures showing up in Gmail.  Any IIT Google Apps user can set a picture for their account via the Gear > Settings > General > My Picture.  Setting a picture in Gmail will update your Google Profile picture if you have an active profile.  By default the picture will appear next to your email address in other people's inbox.  It will also appear in other Google Apps when you share information.  For example, if you share a Google Doc with someone else, they will see the picture next to the document name in Drive > Shared With Me.  If you enable this feature, make sure you use a picture that you're comfortable with being seen by the IIT community and any Gmail user.

More information on profile pictures is available on the Google Support Site:  http://support.google.com/mail/bin/answer.py?hl=en&ctx=mail&answer=35529&authuser=1

You can change the picture displayed for other people in your Gmail inbox to another picture or remove it entirely.  Contacts' pictures can also be edited directly by clicking Mail on the top left side of Gmail, then choosing Contacts and editing the contact directly.  You can also hover your mouse over the user's picture you want to change, and click Contact Info at bottom left.  Once their contact information is open, click on their picture to change or remove it entirely.  

Another place in Gmail that pictures can appear is on the right hand pane in the People Widget (http://support.google.com/mail/bin/answer.py?hl=en&ctx=mail&answer=1251806&authuser=1).  The People Widget displays the Google profile of the people in email thread currently being viewed,  provides links to send them a chat request, and a link to set up a calendar event with thread participants.  It will also display images of recent attachments that those people have sent you.  

The People Widget is on by default.  It can be disabled via Gear > Settings > General > People Widget.  

Andre