Please note that this site is now out of date and has been replaced by Google Workspace: a Practical Guide. If you came here from a link, please update the link accordingly. If you have any questions, please email itsupport@york.ac.uk FAO the DISC team.
See this short overview of the Google email model and its features (opens new tab/window)
And these Google slides about Google email (new tab/window)
(1' 02") Conversation View is great. It stacks threads of related messages together, something like a virtual paperclip, and really is worth the effort to learn to work with it. Plus, it makes your Inbox look less full!
(2' 46") Labels have a similar purpose to mail folders - except they're more flexible. Archive keeps your Inbox tidier.
Note: the video uses Google Mail's old layout, but the principles are the same.
See also a document explaining how to work with labels and filters in Gmail.
(1' 50") Stars allow you to add a range of easy-to-see symbols to messages.
(2' 43") Google Mail includes an easy-to-configure filter and searches to help manage your messages.
For Google help pages with further information about searching, see:
http://support.google.com/mail/bin/topic.py?hl=en&topic=1668965&parent=1668963&ctx=topic
Task lists can be created in both email and calendar. There are more details and a video on Tasks in the Calendar Section
Google Labs are experimental features. They're not fully integrated into Google but can be very useful and allow you to customise your mailbox to suit your needs.
To access Labs in Mail click the gears icon, choose Settings and open the Labs tab.
Useful Labs for Mail include:
Preview pane - provides a preview pane for reading emails directly next to your inbox.
Canned responses - save and then send pieces of text that you use regularly, eg different signatures for different aspects of your role, or generic responses to regular enquiries.