Gmail Features

Gmail Features

1. Filters
Filters were the very first things I set up once I converted to Gmail as my primary email program.  enable you to organize your email in a variety of ways, including sending emails from your mother-in-law directly to the trash. Just joking! Filters are easy to set up and once you have a few active, you’ll quickly discover more ways that filtering will make your email inbox easier to sort through.

2. Keyboard Shortcuts
Windows operating systems, Mac OS and several software programs all have their own set of keyboard shortcuts but so does Gmail. Once you memorize the keyboard shortcuts for a few frequently used tasks, you’ll find that you’ll be able to go through your email much more quickly. Check out the  page for more information on the shortcuts including keyboard requirements.

3. Hidden Symbols for Filtering
Did you know that you could amend your Gmail address to use either a plus sign or dots? I didn’t. I won’t try to describe how you do this, instead I’ll refer you to the Gmail Blog but I will tell you one way that this might be extremely useful – filtering unwanted solicitations. If you’re filling out an online form that requires your email address, simply enter my.email.address@gmail.com instead of my emailaddress@gmail.com. When unsolicited emails come in to the address with the dots, you know that the site shared your email address.

4. Priority Inbox
One of Gmail’s newest features is the Priority Inbox. Watch this video to learn how you can benefit by using this feature.

5. Use Multiple Accounts by Granting Access

Do you have a business-related Gmail account that you want an assistant to have access to? If so, you can grant them access to your account. This will enable them to access your Gmail account without needing to log out of their own account. Learn how to set up this convenient feature: Email delegation: Granting access to your Gmail account.

6. Mute Conversations

Tired of the off-topic political rants on your B2B mailing list but don’t want to unsubscribe from the list? Gmail has a simple solution to this problem – mute the conversation. Simply mute the conversation and the thread won’t be bumped back to your Inbox anytime new messages are received. Find out how to do this: Muting or ignoring conversations.

7. Always Use HTTPS

Even if you’re in the habit of using a secure connection when using Gmail while you’re on a public network, you may want to consider forcing this setting. Simply log in to Gmail, click on Settings, set the Browser Connection to “always use https” and save your changes. Although this is a beneficial security setting, Google has noted that errors may be seen in the Gmail mobile application and the Google toolbar if you do enable this feature.

8. Video Chat

Are you traveling and want to stay connected with your family? Check out Gmail’s Video Chat feature.

9. Canned Responses

Using canned responses is another way to cut down the amount of time you spend on email daily. If you constantly receive emails asking for your company’s mailing address, your first step should be to verify that your mailing address is listed in an easy-to-find place on your website and your second step should be creating a Gmail canned response.

10. Got the Wrong Bob?

Nothing is more embarrassing than sending a casual message to Bob, the CEO of the company you’re trying to build a relationship with, instead of Bob your buddy from college. Unfortunately, this is a frequent occurrence among Gmail users. Eliminate this embarrassing faux pas by enabling the “Got the wrong Bob?” feature in Google Labs. Yes, that is the name of the feature.