Micro Persuasion: Turn Gmail Into Your Personal Nerve Center

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- as long as you have Gmail open, Twitter will IM you the latest news when it hits.
- How to automatically store your bookmarks in Gmail
  
  It's easy to bookmark items in Gmail. However, did you know that you can bookmark on del.icio.us and automatically feed these into your Gmail database? In addition, if you're a Google Reader's shared items (yes, you Scoble!) you can feed these into Gmail automatically too. Then your bookmarks are easily mined from your nerve center.
  
  All you need to do is run your del.icio.us or Google Reader shared feed through Yahoo Alerts. You can opt for as-they-happen or daily emails Then, set up a filter to label these and have them automatically archived. This works for any RSS feed, not just bookmarks.
- 1 more annotations...
- - How to blog from Gmail
    
    Last but not least, you can also blog directly from Gmail. This works if you blog on Blogger, Wordpress, Moveable Type or TypePad. Simply set up your moblogging settings so that your gmail address is recognized. In addition, you can also blog from Gmail using IMified.
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I was lucky enough to get in on the Gmail beta when it launched and I haven't looked back since. Even though I've had an account for almost three years and I get over 100 emails a day, I have...

GMAIL PRODICTIVITY
12 May 09

Maizeroad ...
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- With its gobs of storage, speed and tremendous search/tagging capabilities, you can transform it into a personal nerve center that's available from any computer or mobile device.
- This series has several parts...
  
  How to turn Gmail into a massive personal database (Gmail + the Google Toolbar)
  How to get real-time news updates in Gmail (Gmail+ Google Talk + Twitter)
  How to automatically store your bookmarks in Gmail (Gmail + del.icio.us + Yahoo Alerts)
  How to manage Calendar and To-Dos in Gmail (Gmail + Backpack + GCal + GTalk + iMified)
  How to blog from Gmail (Gmail + Wordpress/TypePad/Blogger + IMified)
- 18 more annotations...
- - Using Gmail as a Massive Database
    
    I revel in information. Can't get enough of it. I like that I get a lot of email. I scan 275 RSS feeds in Google Reader and I use dozens of bookmarklets and shortcuts to help me manage it all.
  - The latest version of the Google Toolbar has a send to Gmail function. Select some text or graphics, right click on it and send it to Gmail. The Toolbar then automatically feeds it into a new message.
  - Now, when I find something I want to save I use this feature and send it to a secret contact in my address book. This is basically a steverubel+[secretphrase]@gmail.com email address (Lifehacker explains the value of these here).
  - Once the article arrives in my Gmail inbox, I have a filter whisk it a way into the archive and tag it with an @Database label. Further, I am toying with having the same filter also forward these to a premium Google Apps account that has 10 gigs of space. Now all I need to do to call it up later is enter label:@Database and a keyword. Whammo - an instant personal database.
  - How to get real-time news updates in Gmail
    
    I usually keep Gmail open in a tab in my browser. I also make heavy use of the integrated Google Talk IM client in Gmail.
  - How to automatically store your bookmarks in Gmail
    
    It's easy to bookmark items in Gmail. However, did you know that you can bookmark on del.icio.us and automatically feed these into your Gmail database? In addition, if you're a Google Reader's shared items (yes, you Scoble!) you can feed these into Gmail automatically too. Then your bookmarks are easily mined from your nerve center.
    
    All you need to do is run your del.icio.us or Google Reader shared feed through Yahoo Alerts. You can opt for as-they-happen or daily emails Then, set up a filter to label these and have them automatically archived. This works for any RSS feed, not just bookmarks.
  - How to Manage Your Calendar and To-Dos in Gmail
    
    Gmail does not have a to-do list feature - yet. Further, the Google Calendar isn't integrated either. However, if you use GCal and either Backpack or Remember the Milk, you can control these with the integrated Google Talk in Gmail and IMified.
    
