Last week we looked at Gmail’s General Settings.  As a result of your emails, today we move on to Gmail Labels.

You get to Labels the same way you got to General Settings last week.  You must first be logged into your Gmail account (gmail.com).  Then look to the upper right corner and hover the little "gear" icon.  It should say "Settings". If not, keep hovering until you find it.  Now click it, then "Settings."  Finally, click on the second tab, "Labels."

I think Gmail received a lot of grief because of calling them labels instead of folders because when they first created them no one understood…except for us geeks.  My guess is that in recent times Google has added, "Folders" to their icons at the top of the screen where you can "put" an email to calm everyone down.

The difference between folders in Gmail and other apps is that if you label it from your inbox, it will also have an "Inbox" label and stay in your inbox.  However, when you move it to a folder, it is removed from your inbox.  But guess what, if you move it back from the "folder" you still need to remove the label…too confusing for me, so I suggest playing in Gmail and using the one you like the best.

The only thing I don’t like about Labels (which is my own learning situation) is that if you delete an email with a label of Jokes and it is also marked with the Family label it is deleted from everywhere, not just from that label.  You should remove the label to get it "out of the folder" by selecting the email, clicking the label icon and unchecking the label you want to remove.

Tags: computer, Email, folders, Gmail, google, inbox, internet mail, labels, online, Ron Doyle, software, technology, whim, wife jokes

Do you have several (or way more than several) websites or blogs you like to visit each day?  Come on; admit it, many days you go to work and if you have time you visit your favorite 5-10 websites and blogs (BLOG is a WeB LoG, sort of like a Captain’s Log). 

There are a huge number of RSS Readers out there in the market.  The large majority of them are free (my favorites) with a few having a modest price.  To find some readers go online and Google for "RSS Reader," "Feed Reader" or the entire enchilada, "RSS Feed Reader".  Of course, you will find so many it will quickly become confusing.  That is why I am here today. 

I hope to save you some time and searching.  I recommend using Google Reader for several reasons.  It is free and comes automatically with your Google/Gmail account.  It is easy to use.  It keeps all of the things you are interested in (and you choose) in one place for easy access.  As with all readers it updates each time you log in so you see the newest information every time you use it.  And another good thing about Google Reader is that if you have a smart phone, especially Androids, you can use it from your phone too.

If you have a Gmail account, type "google.com/reader" into the address bar of your browser (without the quotation marks of course).  If you are already logged into Gmail or Google, you will be automatically logged into your Google Reader account.  If you have not logged into your account yet, do so.  If you don’t have a Google account, choose, "Sign In".

You will have a list of the latest "Recommended" sites.  These are some random sites which Google Reader is saying you may want to look at and follow online.  At the bottom of each one you can choose, "Not Interested" and it won’t be there next time you log in.  

Once you find a site, like DoubleClicks.info you want to read posts from, put that site address in the Google Reader search bar.  Google will then search the site for RSS feeds (Real Simple Syndication) and find the feed asking if you wish to subscribe.  If you choose to do so, which I would highly recommend, you will be "fed" the latest posts as they hit the site.  Also, keep in mind that many browsers add RSS feeds differently.  I like Firefox because when you click a RSS feed on a site is asks where you want to add the feed.  It then provides a dropdown list and includes Google Reader in the list. Just click it and it is "magically" added.

Every time you go to a website look around for the word "RSS" or the little, usually orange emblem which looks like a dot with two arcs to its upper right.  Check this article on DoubleClicks.info to see what I mean.  You can click on either of these and get the RSS feed address or instructions on how to use them.

I do not have enough space here to tell you all the other wonderful things you can do with this reader from Google, so have fun exploring.

Tags: blog, easy access, enchilada, free email, Gmail, google, igoogle, smart phone, web log

Well I have been given a "fan-boy" title.  Since I have been writing about Google’s many products and features for a few weeks I was emailed recently and asked why I was such a Google Fanboy. 

