HOW TO START WITH GMAIL GETTING TO KNOW: 0261003579
This series is meant to assist you master the important and useful features of Google’s Gmail and its simple but smart interface. By the top of those chapters, we’ll take you from a rookie to an influence user. Gmail is one among the foremost popular webmail services out there. Gmail began in 2004 as what would end up being an extended 5-year beta and didn’t become hospitable the general public until 2007. Gmail was one among the primary web-based email products to supply a gigabyte of initial storage, trumping many of the opposite popular webmail services at the time, who typically offered 2 to 4 megabytes. Over time, Google has continued to extend storage capacity and now offers 15 gigabytes of initial storage once you check in for a replacement account! Google also broke with tradition by offering an interface that organizes messages into threads, and while you’ll still break these threads into individual messages (we’ll mention this later), it immediately made for a way cleaner inbox. Also, Gmail tread new ground by completely doing away with old fashioned folders. Instead, users could now apply “labels,” as many as they needed, and thus filter their messages without ever filing it away during a folder. While the labels appear to try to an equivalent thing as folders, they’re actually much more versatile as we’ll determine later in Chapter 3.
Why do you have to Use Gmail?
Let’s talk a touch more about Gmail’s best features and why, if you’re not already using Gmail, you would possibly consider starting.
Gmail Provides many Storage
Gmail provides over 15 GB of free storage, which allows you to save lots of all of your messages for future reference. NOTE: This 15 GB is shared with Google Drive and Google+ Photos. Better of all, Google is usually increasing your account’s storage capacity, so you don’t got to worry about running out of space, and if you are doing, you’ll always purchase more!
Conversations in Emails are organized into Threads
Emails are automatically grouped consistent with subject line. once you receive a reply to a message, all previous related messages are displayed during a collapsible vertical thread, making it easy to ascertain the whole conversation and review what has been discussed previously. We’ll discuss the conversation view thoroughly, later in Chapter 2.
Thorough Malware and Virus-Checking Features
Gmail constantly updates its anti-malware and anti-virus scanners to offer you the foremost up-to-date protection possible. File attachments are saved on Google’s servers, but if malware or an epidemic makes it through during a message, Gmail displays a warning and immediately quarantines the offending message. You can’t turn the virus filtering off, and it does prevent you from sending an executable (.exe) file as an attachment. If you actually got to send anything like an .exe file, you’ll first get to place it during a container like a .zip or .rar file.
Excellent Spam Filtering
Gmail has some pretty excellent spam filtering, stray messages do get through occasionally except for the foremost part, you’re unlikely to ascertain messages you don’t want to ascertain.
Gmail during a Browser
We want to start by touring the Gmail interfaces you’ll encounter. We’ll start with the online browser, which most Gmail users are going to be immediately conversant in. You’ll access Gmail in any browser, however, How-To Geek recommends Google Chrome, which is that the browser we use during this series. In Chapter 2, we’ll continue by that specialize in the mobile Android app.
Quickly and simply find Messages Using the Search Box
You can quickly find email messages using the facility of Google Search, which is tied into your Gmail allowing instant results. Simply enter your search criteria within the search field and click on the blue button or hit “enter.” Advanced search operators are query words or symbols that assist you refine your search. They perform special actions that allow you to quickly and simply hunt what you’re trying to find (see Google’s Advanced Search help page for an inventory of the foremost useful operators). For more search options, click the arrow on the search box. A panel drops down allowing you to look for email messages supported “From,”, “To,” “Subject,” message content, attachments, and more.
Access Other Gmail Features Using the Mail Menu
Click the “Mail” menu to access other Gmail features like Google Contacts and Google Tasks.