    All you need to do is add IMified to your Google Talk contact list and you can not only view your calendar and to-do's but add to them and delete items as well.
  - How to blog from Gmail
    
    Last but not least, you can also blog directly from Gmail. This works if you blog on Blogger, Wordpress, Moveable Type or TypePad. Simply set up your moblogging settings so that your gmail address is recognized. In addition, you can also blog from Gmail using IMified.
  - dep said...
    
    Awesome! A true tweaker! I wrote an article that discusses how to get the most out of personal portal pages using free tools and such. I thought you might find it interesting. It's here:
    
    http://www.pecknology.net/netvibes/
  - Sanjay Goel said...
    
    W.r.t saving delicious bookmarks using yahoo alerts, The yahoo alert is generated on the rss feed and hence does not show the tags to the bookmark.
    
    This limits the functionality a lot as I can't use gmail search to search thru tags.
    
    I remember reading about other ways to backup delicious bookmarks to gmail but they were not too simple to setup.
  - ignar said...
    
    Great tips. I also use Gmail as my personal memo archives. I tried other web clipping/online memo solutions including Snippets, Onenote, Evernote, and Google Docs, but Gmail works best for me for its simplicity and availability from anywhere and any device which includes my PDA and a cell phone. One difference from your methods is I don't use Google toolbar. I just use copy and paste, and Google email editor does an excellent job to maintain source format.
    
    I will give a try to some of your other suggestions.
  - Has anyone some life hacks to manage tags? I think that's the weakest point of Gmail, for me they got very quicky out of control and the only thing I came up with was naming them like Work:label1, Work:label2, Personal:label1 to get them at least bit under control... Why can't Google make some handy bundles for tags? Doesn't anyone else have this problem?
  - what if hackers broke into Google's data which is archived of all this personal information. I was using Gmail as a repository of site logings, passwords etc. but recently I've removed the data (though of course Google has backups). Now I store all personal information in Trucrypt encrypted files.
  - David Scott Lewis said...
    
    Steve, if someone wants to save an entire page there's an easier way to do it than with the Google Toolbar and "send to Gmail function." It's called "toread"; their URL is http://toread.cc.
    
    With "toread", a bookmarklet is added to the bookmarks toolbar and when you want to save the page, just click on the bookmarklet. Easier than the way you suggested. And, of course, if someone POPs their Gmail account, they can read this page offline.
  - Furl, as you recall, allows a user to save the entire document, giving it much more value than saving it in del.icio.us: With Furl, a user creates their own digital library -- and items can be tagged, made private or public, all sorts of options.
  - And the Omea Reader/Omea Pro RSS/news reader allows clips to be saved within the Omea environment. Also, pages can be saved and automatically updated.
  - Regarding "To-Dos," don't forget the GTD (Getting Things Done) extension for Gmail in Firefox. (It's GTDMail.) VERY useful; a very nice tool.
  - 3) Omea -- http://www.jetbrains.com/omea (a superb RSS/news reader as well, but so much more -- and FREE)
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However, in recent weeks I have started using Gmail as much more than an email host. With its gobs of storage, speed and tremendous search/tagging capabilities, you can transform it into a personal nerve center that's available from any computer or mobile device. When you tap into this power and combine Gmail with some other tools, it is perhaps the most essential site ever developed. Most of the following life hacks have not been documented.

Articles Gmail Information Management Productivity
- - Suzannah Porter on 2008-10-11
    
    Rubel, Steve. 2007. Turn Gmail Into Your Personal Nerve Center. Blog. MicroPersuasion. February 25. http://www.micropersuasion.com/2007/02/transform_gmail.html.
    >
- However, in recent weeks I have started using Gmail as much more than an email host. With its gobs of storage, speed and tremendous search/tagging capabilities, you can transform it into a personal nerve center that's available from any computer or mobile device. When you tap into this power and combine Gmail with some other tools, it is perhaps the most essential site ever developed. Most of the following life hacks have not been documented.
- 8 more annotations...
- - How to turn Gmail into a massive personal database (Gmail + the Google Toolbar)
    How to get real-time news updates in Gmail (Gmail+ Google Talk + Twitter)
    How to automatically store your bookmarks in Gmail (Gmail + del.icio.us + Yahoo Alerts)
    How to manage Calendar and To-Dos in Gmail (Gmail + Backpack + GCal + GTalk + iMified)
    How to blog from Gmail (Gmail + Wordpress/TypePad/Blogger + IMified)
  - Using Gmail as a Massive Database
    
