Productivity Archives - Page 3 of 5

Gmail – 45 Time Saving Keyboard Shortcuts

Gmail keyboard shortcuts are a great way to increase your computing performance. These small combinations of keystrokes within Gmail can be a real productivity booster and help you avoid having to move your hand from keyboard to mouse as frequently. Our previous posts on keyboard shortcuts have included Firefox shortcuts, Internet Explorer shortcuts, Google Chrome Shortcuts and Windows shortcuts. Here are 45 timesaving Gmail keyboard shortcuts to help increase your efficiency when using the Google mail environment.

Gmail Keyboard Shortcuts – Some Differences

Gmail shortcuts are somewhat different than browser keyboard shortcuts for two main reasons:

Limits on Keystroke Choices: when using Gmail keyboard shortcuts you are working within a web browser so Gmail cannot duplicate any of the standard shortcut key combinations used by Firefox, Internet Explorer, Chrome, Safari or Opera web browsers;
Functions Vary by Location: Gmail shortcut functionality is based on your location within Gmail. Some shortcuts function only when reading a message or conversation, some work only when viewing conversation lists such as Inbox or All Mail, or viewing Contacts or Tasks.

Activating Gmail’s Keyboard Shortcuts
Before these shortcuts can be used you have to make sure that the Keyboard Shortcuts Setting for Gmail is set to “on” in Gmail Settings as shown here:

To help clarify how Gmail keyboard shortcuts are used they have been grouped below by functionality, such as Navigation, Selection, Management or General.

Gmail Top Level View Navigation Shortcuts

These combinations of keystrokes speed up navigating among top level views such as Inbox, Sent Mail, All Mail, Spam, Trash, Drafts, Contacts and Tasks. All letters in the keystroke combinations are shown in lower case but are not case sensitive. An example: “g then i” means press the “g” key then the “i” key, one right after the other.

g then i — Open the Inbox.
g then s — Open Starred.
g then t — Open Sent Mail.
g then d — Open Drafts.
g then a — Open All Mail.
g then c — Open Contacts.
g then k — Open Tasks.

Gmail Selection and Management Shortcuts

These combinations of keystrokes are used within a specific view such as Inbox or All Mail to assist with quickly managing messages and conversations.

* then a — Select all conversations.
* then n — Deselect all conversations.
* then r — Select only read conversations.
* then u — Select only unread conversations.
* then s — Select only starred conversations.
* then t — Select only unstarred conversations.
x — Select a specific conversation; puts a check in checkbox; works as a toggle.
s — Stars a specific conversation; works as a toggle.
. — Open the More Actions dropdown list; works as a toggle.
e — Archive a conversation from current View into the All Mail View.
l — Open the Labels dropdown list to allow you to apply a label to a conversation.
# — Move the selected conversation to the Trash.
<Shift> + i — Mark selected conversations as read.
<Shift> + u — Mark selected conversations as unread.

Gmail Message Navigation Shortcuts

These Gmail keyboard shortcuts are used for navigating within conversations lists or views. The small black arrow at the left of the conversation list indicates the current conversation focus.

u — Return to conversation list (View) from current conversation.
k — Move to newer conversation; location indicated by black arrow on left.
j — Move to older conversation; location indicated by black arrow on left.
<Enter> or o — Open selected conversation; black arrow indicates selection.
<Shift> + <Enter> or <Shift> + o — Open a conversation in a new window; black arrow indicates selection.
p — Read previous message within a conversation.
n — Read next message within a conversation.
r — Reply to sender when a conversation is open.
<Shift> + r — Open the reply in a new window.
a — Reply to all when a conversation is open.
<Shift> + a — Open the reply to all in a new window.
f — Forward current conversation when a conversation is open.
<Shift> + f — Open the forward current conversation in a new window.
<Ctrl> + s — Save a new or edited conversation as a draft. Cursor must be in a text field.
[ — Archive the current conversation and move to the previous one.
] — Archive the current conversation and move to the next one.

Gmail General Top Level Shortcuts

c — Open a new message.
<Shift> + c — Open a new message in a new window.
/ — Move cursor to the entry box for Search Mail.
z — Undo previous action. Mainly used when typing and works as an “undelete”.
Esc — Remove the cursor from a search box or any input field.

Standard Windows shortcuts such as <Ctrl> + c, <Ctrl> + x and <Ctrl> + v are also useable within Gmail when editing text. Most browser shortcuts such as <spacebar> and Shift + <spacebar> for scrolling up or down a page are also usable.

Some other locations for more information on Gmail keyboard shortcuts include the Gmail Help Center and the Official Gmail Blog.

