Why do I need an email signature?

March 8th, 2010

The short answer?  Because it not only makes you look more professional – it also is like FREE ad space at the end of your email!

When you create an email signature, you should always include your website, links to your social media (ie. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn), and of course your phone number!

Here’s how to set it up in gmail:

Step 1:  Log in to your Gmail.

Step 2:  Select “Settings” in the upper right hand corner of the page

Step 3:  Locate the Signature field, and enter the info you desire to have as your signature (typing in this box automatically turns on the signature option)

Step 4:  Save changes to your account.

Step 5:  TEST IT!!

Trust me on step 5.  You will want to test before you send to the general public!

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Google Labs – Mail Goggles

February 23rd, 2010

You’ve heard of drunk-dialing, and drunk-texting, right?  I’m not suggesting that you would ever drunk-email someone, but sometimes when you are working late, your words may not be quite as eloquent as you’d like.

You might be angry at a co-worker for sticking you with the late-night duties, or just in a brain-fog from the hard work, but sometimes it’s just best to send in the AM.

Thanks to Mail Goggles, you have to perform simple math functions in order to send an email.  If you’re too foggy, you won’t be able to send till your head clears.

1.  Log in to your gmail account

2.  After you are logged in, you will see your username in the upper right hand corner.  Just to the right of that you will see “settings” – click it.

3. This pops you over to the settings panel, which is a big yellow box with lots of stuff in it.  Find the tab that says “Labs” and click it.

4. Mail Goggles should be near the top of the list.

5.  Click “Enable”.

Thank you Google Labs, for helping me keep my late-night rantings to myself!

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Google Labs – Message Translation

February 22nd, 2010

I really never thought I’d have a need for the Message Translation Lab available for Gmail – until a few days ago.

I got a message from a gal in Portugal who had a question, and if it wasn’t for this Message Translation, I would have had no idea what that question was.

I was able to reply quickly, and hopefully, she will be able to read my response!  If she’s got Gmail, chances are, she can!

Just in case you ever get a message in German or Mandarin, you should enable Message Translation too…

1.  Log in to your gmail account

2.  After you are logged in, you will see your username in the upper right hand corner.  Just to the right of that you will see “settings” – click it.

3. This pops you over to the settings panel, which is a big yellow box with lots of stuff in it.  Find the tab that says “Labs” and click it.

4. Message Translation is about halway down that list.

5.  Click “Enable”.

What will they come up with next?

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Google Labs – Create a Document

February 20th, 2010

I’m always cutting and pasting things from gmail.  Good ole’ ctrl+c and ctrl+p have served me well.  But wouldn’t it be nice if you could just press a couple of buttons and voila – a document was created?

Good news!  Jeremie LE & David K thought it was a good idea too.  Thanks guys!

If you have keyboard shortcuts enabled, you can create a Google Document from an email conversation or a new blank document by hitting ‘g’ then ‘w’.

Sweet, right?

1.  Log in to your gmail account

2.  After you are logged in, you will see your username in the upper right hand corner.  Just to the right of that you will see “settings” – click it.

3. This pops you over to the settings panel, which is a big yellow box with lots of stuff in it.  Find the tab that says “Labs” and click it.

4. Create a Document should be about halfway down the list.

5.  Click “Enable”.

Did I mention I love Google Labs?

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Google Labs – Vacation Time!

February 19th, 2010

What’s that?  You get to head to Aruba for a week for a vacation?  Jealous!

Even if you aren’t headed to a sunny beach, there’s always the chance you are just going to be out of reach for a day or two, and chances are you want to set up an autoresponder so people don’t think you are just ignoring them.

Vacation Time is a sweet lab that allows you to schedule when your autoresponder starts and stops – so you don’t forget to turn it on.  Or off for that matter.

To enable Vacation Time:

1.  Log in to your gmail account

2.  After you are logged in, you will see your username in the upper right hand corner.  Just to the right of that you will see “settings” – click it.

3. This pops you over to the settings panel, which is a big yellow box with lots of stuff in it.  Find the tab that says “Labs” and click it.

4. The Labs are not listed alphabetically – they are listed by popularity, so you’ll have to scroll about halfway down the page to find Vacation Time.

5.  Click “Enable”.

Now head off to the beach and enjoy yourself!

Posted in Google Mail (G Mail) Tips & Tricks, Google Tools, Internet Tools, Saving Money with Technology | No Comments »

Google Labs – Signature tweaks

February 18th, 2010

One of the things I hate about gmail is that when you reply to an email, it quotes the email and then puts your signature underneath.

It’s great that it automatically quotes the email, but then my signature line gets moved all the way to the bottom.  How is anyone supposed to see my fancy pants signature?

Signature Tweaks fixes that very issue.  A great big thank you to Keith C & Dave C for fixing this annoying issue!