I have used that term before (re: Apple) so figured this time I would look it up and online at Merriam-Webster’s dictionary.  MW said that a fanboy is a boy who is an enthusiastic devotee (as of comics or movies).  OK, I agree I am an enthusiastic devotee of Google and I sometimes wish I were a boy, so "sticks and stones…"  One very interesting thing I found was that the term was first used in 1919.  I wonder what they were fanboys of in those days… possibly the Treaty of Versailles or Lady Astor? 

OK, on to my next "fanboy" item.  Google has created a neat place to keep track of all the latest news, sports, weather, emails and on-and-on.  If you are a Gmail account owner you get this free and can customize it the way you like.  This "place" is called iGoogle (igoogle.com).

Go to the site and if you aren’t already logged into your Gmail, log into the site with your Gmail username/email address and password. 

Once logged into your account you get a default setting of iGoogle.  This default changes from time-to-time.  Today I saw four "gadgets"; the Weather for Chicago, current date and time, YouTube Spotlight Videos and CNN’s top stories.  These can all be edited, removed or rearranged on the page.  For instance you could change it from Chicago weather to your local zip code to get current weather happenings.

Gadgets are mini windows made by Google users which offer active content and can be placed on your iGoogle page.  They may be placed on any page you own.  Beware!  This is for the more adventurous only!  Check out DoubleClicks.info for samples.

My iGoogle page contains eight gadgets I like.  First is Google Latitude which shows all of my friends’ locations in Google maps if they choose to reveal them to me.  Next is a gadget showing my Gmail, followed by my calendar, RSS news feeds, local weather, movies currently running at my local theaters (with times, etc.), FOX News and last a How to of the Day. 

You can choose from thousands of different gadgets and take that literally…there are currently over 280,000 of them.  To install one you click the gadget link on your page, find one in the new window, open and click Install.  That’s all there is to it.

Now let’s get real, many of them are time wasters like adding a hamster on a wheel to your page or a spider that follows your cursor around. I just have to ask, why?   However, some of them are very beneficial for personal or business uses.

Set up your own iGoogle page and let me know which gadgets you like.

Tags: cnn, devotee, fanboy, Gmail, google, igoogle, lady astor, merriam webster, sticks and stones, treaty of versailles, weather

When I do talks and meetings with people who read this column around the area, there is a question I get most every time.  That question is, "Where do you get ideas for the columns?"  That is a great question and there are several answers to it. 

My favorite place is from emails my readers send to me.  You all are full of great ideas which I can often turn into useful columns for everyone else.  So, as always, keep those emails coming to me!  I usually get back to each of you but sometimes it may take a few days so be patient.  Also, if you email me and don’t hear back within a week to ten days shoot me another to wake me up.

I also use RSS feeds which I have written about, but today I would like to talk about another Google feature, "Google Alerts".

I realize that I mention "Google" often, (I even mentioned this particular part of it a couple of years ago) but I consider this to be one of Google’s top 10 features.  Google Alerts (google.com/alerts) has been around for over ten years and I have been using it almost since the beginning.  It works very well. 

Let’s say that you have an avid interest in ostriches.  Coinciding with your interest you would like to be updated anytime there is new information on the feeding habits of these big birds.  Go to "google.com/alerts" and login with your Gmail account username and password.  iGoogle.com is another good site I regularly visit but I will just mention it in passing this time.  If you don’t already have one, get a free Gmail account at any Google site to start enjoying the many features of Google.

At the Create a Google Alert area, first enter your search terms like, "feeding habits of ostriches." Next, the type of item you want to search for; News, Blogs, Web, Comprehensive, Video or Groups.  You can sign up for any or all of these categories.  Now choose how often you want to receive updates; daily, weekly or as it happens.  Daily is the one I use most regularly.  Then last, decide if you want all of the news types you chose or just the "best."  Depending on your set up you could be inundated with site links, but once set up you may always go back and change your original decisions.  

Google will now be on the lookout for those terms and email you a list of them as often as you like.  This is a great way to keep up-to-date with sports, hobbies, politics, medical conditions and the list goes on ad infinitum. 

It has been interesting to me when on occasion I write a column about a particular product or web site and the owner of the product or site will contact me to give me additional information, thanks or condemnations.  I have asked each time if they used Google Alerts to find me and the answer has, so far, always been yes. 

Happy information gathering!

