Customisation helps if you don't want to pay for Outlook
Whilst the majority of my job role involves Software and Hardware fixes I also do a certain amount of training and education. I hardly ever receive a booking specifically for training but it's surprising how often when fixing another fault a Customer says 'can you just tell me how to do this'. There are also the occasions where I just notice a Customer is doing something in a particularly bad way and I say 'try doing it like this'. All assistance is gratefully received yet despite picking up half a dozen new things Customers are still reluctant to book a Training session. Maybe there is a stigma attached or maybe repairs are essential whereas training is just a luxury but either way I feel that many people miss out on a lot of things that might help them, just because they simply don't know about it.
Today I'm going to discuss making Gmail (the Webmail version) look just like Outlook. Some Customers are 100% happy with the Webmail interface whereas others absolutely hate it. These Customers often fondly remember Outlook Express or Windows Live Mail that mimicked Outlook but were free instead of the hefty price tag that goes with Microsoft Office. The same Customers also tend to work in a Business where they have Outlook and therefore find the Gmail and other Webmail interfaces extremely annoying when on their Home Computers. For that reason I am just going to run through a simple way to make the Gmail interface look just like Outlook as per the screen shot above.
Begin by logging into your Gmail Mailbox. Once there click on the cog icon also shown at the top right of the screen shot above and choose 'Settings'. When you arrive on the Settings Page click 'Advanced' from the menu's across the top of the page. You will see that the first option at the top of the next page is called 'Preview Pane'. Click 'enable' on this and scroll to the bottom of the page and save your changes. You will return to your Inbox and initially it won't look any different. However on the top right just to the left of the cog icon you will now see four horizontal lines and if you hover over this it will say 'Toggle split pane mode'. You can either click the icon with the four horizontal lines and toggle through the three different options or click the arrow to the right of it and make your choice. The view I have enabled above is called 'Vertical Split' but you can choose 'Horizontal Split' and see the Preview Pane underneath as you can also do in Outlook.
That is basically it but while you are on the Advanced Settings screen you might just want to enable one other feature which is at the bottom of the page and is called 'Unread message icon'. This adds the number of unread messages to the tab on your Web Browser. If you regularly have half a dozen or more tabs open this will help you keep track of when a new email arrives without having to keep going back to check. Now I'm sure that nobody actually needs any training but the blog wouldn't be complete without a quick advert!! Therefore if you do need any assistance then call Mark on 07557 483438, e-mail mark@churchdowncomputers.co.uk or fill out the form at the bottom of theContact page.
