Advise Please...Email Related

Hi...

My primary email is Gmail. I will soon (I hope!) be getting a dedicated work-related email account, which I may want to use with Gmail.

Also, since I have Office 2007, I have Outlook. I know that one can use Gmail through Outlook. I was wondering what you folks would recommend...should I keep using Gmail directly from the web OR use Gmail through Outlook. The work-related email account will also be web-based but also can be configured through Outlook.

What would you recommend? Most importantly, while I know how to set up the Outlook + webmail (including Gmail) system, I am more interested in why you would recommend a particular course of action.

Thanks in advance.

 

i pop3 my gmail to windows mail. makes it easy to check mail from my desktop when i get home.

 

If you need a calender, then I suggest you IMAP gmail into Outlook. On top of day planning, Outlook also comes in handy with its templates for those often sent emails. If your email traffic is relatively light, I suggest you just stick with the web based one.

 

One thing I like about web based email systems is that you don't have to worry about loosing any of your contacts or emails if your computer dies. backing up Outlook's PST file is a pain. If you need outlook, or just prefer it, using gmail with outlook over IMAP gives you the best of both worlds. You'd still have to sync your outlook contacts with gmail though for it to be a true backup solution.

 

OK. Thanks folks. One question. Quite a bit of my mail on Gmail is "labelled" - with different headings and colour codings...does this remain in this way or at least somewhat categorized when imported into Outlook?

I don't use Gmail's calendar, but I expect to be using Outlook's calendar - am I correct in assuming that Outlook to Gmail sync also works?

 

Go for Thunderbird, it makes life a lot simpler. When migrating to a new computer, you only will simply need to copy and paste a folder in %appdata% and all your emails, passwords, addons, addresses, etc are saved in perfectly identical way. Also, you can place several email accounts in the client and can check all at the same time (you can do this Outlook 2007 too, but it places all inbox mail in the same folder, a pain when trying to filter where a messages comes from).

 

Thanks. But since I already have Office (and thus Outlook) would seem pointless to add TB. Though if I did not have Office, the Open Office + TB makes for a deadly combination.

 

The color coding will not translate over to Outlook. The labels will translate over as folders.

I've never tried to sync Google calendar, but I hear it works.

http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=77657
http://www.google.com/support/calendar/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=89955

 

Hmmm...Thanks. Does this mean that if I have 30+ labels, I will end up having the equal number of folders in Outlook under a single gmail ID? If this is so, then I have some serious thinking to do as to how to reorganize my Gmail...30 folders under a single email account is a bit too much isn't it?

 

I have too many e-mail addresses - live, googlemail (UK), yahoo... tiscali... I just throw them all together in Outlook via POP.

The key advantage of Oulook is offline access - I can sit in a train and compose an e-mail if I want.

I click send and Outlook will send it off he next time I'm online.

Another advantage is that I can look offline through my e-mails.

For Tiscali spcific:
The web application adds an advertisment at the bottom - that I would call an isult to paying tiscali customers...
I don't know about Google or Yahoo,
but with Outlook (or any e-mail client for that matter) you bypass this adding of an advertisment.

 

Well, see that is part of the advantage that I am looking for...in addition to the fact that I can go back to some emails while offline. But the fact that Gmail's labels convert themselves into folders under a specific gmail account within Outlook would be scary because at last count I have around 35 labels aside from the normal "inbox" etc.

I don't about Windows Live (Hotmail) and Yahoo, but I don't receive any ads while using and receiving gmail and I have the 'free' garden variety account as most people do.

That number of folders thing is scaring me + the fact that how long will it take for Outlook to download all the gmail-based emails and threads - which leads me to another question: Does Outlook maintain the threads of email conversations? That is an important factor for me - workwise - too.

EDIT: Of course some could possibly say that go with the Google Gears setup (which I know very little about) which I guess can give a user an offline capability of sorts. But I am still somewhat hesitant to rely that much on Google - but that is a different matter.

 

Well, I don't have a spam problem either.

Outlook 2007 does not group conversation.

