Gmail Tips - The Complete Collection
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Web 2.0 Tools
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A collection of Web 2.0 Tools and Webtop Apps for creatives, designers, musicians, filmakers, indie tv producers and digital entrepreneurs. From the MsBehaviour Files for The Big Idea, the home of New Zealand's Creative Community.
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Saved by 228 people (77 private), first by anonymouse user on 2006-03-02
- Rineerscience on 2008-09-26 - Tags tools , tutorial , gmail , gmail_tips
- Silicaspan on 2008-09-20 - Tags gmail , reference , tools , hacks
- Mayabelle on 2008-09-01 - Tags tutorials , google , gmail , email , system tray
- Mfrazier313 on 2008-08-13 - Tags no_tag
- Susanvg on 2008-08-10 - Tags gmail
Public Sticky notes
So, if you want to list all unlabeled messages, just create a long search string containing every label that you have defined. Be sure to include the "-" character in front of every label. This ensures that messages with these labels will be EXCLUDED (remember, you are looking for all messages WITHOUT Labels.) You can also optionally include the hidden "inbox" Label to exclude anything in your Inbox.
For example, if you have defined the Labels "Family", "Friends", "Ebay", and "Support", you would enter the following string into the search field (note that the labels are not case sensitive) to find all Unlabeled messaegs:
-label:inbox -label:family -label:friends -label:ebay -label:support
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Next, create a new Label called "Notes"
Finally, create a Filter to add the "Notes" Label any email addressed to "username+Notes@gmail.com". Also, check the "Skip the Inbox (Archive it)" checkbox.
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Gmail Tip #3: How to Maintain 'Notes'
Some email providers provide a "Notes" function to let you maintain a list of notes. For example you might keep Web site links, random thoughts, etc. Gmail doesn't offer this feature, but by using some of Gmail's other features, you can set up a very nice, easy to maintain group of notes...Basically, the concept is to email yourself the notes, but Gmail lets you at least better organize and handle these emails. Here's what you do:
First, create a Contact with a Name of "Notes" and an Email Address of "username+Notes@gmail.com"
Next, create a new Label called "Notes"
Finally, create a Filter to add the "Notes" Label any email addressed to "username+Notes@gmail.com". Also, check the "Skip the Inbox (Archive it)" checkbox.
The effect is this:
When you email yourself from an email account other than your own Gmail account, address the email to "username+Notes@gmail.com". When the message arrives in your Gmail account, it will automatically be archived into your "Notes" Label view, bypassing the Inbox. Nice and organized.
When you want to email yourself from your own Gmail account, click "Compose Email", and just type "Notes" in the "To" field and hit "Tab" or "Enter". Because you used the name "Notes" in the Contact, Gmail will fill in the email address automatically eliminating the need to enter a long address. Then, when you click send, the email gets sent to yourself, and is auto-archived in the Notes Label, just like above.
You now have a Label containing any notes you want to keep, and they are completely searchable!
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Gmail Tip #5: The 'Plus' Side of Gmail
Like many Email providers, Gmail supports the standard "plus" addressing scheme. But just what is it, and how can it help me?The "plus" method of addressing lets you add additional words to your account name (the "left side" of your email address.) For example, if your email address is "john.doe@gmail.com", you could add "+club" when you give your email address to members of a club to which you belong. So, your email address would now be "john.doe+club@gmail.com". But why would you want to do this? Think of the "plus" word as an extra "keyword" or "tag" that you can use to better manage your messages.
Using our example, say you email an invitation to your friends in a club asking them to rsvp to the invitaion. You ask them to reply to "john.doe+nope@gtmail.com" when sending you a responseif they don't want to come, and reply to "john.doe+ofcourse@gmail.com". Assuming they follow your directions, You can then set up a Gmail Filters to automatically route emails to specific Labels based on the addresses. It's a simple example, but the uses can be numerous.
Another use is when you are shopping online. When asked for an email address, use something like "john.doe+amazon@gmail.com". That way, whenever you get future emails addressed to that address, you'll know that it's either from Amazon directly or from someone to whom they sold your email address. This can be a somewhat effctive way to track spam. Just be aware that not all email systems recognize or accept "plus" addresses. In fact, some spammers even strip it out completely, but it's a cool tool, none the less. THe best way is to just try it and see if it works for your application!
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Gmail Tip #17: Advanced Search - View Multiple Labels
Gmail has some advanced searching capabilities that, if you take the time to learn, enables you drill down to very specific information. In future tips, you'll learn many of the advanced searching functions, but in this tip, (sent in by "Juan Valera") you'll learn how to search for specific messages based on their Labels including how to search for multiple Labels...If you want to search for all messages having a specific label, you can click on the "Show search options" link, click the "Search" dropdown, select the desired Lable, and click the "Search Mail" button.
