GC: Gmail
Meet Gmail
About
Do you spend approximately 28% of your work week managing email? That's about one day a week. Gmail, Google's version of email, works hard to minimize the time you spend managing your email. It makes sending, receiving, Task tracking, contact tracking easier.
One awesome feature of Gmail is the search options it has. Combine that powerful search with filters, you can easily tag emails or move them into folders with ease. Customize additional options using the Settings ("a gear") in the top right quadrant.
Self-Assess: Turn and Talk
Review the checklist below. What do you know how to do? When you are done reflecting, Turn and Talk with someone nearby. Do this:
- Share ONE thing you know how to do well.
- Share ONE thing you want learn more about.
Checklist for Self-Assessment
I know how to navigate the Gmail portion of Google Workspace.
I can organize email in my inbox with folders, tags/labels, and filters.
I am aware of inbox zero as a strategy for organizing incoming emails.
I know how to move emails to the archive.
I know how to customize the theme, settings, and inbox (e.g. Priority Inbox and Split Pane View).
I know how to safeguard my email, and can select the right app for my smartphone.
What Can I Do With It?
You can do quite a bit with Gmail. Here are some of the topics we cover in this presentation:
Inbox Zero
Using Filters, Folders, and Labels to Organize Email
Adjusting Your Settings
How to Hack Your Gmail for Productivity
Safeguard Your Gmail
Create Email Groups, and a lot more
- Hack Your Inbox...Try Inbox Zero
Sort all your email in your inbox into Action, Follow-Up, and Someday.
Anything else, including emails you deal with, go into Gmail’s built-in archive (a.k.a. All Email).
Use Gmail’s search tools to quickly find emails in your archive or elsewhere. It’s worth looking at this chart of Gmail search operators. My favorites include:
to:
from:
has:attachment
is:unread
after:, before:, newer: with each colon followed by the date in question
subject: to find words in the subject line
2. Adjust Your Settings
You have access to a variety of settings to customize your gmail. Let's go over them.
As you can see, you have a variety of Quick Settings and an option to SEE ALL SETTINGS.
Quick Settings
Chat and Meet: This makes it easy to have conversations with others
Density: The amount of space in between rows of emails (I prefer Compact for maximum density)
Theme: Change the theme of your inbox to make it look more appealing to your eye.
Inbox Type: A lot of different options. My preferred is Starred first, or unread first. Other set ups are a bit complicated to navigate.
Reading Pane: This really depends on what device you are reading your email on. I prefer right of inbox.
Conversation View: This groups all related messages in a conversation thread together.
Here's what my inbox looks like with those options selected:
There are more settings available under SEE ALL SETTINGS. Are there any you need specific support on?
3. Use Filters and Labels to Organize
There are two ways to create filters. The first is to create a filter while viewing an email on the screen. The second is to create the filter and label ahead of time since you know what the email will be about or has a consistent subject line.
Approach #1: Filter Email While Reading It
Use filters and labels to organize your existing inbox, as well as redirect new messages. In this way, your inbox isn't overwhelmed by the overflow of mailing list missives, unwanted email, etc.
Using filters and labels also allows you to preserve critical information from a particular source or about a topic.
When you create a filter, you usually create a label to go with it. In this example, the label "Family Vacation" is created to match the filter that redirects email with the words "Family Vacation" in the Subject line.
As you can see (right), a new filter includes some critical components:
Skip the inbox: This ensures the email goes straight to your label/folder, rather than your inbox.
Apply the Label: This applies the label you have created for this filter. It makes all related filtered conversations easier to find.
Also apply filter to matching conversation: This makes the filter move all matching conversations to the label, magically cleaning up your inbox as it does so.
Approach #2: Create Filter and Label for Incoming Emails
In this situation, you know that you are going to be getting emails with certain words in the subject line or the body of the email message. Or, you may know that all emails from a particular email address are, for example, work-related. As such, you can organize your emails by creating a filter and label AHEAD of time. In this example below, all the emails incoming are work-related and include any or all of the following words: paycheck work services or come from a specific person's email address, mguhlin@tcea.org.
You first step, before you create the filter, is to make the label that will house the filtered messages. Follow these steps:
Go to the Gear in the top right hand corner of your Gmail and click on it.
Select SEE ALL SETTINGS
Go to LABELS and scroll down to the end of the list
Click CREATE NEW LABEL to make a label, "Work," in this example.
Your second step is to create a filter that moves new email to the appropriate label (e.g. WORK), when it encounters the criteria identified previously. Those criteria are:
paycheck
work
services
email from a particular person: mguhlin@tcea.org
4. Gmail Hacks & Tricks to Boost Productivity
Use Period and Plus Symbols to Manage eMail
Tip #1: Add Dots to Your Email
Insert one or several dots (".") anywhere in your email address. Gmail doesn't recognize periods as characters in addresses -- Gmail just ignores them.