Bu Outlook 2010 does and will.
(I have the technical preview)

In this respectyou may be better off waiting for Outlook 2010 before you make the step.

Not sure about "labels" - never used them.

I started off with Outlook 2002 (had that from a PDA) then got 2007... ow 310 Technical Preview.

 

Oh wow! I did not know that - Outlook 2007 NOT having the threaded email system. Being used to it from my Paim, that is something that I really can't do about - oh well...all this has been a waste then. Why is this Outlook 2010 coming out? With Win 7 I presume?

 

Outllok 2010 is the successor to Outlook 2007 - like 2002, and 2003 etc.

Office 2010 features improved menus and generally loads faster

 

Oops...lol...sorry, I meant...WHEN is Outlook 2010 coming out...not WHY!!!!!! Sorry!

 

Ah, OK.

Well the Technical Preview is pretty much rockstable - and its out since this summer.

This would be followed by a Beta most likely.

But if I were to guess I'd say 2010 - maybe Quarter 1 or 2 - but I honestly don't know.

 

Given this, would you say I would be better off taking a serious look at Google Gears? (Though I must say that eventually, I would have to work with Office because I will need the online/offline capability AND for work-related compatibility issues)

 

I haven't tried Google gears - sorry.

 

Oh...OK. Thanks for your insights though.

 

Technically, Outlook 2007 has threaded conversations. My exchange account shows them.

The way Outlook 2007 handles IMAP unfortunately doesn't display the threads.

It's a pain in the rear that I compensate by changing views.

 

Hmmm...But the key to this is MS Exchange...yes? Merely linking Gmail to Outlook 2007 would not show threaded conversations right? For me threaded conversations is a must else I will be spending the rest of my days searching to related email threads. In which case, I guess I have to wait for Outlook 2010?

 

That would possibly be best.

One way of sorting e-mails would be by sender - that way all e-mails by the same person are grouped, but its not quite that good for you I think.

 

Thanks. But yeah you are right, I am not sure that would work. I am telling you using that Palm Treo spoilt me and then the same with Gmail. I guess Outlook 2010 it is then, which kinda sucks as I don't want to get into the Google Gears thing!

Edit: Actually, apparently, Outlook 2007 does have the threaded (by conversation) view: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/HA011357041033.aspx

 

On an Exchange account, this information is sent. so yes.

I'm not sure Outlook 2010 will fix this. It is because IMAP does not send the "threading" from Gmail to Outlook, so Outlook basically has to guess which email messages are threaded.

I haven't tried Google Gears or Apps sync or whatever it is called yet. I would assume those provide a more complete solution.

 

Well...basically, Google Gears allows one to have the benefits of Gmail while offline - so same as having an email client offline - write up emails, press "send" and once you are online, the messages in your Sent Folder get transferred to the google servers and on their way to their destination.

But you see, if I opt for that then I might as well trash the whole MS set up, what I was planning on doing (maybe unrealistically) is to use the MS setup with the convenience of Gmail without having to go to the browser (I always get so sidetracked when I open a browser to check mail - I end up doing other things). So I thought, if I used Outlook, then I don;t need to open the browser to check mail and I can get on with my stuff...if you know what I mean.

 

Outlook 2010 does it automatically.

It groups e-mail accrding to the subject to form a conversation.
Adding "AW:" (German) or the English acronym for reply does not hinder it.

It also works pretty well

 

That means I will have to wait for my Win 7 machine which will come with Office 2010 and my total emails in Gmail will be over 2000!!!!

 

Your Win7 machine comes with Office 2010?

That would be a bit too early for my tastes - since the preview has only been around for about 2 months...

Edit: And I can't tell when the preview expires

 

OK. Let's change this around a bit. Though I have Outlook 2007 on my machine, I have never used it. This means that when I fire it up, I will be doing so for the first time and will have to do all the things that it entails. Currently, I have, approximately, 1200 mails on my primary Gmail account (which is all that I need to be concerned about).

What happens if I get Outlook to download all those 1200 mails (Inbox + Sent) regardless of labels (in Gmail) and threads (in Gmail).

How does Outlook organize the downloaded mails?

