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A Guide to Web Productivity Tools References

© Aptech Ltd Version 1.0 of 23



Table of Contents

S# Session Page #

1. Session 1: Introducing Google Applications

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2. Session 2: Working with Mails

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3. Session 3: Working with Calendar

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Session 1: Introducing Google Applications

IIss GGooooggllee AAppppss SSaaffee??

Source http://www.otterit.co.uk/is-google-apps-safe/

Date of

Retrieval

09/09/2014

Some feel that having their data in the cloud, such as with Google Apps, makes it less

secure. But this article shows if cloud data can actually be more secure for your business,

school or charity. Let’s see – is Google Apps safe?

Over the holiday season I was chatting with someone about Google Apps. “But it’s not really

safe is it?” she said. “I mean, the documents on my laptop are safe” she continued, “but not

those stored by Google.”

The main point was that documents that were available from anywhere were less safe, than

those stored locally (at home or at the office). If the data was only protected by a

password, then surely this could be hacked.

However, I do believe (NSA aside), that storing data wtih Google Apps is much safer, and

here I will show why:

1) Password protection. Everything is now protected by passwords, so the password has to

be pretty good to be safe. I advise everyone to use easily remembered unique long

passwords – at least 8 characters for online services, and over 15 characters for locally

stored encrypted data. To remember these unique passwords (as they should all be

unique), then something like Lastpass should be used – you can read more about this on an

earlier blog.

So how do those who wish to steal your passwords, do it?

A common one is to use a brute force technique where every password possibility is tried

(starting with the obvious such as “password”), and for locally stored data this may be

possible. However for online data this is usually impossible as too many attempts are

blocked.

Another way, is to infect a computer to record passwords (keyloggers), so remember to

ensure your computer is secure – contact Otter IT if you require more information on this.

Point 2 below can protect you from this.

Yet another way, is to use human error, and trick you into revealing your password (such

as using a fake web page). Again point 2 below can help to protect yourself from this.

2) 2-step authentication – The next slice of security is 2-step authentication. Google Apps

fully supports this, and I certainly believe this is an important requirement to protect your

data. This will basically not allow you to log into a new machine with your password until

you have put in a special number which is sent as a text to your phone.

http://www.otterit.co.uk/is-google-apps-safe/



3) Change the password – and of course, at any time, you can change your password.

Indeed, this is recommended, and you can even centrally require staff to change their

password in Google Apps.

4) Backup – Your data in Google Drive should also be backed up. This can be done in a

variety of ways, from server to server backup, to backing up downloaded Google Drive on

your computer. However, it’s the server to server style of backup which is really valuable,

not only backing up Google Drive, but also all those calendar appointments, emails and and

your contacts. This is all done automatically in the background without any effect on your

network or computers.

5) Your data – you can also download your data at any time. It is yours after all, so you can

keep a local copy (in case Google goes bust – not likely right now). Just head over to

https://www.google.com/settings/takeout and click on Create an Archive. Emails,

documents, contacts and calendars can also be transferred to other providers if needed, as

there is no restriction on moving away from Google Apps. Furthermore, staff who leave

suddenly, their data can be accessed, including any backups taken, ensuring that valuable

documents are not lost.

The main problem with data stored on laptops, servers or backup drives is that it can be

stolen. And the only way to protect the data is to encrypt it (let Otter IT know if your data

needs to be encrypted). If it isn’t encrypted, then your data is easily available to the thief. If

your computer is stolen, then change your Google Apps password immediately. In addition

you can force any other computer where you were signed in, to be signed out.

Now if you’re only using data in the cloud, including your Google Drive documents, and you

lose your laptop (such as a Chomebook), then no data is lost, and no data can be stolen.

Indeed, the more data you store in the cloud, the safer your data becomes, especially

when, through Google Apps you ensure that staff do have those long passwords, 2-step

