Love all of the slick inter-connectedness of web 2.0 tools??? Consider Gmail as your new email client then ... it's full of web 2.0 fabulous-ness.
Here are just a few cool things you can do with Gmail:
1. Pull in ALL - yes all - of your email accounts into one inbox
Many of us have 2 or more (sometimes 5) email addresses - with Gmail, you can pull all of your email into one inbox. Not that exciting as you can do this with most email programs ... but still nice. I have all 5 (UGH 5) email addresses filtering into Gmail and filing under separate tags - work, Diamond, personal, yada yada ... this helps my muddled brain keep things straight.
2. Respond from all your email accounts (sort of)
Gmail allows you to send out (after you verify that you own the email address) from your various email addresses. So, I can send my stef_hahn@yahoo.com emails out under my Yahoo address, my s.hahn@cbhearthside.com emails out as such and so on ... here is the only caveat - when I send out from another account (other than my Gmail account that I am logged into) the Gmail address is always included.
Like this: From: stefanieaingehahn@gmail.com On Behalf Of Stefanie A. Hahn [s.hahn@cbhearthside.com] - Education Director - Coldwell Banker Hearthside, Realtors
Now, admittedly, I paid $20 a year to Yahoo before to mask this (so it really did appear to be coming from the address I wanted - sometimes my Yahoo address, sometimes my CBH address), so it is a trade-off. Gmail is FREE. Nuff said.
3. Tag emails with relevant keywords/names/etc
This is fab - truly - no more folders! Now I can tag an email with several tags - I am no longer limited to a one folder filing system. My tags will allow me to pull up these emails whenever I need them.
4. Chat directly within Gmail and save your chats as emails
Chat (or instant messaging) is the new email. Yes - email is dying a slow death ... being replaced slowly by instant messaging., micro-blogging and text messaging. Also known as, "I want it all and I want it now".
Now you say, but Stef, I have no record of these things - my chats, etc. Not true! You can chose to keep all of your chats in logs, your micro-blogging on Twitter or FriendFeed will live on the interweb forever and well, your texts will save on your phone until you delete them. Promise.
5. Manage your contacts - even get suggested contacts from Google!!!
Google is not a contact manager, but you can do some contact management with your Gmail account. My fav part - suggested contacts. This is HANDS-DOWN the best feature of Gmail - suggested contacts. I email someone not in my address book and POOF - Google says, hey kid, add this person to your contacts. I click OK and WOOT they are in my address book! LOVE IT.
6. Create and manage multiple task lists
I am a list person, so you know I have multiple tasks lists in my Gmail. They are super easy to set-up and use. Plus I get to "cross off" each item, rather than just deleting it. You will only get this if you are a list person.
7. Add all sorts of fun extras, but beware ...
Check out Google Labs for all of the cool Gmail add-on's but be careful ... I added Google Goggles and seriously regretted it during one rather late Friday night of work. Check it out for yourself to see what I mean.
Still not convinced??? Gmail is not for everyone, it's definitely more web 2.0 that most web mail programs out there, so make sure you are comfortable with these tools before jumping in.
Here are just a few cool things you can do with Gmail:
1. Pull in ALL - yes all - of your email accounts into one inbox
Many of us have 2 or more (sometimes 5) email addresses - with Gmail, you can pull all of your email into one inbox. Not that exciting as you can do this with most email programs ... but still nice. I have all 5 (UGH 5) email addresses filtering into Gmail and filing under separate tags - work, Diamond, personal, yada yada ... this helps my muddled brain keep
2. Respond from all your email accounts (sort of)
Gmail allows you to send out (after you verify that you own the email address) from your various email addresses. So, I can send my stef_hahn@yahoo.com emails out under my Yahoo address, my s.hahn@cbhearthside.com emails out as such and so on ... here is the only caveat - when I send out from another account (other than my Gmail account that I am logged into) the Gmail address is always included.
Like this: From: stefanieaingehahn@gmail.com On Behalf Of Stefanie A. Hahn [s.hahn@cbhearthside.com] - Education Director - Coldwell Banker Hearthside, Realtors
Now, admittedly, I paid $20 a year to Yahoo before to mask this (so it really did appear to be coming from the address I wanted - sometimes my Yahoo address, sometimes my CBH address), so it is a trade-off. Gmail is FREE. Nuff said.
3. Tag emails with relevant keywords/names/etc
This is fab - truly - no more folders! Now I can tag an email with several tags - I am no longer limited to a one folder filing system. My tags will allow me to pull up these emails whenever I need them.
4. Chat directly within Gmail and save your chats as emails
Chat (or instant messaging) is the new email. Yes - email is dying a slow death ... being replaced slowly by instant messaging., micro-blogging and text messaging. Also known as, "I want it all and I want it now".
Now you say, but Stef, I have no record of these things - my chats, etc. Not true! You can chose to keep all of your chats in logs, your micro-blogging on Twitter or FriendFeed will live on the interweb forever and well, your texts will save on your phone until you delete them. Promise.
5. Manage your contacts - even get suggested contacts from Google!!!
Google is not a contact manager, but you can do some contact management with your Gmail account. My fav part - suggested contacts. This is HANDS-DOWN the best feature of Gmail - suggested contacts. I email someone not in my address book and POOF - Google says, hey kid, add this person to your contacts. I click OK and WOOT they are in my address book! LOVE IT.
6. Create and manage multiple task lists
I am a list person, so you know I have multiple tasks lists in my Gmail. They are super easy to set-up and use. Plus I get to "cross off" each item, rather than just deleting it. You will only get this if you are a list person.
7. Add all sorts of fun extras, but beware ...
Check out Google Labs for all of the cool Gmail add-on's but be careful ... I added Google Goggles and seriously regretted it during one rather late Friday night of work. Check it out for yourself to see what I mean.
Still not convinced??? Gmail is not for everyone, it's definitely more web 2.0 that most web mail programs out there, so make sure you are comfortable with these tools before jumping in.
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