Web Worker Daily

One of the things I’ve always found frustrating about Google is its inability to perform a search and then filter based on date/time written. Last night I was trying to find out what happened to Axxo (a famous BitTorrent figure), who’s currently missing, and was having a horrible time with it. A few months ago, Axxo had also disappeared, only to reappear a short time later, so when I was searching for “What happened to Axxo,” Google kept finding articles about his previous disappearance instead of his current one. Turns out Google can filter results by time, as I found out while looking for more Axxo information. Here’s how to enable time-based filtering: Read the rest of this entry »

I use multiple computers throughout the workday and am always using Gmail. Sometimes, when I am in a hurry, I jump up from the computer and forget to log out of my Gmail. Usually I can just head back to the workstation to log myself out, but occasionally I’ll only remember hours later and am no where near the workstation. Luckily, Gmail has a “remote log out” feature so you can log out of all your active Gmail sessions from any computer or mobile phone that supports JavaScript and has access to the Internet.

1. Log into Gmail in any web browser
2. Click the “Details” button. It is located next to “Last Account Activity” below your Inbox (below your current mailbox usage info).

Read the rest of this entry »

I was recently introduced to Gmail aliases and am loving them. With aliases, you can receive email messages at “your.username+any.alias@gmail.com”. So if your email address is “jane.doe@gmail.com” you can receive mail at ”jane.doe+notes@gmail.com” and it will still be delivered to your inbox. Why would you want to do this? Well, you can use the alias to set up filters to automatically direct those messages to trash, apply a label or star, skip the inbox, or forward to another email account entirely.

Here are the aliases I use, together with the labels I have set up:

• “cl” applies the label “craiglist”
• “rec” applies the label “recipe”
• “p” applies the label “pics”
• “bb” applies the label “blackberry”

To create filters to auto-apply your labels: Read the rest of this entry »

Twitter is has become a crucial part of my online life: I use it for my personal brand management, as a news source, and as a resource for answering any questions I might have. When I’m on the go, I use the popular Twitter client Tweetie on my iPhone,but when I’m sitting at my computer I use the Twitter Gadget for Gmail. I prefer using the web interface simply because it’s extremely lightweight — and I have yet to find a desktop client that I like.

Having Twitter inside Gmail is awesome. It’s a simple text box that sits in the lower left-hand corner of my Gmail window. I keep Gmail open in a tab all day, so whenever I want to tweet something, I simply pop over to my Gmail tab, scroll down and type in my message. I end up using other computers a lot, and it’s much easier to log into just one account, Gmail, instead of two separate accounts, Gmail and Twitter. Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve really enjoyed reading the “What’s In Your Bag?” posts here on WWD. I have my fair share of electronics in my bag, but I also carry around some useful non-electronic items.  Today I had a moment where a handy new non-electronic item made it into my bag: the Tide to Go Instant Stain Remover Pen, which should help ensure that I always looking my best for those tricky first client meetings.

This pen is one of those “as seen on TV” type of items that I would never purchase myself, because they “never work.” Tuns out I was wrong, very wrong. A few years ago my mom gave me one. It got thrown into my junk draw and hadn’t been seen since, until today. Read the rest of this entry »

I love Gmail. With it I can flag emails and sort my mail into folders, have multiple email accounts forwarded to one Gmail account, and it has great calendar and map integration. I have my email with me wherever I go: I can check it on my iPhone, on my MacBook Air, or on a friend’s computer. I also have elaborate auto filtering and tagging systems set up to make sure all my client emails stay sorted. Oh, did I mention offline mode? I can have all my emails downloaded to my computer so I can see them even when I am not online.

Recently I discovered a new Labs feature that makes me love Gmail even more: the “Send & Archive” button. Read the rest of this entry »