authentication, and consistent backups.

~~~ End of Article ~~~



Google Apps for Business and Remote Workers

Source http://remoteworker.wordpress.com/2014/09/08/google-apps-for-business-

and-remote-workers/

Date of

Retrieval

09/09/2014

Many remote workers might remember the statement from Yahoo’s CEO, Marissa Meyers,

who condemned the idea of working remotely and swiftly ordered all of the company’s

employees to show up in person at their offices. Her opinion was echoed by Yahoo’s HR

head, who claimed “speed and quality are often sacrificed when we work from home [...] we

need to be one Yahoo, and that starts with physically being together.”

But the above is a very limited point of view. Provided that remote workers use the many

cloud tools available to them in a smart way, there should be very few sacrifices involved

with a remote working environment. One of the most popular and efficient packages that

help team members to collaborate, communicate, as well as store and manage data is

Google Apps for Business.

But what exactly is Google Apps for Business?

It’s a set of the most popular Google apps that help to manage a business from remote

locations. Inside, we find apps everyone knows and uses on daily basis – Gmail to provide

email, Drive for storage and document creation (among them text documents,

spreadsheets, forms, slides and sites), or Hangouts for video calls and instant messaging.

Another feature is Calendar, which helps to create integrated business calendars and ensure

that all workers are on the same page when it comes to important deadlines.

http://remoteworker.wordpress.com/2014/09/08/google-apps-for-business-and-remote-workers/

http://remoteworker.wordpress.com/2014/09/08/google-apps-for-business-and-remote-workers/



Google Apps for Business features two special apps – Vault and Admin. Admin is an

interface for broadly defined administration and includes functionalities for mobile device

management, security and control, as well as access to 24/7 Google support. Vault, on the

other hand, provides an archiving service for all emails and chats, which can later be

searched, managed and easily exported.

The Potential of Google Apps for Business in Remote Working

The benefits of this communication and collaboration system are multiple and varied. First,

companies don’t need to spend lots of money on specialized hardware and software – all

apps are in the cloud and available from every device connected to the internet. It’s perfect

for companies with low budget or organizations with remote workers, who will be able to

access Google apps from all locations and almost every operating system.

Seen from the perspective of remote workers, Google Apps for Business help in several

major areas of any business collaboration:

Communication – Google apps are made for easy communication. Gmail has an

understandable interface, it’s quick to use and features multiple, built-in and highly efficient

security features like filtering and spam detection. Gmail includes an added feature which

adds your company domain name to personalize the employee email addresses. Hangouts

and Google+ can foster both individual and group communication too.

Collaboration – Google Drive, and its various functionalities, is there to make

collaborating easier than ever. Users can edit files at the same time and consult with

one another using an adjacent chat window, which can save the time lost on switching

to a different instant messaging window or other devices like cellphones.

Efficiency – all apps are literally in a single place and available with a few clicks. After

logging in, workers won’t need to switch to other programs, ensuring high productivity

and no time lost on the usual distraction when using a variety of tools scattered around

different platforms.



Time-management – All in all, Google Apps for Business really helps to save time on

everything, from editing documents to brainstorming an idea.

A lot of people believe that in a decade, remote working will be as much or even more

popular than the traditional office environment. The truth is that both employers and

workers benefit from the dynamics of remote working. That’s why it’s likely that digital tools

that foster easy collaboration, communication and management, such as Google Apps for

Business, will become increasingly effective, user-friendly and geared towards breaching the

time and space barrier to ensure a stimulating remote working environment.




SSeessssiioonn 22:: WWoorrkkiinngg wwiitthh MMaaiillss

How to mark all emails as read in Gmail

Source http://thenoob.net/post/internet/mark-emails-read-gmail/

Date of

Retrieval

10/09/2014

Let’s say you have several thousands of emails in Google Mail and don’t feel like going from

page to page and selecting them all. Heh, well slugger, I’ve been there! But there’s a super

easy way to do this, with a very not-so-obvious way of fixing this! Just follow these three

steps, as long as you’re on a desktop or using Gmail’s web interface, this will not work on a

Gmail app on your smart device:

Once you’re staring at your messy inbox, about to explode with unread emails, type the line

below in your search bar in Gmail:

is:unread

and then press the enter key.

What this does, is display a list of 20 of your unread emails–that’s great–but we need to get every email in your inbox selected, so we click the first of the three buttons under the search bar named “Select” and choose All. This will select those 20 unread emails, but here’s the cool part! Look for the text that appears after you select all the emails.

All 20 conversations on this page are selected. Select all conversations that match this search

