Castellini on Computers - Computer help for beginners » Gmail

7 Google services you have never tried

Rick — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 05:36:08 +0000

Google started as a college project 12 years ago, then as a startup search engine just 10 years ago. Today, Google owns more than 60% of all web search traffic and employs close to 22,000 employees worldwide. You probably interact with Google via their search engine primarily. However, you are missing out on some truly great services that Google also provides in addition to their fast and accurate search engine. Today, I will tell you about 7 of the many other services Google provides.

Google News

When you arrive at google.com, click the link that says News at the top of the page or you can directly visit news.google.com. Google News is an auto-generated news page that refreshes automatically every 5-10 minutes and displays headlines from more than 4500 news sources around the world. To me, it is the ultimate newspaper?unbiased and unfiltered. And even more helpful, starting a search at Google News instead of

I don’t miss spam

Rick — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 02:32:14 +0000

I just emptied 536 spam from my email spam folder. Today, I ran across some clients who had problems with email spam, and I recanted the following story. Once upon a time, my email inbox was filled to the brim with spam every single day. Then one cool autumn day in Las Vegas, Nevada at the now defunct [...]

Changing email addresses – It’s not that difficult

Rick — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:19:45 +0000

AOL made billions of dollars for years because computer users are afraid to change their email addresses. All week long, I hear, "Oh, it's too hard to change email addresses now." Or, "It will take forever to change my email address with everyone."

Come on folks...were using computers! You don't have to fill out a change of address form and march it down to the postal office. You don't have to send out a post card to every person you know. You don't have to fill out a change of address for all your bills and utilities.

Changing email addresses is actually pretty painless and can be cathartic as well. In fact, think of it as going into the digital identity protection program. Here's how to make it a smooth transition:

Business and Education Save Money by Moving to the Cloud

Rick — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 04:50:38 +0000

Since joining Twitter last spring, I made it a point to follow industry leaders and pundits that post interesting and breaking tech news and information. Two of my favorites are GoogleAtWork and Zoho. After nearly 15 years in the computer help and training business, I firmly believe in the mission of these two organizations…cloud computing. Quickly, [...]

Gmail adds MORE functionality to Labels – Video Tip

Rick — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:20:05 +0000

Yesterday, Google added drag and drop functionality to the already stupendous Labels feature. Adding drag and drop label organization further enhances the lead Gmail already holds on all other email systems…desktop or web based. Make sure to watch my other Gmail videos if you are just beginning with Gmail, but this short video will give [...]

Gmail adds drag and drop to labels

Rick — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:51:28 +0000

In my mind, Gmail solidified their hold at the top of the email mountain by adding drag and drop functionality to their innovative labels system. Look for a quick video demoing this feature in the near future. In the interim, read the full article from Google below and read and watch my Gmail tips by [...]

Creating an email group in Gmail – Video Tip

Rick — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 03:50:13 +0000

I'm thrilled that so many people are heeding my advice and starting to use Gmail. Search Gmail here at the site to find three how-to videos about Gmail to see why so many people are jumping to Gmail.

New Gmail users frequently ask me how to setup an address group in Gmail. Groups allow you to send a single email to a group of people in your address book by addressing the message to the group instead of the individuals in the group.

To create the group:

In Gmail, click the contacts link
Click the New Group icon
Type a name for your new group
Click OK
Click All Contacts
Place a check mark in the boxes of the contacts you want to belong to your new group
Click the Groups menu
Click the name of the group you want for them

That's it! It makes more sense watching it being done so watch the video below to see these steps in action AND see how to use your group after you have built it!

Printable Gmail Tip Sheet

Rick — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 12:46:51 +0000

Google just released a printable reference guide you can download for free. The PDF file downloads quick and contains two pages of tips from beginner to advanced. If you print the two pages on one sheet of paper (front/back), it can be laminated and be a great reference tool to keep next to your computer. Remember [...]

How to attach iPhoto images to Gmail & Yahoo Mail – Video Tip

Rick — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 01:34:06 +0000

Currently, iPhoto only lets you send photos via email from within iPhoto if you use the Apple Mail program. For web based email users like Gmail, HotMail or Yahoo email, follow the easy steps in this tip. Start a new email as normal in your Gmail, HotMail, Yahoo mail, etc. Complete the address, subject, and body of [...]

Using the Search function in Gmail – Video Tip

Rick — Fri, 29 May 2009 14:19:22 +0000

Gmail remains at the very top of my list of best email services and email interfaces. Not only can you use an existing email address (in most cases), but you can get your email from any computer very quickly. One overlooked option in any email program is the search function. I see too many computer [...]