Hope these keyboard shortcuts help you when using Google Gmail. I’ve provided some context for using the different shortcuts instead of just a standard “laundry list.” If you have some favorite Gmail keyboard shortcuts that is not listed here leave a Comment and share it with the other readers.

35 Internet Explorer Keyboard Shortcuts

By Mike McEvoy

Internet Explorer remains the most popular web browser in use today. Since Internet Explorer comes installed on all Windows computers by default, many users are not aware of the wide range of IE keyboard shortcuts available. Though they seem simple these small combinations of keystrokes can be real productivity boosters. Here are 35 Internet Explorer keyboard shortcuts to help speed up and simplify your web browsing.

Many of the shortcuts will be a combination of keystrokes. For example Ctrl + C means that you should hold down the Ctrl (control) key and press the letter “C”. The Alt and Shift keys will also be used. Use the lowercase letters, if using the shift key is need it will be indicated as “Shift”.

Also be sure to check out the previous shortcut posts: 30 Firefox Keyboard Shortcuts, Google Chrome shortcuts, Gmail – 45 Timesaving Keyboard Shortcuts and 8 Easy, Often Forgotten, Windows Keyboard Shortcuts.

Page Navigation Shortcuts

These shortcuts allow you to quickly navigate around a web page, most with only a single keystroke in IE7 and IE8. Pretty basic actually, but once they become second nature they can save you time without having to reach for the mouse.

Spacebar — Page down one full screen at a time
Shift + Spacebar — Page up one full screen at a time
Down Arrow – Scroll down
Page Down — Page down one full screen at a time
Up Arrow — Scroll Up
Page Up — Page up one full screen at a time
End — Go to the Bottom (end) of the page
Home — Go to the Top of page
Alt + Right Arrow – Go to the Next Page
Alt + Left Arrow – Go to the previous page

Pages, Tabs and Favorites

These keystroke combination shortcuts help you quickly perform different common tasks within Internet Explorer, manage Tabs and access Favorites and History items. My favorite is Ctrl + Q to open the Quick Tab View.

Page Shortcuts:

F5 — Reload the current page
Alt + Home — Go to home page
Alt + L — Go to the Address bar
Ctrl + E — Go to the search box
Ctrl + Plus Sign — Increase the text size, zoom in
Ctrl + Minus Sign — Decrease the text size, zoom out
Crtl + 0 — Switch to original size (100%)
Ctrl + P — Print the current page
Ctrl + H – Opens the Browsing History in a column on the left
Ctrl + N — Open a new window

Tab Shortcuts:

Ctrl + T — Open a new tab
Ctrl + W — Close current tab
Ctrl + Tab — rotate forward to the next tab
Ctrl + Shift + Tab — rotate back to the previous tab
Ctrl + Q — Open Quick Tab View which displays thumbnails of all open tabs
Ctrl + 1-9 — Choose a number to jump to that specific tab
Ctrl + K — Open a duplicate tab

Favorites & History Shortcuts:

Ctrl + D – Add current page to your Favorites
Alt + Z — Add current page to Favorites Bar (open favorites menu)
Ctrl + I — Open Favorites Center on left side of screen and display Favorites
Ctrl + Shift + I — Open Favorites Center in pinned (fixed) mode
Ctrl + B — Organize Favorites, opens window
Alt + A — Open the Favorites Menu on the menubar
Ctrl + H — Open Favorites Center on left side of screen and display History
Ctrl + Shift + H — Open History in pinned (fixed) mode

Keystroke shortcuts have been around for many years and IE7 and IE8 continue to utilize them very effectively. While it can take a little getting used to using these Internet Explorer Keyboard shortcuts once you do they’ll become a real productivity boost. Also remember to use the three cut-and-paste shortcuts: Ctrl + C – copy, Ctrl + X – cut, and Ctrl + V — paste. Enjoy!

Online Data Backup Services – 15 Factors to Consider When Choosing

By Mike McEvoy

There has been an explosion in the number of online data backup services in the last few years and they have drawn the interest of both home and business users. With so many companies seemingly offering the same type of backup service it can be a bit confusing when choosing an online backup provider. Most people are familiar with backing up their data to external hard disk drives, CDs and DVDs, however the process of picking the right online service requires a bit more thought. This post focuses on 15 factors to consider when choosing an online data backup service.

A key difference between online data backup and more common local data backup is that with the online process you are sending your data off across the Internet to a remote location. Having your data at another location is great protection against data loss due to fire, theft and natural disaster. All online data backup solutions include client software that is installed on your system and runs unattended to determine which data to back up and when to send it to the remote location.

What are My Online Data Backup Needs?