When you click “Select all conversations that match this search” you will select all the messages that are unread in your whole inbox. Once you’ve done this, go to the “More” button (button furthest to the right), and click mark as read and all your unread emails will now be read!

Yay, tidiness!

Ok, now give me the TL;DR version!

So to wrap it up in three easy steps, to make it easy to remember and for you to impress all the ladies with a neat and “all messages read”, type of mailbox, this is what you do:

1. Type is:unread in Gmail search box

2. Click “Select all conversations that match this search” 3. Click “More” > “Mark All Conversations as read”

Explain it to me like I am five!

I’ll try.

http://thenoob.net/post/internet/mark-emails-read-gmail/



1. In the little white box on top of the inbox screen, paste or write this code: is:unread

and then press the enter key.

2. Click the hyperlink that says select all conversations that match this search. 3. See the More button? Click that button and click Mark All Conversations as Read”




Impact of Gmail Tabs on Nonprofit Email Marketing

Source http://mediacause.org/impact-gmail-tabs-nonprofits-email-marketing/

Date of

Retrieval

14/08/2014

Google recently launched Gmail tabs, a feature that automatically sorts emails into various

buckets: Primary, Social, Promotions, Updates and Forums. How will this affect nonprofits?

Feedback has been somewhat mixed and surprisingly impassioned since the release, but

many marketers are left wondering how the changes might impact click rates, especially

because many emails from nonprofits are pushed to the “Promotions” tab.

MailChimp recently compared data from the weeks following the May 29 release of tabs to

data from the same time period last year. Open rates increased during the first week, likely

a result of hype and novelty. In the following weeks, however, open rates dropped below 13

percent, a threshold which is rarely crossed except on weekday holidays.

While this may seem alarming, it’s important to keep in mind that this drop occurred a mere

few weeks after the introduction of tabs, at a time when some people (myself included)

hadn’t converted to the updated organizational system yet.

That being said, it’s too early to determine whether tabs will be an impediment to email

marketing for nonprofits. Many Gmail users are still figuring out how to navigate the new

inbox. It’s easy to forget about the different tabs when we’re so adjusted to checking just

one inbox.

To add to this, Gmail only lists emails from the “Primary” tab when notifying users of how

many unopened emails they have, and while each tab indicates how many new emails are in

that category, that number only includes emails you haven’t seen yet. So even if you just

glance at the emails in the “Promotions” tab and don’t actually open any of them, Gmail will

not list those emails in the number of new messages in that category. This makes it very

easy to forget about unread messages, and thus will likely bring down open rates until

people adjust to the new system. If this is the case, then decreased open rates may only be

temporary.

But Gmail tabs also has some useful features. For one, when users are going through

important emails, the clutter of promotional emails can be annoying, which can tempt them

to delete those emails. Gmail’s tabs feature removes that distraction, because people will

know what to expect when they look through different tabs, which could ultimately help

open rates.

Second, users can easily drag emails between tabs, an action which is followed by a prompt

from Gmail asking if you want emails from that sender to be put in that tab in the future.

http://mediacause.org/impact-gmail-tabs-nonprofits-email-marketing/



This is good news for marketers as the people who are truly invested in a cause can make

sure that promotional emails are placed back into their primary inbox.

Tabs are also completely optional, and users get to pick and choose which ones they want.

If they don’t choose to have the “Promotions” tab, then all of those emails will move right

back into the main inbox. Users can even opt out of the new tabs system and revert to the

old Gmail format by changing the settings. And no matter where an email is, the people

who are truly invested in a cause will open it.

Putting aside these many pros and cons, it’s important to put Gmail into perspective. Data

from Email Client Market Share shows that only 4 percent of emails are opened in the Gmail

platform. While the mobile Gmail app does use tabs, many other mobile email apps and

servers that people use do not. Considering that 23 percent of emails are opened on an

iPhone client, 12 percent on an iPad client and 8 percent on an Android client, the

dominance of mobile significantly decreases the potential impact of Gmail tabs, so the

concern should only go so far.

Nevertheless, the next few months will see marketers and Gmail users alike adjusting to the

new inbox. Though the true impact of tabs is yet to be seen, organizations can stay ahead

of the game. Silverpop suggests that organizations shouldn’t rely so much on immediacy.

The use of tabs will likely slow the rate at which users see emails that have been filtered out

of the “Primary” tab, so they may not react to time-sensitive information. Push those

messages on social media instead to make sure they still reach your audience.

Silverpop also recommends that organizations stay informed about the Google tabs trends

by carefully tracking data from your organization’s emails and comparing messages sent to

Gmail users versus those sent to users who use other email clients, so you can make

