First, Twitter announced it would be bringing a new Lists feature online to build groups right into the popular social networking site. Now it’s going a step further towards making the service more professionally relevant by introducing a Twitter Labs feature, according to The Next Web.
Like Google Labs and Facebook Prototypes before it, Twitter Labs will allow developers to test out new features for the site with a voluntary beta community prior to their official release. Not only that, but Labs would allow outside developers to create and work on add-ons and other features that could then become deeply integrated with Twitter itself, instead of just being relegated to external clients that use the API. Read the rest of this entry »
After reading Aliza’s post about how she organizes her email, my biggest piece of advice in using Gmail is to embrace the organizational chaos. I’ve been using Gmail for over three years, and I use it as my primary email. I have a dozen or so email addresses, but they all get forwarded to Gmail. I use it as my central inbox for everything, so my email volume in that one inbox is high.
Prior to Gmail, I used Outlook for email, which has a less-than-optimal search capability. In other words, if I didn’t file an email into the proper folder, my chances of ever finding that email again were slim. When I first started using Gmail, I brought this filing behavior with me, and I obsessively tagged and labeled everything. I ended up with a bunch of labels that I probably didn’t need. At some point, I realized that Gmail’s search facility is so amazing that labeling and filing every email became unnecessary. Now, for most emails, I read them, respond if necessary, and archive. All without bothering to give them labels.
Now, to contradict myself. I also make extensive use of Gmail’s filtering capabilities to automatically add labels to some email. However, I reserve this capability for the really important stuff, like client email — you know, the people who pay me money to do stuff. I want to keep careful track of those emails. 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 »
Gmail Labs has been busy lately, it would seem, and has introduced a number of new features for the web-based email service that have me, once again, considering going back to it (I generally use my MobileMe account, because it allows me to sync across my Macs and my iPhone and iPod Touch). These new features are generally useful for anyone, but they can also add to a web worker’s productivity, especially if you use your Gmail account for both private and professional correspondence.
First up, there’s a feature I know I’ve wished I had many, many times. And generally, when I found myself wanting it, my career was somehow involved. Basically, Gmail now has a take-back button for undoing a “Send” command. It actually holds the email for five seconds after you’ve pressed the send button, so it can’t actually reach out and steal a sent email back from the receiving server, but that five seconds is often all I need to realize that I’ve forgotten an important attachment in a client-facing email. Read the rest of this entry »
Google this week added a new Labs feature to Gmail, Title Tweaks, that easily lets you see whether you have unread messages in your Gmail inbox.
If you’re like me, you’ll nearly always have Gmail open in a tab on your browser. Unfortunately, when you open more than a few tabs, the tab width reduces to the point where you can no longer see how many unread messages there are.
Gmail in an inactive tab
It’s unproductive to have to switch back to the Gmail tab just to check to see whether you have new email. If you enable Title Tweaks (to find it click Settings, then Labs), it moves the count of unread messages to the start of the page title. This means that you can see whether you have any new mail in your inbox by just glancing at your tabs.
Gmail in an inactive tab with Title Tweaks enabled
This is very simple enhancement, but it’s very handy. Note that it also means that if you have a browser window minimized, you can keep a check on unread emails in the taskbar, too.
What are you favorite Gmail Labs features?
Those of us with @gmail.com email addresses or an email account through Google Apps have had some fun playing with the new experimental features through Gmail Labs. From the silly Mail Goggles to the more helpful ability to add a calendar to the sidebar or set an end date on vacation reminders, the Labs-in-email thing has mostly been aimed at the everyday user.
Now Google is getting serious by bringing the Labs concept to Google Apps. They’re starting with just 3 Labs add-ins. Google says they’re hoping 3rd party developers will get involved. Unlike the email Labs, these features must be added by your Google Apps Administrator. Usefulness depends on your organization/company needs. And remember, Google uses the “experimental” label to mean “use at your own risk.”
Read the rest of this entry »
Web Work 101: How To Escape The Cubicle
