Communication 89

Gmail

Gmail is Different

Gmail is web-based: Your messages are stored on-line, on GoogleTM servers but you can read, write, and organize messages by using the Gmail application on your phone or by using a web browser on a computer. Because your mail is stored on Google servers, you can search your entire message history, backed by the speed and power of Google search.

Actions that you take in one place are reflected everywhere. For example, if you read a message in Gmail on your phone, it will be marked as read in a web browser. A message that you send using a browser, or even a draft of a message, is visible in Gmail on the phone.

Gmail is conversation-based: Each message and all replies to it are grouped in your Inbox as a single conversation. In other email applications, replies to messages are spread across your Inbox, typically by date received, so a message and the replies to it are separated by other messages. Gmail makes it easy to follow the thread of a conversation.

Gmail is organized by labels, not by folders: Gmail allows you to tag messages with labels, allowing you to organize your conversations in many different ways. For example, with Gmail you can label a conversation with your mother about your brother’s birthday present with both “Mom” and “Dave”. Later, you can search for all the messages containing either label. In other email applications, each message can only be located in one folder. You’d have to store each message in the “Mom” folder or the “Dave” folder, but not both.

Gmail for the phone is optimized for mobile use: Some features are only accessible on your computer browser. The best place to organize and learn about Gmail is the web. For example, you can’t use the Gmail application on the phone to create the labels and filters that you use to organize your messages, but you can label a message. Gmail on the web offers complete information about the service, so it’s the best place to learn about all of the features of Gmail.