There are a number of useful services out there that seem similar but when you look closely the prices and features can vary widely. The one that is the best fit will depend on your specific needs. A service designed for home users is different than one for small businesses or the enterprise environments. A good starting point is to assess your most important data backup needs including:

The type and amount of data you want to back up.
How critical your data is, how frequently it changes and how frequently you want it backed up.
Your budget for data backup services.
The speed of your Internet connection both sending data (upstream) and receiving data (downstream).
The number of computers you will want to back up.

Factors To Consider When Selecting An Online Data Backup Service

In evaluating online data backup service providers you will find that some providers do a much better job of describing what they do and what they don’t do than others. Some providers just state the basics leaving customers to try to gather more info and fill in the blanks. Here are 15 factors to consider when choosing an online data backup service.

1. 1. Ease of Use and Installation of the Client Software – you will need to run a software client module in the background on your computer. How well this software is designed and how easy it is to use is important. Software usability will also be important if you are going to have multiple computers using the service and want to manage all of them from a central console.
  2. Upload & Download Data Speed – some services will cap the speed at which you can upload data during backup or download data during a restore process. You should know if the service you selection does this and what the data transfer rates are. Compare these rates to the speed of Internet connection.
  3. Security – the importance of data security and encryption will vary depending on the type of data you are backing up. For personal photos or music files this may not be very important. If you are backing up accounting files, tax returns, email and other sensitive documents then security becomes a much bigger factor. If you are looking at using online data backup for a business data security will be even more important.
  4. Stability of the Backup Service Provider – This is not always an obvious consideration, but if you are entrusting your data to a far off storage facility you want to make sure that the company and your data will be available when you need it. This doesn’t mean that you should completely dismiss a newer company, but the size and financial condition of the service provider should be considered. The more critical your data is the more important this factor becomes.
  5. Is the Company the Original Provider or a Service Reseller – Some online data backup service providers allow dealers to repackage their services and sell them under their own brand. This can add a level of management between you and your data. It may not be a big deal, but it’s worth knowing this up front.
  6. Quality and Accessibility of Support – Before you settle on a specific backup service you may want to give their tech support people a call and see how they respond. Did they answer your question effectively? How long did you wait on hold? Do they even have a support number where you can talk to a live person? What are their service hours for your time zone? Don’t wait until an emergency occurs to find that your only support option is to access an online knowledgebase or get out a credit card.
  7. Service Level Agreement – Somewhere the backup service provider should state some basics about the level of service they will provide. Items such as upload speed, download speed, hours of support operation, time to resolve a problem, and other items necessary to make the service useable for you or your business should be spelled out.
  8. Cost of the Data Backup Service – Some backup services are billed on an annual basis, some on a monthly basis. Some backup service providers allow an unlimited amount of storage, some will charge based on blocks of a certain number of gigabytes, some will charge by the total number of gigabytes used and some will also have a per computer license fee. Don’t assume that the lowest cost is necessarily the best deal. Be sure to get all cost parameters spelled out clearly.
  9. Where Will Your Backed Up Data be Stored – Not necessarily the first thing that comes to mind but you may have second thoughts about having your data stored at a facility in Key West, New Orleans, or Houston, or in a facility on top of an earthquake fault line.
  10. Does the Data Backup Service Provider Have Multiple Locations – Many online backup service providers mirror their data between two or more physical locations in case there is a disruption at one of the locations.
  11. Data Volume That is Transferred – Does the backup service provider use technology to shrink the actual size of the data being transferred? Some services will use technology to compress the data before it is transferred to their servers. Some services use what is known as block level backup where only the pieces of files that have been changed are transferred instead of entire files. The greater the amount of data you are backing up the more important these type of technologies become.
  12. Backup Service Provider Flexibility – If your data backup needs grow can the backup service grow with you? For instance Mozy has both a Mozy Home service for home users and a Mozy Pro service for businesses. If you start as just a single computer but later want to add more computers under the same account or perhaps share your allocated data backup space over multiple computers, can the service provider handle those needs?
  13. Data Backup Verification — how easily can you verify that all of your important data has been backed up? Many people forget about checking to make sure that all the data they wanted to have backed up has made it to the offsite location.
  14. Will Multiple Versions of Backed Up Data Be Kept – Does the backup service allow you to restore a previous version of a file that has changed? In the event that the current version of a document or data files gets damaged or corrupted and then backed up, will an earlier, undamaged version be available? Could be quite important for a business.
  15. Backing Up Open or Locked Files – Some data backup software can back up files even if they are currently open or in use. Such files could include Microsoft Outlook, other database files and document files. If you frequently leave files open for extended periods of time or even all night the files may not get backed up unless your backup service has this capability.

