Because I'm such an active blogger (aren't we all?) Google has invited me to be "one of the first" to use their Gmail service. Are other bloggers getting this gmail invite too, or am I special? I haven't seen posts on my favorite sites that usually keep up to date on this sort of thing. Bloggers please comment.



Here is a screen shot of my first gmail email:



Just for fun I clicked on the Google ads on the right hand side of the page. Either they are fake ads or somebody doesn't have their act together because I got 404'd on all of them.

Here is a little explaination of how gmail works:

A more flexible filing system
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The old way
You create an elaborate filing system of folders and subfolders, then decide where to file a single message.

The Gmail way
Instead of folders, Gmail uses labels to give you the functionality of folders, but with more flexibility. In Gmail, a single conversation can have several labels, so you're not forced to choose one particular folder for each message you receive. That way, if a conversation covers more than one topic, you can retrieve it with any of the labels that you've applied to it. And, of course, you can always search for it.

You can also "star messages" as a way of categorizing them, probably like putting them on a to do list, that way you can quickly retrieve all starred messaged. "Stars let you give messages a special status to make them easier to find. To star a message, click on the light blue star beside any message or conversation." It seems like a good idea because so often I'll open an email and think I need to deal on that, but not right now and then I just end up forgetting about it.

Other new features include keyboard shortcuts, Personal level indicators (>to my address >> to only me), and Snippets (same style as Google search).

I have a feeling I'm really going to like Gmail. You can now reach me at jeffmilner(at)gmail.com. Let the spam begin.