This week we will look at two more Gmail features you may not have used yet. I received your emails about the last columns and appreciate the comments. Keep them coming with other issues you would like to see discussed in the future.
Also, unless I tell you differently to get to any Settings in Gmail, you will do the same thing each time. When I ask you to go to settings, click the gear icon in the upper-right corner and then “See all settings.” It would take a lot of space to write that each time. So, be familiar with that. When I say, “Go to settings” those are the steps.
Next on the list of things you should use in Gmail, “Signatures.” Signatures are standard with all email programs. You can put anything in your signature you want. Usually people will add their name, email address, phone number, website, or anything else they would like to put in the bottom of each email they send.
You have it now, just like your signature line of an old, typed/handwritten letter back in the day. However, you may also add a graphic/picture to it, as I do. Also, with Gmail you can add multiple signatures and choose from the one you want to use as needed. For instance, say you are a Cub Scout leader and you, as everyone has personal emails. You can add your Scout designations to one signature and your name and number only to your personal one.
To set up a signature, or multiples, go to the settings, scroll down the screen to, “Signature:” Click on the “Create new” link and go to town. To test them out, send yourself an email. Play with the formatting icons you see there and do more with it. Including pictures if you wish. If you dislike one of your signatures, delete it, and start over. Easy! If you have questions, just Google them for help.
Not that you are a secret agent and need to send emails with all sorts of security on it, but you can if needed in Gmail. Say you want to email someone with info that they can only read. I.E., not printed, downloaded, or sent to someone else. Basically, for their eyes only. You can use Gmail’s, “Confidential Mode.” This is a default setting in Gmail, and you do not need to set up anything to use it.
Compose an email as usual, fill out the To, Subject, and Body of the email as usual. Next, look to the bottom of that email and click the icon that looks like a briefcase with a clock in front of it. Hover the icon before you click it and you will see “Toggle confidential mode.” In the confidential mode, you have several choices to make. At the top you can click “Learn more” and do so. Then you can set an “Expiration date” which, when that date is hit the recipient of the email will only get the subject, the date it was sent, and “Email has expired” will be the only text remaining in the email’s body. You also have the option of requiring them to have a Gmail generated texted passcode to open the email. Be aware that to do this you will need their smartphone number. You cannot set any date, but only the choices Gmail allows.
Also, it is not totally secure. As they could take a screenshot of the email before the expiration date, and send that to someone else.
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