We all take email for granted these days. It’s a program almost everyone uses and we think we are so familiar with using it, we don’t need any help or instruction. And I’m guilty of thinking this way too. I started using Microsoft outlook many years ago and I would still be using it now if it wasn’t for google mail. Google’s web-based email client persuaded me to switch. Actually, there are two main reasons. Because it’s web-based, I can access it from anywhere and it consolidates all of my email accounts together in one place. A terrific time-saver if you have multiple email accounts.
If you don’t use gmail, I recommend you give it a test drive. It’s really easy to use with lots of great features. Today’s video is by Matt Cutts who provides a few gmail power tips. Really, it’s a quick overview of how he uses gmail and a good introduction to the program. With an uncluttered interface, you wouldn’t realise there are lots of ways to configure it.
The keyboard shortcuts are useful and the show message snippet is too. You can set an ‘on vacation’ message that can be shown only to people you know. You can set ‘https’ connection type, which means your emails are secured from snoopers. Gmail uses ‘labels’ instead of folders. This is more powerful as you can assign multiple labels to an email and store them by labels. So, if you’re not sure how to classify it, you can hedge your bets.
You can filter email messages so they skip your inbox and are stored by label. You can instant chat with voice and video. You can even change the layout and theme if you really don’t like the default. So, it’s easy to use, configurable, pulls all your email accounts into one place and you can access it from anywhere.
For me, google mail is a winner.