Perform Common Actions on Your Messages Using the Action Buttons
Action buttons allow you to take actions on your messages. For instance, you’ll use the buttons to label, delete, or mark one or more messages as spam. The action buttons are located under the search box and above your messages. Some buttons like “Archive,” “Report spam,” and “Labels” are only available if you’ve selected one or more messages or opened a message. The “Select” button allows you to quickly and simply select all or none of your messages, all read or unread messages, or all starred or unstarred messages. Click the arrow on the “Select” button to access the varied options for choosing your messages. To quickly select all of your messages, click the empty check box on the “Select” button. When the check box on the “Select” button features a sign up it, all of your messages are selected. Clicking the check box on the “Select” button when it contains a check, quickly de-selects all of your messages. The “Archive” button allows you to get rid of messages from your inbox, but keep them in your Gmail account, for later reference. You’ll consider archiving like moving a crucial file on your desk into your file instead of into the ashcan. If you’ve got received any messages that appear to be spam, use the “Report spam” button to report this to Google. While Gmail’s spam filters works alright, they’re not perfect and errant messages do get through every now then. This feature helps them recover at filtering out annoying, unwanted messages. To report a message as spam, select the check box next to the message in your inbox or open the message, then click the “Report spam” button on the toolbar. If you (or Google) have accidentally marked a message as spam, you’ll recover it. Simply, click the “Spam” label within the list of labels on the left. Select the message that’s not spam and click on the “Not spam” button on the toolbar. Remember, the more spam messages you report, the higher Google gets at filtering out these unwanted messages. Use the “Delete” button to maneuver messages to the “Trash.” Messages within the “Trash” are permanently deleted automatically after 30 days. Once a message has been permanently deleted from “Trash,” it can’t be recovered. To “undelete” a message, move the message; drag it to the “Inbox,” or another label. You’ll manually delete all the messages within the “Trash” by clicking the “Empty Trash now” link at the highest of the list. Gmail allows you to delete specific messages within a conversation thread. We’ll discuss this further during a later section. The “Move to” button accesses a menu very almost like the “Labels” button discussed below. However, once you select one or more messages, click “Move to” then select a label from the “Move to” menu. The chosen message or messages are removed of the “Inbox” into that label, sort of a folder. The “Labels” button allows you to arrange your messages into categories. They’re almost like folders, but they add a further feature not available with folders: you’ll add quite one label to a message. To feature a label to a message, select the message, click the “Labels” button, and choose a label from the list. The list doesn’t close after you create a variety, so you’ll easily apply quite one label to a message. Only you’ll see labels you apply to messages. So, you’ll mark a message with whatever label you would like, like “Read later,” and therefore the sender of the message will never know.
Take Action on All Messages or Quickly Check Email
If you’ve got no message selected or open, there are only three Action buttons available: “Select,” “Refresh,” and “More.” The “Select” button (with the empty check box) offers equivalent options that it does when one or more messages are selected or a message is open. Use the “Refresh” button (with the circular arrow) to see for brand spanking new email. When no messages are selected or open, the “More” button only allows you to mark all messages as read.
Display Text on Buttons instead of Pictures
If you favor to possess text rather than icons on the “Action” buttons, you’ll change a setting to accomplish this. Click the “Settings” gear button and choose “Settings” from the menu. Scroll right down to the “Button labels” section and choose the “Text” option. Scroll right down to rock bottom of the page and click on “Save Changes.” All the “Action” buttons, except the “Select” button, change to display text rather than icons.
Quickly Move Through Your Messages Using the Newer and Older Buttons
If you’ve got tons of email messages in your inbox, you’ll use the “Newer” and “Older” buttons to maneuver through your messages. These buttons are only active if you’ve got a message open.
Communicate Internationally Using the Input Tools Button
Gmail provides many various virtual keyboards and IMEs (input method editors) you want to activate to use, allowing you to speak in several languages using different keyboard layouts for improved international communication. IMEs allow you to use a Roman alphabet keyboard to convert your keystrokes to characters in another language. The Transliteration input tool allows you to type languages phonetically in English letters, and they’ll display in their correct alphabet. A Handwriting input tool is out there that permits you to write down words using your mouse or trackpad.
NOTE: Transliteration is different from translation. When using transliteration, you’re only converting the sound of the words from one alphabet to the opposite, not the meaning. Click the keyboard button to show the Input tools on or off. Note that you simply also can press “Ctrl + Shift + K” to try to this. Clicking the down arrow on the proper side of the keyboard button displays the input options, like selecting a special keyboard layout, enabling a private dictionary, and accessing the “Input Tools Settings.” In Chapter 10, we’ll discuss the various sorts of input tools, show you ways to show the “Input Tools” on and off, and choose specific input tools to be available on the menu.
Customize Gmail Using the Settings Button
Use the “Settings” gear button to define your display density setting (the space between messages and objects in Gmail), access other settings or themes, and obtain Gmail help. We’ll discuss useful Gmail settings in Chapter 3.
Write and Send Emails Using the Compose Button
Use the Compose button within the upper, left corner of the most Gmail screen to write down and send new emails. You’ll format your text, add images and links, and fasten files. We’ll show you all the Compose features in Chapter 2.
