As I have started several columns about Google/Gmail in the past, I will do so again here, "I used to be a fan boy of Google but what have they done now?"
I have also written recently in the past that with the demise of iGoogle, Google Reader and several other very good Google and Gmail related apps I may not be using a lot of their new stuff. I still subscribe to that thought; although, who is their replacement?
A few weeks ago Google introduced a new UI (User Interface) for Gmail. Not that the old one was perfect but it did work well. It reminds me of the old adage, "If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!" It was not broken, so why did they have to go and mess with it?
Now Gmail has a Tabbed format. If you have not noticed it yet, since they are rolling it out slowly to the millions of users, here is how you can check. While you are logged into your Gmail account click on the Gear icon in the upper right corner, then look for "Configure Inbox." If you have that item you can turn it on but do not ask me for help. Gee, I think it is a mess since I like arranging my own email in folders/categories. What the tabbed feature does is to automatically move your email where their super algorithms think they should go.
Google precedes the list with, "Here are 5 super cool features which you need to know about Gmail’s new inbox."
- Primary: person-to-person conversations and messages which don’t appear in other tabs.
- Social: messages from social networks, media-sharing sites, online dating services, and other social websites.
- Promotions: deals, offers, and other marketing emails.
- Updates: personal, auto-generated updates including confirmations, bills, receipts, bills, and statements.
- Forums: messages from online groups, discussion boards, and mailing lists.
Sorry I do not care for it and have set mine back to the original settings. It will shuffle your email to the new tabs which to me are confusing and many times not the correct places. It is a new feature so it can grow and become better. I am not onboard with it. If you are let me know.
Here are two things you need to do to set it back to your old settings…if you have changed to the tabbed view.
First, click the Gear icon in the upper right corner of your Gmail account, select Configure Inbox, and uncheck everything except "Primary." To finish, click "Save."
The second thing to check is done by going back to the Gear icon. This time click on "Settings," next click on "Inbox" at the top of the new screen. Now, make sure the Inbox Type is set to "Default." Directly under that you should only have "Primary" checked; uncheck the others.
If you check online for other opinions about the "new" Gmail you will find people love it or hate it. Unfortunately it appears to me the haters outnumber the others.