changes as needed.

The jury’s still out on the new Gmail tabs, so stick with what’s been working, but remain

open to the possibility of changing your organization’s email marketing strategies in the

future.




SSeessssiioonn 33:: WWoorrkkiinngg wwiitthh CCaalleennddaarr

How I manage my time with Google Calendar

Source http://www.itskeptic.org/content/how-i-manage-my-time-google-calendar

Date of

Retrieval

14/08/2014

Here's a simple technique for managing my time, which a few folk have said is quite good:

My time management is in the cloud, accessible from anywhere, share with anyone. And it

is free.

I have several calendars defined to Google Calendar:

Appointments, my original calendar. I use this calendar to manage all commitments

of my time whose time is fixed. Coloured blue. I used to separate out private and

business appointments into separate calendars and hence colours but it gave me no

value and made sharing harder. As well as appointments I'll schedule travel time etc

to remind me and others using the calendar that i'm not free. I've been known to

also block out quiet time or focus time.

Tasks I'm being paid to do. Revenue depends on me doing these; write this, email

that, check in with him. I schedule them in my calendar when I hope to do them. I

allocate only an hour or two, even if the task is going to take 100. I'll move the task

to a new time to do some more work on it, and so on until done. Coloured red.

Other tasks: private life, personal projects (blogging, books etc). Coloured yellow. I

manage them the same as the revenue tasks. The two colours are just to help me

focus on keeping the money coming in

Do TODAY. Coloured purple. Tasks to be done this day. Not - theoretically -

supposed to be moved out.

Jack. Coloured pale green. As a solo parent, I have to manage my son's life too :)

Along with Google's public holiday calendar for New Zealand, that's it.

I see all calendars in the same display, colour coded. I almost always use week view.

http://www.itskeptic.org/content/how-i-manage-my-time-google-calendar



Google automatically adds events to the blue calendar from Events I create, Hangouts I say

yes to, and invites I receive in Gmail.

I can share my appointment calendar with clients, colleagues etc by giving them this link.

They can see what time I have available in the blue calendar but not what the appointments

are. That's why I keep all appointments business and private in the one calendar, to simplify

this step.

if they use Google Calendar, they can just add my calendar alongside their own, to see

when we are both free.

Every day I move uncompleted tasks from today in the red and yellow calendars out ahead

of today (and the purple tasks that I guiltily havent done the day I was supposed to) . Every

week I move uncompleted tasks into the next week (or several weeks ahead if I can see

next week is too busy).

This drives reprioritising (and sometimes deleting) tasks.

With other task-management tools the list has just got bigger and bigger. This way i'm

limited in how many tasks I can be bothered managing: sort of a kanban effect.

I use Business Calendar free edition to synch these calendars with Android. Works

beautifully to read and update.

The Google calendar is always open in a tab on my laptop browser.

I have no other time management tools except task lists for smaller tasks specific to

individual assignments and projects. For those I use another advanced technology called

paper.

Issues?

Some tasks just keep rolling ahead :) See in the picture above how my red (paid) and

yellow (unpaid) tasks form a bow-wave as I move them out through the week, because I'm

not disciplined at actually getting them done. Each weekend I need to consciously move

them to a future day or accept i'm never really going to do them.




SSeessssiioonn 44:: MMaannaaggiinngg GGooooggllee DDrriivvee aanndd DDooccss

5 Google Drive Tips Everyone Should Know

Source http://www.shakeuplearning.com/blog/5-google-drive-tips-everyone-should-

know#sthash.UKdjldHJ.dpbs

Date of

Retrieval

14/08/2014

Google Drive has become an indispensable tool in my digital toolbox. There are so many

great tips and tricks to share! Today I have put together a list of five tips to help teachers,

students, and other users make the most of Google Drive.

1. Use the Google Drive App to sync your files! If you have not installed the Google

Drive desktop app, you are missing out on all of the Dropbox like sync-abilities.

Sorry Dropbox, I am finding fewer reasons to use you. Once I install and set up the

Google Drive desktop app, I can sync ALL of my files to my Google Drive, which of

course I can access from any web-enabled device. This tool makes my life so much

easier!

2. Publish your Google Document to the web. You are probably familiar with the

multiple ways that you can share your documents (public, anyone with a link, etc.)

But did you know you can turn any Google Doc into a very simple webpage? I love

this feature! Need to get some information online quickly, publish a Google Doc. I

prefer this to just sharing because it take the word processing tools out of the

picture, and gives you a clean page to share on the web. Here is a comparison of

how I use it for Tic-Tac-Toe learning menus: shared with viewing rights v. published

to the web. (Note: Watch out for formatting. Keeping things left-justified seems to

work best.)

3. The Research Tool is a hidden gem. This always brings the ooohs and aaahs in

training! In a document, go to tools>research. You can search for images, articles,

and much more. The magic happens when you hover over the link and choose “insert

