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diff --git a/old/published/How To Wiki/how to supercharge gmail.txt b/old/published/How To Wiki/how to supercharge gmail.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..cfba2b9 --- /dev/null +++ b/old/published/How To Wiki/how to supercharge gmail.txt @@ -0,0 +1,51 @@ +When Gmail was released in April of 2004 it was heralded as a revolutionary new approach to e-mail. Indeed, conversation threads, search, tagging, and keyboard shortcuts have changed the way many look at their e-mail. + +But because it's different, "GMail"<https://mail.google.com/> can take some getting used to, here's our guide to getting the most of GMail. + +#Consolidate + +Like most of us, you probably have several e-mail address, one for work, personal, mailing lists and perhaps a throw-away for signing up for new online services. + +GMail makes it easy to get all your e-mail in a single account. Best of all you can send e-mails from GMail and they will look like they can from your other addresses. + +To set up additional accounts head to the "Settings" tab in the top right corner of the GMail interface. Then click on the "Accounts" tab and click "Add Another Account" in the "Get mail from other accounts" section. + +Enter the e-mail address you'd like to integrate into GMail and click next. Then enter your e-mail account login info and mail server name. You can select a number of other options such as always using a secure connection (if your other mail host provides that feature), leaving a copy on the server and control how GMail handles the incoming messages. + +Gmail will then send a message to the new account and you'll have to click the provided link to verify that it is in fact your account. + +Now return the Accounts tab and repeat the process in the "Send mail as" section so that you can send messages from your GMail account that look like they can from your other accounts. If you'd like, you can set one of these added accounts as the default sending account in GMail, though you can always select any verified address when you compose a message in GMail. + +#Filtering and Labels + +GMail doesn't use folders. This is perhaps the most disorienting aspect for new users accustomed to filing mail according to time honored traditions. But Gmail does offer the same functionality you're used to with folders. + +Instead of filing messages in folders, Gmail lumps all your message in a single archive mailbox (which you can view by clicking the "All Mail" link). But GMail uses tags (or "Labels" as Google calls them) to give you the same functionality as folders. To get started using labels, click the "settings" tab and then click "Labels." Create a new label. + +Let's say you want a label named "Work" for all your incoming work e-mails. Create the label and then any time you get an e-mail that's work related, apply the label and archive the message. Now click the label "Work" in GMail's sidebar and you'll see all your filed messages, just like you would with a folder named "Work." What makes labels more powerful is that single messages can have in multiple labels, something that isn't possible with folders. + +But labeling messages by hand is tedious and that's where filters come in handy. GMail's filters are pretty similar in feature to those you've used in desktop clients. Define the matching criteria and then define what actions you want applied to those message. + +Here's a tip for power filtering: by default GMail uses the AND operator when combining filter attributes. Thus is want to match messages that come from foo@bar.com or have the subject line "test," we're out of luck. However, there's a way around this limitation because the "Has the words" option in the Filter dialog can accept any search criteria. + +Thus in a single line in "Has The Words" we can define the follow rule: (from:(foo@bar.com) OR subject:(test)). This trick can also be used with any other GMail search operators. + + +#GMail UI power user tips + +GMail has some nice keyboard shortcuts you'll want to memorize, such as j/k for selecting the next and previous messages in the mail list view, n/p to move between messages in message view and y to archive a message. There are a host of others available, see the Gmail "help pages"<https://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=6594> for more details. If you find yourself loving GMail's simple shortcuts, but prefer a desktop client, have a look at the Thunderbird add-on "GMailUI"<https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/addon/1339> which brings many of GMail's shortcuts to Thunderbird. + +If you're using a browser that supports "Greasemonkey"<http://www.greasespot.net/> scripts there are a whole bunch of things you can do to enhance GMail. Some notable options include "GMail macros"<userscripts.org/scripts/show/2432>, which greatly enhances the keyboard shortcuts in GMail, and "Force encrypted connections"<>(can't seem to connect to userscripts.org right now) which ensures that you always connect to GMail via a https connection. + +To encrypt your messages in GMail, see our earlier guide: "Keep Your E-mail Private, Secret and Secure"<http://howto.wired.com/wiredhowtos/index.cgi?page_name=keep_your_e_mail_private_secret_and_secure;action=display;category=Work>. + +For more options and other ways to improve you GMail experience with Greasemonkey, have a look at every tagged "GMail"<http://userscripts.org/tag/gmail> in the scripts archive. + +If you're a Firefox user, Gina Tripani of Lifehacker has put together a very nice little extension called "Better GMail"<https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/4866> that combines a couple dozen scripts, hacks and other tools and makes it easy to install everything without hunting down the individual scripts. For more details on Better GMail see the Lifehacker "tutorial and guide"<http://lifehacker.com/software/gmail/hack-attack-supercharge-your-gmail-252737.php>. + + +#Do more + +Given that Gmail offers almost 3 gigs of storage, why not use it backup some files? For easier, FTP-like access check out these options: Windows users have "GMail Drive"<http://www.viksoe.dk/code/gmail.htm>, while Mac users have "gDisk"<http://gdisk.sourceforge.net/> and there's also a Firefox based option "Gmail File Space"<http://www.rjonna.com/ext/gspace.php>. Note that this may violate GMail's TOS, so it's probably best to use a separate account. + +If you still love your Desktop e-mail client there's no need to fret, just enable POP in the settings tab of GMail and you can connect and download your mail into your favorite client.
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