Tags: birds, common sense, conspiracy, favorite place, find, Gmail, google, Google Alerts, information, ostriches, privacy, scare, search terms

A few weeks ago I said that, "Google is just a great source of interesting, informative and OK, just plain fun applications you can get for free…at least the large percentage are free."  Due to a large amount of email regarding Google I figured it is time to get onboard the Google train again.  It seems like every several years I have columns about new Google related things, so today we start another cluster of them.

Google Cloud Print is a fairly recent technology that has obviously been developed by Google.  Google Cloud Print (bit.ly/wlbCwv) can connect all of your personal (most of us have at most one) and business printers using the web.

Picture this; you are at your local favorite breakfast shop writing your weekly newspaper column.  Oh wait, that is what I am doing right now.  You remember that you need to print something to take with you to work the next day.  There are many ways you can digitally get this information to yourself to use tomorrow.  You could copy the file to your thumb drive – if you have it in your pocket, email the document to yourself, put the file in your Dropbox account (sign up for free here, http://bit.ly/aszzao) or ask the restaurant if you can use their printer on their private corporate network. These are all doable.  Okay  the last one is very, very iffy and the others require you to remember to check your device or email and print the file before you go to work.

What if you lived in a time where you could print the document to your home computer from wherever you were – as long as you had an internet connection?  Well that time has arrived! 

That is exactly what you can do with Google Cloud printing.  And I did not mention it yet, but you know me; it is another free service from Google.  All you need is a free Google/Gmail account.

Google Cloud Print has been made to work on notebooks, phones, tablet PCs and any other web-connected device you want to print from including Apple products.  You will read in some places that it requires a "cloud ready" printer, I say, "Malarkey!" I have it installed on my old Lexmark printer at home and it works fine.  As long as you set it up the way Google tells you and leave your home computer on and connected to the internet you are good-to-go.  The cloud ready devices connect to the internet by themselves and do not need a computer to connect them.  Not a big deal in my opinion.

It really depends on which device you want to print from as to how you install the application, so I will not get into details here.  However, the setup is very easy and has worked flawlessly for me on my phone, multiple computers and my Android tablet.

To get answers to any questions you may have regarding the "what ifs" and "how tos" of Google Cloud Print visit their support site at "support.google.com/cloudprint".  I imagine all of your questions can be answered there. 

Have fun printing from anywhere to anywhere!  Next week I believe we will be looking at Google Voice, so get ready!

Tags: breakfast, business printers, doable, Gmail, google, google gmail account, great source, home computer, internet connection, newspaper column, notebooks, panera, recent technology, thumb drive

On my Gmail page I first noticed the Scroll Bars on the left (in yellow, shown at bottom of page).  With this feature you don’t have to check which labels you want to see, you have all of them with a simple scroll up or down.  Neat addition.  These are now defaults so if you don’t like them (I can’t imagine why) you cannot set them back to the old GUI.

Another new default change with Gmail. Notice when you scroll down an email page, especially with Vertical/Horizontal view off, the command/control bar scrolls with your view so they are available anywhere while viewing your email. Another great long overdue innovation again by Google.

Next, you can now show your emails to the right of the selected email (Vertical) or below it (Horizontal).  However, unlike the scroll bars this must be added through the Labs part of Gmail. To add this feature:

1. Click the gear in the upper right of the window.
2. Choose Mail Settings.
3. Next, Labs.
4. In the search box type Preview Pane.
5. Enable it.
6. Save Changes.
7. You are done.

Back in Gmail it will be set up Vertically like mine below and sorry for the blurring but hey, its my stuff.

To change it to Horizontal click the down arrow above your email and to the right (orange arrow in graphic) and choose the way you want to view your email.  You can also reset it to the old way by clicking the button or using the arrow again.  Now when you click an email from the list it will open where you want it.

Have fun and thanks Google!

Tags: cloud, Email, free apps, Gmail, gmail settings, google, horizontal view, innovation, labels, online email, personal, preview pane, scroll bars, search box

You may be tired of reading about Google Earth, Gmail, Google Calendar, Gmail Call and all other “G” related apps from me.  However, when they offer something unique, useful or just plain fun, I feel like I owe it to you to let you know about them.