Organize Your Inbox Using Default and Custom Labels
To the left of the Inbox may be a list of labels. This list is analogous to the list available from the “Labels” button, and a bit like the “Labels” button, it allows you to arrange the messages in your inbox into categories. Gmail comes with several default labels and you’ll add custom labels. The amount in parentheses next to a label indicates the amount of unread messages associated or tagged, thereupon label. Click a label link to display all messages related to that label. Once you drag a message to a label, it’s almost like using the “Move to” button. The message is moved thereto label and is far away from the inbox. However, you’ll also drag a label from the list to a message to associate it thereupon label. This enables you to tug multiple labels to one message, unlike folders. The “All Mail” label is your archive. Uses this label to assist reduce clutter in your inbox. Move messages you’ve read (but don’t want to delete) in your inbox to the “All Mail” label to archive the message. Messages within the “All Mail” label are never deleted (unless you delete them) and are always available by clicking the “All Mail” label link. Once you use the “Search” box to seek out messages, the messages within the “All Mail” label are included within the search. You’ll also assign different colors to your labels to quickly find messages at a look in your inbox. Clicking the arrow to the proper of a label allows you to access options for that label, like changing the color. Use this menu to point out or hide the label within the labels list or within the message list, to edit or remove a label, or add a sub-label to the label. We’ll cover labels at great length in Chapter 3.
Read and Organize Your Messages in Your Inbox
Your inbox displays all email messages you’ve received and haven’t yet moved to a label or archived. By default, unread messages in your inbox have a white background and display in bold lettering while read messages have a gray background and normal type. Everyone has their own distinct way of viewing and handling email. Gmail allows you to vary your inbox style. Simply, click the arrow to the proper of the Inbox label and choose a special style from the menu. The currently selected style is indicated with a check. Each style is described to the proper of the menu as you progress your mouse over the choices. Switching from one style to a different doesn’t affect the messages in your inbox; it only changes the order during which the messages are listed.
Indicate Important Messages Using Stars
Use stars in your inbox to mark certain messages as “Important.” for instance, you’ll star messages that you simply got to reply to later. To star a message, simply click the star to the left of the sender’s name. If you have already got the message open, you’ll click the “More” button and choose “Add star.” you’ll add other sorts of stars, like an exclamation mark or a check by modifying the preference in settings. We’ll show you ways to try to this in Chapter 4.
Easily Spot Messages with Attachments or Calendar Invitations
Gmail informs you visually when a message contains an attachment or a call for participation with an icon to the proper of the topic line. Within the image below, we’ve a call for participation to lunch (calendar icon) in one message, and an attachment (paperclip icon) on another.
Stay Connected with Hangouts
Google Hangouts allows you to send messages, photos, and make video calls together with your friends and family. It’s available in Gmail below the list of labels on the left. We’ll briefly discuss Hangouts much later in Chapter 8.
Overview of the Course
For the rest of this series, we’ll consider nine key areas:
Chapter 2: The Mobile App, Composing Mail, and Conversations
We finish our tour of the Gmail interface by going into the mobile app. Then we cover the way to compose emails including replying to and forwarding. Finally, we’ll introduce you to the conversation view, the way to disable it, and the way to delete one message from a conversation.
Chapter 3 – Inbox Management and Labels
In Chapter 3 we advance to inbox management like the way to automatically categorize you inbox message and organize your messages with different inbox styles. Afterward, we probe mail labels.
Chapter 4 – Mail Filters and therefore the Star System
Chapter 4 begins with a discussion on the way to filter your labeled mail, including the way to easily import and export existing filters into other Gmail accounts. We finish up the chapter by that specialize in the star systems, which allows you to mark various email messages with different color stars, making messages easier to seek out and group.
Chapter 5 – Attachments, Signatures, and Security
If you’ve ever wanted to incorporate a signature at the top of every message, then you’ll determine the way to do this in Chapter 5. We also touch briefly on Gmail’s attachment functionality and we’ll wrap the chapter up with coverage on the way to change your password, add two-level security, and copy your data.
Chapter 6 – Invitations and Vacation Responders
In Chapter 6, we cover invitations – the way to find, respond, and insert them into Gmail messages. Wrapping up, we explain how vacation responders work and the way to use them effectively when you’re far away from the office.
Chapter 7 – Use Gmail as a Task List
Chapter 7 is devoted solely to using Gmail as a task list – adding, creating, renaming, and almost anything task list related.
Chapter 8 – Multiple Accounts, Keyboard Shortcuts, Hangouts
Here we cover Google Hangouts (formally Gtalk), which can allow you to simply chat with the other Gmail user, or create a gaggle chat (Hangout), with multiple users. Then we jump into using and managing multiple accounts, the way to sign out of Gmail remotely, and eventually a quick introduction to using Gmail with a keyboard.
Chapter 9 – Use Your Gmail Account to Access Other Accounts and dealing Offline
If you’ve got other email accounts, you’ll access them through your Gmail, allowing you to consolidate all of your accounts into one. You’ll also use Gmail offline just in case you don’t have reliable Internet access, like if you’re traveling or during a remote area.
Chapter 10 – Power Tips and Gmail Labs We close the series out by taking you thru some various remaining power tips and introducing you to Gmail Labs, which can allow you to extend the facility and functionality of Gmail far beyond the essential, default interface.
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