Get Updates By Email!
Here is a nice Mozilla Firefox Cheat Sheet. If you use Firefox, you will like this collection of tips and shortcuts. Thanks to Tom Mighell for the link.
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Ever send an e-mail to the wrong person? You meant to send it to “joe@joe.com” but mistakenly sent it to “joe@jack.com”? Your e-mail client auto-fills in the address, and you were in such a rush to dash off a quick note that your mind didn’t fully process mistake in the address.
Most of the time it amounts to nothing more than an, “Oops.” But once in awhile you may find yourself in the awkward - and possibly legally liable - position of having sent an e-mail to someone who should definitely not have seen the message. Take, for example, the case where you send a message to opposing counsel that was meant for co-counsel. Or a confidential client e-mail goes off to the case trustee.
Some would tell you to simply avoid e-mail for these conversations, and I agree to an extent. But it’s just not possible all the time, especially if you’re a member of a confidential listserv or other mailing list. But fear not, there’s a simple hack to get you through.
When I have a confidential listserv or recipient, I set that person up as a contact in my e-mail program; the name, however, is preceded by a +. Therefore, a confidential recipient would be “+Joe Smith”. When I typed that person’s name into the “To:” field I would need to type “+Joe Smith” or the e-mail address would not auto-fill. It’s useful for listservs in particular, especially given the fact that most of them are “listserv@xxxx.com.”
My NACBA listserv, for example, is set up with a name of +NACBA. I also subdivide using #, % and & based on level of security.
It’s just an additional level of security for when you need to send out a message that should not get into unauthorized hands. It’s saved me a ton of embarrassment more times than I can possibly recount. And given the fact that I correspond with many of my opposing counsel by e-mail, it’s probably saved me some money as well.
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Lots of people use Gmail; it’s handy, has enormous storage capacity, and is generally a handy tool for organizing your life.
Wait, your life? Hang on a second, I though Gmail was for your e-mail! Not so, kind reader. See, using a few tips and tricks you can make Gmail work to your advantage.
Take, for example, the To-Do List. Ah, the list of things one must get done and has not yet gotten done. Or random Notes (Which I call “NTS”, or “Notes To Self.” They used to begin, “Dear Self,” but I am now on more familiar terms with myself).
The key is PLUSSING. No, not a carnal activity. Plussing means that if your address is maryhadda@gmail.com, you can receive e-mail at maryhadda+littlelamb@gmail.com or maryhadda+longaddress@gmail.com, etc.
Why is this useful? Well, Mary (or you!) could use the base address for mailing lists (”maryhadda+lists”), and another for shopping online (”maryhadda+shopping”) and so on, and then create filters to put useful labels on the different types of mail.
Let’s say you want to set up Gmail to allow you to take notes. You would create username+notes@gmail.com. Then create a label called “Notes” in Gmail as well as a filter that adds the ‘Notes’ label to any incoming email addressed to username+notes@gmail.com. By checking the “Skip The Inbox” (Archive mail) option, your ‘Notes’ mails will not show up in you Inbox but simply await use in the archive.
To file a note from another email account (or have a friend do so), simply send the information in a mail to username+notes@gmail.com with a suitable subject title to help recall.
To file a note from your own gmail account, simply compose the note with a suitable subject title to help recall and select the Notes contact with the username+notes@gmail.com created in step 1 before sending to yourself.
To access a note mail previously saved in this way, simply click on the ‘Notes’ label in the left-hand pane of the main view (or elsewhere) to see all your Notes.
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Over at What’s The Next Action,they’re doing this feature called Shortcut Sunday. The first installment talks about the hidden shortcuts you can use to avoid your mouse when working with Windows XP.
I know, a lot of you really like using your mouse (mouses? mice? meese?) but it slows you down. Reach over, grab the mouse, run it around the screen, click something, then go back to the keyboard. Repeat often. Waste, waste, waste.
Lots of these shortcuts work really well because they become second nature after awhile. For example, most people know that hitting the key with the Windows logo on it will bring up the Start menu - no-brainer there. But most people don’t know that Win+D will minimize all windows and show your desktop.
Or my favor one is that when you hit the ALT key and then any of the underlined letters on your top menu bar, it makes the menu pop down. For example, in Microsoft Word hit ALT+F. You’ll see the File menu drop down, and you can roll through it using your arrow buttons reather than dragging your mouse all of the place.
Some other shortcuts I use a lot you might find useful:
Make sure you check out Microsoft’s own list of keyboard shortcuts you never knew even existed!
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