To enable Signature Tweaks:

1.  Log in to your gmail account

2.  After you are logged in, you will see your username in the upper right hand corner.  Just to the right of that you will see “settings” – click it.

3. This pops you over to the settings panel, which is a big yellow box with lots of stuff in it.  Find the tab that says “Labs” and click it.

4. The Labs are not listed alphabetically – they are listed by popularity, so you’ll have to scroll about halfway down the page to find Signature Tweaks.

5.  Click “Enable”.

Now everyone will see your awesome signature.  And if you don’t already have one, you should probably get one!

Posted in Google Mail (G Mail) Tips & Tricks, Google Tools, Internet Tools, Saving Money with Technology | No Comments »

Google Labs – YouTube

February 17th, 2010

By far, the most popular Google Lab is for Youtube.

The awesome thing about this lab is that anytime someone sends you a clever video to watch and it’s from YouTube, you can watch it right in the email.

Seriously – no more clicking over to YouTube only to lose the next hour or two perusing hilarious videos of kids and pets.  Watch that one video, and get back to work!

To add this lab to your gmail:

1.  Log in to your gmail account

2.  After you are logged in, you will see your username in the upper right hand corner.  Just to the right of that you will see “settings” – click it.

3. This pops you over to the settings panel, which is a big yellow box with lots of stuff in it.  Find the tab that says “Labs” and click it.

4. YouTube should be at the very tippy top of the list.

5.  Click “Enable”.

Done!

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Google Labs – Forgotten Attachment Detector

February 16th, 2010

I know I can’t be the only one who does this – I say that something should be attached to an email I’m sending.  Only I never attach it.  I happily click send, thinking that I’ve done my part in getting whatever it was to whoever I was writing to.  And then a few hours later, that someone lets me know nothing was attached.

Makes you feel like a goof, doesn’t it?

Well, I’d like to extend a personal “thank you” to Jonathan K for creating the Google Lab that saves me from that embarrassment.  “Forgotten Attachment Detector” has saved my hiney more than once!

So how can you add it to your Gmail?

1.  Log in to your gmail account

2.  After you are logged in, you will see your username in the upper right hand corner.  Just to the right of that you will see “settings” – click it.

3. This pops you over to the settings panel, which is a big yellow box with lots of stuff in it.  Find the tab that says “Labs” and click it.

4. The Labs are not listed alphabetically – they are listed by popularity, so you’ll have to scroll about halfway down the page to find Forgotten Attachment Detector.

5.  Click “Enable”.

That’s it.  So easy, right?  You’ll never forget an attachment again!

Posted in Google Mail (G Mail) Tips & Tricks, Google Tools, Internet Tools, Saving Money with Technology, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Google Labs – Cool Tools for Everyone

February 15th, 2010

If you aren’t using Google Apps to manage your business (and your life), you are missing out.  It is amazing to me the things that their developers come up with, and I really can’t get enough of their stuff.

One of my favorite tools is Google Labs.  Really, Labs are a collection of tools that ANYONE can create for Gmail.  Okay,  you really should be a developer, but if you’ve got an idea, and you know someone who can implement it, then you are golden.

And the range of what’s out there already is amazing.  You can preview YouTube vids, get new fancy stars for labelling your gmail – and get this…remind you that you said you were attaching something, but didn’t do it.

In my next post, I will show you how to find them, and clue you in to some of the coolest ones.  If you’ve got a favorite, make sure to mention it in the comments!

Coming in just nine days (February 24th), is Part 1 of my Google Applications Tech Networking Event.  Learn how to utilize the tools that Google is literally giving away for free, and tighten up your business at the same time.

http://www.modernincon.com/technet.html

Posted in Google Mail (G Mail) Tips & Tricks, Google Tools, Internet Tools, Saving Money with Technology | No Comments »

Why Picasa is a great alternative to Photoshop

February 6th, 2010

I’m not going to lie – Photoshop is probably the best image editing software on the market.  It also has a hefty price tag of $699.  So, unless you edit images for a living, chances are you, aren’t going to be buying Photoshop any time soon, right?

Well, I’ve got a great alternative for you – Picasa.

I’ve blogged about Picasa before – it was part of my Technology Makeover series.  It’s no secret that I love it.

But, is it really a good program?  YES!

With Picasa, you can:

  • Edit photos (red-eye removal, saturation/brightness fixes, and tons more!)
  • Create Albums
  • Tag and sort photos/albums
  • Tag geographically
  • Share with friends
  • Make awesome backgrounds
  • and tons more!

Check out my friend @keithprivette’s twitter page to see an awesome example of what you can do with Picasa.  He did a great job with his background, and he did it completely with Picasa!

To learn more about Picasa, and all the awesome stuff you can do with it, check out my latest webinar, on Monday February 8th!

Register Here

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