Gmail Ninja! Watchout!

Have I told you lately that I love Google?  Oh wait, that was just yesterday.  I am back riding the Google train!  Choo choo.  So I was just reading the official Gmail blog and saw the post from June 23rd – “So, you want to be a gmail ninja?”.  OMG! How appropriate for me.  Am I an email ninja?  Let’s see . . .

• Gmail Ninja Theme?  CHECK!  (To find your theme: click on ‘Settings’ > ‘Themes’)
• Gmail Keyboard Shortcut Stickers on Keyboard?  CHECK!
• Organize Email with Labels? CHECK!
• But then I discovered there are a multitude of other items that can take one from white belt to master!

Gmail has put together a handy one-pager PDF – it’s linked to the post.  Enjoy!

One of the reasons we like Google is that it isn’t static, it is always improving!  Google recently combined two favorites…their tasks application from Gmail and their calendar are now joined at the hip, so to speak!  You can now make task lists in Google Calendars, add a date due and then sort your tasks by due date.  It makes things super simple to keep track of those million and one things you have to get done!

To use the new lab, simply follow these easy steps:

Google Calendar combines with Google Tasks to create a great new tool!

In just a few steps you can keep track of all that you have to do!

Google, making life easier!

Have you GOOGLED today?

Web Marketing Related Posts:

1. Google Tools – Organize Your Inbox!
2. OOPS! Google Undo for Gmail!
3. Google Currents and Flipboard – Learn about Social Magazine Applications

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!

Gmail's Forgotten Attachment Detector

Are you familiar with a little thing called KARMA, the law of cause and effect in the ethical realm?  I was emailing back and forth with a fellow Wild Web Woman this week and noticed that some of her attachments weren’t coming through to the team.  This is an honest mistake, so no big thing-but I did email her and ask that she double check before sending to ensure that all of her attachments were in fact, attached.  Fast forward to later that very same day and I was sending a client a rough draft of an ENewsletter.  I formulated my email, including all the highlights of the newsletter and ended my email with a clever reason why he should approve it quickly!  Well, he was QUICK to reply that I hadn’t sent the attachment.  I already knew I failed to attach the document seconds after hitting send, and had resent my email WITH the attachment probably at the very same moment the client was saying it was missing.

KARMA…I tell you, it turns around and bites you in the…well, you know where I’m going with that!

I was checking out all the cool new labs in google, a place where Gmail engineers come up with new ideas all the time and the labs are their place to try them out and get your feedback.  They are beta products that may or may not make the final cut!  I stumbled upon Forgotten Attachment Detector, which prevents you from accidentally sending messages without the relevant attachments.  So if you say, “I have attached the document for your review” or “I’m attaching pictures”,  but don’t have any attachments, Gmail alerts you with a pop-up window- confirming that you either don’t have an attachment or that you have indeed forgotten them and give you a chance to attach them and then send!

Works like a charm if you have the words “attached” or “attachment” or “attaching” as part of your text!  I sure hope it makes the cut, with some  tweaks, this could be a GREAT tool! 

I like to have my Gmail emails and chat messages open in the same window like this Google Chat call out above.

Was one of your 2009 Marketing goals to make mo’ money?  Start using free awesome services like Gmail Chat to make your ‘09 productive and fun! Here are a list of reasons why I love Gmail Chat:

1.) It’s fast, immediate, and efficient

I can reach my Boss Lady or Treatment Specialist quicker via Google chat than sending an email which can be a passive aggressive perpetrator!

2.) It’s fun because it’s OK to use acronyms like u, ur, 4, thx, LMK, and my favorite LOL!

Plus, spelling and grammar mistakes are not that big of deal when using Google Chat (however, don’t abuse this:)

3.) I never get an answer machine on Google Chat!

Chat instead of spending time leaving a message for someone because they are not available when you are.  Google Chat notifies the user when their contacts are available so you don’t have to waste time leaving a message.

4.) $$- I save money on my iPhone plan!

I don’t need an unlimited minutes iPhone plan because I don’t need to use the phone when I have questions or need help, I can just start chatting.