GMail Ninja Tips and Tricks

GMail has just realeased a list of smart shortcuts to easily manage your day-to-day activities with the GMail Inbox. Most of it is widely known to most users, such as using stars to favorite mails, or labels and even archiving. In the latest blog post from GMail Blog , they have talked about the different levels with which they have distinguished the tips and tricks to use GMail more efficiently. Of course, it is the same inbox, but it is upto the user how well he/she manages it.

For e.g. simple keyboard shortcuts like C for compose, Y for archiving or O for opening a mail can make life a lot easier. [Of course, keyboard shortcuts has to be enabled in the Settings, and for that matter, people who are not very familiar with using Keyboard shortcuts will get so much irritated by unexpected opening of mails or the compose mode.]

The entire list of tips and tricks [ nicknamed Become a GMail Ninja] is available at http://www.gmail.com/tips, and a Printable version as well in pdf. For the first 1024 requesters in the US, GMail would even mail them the laminated printed guide. [ I like the number 1024].

Some of my favourite GMail Jutsus are listed below.

1. Customizable Inbox addresses:
We tend to sign-up for a lot of services which ask for an email address. Now, you might have a separate email address just for that purpose. But with that, you will never be able to track if the service you signed up, has been sending you any spam or not. The day is saved by customizable email or inbox addresses. The trick is to append a word or identifier at the end of your username.
e.g. If I was signing up for a supermarket store Fubarmart, I’d give them my email ID as: username+fubarmart@gmail.com
Now by creating a filter, indicating all the emails to username+fubarmart@gmail.com to be moved to a label called fubarmart, I can trace if Fubarmart has been sending any spam mails to me or not.

2. Filter Control associated with Labels.
Filters enable users to accommodate similar emails under one roof. This makes the inbox more arranged and easier to search for an email you want to come back to. Hence, filters can arrange the emails on the basis of sender-address, or even to your customizable inbox addresses[ explained below]. By creating filters and associating them with labels, life is much more simple.

3.Vacation responders and Signatures.
The name says it. GMail inbox is as awesome as a mail client. Vacation responders can be configured to take care of auto-reply in case you are out on a long vacation. This can also be used for general auto-reply, if you happen to be a very popular man who receives hundreds of emails per day.

Signatures on the other hand can be used to do away with ’signing off redundancy’. It can also be used to publicize your website, or your facebook or twitter urls, or even can be a space to show off your witty side with a kick-ass quote. Just be sure of the audience your mail goes to.

4. Search Smart on GMail.
For more on this, read the post ‘Search you Inbox efficiently‘.

5. EOM in Subject Line.
By adding (EOM) in the Subject Line, you can avoid the annoying pop-up asking you to fill in something in the message body. Of course, if you have a signature, you do not need to use this feature.

6.YouTube and Flickr previews.
This is a Google Labs functionality and allows users to view YouTube videos and Flickr pics right from the inbox.

7.Remote sign-off
This is for users like me [ i.e. students] who tend to sign in to check our mails at every possible internet outlet – at the library, the workstation room, Maths building etc. If for some reason, you are worried about not having signed out somewhere, you can sign off those previous sessions from anywhere else. This option is available at the bottom of your inbox, and also lets you know where the previous login sessions were located [ as in the IP addresses].

8. Finally, my favorite. Themes.
Yeah, as simple as that. Decorate your inbox in your own customised way or choose from the number of templates available. The one I have right now is the Zoozimps theme. It is fun, has a bit of an animation going in the chat window and is white.

So, tell me, what are your Jutsus that make you a GMail Ninja? Shout it out in the comments section.

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