For example, you could tell people your address was p.reimers@gmail.com, preim.ers@gmail.com or pr.eimers@gmail.com.
Tip #2: Create Unique Email Address with a Plus Symbol
Append a plus ("+") sign and any combination of words or numbers after your email address. For example, if your name was dbenner@gmail.com, you could send mail to dbenner+friends@gmail.com or dbenner+mailinglists@gmail.com.
In the To: box above, put your modified email and then filter it to a specific folder.
Did you know you can setup different Gmail accounts, one per profile? This is great if you Windows/Mac computer and you have a work/personal account you have to deal with.
When done, you will have one Chrome browser shortcut on your desktop that will open up a different gmail account. What a time-saver!
Setup Tasks in Gmail
Although you could use Google Keep, Trello Gmail add-on, you can also use Gmail's built-in Tasks tool.
Click on the MAIL under your organization logo
Select "Tasks"
Note that you now have a Task window in the bottom right-hand corner you can add to, modify. Note the Actions button gives you more custom options
Check out Gmail Hacks and Tricks to Boost Productivity article. Here is an excerpt:
The average person spends 28% of the work week reading and responding to emails.
This equates to 13 hours a week, and 650 hours a year.
Consider how productive you could be if you had a few extra hours every week to focus on the projects that really matter.
59% of Americans say that they check their emails outside of office hours.
And, just in case, here's another great article.
Create Your Own Email Group
Did you know you can create your own groups in Gmail to make sending emails easier? Follow these steps:
Click on the MAIL under your organization logo
Select "Contacts"
Click "New Group" and type in the name of the group
Add people to the group
Adjust Your Theme
Did you know you can create your own Gmail theme? Use Google Drawing to create your favorite wallpaper then:
Click on the Settings gear icon, near the right side of screen
Select Themes
Go to "My Pictures" at bottom of window, then select your favorite wallpaper or theme
Click "Save" button
5. Favorite Gmail Apps
Microsoft Outlook
Looking for a combination email and calendar management solution? An active iOS user, I’m often on the lookout for apps that combine a variety of tools into one multi-purpose approach. Outlook blends a simple interface for email and calendars and provides support for Microsoft OneDrive. But you don’t need to be a Microsoft enthusiast to enjoy Outlook (free) on your Android or iOS device.
With a unified inbox and swipe to archive or delete feature, this makes Outlook one of your best choices. It is a solid choice for those who may not want to deviate from traditional email clients and desire a simple interface.
Readdle Spark
Spark‘s interface takes email management to the next level above tools like Google’s Inbox and Outlook, automatically sorting your inbox into various categories. “All new emails are smartly categorized into Personal, Notifications, and Newsletters,” reports its website. The app even includes a built-in calendar, and quick responses (e.g. “Thanks!”) for when on the go. You can also move email from one Gmail account to another, which can be handy on the go.
It also has Apple Watch integration, which means you will receive updates on your Watch. Give it a try. It is one of my favorite apps.
6. Email Management Tools
Sort D
SortD provides some amazing tools for organizing and managing your email. Some of its primary features include a multi-column layout for your Gmail (as shown above), adjust list names, and drag-and-drop to reorder the content of each column or across columns. There are many other features, but you may want to try it out.
Drag
Looking for a quick way to organize your email into columns, as shown above? Check out the Drag add-on. The add-on works quite well and does not take over your screen like SortD does. Unlike SortD, Drag lacks a mobile interface. It works strictly in the Chrome browser, so you will have to make do with that (which is fine for Chrome users). Watch video.
7. Chrome Add-Ons
Gmail Offline - Read Gmail offline.
Gmail Sync - Syncs all your gmail for offline use.
Actions for Gmail - Adds buttons for archiving, mark as read, delete, and more to each message to make it easier to take those actions.
Cloudy for Gmail - Enables you to add attachments from any cloud drive.
Dropbox for Gmail - Make it easy to save attachments to Dropbox.
Rapportive - Get information about who you are in contact with.
Todoist: Manage your tasks with Gmail. Create tasks easily.
Unroll.me - Unsubscribe from email lists.
8. Safeguard Your Email
Buried in email? Looking for creative ways to organize, sort, and/or safeguard your emails? Come along as we take a quick look at some of our favorite email apps, organization tools, and solutions to common problems.
Set Up 2-Step Authentication
One of the most critical things you can do is turn on TWO-FACTOR AUTHENTICATION or 2-step authentication for any and all accounts you have online. If they offer it, use it. You can get a Google Authenticator app (it works with more than Google alone) via the Apple/Google stores to manage all the codes.
