Comments on: Inbox Management

By: Bob

Bob — Sun, 09 Apr 2006 19:08:55 +0000

You can label incoming emails automagically, using the gmail filter system.

Also, you can apply more than one label to each email which is good too and add a ’star’ to some, i.e. ones you want to follow up soon…

By: will

will — Sun, 26 Mar 2006 16:59:56 +0000

I can’t recommend gmail enough, it makes emailing a joy…

Alex - not sure it’s possible to automatically label incoming mails, but I admit I don’t really use them.

The search facility is ridiculously fast and I just use that to find mails, seems to always work.

Before you ask, I haven’t started working for Google.

By: Alex

Alex — Thu, 23 Mar 2006 15:04:20 +0000

Gah, this fucking formatter. Textile here I come.

By: Alex

Alex — Thu, 23 Mar 2006 15:02:52 +0000

alex, this apple stuff of which you speak sounds remarkably like the ‘label’ system of gmail.

There are only a few orignal ideas in the world, eh?

It does sound remarkably similar - once you’ve defined a label, is it possible to label incoming emails automatically or do you have to do everything manually?

By: cat

cat — Thu, 23 Mar 2006 14:44:11 +0000

Me!Me! I want Gmail

By: mod

mod — Thu, 23 Mar 2006 13:48:13 +0000

Done, and I’ll pass on the gmail, thanks.

By: teg

teg — Thu, 23 Mar 2006 12:49:59 +0000

nooooooo!

I only refreshed the page!! mods - please delete second (and then this!) post…?

By: teg

teg — Thu, 23 Mar 2006 12:41:37 +0000

alex, this apple stuff of which you speak sounds remarkably like the ‘label’ system of gmail. you label emails as they come in (multiple labels can be applied to each message) and then you archive them when you’re done with them. then, say, you wish to access all emails relating to a particular subject - you can click on that label and lo and behold - all emails pertinent to the bills, or the e.d. clan, or your parents, or whatever, regardless of whether they have multiple labels. and there’s only one copy of the message. genius.

(anyone want a gmail invitation?)

By: Alex

Alex — Wed, 22 Mar 2006 13:57:53 +0000

Ah, my bad - didn’t realise you were talking about Hotmail.

You should try signing up to the Windows Live Mail Beta (a little advert/button occasionally appears beneath the folder list in Hotmail) - it’s got essentially unlimited storage (it expands as your account grows, or something), a snazzy new interface (on IE, which I very rarely am, but might be good for all you corporate desktop types), is what Hotmail will turn into eventually anyway and loathe as I am to say it, is pretty good.

By: cat

cat — Wed, 22 Mar 2006 13:29:50 +0000

ah, well see I have every email sent to my work address (bar the p0rn obviously). I’m starting to be afraid…

By: Alex

Alex — Wed, 22 Mar 2006 13:15:46 +0000

It’s a problem, to be sure. I used to delete as I went on my work account, but then someone asked me for an email I received from someone outside the company six months previously. I didn’t have it and consequently much embarrassment ensued.

My inbox now has ~4000 messages in it.

Ugh.

What I think would be useful is a feature similar to Apple Mail’s smart mailboxes. Essentially they are saved search queries that are continually updated, so appear very speedy. They are similar to filters, but you can have emails be in multiple smart mailboxes without having multiple copies of the message. It’s also tied into the system wide Spotlight search, so it’s all at your fingertips.

If only the smart mailboxes were portable between different machines/webmail and it wasn’t part of an email client that apart from that isn’t very good.

It could be worse, however. If I was using Outlook without an Exchange Server, my outlook.pst file would lock up and become unusable once it topped 2GB in size. Which in today’s high speed world full of ‘funny’ video attachments isn’t that hard.

By: cat

cat — Wed, 22 Mar 2006 12:58:43 +0000

I delete as I go and try and feel proud of the fact by in box is only 7% full. In my heart of hearts I fear it maybe a metaphor for life. *sigh* back to filing

By: ktm

ktm — Wed, 22 Mar 2006 12:17:27 +0000

As an update, it’s now two hours after the posting and so far I’ve made myself two cups of tea, eaten a rather delicious shortbread, and read some of those emails from friends. Something about chain stores in the locale, disenchanted youth and mini-scooters. Yes, I have just spent the last hour laughing my head off…