    I revel in information. Can't get enough of it. I like that I get a lot of email. I scan 275 RSS feeds in Google Reader and I use dozens of bookmarklets and shortcuts to help me manage it all.
    
    Everyday I come across something on the web that I want to save for future reference. While previously I was using Yojimbo to manage all of this information, I found the solution wanting since I travel a lot and need to access my bits from a mobile device. Google Notebook also doesn't work on a mobile device and its search functions are rather lacking. Enter Gmail and the Google Toolbar.
    
    The latest version of the Google Toolbar has a send to Gmail function. Select some text or graphics, right click on it and send it to Gmail. The Toolbar then automatically feeds it into a new message.
    
    Now, when I find something I want to save I use this feature and send it to a secret contact in my address book. This is basically a steverubel+[secretphrase]@gmail.com email address (Lifehacker explains the value of these here).
    
    Once the article arrives in my Gmail inbox, I have a filter whisk it a way into the archive and tag it with an @Database label. Further, I am toying with having the same filter also forward these to a premium Google Apps account that has 10 gigs of space. Now all I need to do to call it up later is enter label:@Database and a keyword. Whammo - an instant personal database.
    
    Here's a screenshot of a photo of Steve Ballmer's office that I felt like filing away for inspiration (I was amazed by its size). Note that the Google Toolbar automatically inserts the source URL. I also use this method to store notes, ideas and musings.
  - How to automatically store your bookmarks in Gmail
    
    It's easy to bookmark items in Gmail. However, did you know that you can bookmark on del.icio.us and automatically feed these into your Gmail database? In addition, if you're a Google Reader's shared items (yes, you Scoble!) you can feed these into Gmail automatically too. Then your bookmarks are easily mined from your nerve center.
    
    All you need to do is run your del.icio.us or Google Reader shared feed through Yahoo Alerts. You can opt for as-they-happen or daily emails Then, set up a filter to label these and have them automatically archived. This works for any RSS feed, not just bookmarks.
  - How to Manage Your Calendar and To-Dos in Gmail
    
    Gmail does not have a to-do list feature - yet. Further, the Google Calendar isn't integrated either. However, if you use GCal and either Backpack or Remember the Milk, you can control these with the integrated Google Talk in Gmail and IMified.
    
    All you need to do is add IMified to your Google Talk contact list and you can not only view your calendar and to-do's but add to them and delete items as well.
  - How to blog from Gmail
    
    Last but not least, you can also blog directly from Gmail. This works if you blog on Blogger, Wordpress, Moveable Type or TypePad. Simply set up your moblogging settings so that your gmail address is recognized. In addition, you can also blog from Gmail using IMified.
    
    This is just the tip of the iceberg of what you can do when you "hack" together a bunch of free tools. Eventually I could run out of space but I suspect Google will offer storage upgrades by the time I come close. What's unmistakable, is that Gmail is really the Internet's version of the Ginsu knife.
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- Now, when I find something I want to save I use this feature and send it to a secret contact in my address book. This is basically a steverubel+[secretphrase]@gmail.com email address
- Now all I need to do to call it up later is enter label:@Database and a keyword. Whammo - an instant personal database.
- 3 more annotations...
- - you can bookmark on del.icio.us and automatically feed these into your Gmail database
  - Then your bookmarks are easily mined from your nerve center.
  - All you need to do is run your del.icio.us or Google Reader shared feed through Yahoo Alerts. You can opt for as-they-happen or daily emails Then, set up a filter to label these and have them automatically archived. This works for any RSS feed, not just bookmarks.
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