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Archive for the ‘Fun Stuff’ Category
E-mail, Gmail
Tuesday, April 21st, 2009
Remember when you were first introduced to e-mail? I thought it was the most amazing thing ever! I think I had a hotmail account first; then, I had a CompuServe (remember them?) account while in Europe (not cheap!), a Yahoo! account, and finally, an sbcglobal account when I moved back to the United States. I even remember the crazy usernames I came up with (one actually stuck – onechzngirl….that’s oneCHOZENgirl, thank you). Now, at the ripe old age of ____ (you didn’t think I was actually going to tell you, did you?), I am an avid Gmail user for 3 reasons:
- Google Apps for Domains
- Ease of use
- Google Labs
If you have ever e-mailed me, you know my address is through my domain (cgthomas.com). Their Apps for Domains allows me to add new accounts, manage accounts, great groups, set and customize start pages, run a calendar, use Google Docs, etc. – basically everything a normal Gmail user can do except on my own domain. It’s beautiful…and convenient.
It is also amazingly easy to use. You could go into Google Apps and figure out what’s going on pretty quickly. I’ve seen my (un)fair share of control panels and user interfaces over the years, and Google has given me something I actually don’t mind staring at for hours on end if I have to. As amazing as their Apps are and as easy as they are to use, I would still say that Google Labs has revolutionized my e-mail world. When I discovered them, I think I actually cried…just a little bit…but there were tears of happiness somewhere in there.
Google Labs is sort of like a toy box where you can pick as many fun toys as you want (or deem useful). If you use Gmail, there’s a little green beaker-looking icon in the top, right-hand corner. Click it and be ready to have your world made just a little bit brighter.
Some Lab features I have seriously appreciated:
- Pictures in Chat – yes, this may seem a bit silly to you, but I like being able to see the picture of the person I am chatting with. Granted, that sometimes means chatting with Tacky the Penguin or the Anonymous Green Person icon, but at least I can see a visual representation of the person on the other end.
- Custom Label Colors– I love color. I am a visual person. Colors=good. And now, Gmail gives me a lot of fun colors to choose from to make my labels absolutely stunning!
- Multiple Inboxes – Oh, my, word. If you do not use Gmail, get someone to give you an account just so you can use this amazing feature. Imagine this – your main inbox on one side…and a bunch of other inboxes within your inbox on the other! And you select them! It has really helped me keep track of e-mails from grad school, professional organizations, and other business endeavors I’m involved in.
- Undo Send – I can think of several academic institutions who wished they had this tool on their e-mail. I wished I had this tool a couple years ago to save me from situations others have had. Well, I have the tool now. What it basically does is hold an e-mail message you just “sent” for 5 seconds before sending it on to your intended recipient, allowing you to decide within those 5 seconds whether or not that e-mail should really be on its way. While, like this author, I wish I had more like 5-10 minutes to think about an e-mail I just “sent”…or maybe a double confirmation button…this is still a good feature to pause e-mails that might not have the attachment you thought you put there (Gmail has a lab feature for that, too!) or add another thought, etc.
Yes, I like Google. No, I do not think they are the devil. We can discuss that at a later time because right now, I’m going to go check my e-mail…
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