Gmail

Save time with Gmail keyboard shortcuts

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One of the best features of Gmail is the built-in keyboard shortcuts. They allow you to do everything from composing a message to quickly archiving messages.

In order to use keyboard shortcuts, they must be enabled in Gmail settings. To do this, first hit the gear icon at the top right of the Gmail screen, and then go to the Settings.

Scroll midway down the Settings, and make sure that Keyboard Shortcuts are turned ON. Be sure and scroll to the bottom and SAVE your settings.

Now, the keyboard shortcuts will be enabled for you. Try them out… hit the C on your keyboard to begin composing a new message. When you are done, hit Control-Enter to send your message. On a Mac, you’ll use the Command key instead of Control.

To see a full list of keyboard shortcuts, you can hit the ? (question mark) at any time. This will bring up a keyboard overlay as shown below.

 

This Google help link also has more info on the keyboard shortcuts: https://support.google.com/mail/answer/6594?hl=en

The Future of Email is Inbox by Google

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By now, I’m sure everyone knows about the Gmail interface. But did you know that Google also has a very different way to interact with your email? In this TTT, I’ll give you a tour of Inbox by Gmail.

Inbox by Gmail is a great way to put the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to work on your email.  You can access it by going to inbox.google.com and using your Gmail credentials.  Here’s a shot of the main screen:

As you can see, it is much more colorful and clean than Gmail.  But the real power of Inbox is in the AI features.  Inbox uses smart bundling to recognize what type of email you have and to categorize it for you.  Take a look at these:

Like emails will be “bundled” in your inbox for you, and they’ll be available using the sidebar to quickly find them again.  You can even schedule a bundle to appear at a particular time.  For example, I have my “Promos” show up once a day at 7:00 AM.  This ensures that my time is spent on important things, and not dealing with notifications.

The Trips bundle will categorize things such as flights, hotel reservations and more.  I am going to Canada this weekend and this is what my bundle looks like in the inbox.

When I open the bundle, I see all of my related messages in a beautiful interface:

The AI even works for things like bank statements and Amazon purchases:

I also love the ability to snooze emails and have them return to the inbox at a later date.
And built-in reminders allows me to keep track of everything I need to do.

Inbox by Gmail works a little differently, more like a To Do list than an email client.  For example, instead of archiving email, you mark it as done, which accomplishes the same thing.  As I see emails as tasks to be done, this is a preferred way of working for me.  I have even stopped using labels, because of the bundling and awesome search within Inbox.

There are apps available for iOS and Android, and on the web you can go to inbox.google.com to access it.  Give it a try and see if it works for you.  If not, you can always use the Gmail interface.

Adding a Signature to Gmail

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When you attach a well-designed signature to your emails you raise your credibility level and professionalism. At the very least, your signature should include your name, title, organization, and phone number and/or email where you can be contacted.  It’s easy to add a signature to your Gmail account.


This tutorial will walk you through adding a non-HTML signature, which should be fine for most people. If you really need a HTML signature, visit our blog for more info.


First, go to the Settings menu (the icon that looks like a gear).


Click it, then choose Settings from the pull-down.

Scroll down through the Settings, to the Signature area.




Click inside the box, and begin typing your signature.  You can use the icons above the box to change the font, size, style, color, add links or an image, choose the justification, add a list and more.  If you mess up and want to start over, use the last button to remove the formatting.

One last thing you might want to do is check the box next to Insert this signature before quoted text in replies and remove the “–” line that precedes it.  That will ensure that your signature appears in all messages including replies.

When done, scroll to the bottom and hit Save Changes. Now your email signature will be added to every outgoing email.



ADVANCED TIP: Add HTML Signature

  • Go to docs.google.com and create a new Doc.  
  • Creature your signature using all available Doc formatting options (stay away from the Insert menu – not all options work).
  • When happy with your signature, go to the File menu, and Download as…  Select Web Page (.html, zipped).  When the file downloads, unzip it.  Open the resulting .html file by clicking on it.  
  • Select all the text, and use the Copy command. 
  • Scroll to the bottom of the Settings panel to Signature.

  • Click inside the box and Paste the info copied from the HTML file.  At this point, you can use the built-in Image tool to add an image if you so choose.
  • (Optional) Check the box that says “Insert this signature before quoted text in replies and remove the “–” line that precedes it.”
  • When you’re done, be sure to click on Save Changes at the bottom of the page.