link,” or “cite.” The tool will magically insert a footnote formatted in your choice of

MLA, APA, or Chicago. (Things are so much easier for the kids these days!)

4. The Google Drive Advanced Search is a thing of beauty. My Google Drive is not

the most organized, and I frequently rely on the search tool to find what I need. But

you can kick it up a notch by using the advanced search. Click on the drop down

arrow at the end of the Google Drive search box, and you will find that you can

search by file type, visibility, owner and much more!

5. Take Collaboration to a New Level with Chat and Comments. I find that many

Google Drive users do not know about these two great features. Both features can

be found next to the “share” button on the top right. Inside Google Docs (and other

Google file types), you can launch a chat room that is connected to and inside that

document. The one thing to remember with chat, is that you have to have more than

one person in the chat in order for this to work.

You can also collaborate through the comments feature. Comments are connected to

specific parts of your document. So be sure to place your cursor or highlight the section

http://www.shakeuplearning.com/blog/5-google-drive-tips-everyone-should-know#sthash.UKdjldHJ.dpbs

http://www.shakeuplearning.com/blog/5-google-drive-tips-everyone-should-know#sthash.UKdjldHJ.dpbs



you would like to comment on before choosing to add a new comment. Comments are

great for peer editing and giving feedback!




Session 5: Working with Google Sites

Google Sites

Source http://teachweb2.wikispaces.com/Google+Sites

Date of

Retrieval

14/08/2014

SWOT Analysis

Strengths:

User friendly- you do not need to know any coding language. You edit pictures and

text just as you would in a Word Document.

Google allows you to insert all of the other tools that they have into your website.

For example, you site can show your calendar, a Picasa slide show, etc.

It's free!

You can make your site private so that only the people you want to visit the website

can see it. You send them an invitation, then they can log on.

Great way to keep in contact with parents and family. (Keep them updated on

important information such as field trips, report cards, parties etc.)

Allows you to group pages in a hierarchy by setting up a tree structure in your

sidebar, which shows the structure of the site at a glance.

Toolbar more closely resembles Google Docs to help make Google applications more

uniform.

Site settings uses vertical navigation to allow room for upcoming features.

Site language configuration allows for the user's and site content to be in the same

language.

Can change members of your group in a single location.

Allows you to organize content in different ways depending on your needs.

It is incredibly easy to train teachers on how to make their own website!

Students can share their site with a teacher allowing them to edit

The file cabinet allows one to store PDFs, word files or other documents making it

perfect for an e-portfolio.

Weaknesses:

In making your website private, everyone that views the website must create a

Google account. (Some less tech savvy people may not understand this and have

difficulty logging on).

Users must be registered with a Google account. A Gmail account may be set up and

used for this as well as outside email accounts.

Opportunities:

This may help in bridging the home-school connection. Parents could log on at home

to view activities, a school calendar, pictures of students, or sample student work.

http://teachweb2.wikispaces.com/Google+Sites



The website (depending on age) could be student run. Students could be involved in

writing a blog of the events that happen everyday, or for older grades, they could

take pictures and upload them.

A premier edition that offers more storage, more collaboration, and additional

applications is available for a fee.

Allows you to share your website with other teachers both in and out of state. This

could help with lesson plan ideas and other information swapping.

Users can collaborate with others to build content for these sites by inviting

collaborators who also have Google accounts. This can provide opportunities for

students and teachers to combine their knowledge and learning by creating a site

(product) to share with others in a collaborative manner about numerous topics.

A free solution for schools, teachers and students to create wikis, a digital portfolio,

digital file cabinet, blog or website.

Threats:

If you choose to make your site public, make sure to follow all safety guidelines for

the children. Some school systems may not allow the use of Google Sites by

students. Proper permission may need to be attained prior to such use. A good place

to start might be the board policy manual.

If the website is solely student run, make sure to monitor posts, pictures, sample

work, etc. for appropriateness.

Not all families will have the technology to access the site at home so do not use it

as your sole form of communication.

Content can be published on web, thus copyright laws and regulations must be

adhered to. Proper credit must be given for material.




SSeessssiioonn 66:: AAddddiittiioonnaall GGooooggllee TToooollss

The 10 Best Gmail Labs Tools You're Not Using

Source http://www.lifehacker.co.uk/2014/05/23/10-best-gmail-labs-tools-youre-using

Date of

Retrieval

14/08/2014

Forget about the pressures of trying to hit inbox zero for a moment and open up theGmail Labs page — to find it, click the black cog icon in the top right corner of Gmail's interface and choose Settings,

then open up the Labs page.

