Tools to Use with Gmail

Tools to Use with Gmail

If you use Gmail, Google's email program, you should know about the many tools to help you make the most of your email.

Sure, you could use the Google-based email service and do just fine without any of the special functions. But with Gmail, users can get useful tools that can help in different ways.

Undo¹ Send

The Undo Send function is a very useful setting if you are human. People make mistakes and Undo Send can help save you from your mistakes.

This function lets you change your mind about an email you just sent. It gives you the power to cancel an email up to 30 seconds after you send it. This can help if you forgot to include an attachment², catch a mistake, or change your mind about sending the message. You just click Undo Send to prevent the message from being sent.

To set up Undo Send, you first hit the gear icon³ on your Gmail page, and then go to Settings. Click on the box next to Undo Send to enable the feature. You can set the time period for using Undo Send from anywhere between 5 and 30 seconds.

Click Save Changes at the bottom of the page to save your settings.

Sidekick

Have you ever wondered if an email you sent has been opened by the person you sent it to? A service called Sidekick will tell you where, when and how your email has been opened.

You can use Sidekick to learn when a message was opened, how many times it has been opened, where it was opened and whether it was opened on a computer or mobile device.

When you use Sidekick, a checkbox at the bottom of your message allow you to track the message.

When the message is opened, you will get a notice telling you information about how and when it was opened. You can receive this information on your computer with a Chrome extension and on your phone through the Sidekick app.

Boomerang

A service called Boomerang helps you schedule your emails.

Let's say it is late Sunday and you want to send an email. But you do not want it to get lost first thing Monday morning in someone's inbox. You think it would be better to wait until Tuesday morning to send the email. But you are afraid you will forget to send it by then.

Or perhaps someone sends you an important email on a Friday and would like you to answer it on Monday. You worry that if you wait that email will be lost and forgotten by the time Monday arrives.

Boomerang lets you control when you send emails and when they appear in your inbox. When you use Boomerang, you will see a Send Later button in Gmail. Click on the button to set when you want your email to arrive.

You can schedule emails for birthdays, important meetings or any other event.

Unroll.me

Inboxes can get filled quickly with subscription⁴ emails. Every store, service and website wants you to sign up so they can send you emails about special deals, updates and more.

Important emails may be buried among all of your subscriptions⁵. Unroll.me helps you control your inbox by providing a daily list of your subscription emails called the Rollup.

You can also use Unroll.me to stop any emails you no longer want to receive.

WiseStamp

Create your email signature with WiseStamp, a service that lets you add a personal touch to your messages. You can add photographs, contact information and links to your social media accounts to get more followers⁶.

Ugly Mail

While Sidekick lets you follow the emails you send, Ugly Mail shows you which emails in your inbox are being tracked by the sender. When you open those emails, the sender will know that they have been opened and perhaps get other information about you.

You will see an evil eye next to emails that are being tracked by the sender.

Ugly Mail currently works to show emails being tracked by the following services: Streak⁷, Yesware, Mandrill, MailChimp, Postmark, TinyLetter, Sidekick, MixMax and Bananatag. More tracking services will be covered in the future.

Note that Ugly Mail does not block the tracking; it only shows you that an email is being tracked by the sender.

Words in This Story

function - n. the special purpose or activity for which a thing exists or is used

undo - v. to change or stop the effect of (something) : reverse

attachment - n. a document or file that is sent with e-mail

click - v. to press a button on a mouse or some other device in order to make something happen on a computer

gear - n. a toothed wheel in a machine

icon - n.a small picture on a computer screen that represents a program or function

setting - n.  a particular way of positioning the controls of a machine, system, etc., in order to produce a desired result

schedule - v. to plan (something) at a certain time

response - n. omething that is said or written as a reply to something

text - n. the words that make up the main part of a book, magazine, newspaper, Web site, etc.?

automatic  - adj. having controls that allow something to work or happen without being directly controlled by a person

1 undo   

vt.解开，松开；取消，撤销

参考例句：

• His pride will undo him some day.他的傲慢总有一天会毁了他。
• I managed secretly to undo a corner of the parcel.我悄悄地设法解开了包裹的一角。

2 attachment   

n.附属物，附件；依恋；依附

参考例句：

• She has a great attachment to her sister.她十分依恋她的姐姐。
• She's on attachment to the Ministry of Defense.她现在隶属于国防部。

3 icon   

n.偶像，崇拜的对象，画像

参考例句：

• They found an icon in the monastery.他们在修道院中发现了一个圣像。
• Click on this icon to align or justify text.点击这个图标使文本排齐。

4 subscription   

n.预订，预订费，亲笔签名，调配法，下标（处方）

参考例句：

• We paid a subscription of 5 pounds yearly.我们按年度缴纳5英镑的订阅费。
• Subscription selling bloomed splendidly.订阅销售量激增。

5 subscriptions   

n.（报刊等的）订阅费( subscription的名词复数 )；捐款；（俱乐部的）会员费；捐助

参考例句：

• Subscriptions to these magazines can be paid in at the post office. 这些杂志的订阅费可以在邮局缴纳。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Payment of subscriptions should be made to the club secretary. 会费应交给俱乐部秘书。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

7 streak   

n.条理，斑纹，倾向，少许，痕迹；v.加条纹，变成条纹，奔驰，快速移动

参考例句：

• The Indians used to streak their faces with paint.印第安人过去常用颜料在脸上涂条纹。
• Why did you streak the tree?你为什么在树上刻条纹？