Ways to Prove Who You Are
There are a lot of ways to "authenticate" yourself on Google. As you can see, I have several ways I use for my Google Workspace for Education account. My primary way is to use the Authenticator app on my iPhone.
This is one of the easiest ways to authenticate, although there are other ways that involve physical keys you can buy and keep on a keychain. Since I always have my phone with me, that's what I use.
Confidential Mode
When composing an email message in Gmail, you can enable CONFIDENTIAL MODE.
But it's not THAT confidential. Unfortunately, in a Google Workspace for Education environment, the message is still viewable to Google Admins.
It allows you to send an SMS code (via your mobile phone) to another person. They won't be able to open the email message without it.
It works fine when you are OK with Google Admins reviewing your communications.
Meet the Problem
"Jennifer," said her superintendent. "Turn on the news." It was 5:30pm and Jennifer was just getting home from an after-school event.
As she watched the news broadcast play on the television, her heart dropped into her stomach. "What do we do, Peg?" she asked her superintendent.
"Let's plan to meet tomorrow morning after Cabinet to discuss what our next steps are. While I am meeting with Cabinet, take a moment to discuss this with Jeannine (the tech director). Come up with our next steps and we'll figure this out."
Encrypt Your Email
When Will I Use This in the Real World?
This is a question you will get. Make sure you keep your response simple and make it a requirement of dealing with sensitive data.
Avoid embarrassment and high-cost of identity theft protection for students and staff. Texas Safe Harbor law protects organization that encrypt data should that data be lost or stolen.
Avoid sending decrypted confidential information via email or as email attachments. Phishing attacks can compromise users' accounts and spread to all quickly via email groups (a.k.a. distribution lists). Decrypted data on compromised accounts can be a treasure trove and lead to costly issues. Encrypted email attachments are no big deal on a stolen smartphone, tablet or laptop. Decrypted email attachments or files on stolen devices puts the district at risk for liability and lawsuits.
Avoid saving decrypted files to portable devices (e.g. laptops, tablets) and/or storage media (e.g. USB flash drives, pendrives, sticks, hard drives).
Always encrypt sensitive data before sending it to a third party solution provider. Negotiate up front, over the phone how you will encrypt data and come up with a solid password to use. If data is transferred from a server, encrypt it FIRST before placing it on the server, then use Secure FTP to transfer it. An alternate approach is to grant the 3rd party solution provider Virtual Private Network (VPN) access to a specific device. This may be easier since you can setup a network share, a mapped drive, to make it simpler to create and share files quickly. Again, it is better to encrypt than to have decrypted files at rest on an intranet server.
NEVER place decrypted sensitive files online on an internet server and/or in cloud storage.
“I’m working with a few schools. They only wish to send password protected files. The files will go outside their organization,” says John M., a Google Certified Trainer*.
“From a Windows machine, that’s fine. But we’ve moved to a Chromebooks-only environment. How do you add a password to exported files, like DOCx or PDF, that get sent via email?”
One web-based tool you can use includes FileLock.org. This works in a similar way to PTE and FourmiLab. You access a website, select a file on your Chromebook (e.g. DOCx you’ve saved from a Google Doc), and then encrypt it.
Then you attach the encrypted file to your Gmail message (as shown below).
Protect Yourself Against Click-Tracking Tools
Can you see who's watching you open your email? Here's my current inbox of messages...do you see an EYE next to a message? What do you think it means?
- Uglymail - Works similarly to Pixelblock. "Ugly Email is a Gmail extension that allows you to see if the email is being tracked before opening it. It seamlessly integrates with Gmail."
Click-Tracking Tools
- GetNotify.com - Add .getnotify.com to the end of email addresses your writing to (e.g. mreynolds@gmail.com.getnotify.com) and this will track emails sent. You'll need to get a free account. Has a different approach but works! And, no cost!
- MxHero - This was my favorite for a long time, but the time came to pay for it, and I wasn't willing to do that."features include open and URL click tracking, attachment tracking, self-destructing emails, email read receipts and the ability to schedule an email for later"
- Boomerang Read Receipts for Gmail - Just like the other services, you can take advantage of a free feature.
- Bananatag - Another click-tracker. "It's free for 5 messages a day, but $5 a month gives you unlimited tracking" viaLifeHacker
- Yesware Email tracking - A Chrome add-on, includes free two month trial with limited features afterwards at no cost or at great cost otherwise! (smile)
- MailTrack for Chrome - This is another alternative. It didn't work all that well for me, but I had several others going at the same time.
Task
You want to label emails from your various supervisors for easy identification
Create label for each of your supervisors
Manually label a few emails
Create a filter so that in the future, emails from these people will automatically get a label
You need to quickly find an email from one of your supervisors.
Search for an email that has an attachment that was sent from one of your supervisors.