This is Google's testing ground for experimental, innovative and unusual features that aren't quite ready for prime time, and they can add a lot of functionality to your inbox. Established Gmail features such as multiple stars, tasks and email translations began life as Labs experiments. 1. Check unread messages at a glance

If you've got a stack of browser tabs open, you might not be able to see how many unread emails you have without switching back to Gmail. The Unread message icon tool solves this problem, displaying an unread message count on the tab's favicon, even if you've pinned the tab in your browser. The trick works in Chrome, Firefox and Opera.

2. Preview emails instantly If you want a more conventional layout for Gmail in your Web browser then switch on the Preview Pane Labs feature. You can then view emails as you browse through them — use the new icon that appears on the top right corner of the Gmail interface to switch between a horizontal and vertical split

for the layout. The feature works particularly well on larger, widescreen monitors.

http://www.lifehacker.co.uk/2014/05/23/10-best-gmail-labs-tools-youre-using

https://support.google.com/mail/answer/29418?hl=en

http://www.lifehacker.co.uk/tag/google

http://www.lifehacker.co.uk/tag/chrome

http://media.lifehacker.foxtrot.future.net.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/55/2014/05/01-Unread.jpg



3. Improve message security Gmail's authentication icon appears next to senders that Google knows to be genuine: these senders include eBay, PayPal and Google itself. When you see a message with this key symbol next to it, you know you can trust what it says, and that it's from a verified source. The Labs feature to activate is

called "Authentication icon for verified senders".

4. Add bookmarks to your inbox

Switch on the Quick Links Labs feature and a new box appears in the left-hand column in Gmail (you may need to hide the Hangouts box to see it). This box enables you to set quick links to any part of your Gmail account: it could be the results of a search, a particular label or one individual message, as everything you view in Gmail has its own unique URL that you can bookmark. To add a bookmark, get

the relevant screen up in Gmail (the inbox, a search result, whatever you want) and click "Add Quick Link" in the Quick Links box.

http://media.lifehacker.foxtrot.future.net.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/55/2014/05/02-Preview.jpg

http://media.lifehacker.foxtrot.future.net.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/55/2014/05/03-Security.jpg



5. Bring back sent emails We've probably all had that feeling of instant regret when sending off an email, whether it's gone to the wrong person or left without an attachment. The Undo Send tool lets you bring back messages

you've just despatched, but you'll need to act fairly sharpish — there's only a buffer of a few seconds during which you can click "Undo Send" to cancel the operation.

6. Get smarter labels Gmail has bigger plans for automatic labels that go beyond the Primary, Social, Promotions and

Updates tabs it launched last year. Activate the Smart Labels feature from Labs and you can have bulk messages, notification alerts and forum-related emails automatically sorted for you (bulk messages are filtered straight out of the inbox, for example). New smart labels for travel, purchases and finance

have recently been added, and you can categorise emails from within the messages themselves.

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7. Send canned responses The Canned Responses option is great if you want to quickly fire off responses to incoming messages

without too much typing or thought. Activate the Labs option and a new menu entry is added to the Compose window — from here you can create or use your canned responses. They can also be incorporated into filters if necessary.

8. Configure multiple inboxes This is definitely one for those who like to set up their inboxes just so. Multiple inboxes splits the Gmail screen into customised sections, with a different search result in each: you could have a work label in one box and a personal label in another, or starred emails next to unread emails, or anything

else you can put together with a Gmail search. A new "Multiple Inboxes" option appears in the Gmail settings screen to enable you to configure the feature. Note that you must switch off all the default tabs except for Primary in the Gmail inbox to be able to see Multiple Inboxes in action.

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9. Power through your messages

Use the Auto-advance feature to move on to the next message (rather than returning to the inbox) after archiving, deleting or muting a conversation. To configure the tool open up the General tab in Gmail's settings. It's only a small change in the overall workflow, but it can make a big difference when you're trying to work through a lot of messages at once.

10. Quote any part of an email

Want to strongly agree or take issue with something one of your contacts has said? The Quote selected text option you'll find in Labs lets you do just that with the minimum of effort. Highlight part of a message before you hit the "Reply" button and you'll find the selected text is quoted for you, ready for a response.

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Remember that these Labs are experimental features being tested by Google and may not work perfectly all the time. If you come across any bugs, try disabling any Labs features you aren't using

and reloading Gmail. You can also suggest new features for Google to add to Gmail from the Labs page.


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