Other online data backup factors may need to be considered depending on your specific needs, but this list should provide a solid starting point. If you only have very basic data backup needs then a number of the items above may not be necessary to consider. For additional information on both local and online data backup be sure to see my previous posts: Data Backup Part I — Is Your Data Safe? and also 6 Common Computer Data Backup Mistakes.

As mentioned earlier there are a growing number of online data backup services. Some are focused on basic home users, some on small business and others on large businesses and enterprise clients. Below is a list of different online data backup services that cover a range of needs and price structures.

Mozy Home & Mozy Pro online data backup service

iBackup online data backup service

Carbonite online data backup service

IDrive online data backup service

Spideroak online data backup service

Norton Online data backup service

I365 – Seagate online data backup service

DataDepositBox online data backup service

DropBox online data backup service

The list is by no means complete. If you would like to dig a bit further into this area you can also check out the web site for BackupReview.info which has a substantial amount of online data backup information along with a number of online data backup service reviews. They also have a Top 25 list of online backup services for home, small business and enterprise customers. Enjoy.

Simple Internet Explorer 8 and Windows Tips

By Mike McEvoy

Most computer users want want to be more productive with the applications and computing environment they use every day. In the process it is easy to get caught up in elaborate plans and utilities. Sometimes short and seemingly minor tips and workarounds can deliver the most significant boosts for workflow and productivity. Here are a couple of simple Internet Explorer 8 and Windows tips to try out.

Moving the Refresh and Stop Buttons in IE 8

By default Internet Explorer 8 has the Refresh Button and Stop Button on the right side of the Address Bar. Many people prefer the buttons on the left side so Microsoft provides the ability to realign these buttons on the left side of the Address Bar. Not a big deal you might say, but if you use other browsers such as Firefox in addition to Internet Explorer this change can provide a real time savings over the course of weeks or months.

Firefox and most other browsers, including earlier versions of Internet Explorer, have the Page Refresh and Stop buttons on left side of the address bar. If you find yourself moving between IE and other browsers this difference can be a real pain, not to mention something that can break your train of thought when you have to go searching for the Refresh Button. Having these common buttons on the same side makes things just work better.

So how to change the position of the buttons? Below are several easy steps to do this. Start by opening Internet Explorer 8. Remember this only works on the most current version on Internet Explorer, version 8. After launching IE 8 you can see in screenshot below that the default setting has the Refresh and Stop buttons on the right.

The next step is to right-click on a blank place on the Menu Toolbar (the toolbar with File, Edit, View, etc.). Remember to right-click, and not use the standard left-click. After right-clicking you will see a dropdown menu as show below. After the dropdown menu displays, move your cursor over the “Customize” link.

After highlighting the Customize link on the dropdown menu another dropdown list will appear to the side with the selection of “Show Stop and Refresh Buttons before the address bar.” Click on this selection.

The menus will close and Internet Explorer 8 will now have the Stop and Refresh buttons on the left as shown below.

If you ever want to move the buttons back to the right-hand side just repeat this process and uncheck the “Show Stop and Refresh Buttons before the address bar” selection. You can use this trick to impress your co-workers, family and friends.

Moving Windows Taskbar from Bottom of the Windows Desktop Screen

At the bottom of the Windows desktop is the Windows Taskbar. By default this Taskbar sits at the very bottom of the screen and displays a number of icons, the system tray, the system time, and any applications that are currently open or in use. This Taskbar can be modified in a number of ways including where it sits on the Windows Desktop.

With a few quick clicks the Windows Taskbar can be easily moved to the right side, left side, or top of the Windows Desktop. Many people are fine with the Taskbar at the bottom of the screen. However people with widescreen monitors such as 22’ and 24” displays will sometimes find it beneficial to place the Taskbar on the side and have a little additional real estate at the bottom of the screen.

The first step is to make sure that the Taskbar is not “locked.” To determine whether the Taskbar is locked or not simply place your cursor over a blank spot on the cursor and right-click on the Taskbar. This will display the Taskbar menu shown below.

If the “Lock the Taskbar” selection is checked simply click on it to unlock it. After the Taskbar is unlocked you can left-click on the Taskbar and while holding down the left-click button simply drag the Taskbar to the left side, right side or the top of the Windows Desktop.

This function works the same in Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7. Remember to lock the Taskbar again after you have moved it. It is best to keep the Taskbar locked so that you don’t move it again by accident.