 

Lol...I meant that when I get my Win7 machine, it will come with Office 2010, which also means that I have a while to go before I get a Win 7 machine!

 

Automatically Outlook will sort them by the date recieved.

But:
You can change that to "sender" which means they are sorted by who sent them.

By the way: With 1200 e-mails I highly recommend you use an archive - it is basically a second Outlook data file that will contain the e-mail to make Outlook more responsive.

Ah, OK.

 

OK. I'll have to look up on how to do the "Archive". Also, what happens to the all the mails in the Sent Box on Gmail? Do they go directly into the Sent Folder in Outlook? And what about the Spam (not a lot though) that I receive in Gmail? The Outlook Spam folder syncs itself with that?

And, lastly, IMAP is the way to go? Not POP3?

 

Spam - Outlook has a spam filter built in, and a folder for junk e-mail - but it only synchronises with your inbox.

Things that have been sent from Outlook are moved to the "sent foder" - nbot sure about e-mails sent from Gmail...

Archive - its hidden in a menu.

POP3 vs. IMAP - I'm not sure.

I use POP - but I think IMAP is the "better technology".
I'll let others answer this.

 

OK. Thanks. Meanwhile I'll look up the POP and IMAP thing. There is of course a provision to let the emails on the gmail server sit there right...as a back up?

 

In POP, yes - you can configure it to let a copy on the server - for say x days - not sure about leaving it "for ever".

On IMAP - no idea, as I don't use it...

 

While Outlook automatically archives the Personal folder, it will not archive your IMAP folder automatically. I'll explain why.

If you didn't read my link earlier, Outlook handles IMAP folders by making its own branch of folders locally on your harddrive. There are a set of folders with the prefix GMAIL (GMAIL\SENT , GMAIL\INBOX , GMAIL\TRASH). These are full 1:1 duplications of those exact same labels on your Gmail account

Outlook then creates a seperate branch, names Inbox, Sent, etc etc of those same labels. These are your working folders in essence. Delete something in your Inbox, and it is like hitting Archive in Gmail. Move something to Inbox\Personal and it is like adding the Personal label to an email. You can make copies for multiple labels etc etc etc.

So for the most part it duplicates almost everything GMail does. except color coding.

You should really read the link I posted above. It explains this in detail.

Gmail recommends you turn off Outlook's junk mail filter, because Gmail automatically filters the mail for you. No point spending extra time filtering something that has already been filtered. Again, plz read the link I posted above. It answers all these issues.



The AutoArchive mechanism Outlook uses is largely unnecessary IMO. It is not turned on by default for IMAP accounts and there is a reason why. It doesn't speed up your Outlook IMAP account because anthing moved out of there to be archived is just going to be resynced . Mine is already 10GB and I notice no speed difference archiving my Inbox. Outlook's built in Search engine is also surprisingly nimble. Just hit F3 to jump to the Search field.

Keep in mind POP3 mail protocol is a depreciated method. You'll be far better served enabling IMAP access on your Gmail account.

 

I was just reading through the link that you provided. One thing I noticed was that Outlook saves all mails on my HDD, which is that much space taken up and usually this happens in C: There is a way, I found on the web to move that to any destination (preferably D: ) but it looks quite complicated or maybe a bit involved. I think this is important because if I have to reinstall C: then I would not lose all my mails...I think! But then again, they would also reside on the Gmail servers too...wouldn't they?

Now, I have another question: If say, on Gmail, I remove all the existing labels - so this means I have only Inbox, Sent, Trash, Spam and Chat. I remove every other distinguishing label. This would mean that Outlook would ignore those labels right and not create the double folders? Of course, it would mean that I would have to go through each and every of the 1200 mails (and counting) and make the necessary folders applicable for them in Outlook. Am I correct in thinking this?

 

Is 30 folders in outlook too much? Uh maybe, depends and how often you'd need to scrolling through them looking for the folder you want. Gmail Labs is a group of optional features that may or may not work 100% perfectly yet. One of them is called Advanced IMAP Controls. It lets you choose which gmail labels are displayed in Outlook.
http://groups.google.com/group/Gmail-Help-POP-and-IMAP-en/browse_thread/thread/0e294c5b3cf59a6e

 

Yes if you store data on your C drive, including outlook email, then you have you reinstall your operating system you may loose all data, including outlook emails.

