February 27th, 2009
by Anne Orfila
short⋅cut [shawrt-kuht] –noun: a shorter or quicker way.
Remember how I proclaimed my love (correct pronounciation: luh-uh-uhve) for Gmail? If you don’t, read it here, as it sets the backdrop for this next chapter in my Gmail love affair. On Gmail’s Official Blog, they offered Gmail stickers! How fun!!! Elated and excited, I sent away for them and received them shortly thereafter!
These stickers are colorful “cheats” for Gmail’s “Keyboard Shortcuts“. Don’t know what a keyboard shortcut is? I know you know. Everyone knows that typing “control” (the button that says “ctrl”) plus letter “A” (on a PC) selects “all” the text on whatever you are looking at. And some may know that “ctrl” plus the letter “X” cuts selected text and that “ctrl” plus “V” pastes that text exactly where your cursor is. These are “keyboard shortcuts”. Things that most people use their mouse for. If you’re busy, or your wrist is feeling carpol-tunnel-y, than keyboard shortcuts are for you!
So with Gmail Keyboard Shortcuts, when you are in your inbox, one strike of a key (the letter “O” specifically) can open up an email, striking the letter “F” will forward the opened email message, or striking the letter “A” will ‘reply all’ to the email that is open. And there is more. You can even ’star’ your mail (using the letter “S” of course) and send using “tab” plus “enter”.
If you’re in Gmail now and your typing all these letters and it’s not working, don’t be frustrated! There is one thing you have to do – you have to enable the keyboard shortcuts! In the top right corner of your Gmail inbox, select “Settings”, under the “General” tab, the third option down is “Keyboard Shortcuts”, select “Keyboard Shortcuts On”. Here is the cheat sheet – you may need to print it out! I, on the other hand, just have to refer to my colorful stickers, courtesy of Google, on my keyboard. They are a great guide, and when I’m working remotely in a coffee house, my keyboard is the cutest looking one! (See actual picture below!)
Google Keyboard Shortcut Stickers!
Web Marketing Therapy Related Links:
- Get Your Nunchucks Out and Become a Gmail Ninja!
- An Examination of Gmail: does the “G” stand for “Great” mail?
- OOPS! Google Undo for Gmail!
- Forgotten Attachments – Gmail to the Rescue!
Kaili
(February 28th, 2009 at 12:30 am)
So glad you posted this I’m going to send off for my Gmail stickers!! Last night I figured out how to do the star on my gmail, my ninjas are throwing stars now!
Lorrie
(February 28th, 2009 at 8:29 pm)
This is Google-icious! I am printing out the cheatsheet and I can vouch for Anne’s computer, it is way cuter than ours with the stickers…
L