This week I stumbled on one I had never heard about.  It may have been out for a while and I was just uninformed; nevertheless, it is new to me and may be new and quite useful for you.  “Gmail Alias Address”.  Yes, I know it is another “G” feature, but this is good and useful.

Pretend you have some communications going with a local company or person.  You would like all of the emails from that entity to go to a particular folder/label in Gmail.  You could always create a filter in Gmail for any email coming from that person to go into the correct folder.  But think ahead a bit.  What if that person hands your email address to another person to send you more information about the project?  That email will then go to your overcrowded inbox and you may miss it.

OK, how about this?  Instead of a filter for the person create a filter for the Subject Line.  That way, if anyone sends you an email with “Super Project” in the subject line the email will go to a particular folder in Gmail.  But wait (again).  What if someone misspells the subject line or changes it?  You may have another missed email.

Here is the way Alias Address works in Gmail.  You have the ability to create a “new” email address or “alias”.  Just place a “+” between your actual Gmail Username and your created alias then add “@gmail.com”.  Give the concerned parties that address only.

To try it out I created a Gmail address for us to play with “dblclx@gmail.com”.  Do not write me there since I may delete it in a couple of months.  However, for the next couple of weeks write me at dblclx+DNR@gmail.com.  Capitalization does not matter in the address.

I created a filter in that account for the DNR alias to move emails addressed to that alias into a particular folder.  That is all you do.  Just add the plus symbol between your username and whatever you want to call it.  It is not a new account and any email sent there will still be delivered to your email address.  If one day you don’t want to deal with those emails any longer, you can create a filter to delete them instead of placing it in the specific folder.  Think of the possibilities.  You could set up different aliases for people, websites, news, a group of people, etc.  The possibilities are endless…as long as you can keep up with them all.

Tags: +, alias, email alias, Gmail, google

If you are a Gmail user you will have noticed something new in the last couple of weeks. If you did not notice it you must have popup ads blocked on your browser. Google was pretty persistent in letting you know about it. I am not sure of the exact name of the feature since it appears to be part Gmail and part Google Voice. However, since the link to details about it is gmail.com/call, I guess we can call it Gmail Call.

It is a contender for the almost monopolistic hold Skype (skype.com) had on the internet calling/phone business.

They both allow you to call a phone or computer via their website using their designated add-ons. Yes, both are free (in the US) and both require you to install software. Do not be too concerned. The software install is pretty painless for both. Since you already have a Gmail account it is a bit easier and quicker to use the Google version.

Gmail Call is very easy to set up. When you are in your Gmail account look down the left side  of the window for a link titled, “Call Phone”. It will be located under your “Chat” section. All you have to do now is click on the link.

If you have not used it previously you will be asked to install the calling software. It took somewhat less than a minute to install it on my system.

The next time you want to try it out simply click the same, “Call Phone” link again. This time you will be presented with a dial pad that looks like it came from a different sort of phone. For instructions and pictures of what to expect go to, “gmail.com/call” where you can install the dialer and get more information.

The first day it rolled out I saw it right away since I am on my Gmail account most every day. Of course, I immediately installed it and it worked flawlessly. I naturally called my own cell phone first, just to see how it sounded. Keep in mind I was using my Acer Aspire One netbook’s little speaker to talk to my phone. It sounded very clear. I next left myself a voice mail; also good. Finally I called my wife and once she figured out it was me (coming from a Google phone number) she could hear me, and vice-versa, just fine.

I thought it was a good experience and though I only use my cell phone for calling people, with the video addition to Gmail Call I could be using it more. Google created a funny little cartoon you may want to take a look at about the new feature at, “bit.ly/Gmail-Call”.

Tags: Gmail, google, IP, phone, telephony, voice

I receive many emails with questions regarding RSS feeds, so it must be time to revisit them.

RSS means (pick one) “RDF Site Summary”, “Rich Site Summary”, or more commonly “Really Simple Syndication”.  There may be others out there.  I have no idea what the problem is with picking one name for this feature.   “Really Simple Syndication” seems to be the most popular.

