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.
Undo 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 attachment, 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 icon 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 subscription 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 subscriptions. 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 followers.
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: Streak, 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