Additional Simple Windows, Internet Explorer, Firefox, Gmail and Google Tips

These are a two simple IE 8 and Windows Tips that you may find helpful. Some other simple and helpful tips from our previous posts include:

35 Internet Explorer Keyboard Shortcuts – More helpful shortcuts for getting more out of Internet Explorer in less time.

Gmail – 45 Timesaving Keyboard Shortcuts – Boost your Gmail productivity with these handy shortcuts.

30 Firefox Keyboard Shortcuts – These small combinations of keystrokes when used at the right time can be real productivity boosters.

8 Easy, Often Forgotten, Windows Keyboard Shortcuts – These small combinations of keystrokes when used at the right time can significantly simplify several tasks. Here we look at 8 shortcuts to boost productivity.

7 Google Tips to Increase Your Searching Productivity – Here are 7 Google tips for getting more out of your Google searching.

Windows XP and Vista Tip – Add/Remove Start Menu Items – One of the key benefits of having programs on the main Start menu is that it requires only two clicks to launch.

In many respects these are not really rocket science, but if you use Windows or Firefox or Internet Explorer you may find them to be real productivity boosters. Enjoy.

Using Bing Search Preferences, Helpful Search Tips

By Mike McEvoy

Microsoft Bing, a solid tool for searching the web, has experienced growth in use and popularity since its introduction in June. To help users be more productive and efficient in their searches Bing provides user customizable Bing Search Preferences as an easy way to do basic personalization of how your search engine results are displayed. By using Bing search preferences you can customize settings such as the display language, default geographic location, number of search results to display per page, toggle search suggestions on or off and other items.

Many of the Bing search preferences settings are similar to the Google preferences that were described in our earlier post, Google Search Preferences. To access the Bing search preferences click on the Extras link in the top right-hand corner. A drop down list will appear where you can click on the Preferences link that will lead to a page that is divided into two sections General Settings and Web Settings.

General Settings – Bing Search Preferences

1. Safe Search: there are three levels for filtering web content and potentially blocking or allowing sexually explicit content. The three settings available are: No filtering of sexually explicit content; Moderate filtering (sexually explicit images and videos); and Strict filtering (sexually explicit text, images and videos). Each is followed by an explanation of what is filtered. You can also report offensive links that the filters might miss by clicking on the “filtering offensive sites” link below the buttons. Bing search preferences for Safe Search are shown below.

2. Location: by entering a city and state or a Zip Code you can help Bing present results that are the most relevant for searches related to geography. Geographically related search examples might be shopping, maps, or other results where the physical location is important. You can also leave this blank if you prefer no geographic affiliation. Bing search preferences for Location are shown below.

3. Display: this option allows you to choose a specific language for the display and layout in Bing. Changing this option does not affect the language of the actual search results. Click the drop down arrow to select a different language Bing search preferences for Display are shown below.

Bing Search Preferences - Display Language

Web Settings – Bing Search Preferences

4. Results: This option can be quite useful in boosting search productivity as it directly controls how your results are displayed. The drop down arrow next to show allows you to select how many search results are displayed on each search results pages. The default is ten results (or links) per results page with the options available ranging from 10 to 50 results per page.

The check box allows you to tell Bing whether to open new page or to use your current page when you click on a link in the search results. By checking this box when you click on a link in the search results that Bing has displayed Bing will keep your current search page open and open the link you clicked on in a new page or tab. If you leave this unchecked Bing will replace the search results page with the page from the link you clicked on. I suggest that you check this box. Bing search preferences for Results are shown below.

Bing Search Preferences - Results Options

5. Search suggestions: This option allows Bing to display suggestion as you enter text into the search box. With this search preference checked Bing will offer possible suggestions to complete the word or phrase as you type. This can be a big help in decreasing the amount of typing you need to do as Bing completes the word or phrase for you. It can also be very helpful if you are not sure of the correct spelling of a word or phrase as Bing will offer suggestions with the correct spelling. The only real downside of turning Search Suggestions on is that it can sometimes be distracting. Bing search preferences for Search Suggestions are shown below.

Bing Search Preferences - Search Suggestions

6. Search Language: this option allows you to limit your searches to content written in a specific language. In setting a language it is generally best to search in any language and only select a specific language if you are looking for content only in that specific language. The image below is only a partial view of the languages available. An example of some of the languages available in Bing search preferences are shown below.

Bing Search Preferences - Search Language

Important: Remember to click on the “Save Settings” button

at the bottom of the screen to save your new settings or they will not be saved.

Customizing search preferences can be a real productivity booster regardless of the search engine you are using. The preferences are easy to modify and can be fine tuned to meet your needs. Be sure to also check our other posts on Google Search Preferences and Microsoft Bing – Eight Things to Like about Bing. Do you have any other search engine tips or tricks for making web searching more efficient? Leave a comment and let me know.