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Gmail users are able to customize their email experience as well as mail for almost any platform.  That and the free or low cost may be one of the reasons for Gmail’s ubiquity.  I even saw Gmail in use on Capitol Hill last year while visiting my Senator’s office. Gmail send and archive option

When I talk with Gmail users, however, few discuss the extended Labs function.  In a few rare instances, I’ve had to restart my email, but almost all of the Labs features I’ve used are time savers, utility enhancements or even solved a problem I didn’t know I had.

The Send and Archive feature falls into all of those categories. You know that person who spent too much time in the ’90s categorizing their email?  Yep, that was me.  But with virtually unlimited storage, I don’t even mess with tagging or other features any longer.  Instead I make use of the Send & Archive feature.

The feature adds another button next to the boring old SEND button.  Once the mail is sent, Gmail places the thread in the “All Mail” area. No muss, no fuss, and if you need to find something later, just remember a phrase to narrow your search or look at all the mail you sent during that time or to that person.

If you’re using Gmail and your inbox has more than a few pieces inside, do yourself a favor and check out the SEND & ARCHIVE feature now.  All you need to do is click the LABS icon in the upper right corner that looks like a beaker (labs, get it?) and scroll down.  And a friendly hint:  add only one new labs feature at a time.  You’ll thank me for that advice later.

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NOAA image showing power. Red means outage.
NOAA image showing power usage. Red means outage.

After I told a second client about Google Apps’ dashboard this week, I realized that many people are still unaware that the search and media company updates a page to tell users about outages related to Gmail, Google Docs and other product extensions.

When I’ve lived in areas prone to power outages, everyone in the neighborhood knew the power company’s phone number.  Over time, we grew adept at parsing their statements about when power would be restored. Sometimes going to bed at 8:15 can be good for anyone… especially you Type A bloggers. The power company promoted their information service with refrigerator magnets, stickers for the handset of landline phones and vanity telephone numbers.  The line was answered by a recording and callers with emergencies were told to call 911, but all you really want to know in a blackout is when the power is being restored.  Every other decision falls out of the answer to that question.

Google is fast reaching utility status in many small businesses.  The company’s webware is poised to carve increasingly larger chunks of Microsoft Office’s market share.   When these apps or Gmail suffer an outage like the one on November 1, users need a fast way to find out when Gmail will be restored.   The company hasn’t done a very good job of notifying people about their “Google Apps Status Dashboard” so bookmark the site now in case you’re email is down or your documents are inaccessible. And remember that it’s okay to go to bed early sometimes too.