But a shortcut is to type the Label prefixed with the "label:" query word in any simple search field at the top of any Gmail page:
label:Label1
If you want to view all messages that have selected multiple Labels, for example messages having both 'Label1' and 'Label2', enter the following into the simple search field at the top of any Gmail page:
label:Label1 label:Label2
To see all messages with either 'Label1' or 'Label2', you can enter:
label:Label1 OR label:Label2
Note: the specific label names are NOT case sensitive, but the "OR" operator is case sensitive, and must be in uppercase. The pipe operator '|' can also be used in the same manner as 'OR'.
label:Label1 | label:Label2
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Gmail Tip #26: Creating a Pseudo Address Group!
Gmail currently does not provide the facility to send emails to a Group or a List or email addresses. But thanks to an excellent tip submitted by "arianj", we now have a very doable workaround! Read on to see how to set up a pseudo Group Contact...Although Gmail doesn't currently support Groups in your Contacts, you can simulate a Group list by doing the following:
1. Create a new Contact
2. In the "Name" field, enter the name of your Group (eg "My Friends")
3. In the "E-mail" field, enter your list of email addresses in the following format:
friend1@gmail.com>,<friend2@blah.com>,<friend3@foo.com
Note three things:
1. You must enter ">,<" (without the quotes) between all addresses
2. Be sure NOT to include a leading "<" or trainling ">". This is intentional, because during auto-complete, Gmail adds these characters to the beginning and end of the full string that is in the e-mail field.
3. Also, there should be no spaces in the string.
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Gmail Tip #26: Creating a Pseudo Address Group!
Gmail currently does not provide the facility to send emails to a Group or a List or email addresses. But thanks to an excellent tip submitted by "arianj", we now have a very doable workaround! Read on to see how to set up a pseudo Group Contact...Although Gmail doesn't currently support Groups in your Contacts, you can simulate a Group list by doing the following:
1. Create a new Contact
2. In the "Name" field, enter the name of your Group (eg "My Friends")
3. In the "E-mail" field, enter your list of email addresses in the following format:
friend1@gmail.com>,<friend2@blah.com>,<friend3@foo.com
Note three things:
1. You must enter ">,<" (without the quotes) between all addresses
2. Be sure NOT to include a leading "<" or trainling ">". This is intentional, because during auto-complete, Gmail adds these characters to the beginning and end of the full string that is in the e-mail field.
3. Also, there should be no spaces in the string.
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Gmail Tip #46: Creating a Map Repository
Do you find yourself repeatedly looking up the same map info at any of the various online map services like Google Maps, MapQuest, or Yahoo! Maps? Here's a Tip submitted by "Andreas" that lets you maintain a simple Map Repository within Gmail. It's builds on the concept introduced in the Gmail Tip #3: How to maintain "Notes", but it's application is different. Read on for details...Create a Contact with a Name of "Map" and an Email Address of username+ map@gmail.comThis email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it (replacing username with your Gmail username.)
Then, create a new Label called "Map".
Finally, create a Filter to add the "Map" Label to any email addressed to username+ map@gmail.comThis email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it . Check the "Skip the Inbox (Archive it)" checkbox to bypass the Inbox.
Whenever you look after a online city map of a friend or location you visit repeatedly. Save the map as gif-Image and send it to username+ map@gmail.comThis email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it . Include the Name and address of the person or location in the subject line.
Using Gmail's Search, you can later find the map much faster then by using an online map-service.
Like Gmail Tip #3: How to maintain "Notes", this can be adapted for many other applications by simply changing the word "Map" in the Address, Label, and Filter to something more specific to your need.
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2. In the "Name" field, enter the name of your Group (eg "My Friends")
3. In the "E-mail" field, enter your list of email addresses in the following format:
friend1@gmail.com>,<friend2@blah.com>,<friend3@foo.com
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Gmail Tip #54: New Feature! Select ALL conversations
Deleting Spam and emptying Trash in Gmail just got a whole lot easier! Instead of being limited to deleting just a page-at-a-time, Gmail now lets you select all Spam and Trash conversations for deletion in one simple step. Read on to see some screenshots of the new features...One of the great annoyances of managing Gmail has been in dealing with Spam and Trash. When you had more than screenful of messages, clicking "select all" would only select all messages on the current screen. Deleting numerous messages could mean navigating multiple screens just to select and delete.
The Trash view now displays the message "Empty Trash now (messages that have been in Trash more than 30 days will be automatically deleted)" Here's a screenshot:

When you click on the "Empty Trash now" link, Gmail will display a confirmation prompt displaying the number of conversations it will delete. Click "OK" to delete, or "Cancel" to not delete.
For Spam, the Spam view now displays the message "Delete all spam messages now (messages that have been in Spam more than 30 days will be automatically deleted)" Here's a screenshot:

Clicking on the "Delete all spam messages now" link displays a confirmation prompt displaying the number of conversations in Spam to delete. Click "OK" to delete, or "Cancel" to not delete.
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