One option is to use Outlook's backup tool. It regularly creates a backup of outlook's PST folder, this is the file that contains all emails, contacts, calendar info, etc. You can choose where it stores this file.
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...3A-B7D0-4B16-B8AF-5A6322F4FD01&displaylang=en

Yes.

If you are using outlook with IMAP then yes this is correct. You will have to choose where you want to organize your emails. and how many folders/labels you are comfortable with.

I suggest you try using outlook with IMAP and see how it goes.
You could also use outlook with POP, this won't sync emails between outlook and gmail but you never mentioned if that was something you wanted.

Keep in mind that the simplest choice is to just use the gmail web interface.

If using gmail offline is a priority for you then you could checkout the gmail labs feature called gmail offline. It syncs gmail with your browser cache.
Gmail offline group:
http://groups.google.com/group/gmail-labs-help-offline/topics

 

Wow! Thanks. I did not know about this and thanks also for the link.

 

It is quite possible.

Outlook creates a separate PST file for each IMAP account. It is just a matter of moving said PST file and telling Outlook where you moved it. You can do all that under Tools/Account settings.

Yes, if you DID lose that file, Outlook would just resync with the Gmail servers. Which is the beauty of IMAP. It was meant to be a syncing protocol, although it is quite outdated compared to the capabilities of today's webmail services.

Correct. Although you are understating the capabilities of Outlook. You should at least let it sync and access the performance firsthand. While I only have about 15 folders, I have more than 5000 emails myself and I find the performance adequate. Again, keep in mind the Inbox is your working copy of Gmail's Inbox. Not all your messages are IN the inbox however. Some are Archived, only viewable if you navigate to GMAIL\ALLMAIL. For example, I only have about 400 messages in my Inbox, the rest are archived.

I am unaware of Gmail's archiving criteria. I only know that unlabeled messages get sent there after an unknown time period.

Edit:

You should see the Exchange accounts around the industry. They have capacities of several GBs, since nobody ever bothers to delete their attachments. Plus the efficiency of Outlook's search engine has created the side effect of allowing users to use the Inbox as a repository yet quickly easily access emails through the seach engine.

 

Thanks. Yes, I am contemplating that, but that also means going right into the Google ecology, which I hesitate to do because I am MS-based as is my soon to be work environment. Also, doesn't this specific app save the offline mode in cache - which means if I clear the cache then there is a problem? And, by extension, there is always the possibility that I have keep increasing the cache space?

 

I'm with you on this one. I find the Google Calendar insufficient for my needs. I use a Palm Treo which sync perfectly(color codes and all) with Outlook. So Outlook's combination of email, task list and calendar function means I can manage all my life's responsibilities.

 

BTW, I checked up on the "All Mail" label (?) on my primary gmail account and the total count of emails is over 10,000!!!!!!!! Will all this get downloaded onto Outlook 2007? Surely I can specify from which dates I want emails downloaded to Outlook? But if this is so, then will there be a problem while synching between Gmail and Outlook?

 

Not sure.

But something useful for you:
2010 can it, and I'm sure 2007 can too.
Download headers only then see what you want and what not.

Leave the rest on the server.

 

OK. But would that still not be a problem while synching - assuming that I leave some of the emails on the server?

 

It may take a while the first time - you may have to read about it a bit.

But downloading the headers only allows you to choose which e-mails to download fully and which to leave on the server.

I stumbled across this more by accident.

 

Yeah...I better read up more on this! It would suck if I made some mistake. Moreover, I think this is going to take some time...so I better take some time rather than hurry with this thing! But hey...you have been very helpful...thanks!

 

In your case definitely.

I don't have that many e-mails - thankfully - and used an e-mail client from the start.

You're welcome

 

These statements seem a little contradictory, not that it matters though.

Dude, why don't you just try it out and see how it goes.