Hey everyone — it’s John from On The Pulse.
How are you all doing this week?
In this edition of On The Pulse, we’ll show you a FREE AI tool that simplifies the process of researching and citation. You’ll also get the latest Microsoft 365 news and updates.
This week’s topics include:
😊 Custom Emojis in Microsoft Teams
⚠️ Dynamic Watermarking in Microsoft 365
🏞️ Create Invitations From Text Prompts in Microsoft Designer
Let’s Go!👇
Also — I’d love to hear what you think of On The Pulse. Whether you love it or hate it, or there’s something new you’d like to see included, hit “reply” and share your thoughts!
✉️ TOP STORIES (WITH OUR INSIGHTS)
😊 Custom Emojis in Microsoft Teams
Users enrolled in Public Preview can now upload custom emojis in Microsoft Teams.
Full Story and Our Insights:
Microsoft Teams now supports custom emojis and reactions, allowing users to personalize their messages and embody team culture. Users can upload up to 5,000 custom emojis per tenant, adding a lighthearted touch to conversations.
To upload custom emojis in Microsoft Teams, you’ll need access to Public Preview (enabled by admins) and be enrolled in the Insider Program. However, this feature is likely to become generally available this year.
To upload a custom emoji, go to “Chat” and click the Emoji icon in the message box, where you’ll find the new Custom Emoji icon.
To enable or disable custom emojis for the whole tenant, admins can edit the Teams Messaging Settings in the Teams Admin Center.
Go to “Messaging” in the left menu.
Select “Messaging settings.”
Toggle “Use custom emojis” on or off.
Click “Save” at the bottom.
To enable or disable custom emojis for specific groups, admins can edit the Teams “Messaging Policies.”
⚠️ Dynamic Watermarking in Microsoft 365
Microsoft is rolling out a new feature that allows users to add a dynamic watermark by selecting a sensitivity label. Dynamic watermarks will work on Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents.
Full Story and Our Insights:
Microsoft has introduced dynamic watermarking for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint to enhance security for sensitive or confidential documents. This feature complements sensitivity labels from Microsoft Purview Information Protection, which restrict access and prevent unauthorized actions like printing, while still allowing collaboration.
Here’s how dynamic watermarking works:
Users apply a sensitivity label with dynamic watermarking by selecting the file name in the title bar or using the Sensitivity button on the ribbon to choose a label from the dropdown list.
Once applied, watermarks appear shortly thereafter on the screen, visible across the document content.
These watermarks persist when viewing, editing, and collaborating on the document. They cannot be removed unless the user has IRM usage rights to change the label.
Additional considerations:
Files with dynamic watermarks may display an "access denied" message in Microsoft 365 versions that do not support this feature, ensuring protection on compatible clients.
Users can access full dynamic watermarking capabilities by opening files in Microsoft 365 for the web if their local client does not support the feature.
Watermarks are included when printing a document but are not exported with the file to other formats.
It’s important to note that dynamic watermarking is limited to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint within the Microsoft 365 suite. External viewing environments and certain file export formats may not fully support this feature.
Organizations must have the appropriate licensing for sensitivity labels and enable dynamic watermarking on accessible sensitivity labels to utilize this security enhancement.
🏞️ Create Invitations From Text Prompts in Microsoft Designer
A new feature for Microsoft Designer allows users to create editable invitations based on text prompts.
Full Story and Our Insights:
To use Invitations, input the occasion, date, time, location, and other details, and Invitations will create a bespoke vertical design. The event specifics are placed over AI-generated artwork as editable text, ensuring an easily customizable layout.
1) Open Microsoft Designer, click the search bar at the top, and select “Invitations.”
2) Click “Description” to open the prompt.
3) Enter your prompt in the provided text boxes.
4) Click “Generate.”
5) To edit an invitation, click any of the creations.
6) Click “Edit,” and you’ll be able to edit the text and upload media.
🕟 FREE AI TOOL FOR RESEARCH AND CITATION
Citing credible sources in your research not only enhances the trustworthiness of your work but also demonstrates a commitment to thoroughness and accuracy that is crucial in business contexts.
When potential clients or stakeholders see that your proposals are backed by well-researched and authoritative sources, they are more likely to perceive you as knowledgeable and reliable.
This can significantly strengthen your position when bidding for projects or trying to secure new clients, as it shows that your decisions and recommendations are grounded in solid evidence and industry best practices.
To assist with the research and citation process, you can use a free AI tool called Consensus.app!
With Consensus, you can sign up using your Google account and get unlimited searches and citations.
1) Search for relevant information.
2) Find a relevant source, and click “Cite.”
3) Choose a citation style, click “Copy Text,” then paste the citation into your document.
✅ WRAPPING UP!
That’s all for this edition of On The Pulse.
Thanks for reading and see you soon! 👋