How would you like to get regular revisions on sites you often visit without having to go there each time you want to check for new updates or “news feeds”?  That is RSS.  You can receive the site’s latest information whether text, audio, video or just about any other form of media in RSS feeds.

There are basically two steps for using RSS.

First you need a RSS Reader which allows you to read the news feeds.  Be aware…there are millions!  Try Google’s Reader and see what you get.  If you have a BlackBerry, as I do, you can use Viigo.com.  A good basic freebie is Bloglines.  You can also use Mozilla’s Firefox or Thunderbird.  The possibilities are endless.  The last one I will mention is “FeedReader” which is an old favorite of mine.  Just pick one out, and try it. If you like it, keep using it. If not, toss it since they are all free.

FeedReader is a good choice for a new person just starting out with RSS.  This is because it has several categories where “Feeds” are already set up.  You can play with them and see how they work before adding your own.  Also FeedReader looks a lot like a regular email program so you don’t have to get used to a new GUI (Graphical Use Interface).  Again, there are a multitude of readers out there — try them and find one you like.

All readers work very similarly, some just have more “buttons and bells”.  Usually you click on the category that you want to read, say “Sports, Baseball” and a list of recent news items will be made available.  Click on the item/feed you wish to read (there will be a sentence or two describing it) and enjoy.

Next, a site must be configured for a RSS “feed”.  You don’t have anything to do with that, it is done by the web site.

RSS feeds are usually very easy to spot.  Go to almost any news site and look for the standard RSS logo.  It is usually an orange square with rounded edges. There is a dot in the lower left corner with two arches pointing to the NE corner.  Give RSS feeds a try and you can stay up-to-date with many of your favorite sites.  I don’t use the RSS logo on my page.  It simply says, “Entries RSS“.

Click the orange link. When the page opens choose the area you like and copy the URL into your reader’s new feed area.  Experiment because you can add and delete feeds at will.

There are “feeds” for everything. Just find the orange emblem and try it.  Try one of my favorites at the Weather Channel.

Tags: Double Click, feed, Firefox, Gmail, google, microsoft, mozilla, news, rss

Thanks for the emails I received regarding the last column about “Secure P@55w0rdz“.  Most of you commented on the spelling I used in that word.  That is somewhat standard usage by geeks.  I’m glad you enjoyed it.  Apparently it caused a few of you to increase your passwords’ difficultly level which is a good thing.  Several of you asked how to rate the strength of your password. Here is a site at Microsoft where you can check yours out, http://bit.ly/cG2pw0.

On to today… I received many questions about programs to read and send email.  Today we will look at some of the most popular free ones.  Don’t forget, “Ron likes free best!”, so that is all I will discuss today.

My old favorite was Microsoft Outlook Express; however, since companies always like to change things – they did.  With the dawn of Windows 7, OE was done away with and replaced by Windows Live Mail, explore.live.com/windows-live-mail.  This is a good email program but MS has something I like even better.  If you do not want to add another program to your computer, MS has an online version which includes even more.  There you will find email which does not require a download called Windows Live.  You can get to it the old way at hotmail.com or the new way at mail.live.com.  They go to the same site.

Next on my list is Thunderbird which is located at Mozilla.com.  If that address looks familiar to you it is because they are also the company which created Firefox (a great browser you could try while there).  Thunderbird has all the bells and whistles too, but make sure you only use IMAP in the setup if you know what it is.  I personally don’t care for IMAP but that’s just me.  To find out more about IMAP go to bit.ly/bYXOtk.

In my opinion those are the best for Windows users.  I would also like to mention that if you use Google’s Gmail account, they made a big change just this week.  Now Gmail is a little off topic since it is online only (although it can be added to the other two programs).  However, if you have multiple Gmail accounts you should use this new feature.

Log into your favorite Gmail account because this will be set to default.  Now, go to Settings / Accounts and Import / Google Account Settings and change “Multiple sign in” to on.  Then add your other Gmail accounts, follow the directions and you will like it.  After that you will be able to switch back and forth between those accounts without having to log off and back on.  Nice feature Gmail…thanks!

Tags: bit.ly, Firefox, Gmail, live mail, microsoft, mozilla, thunderbird