Comments on: 5 little Gmail annoyances Google needs to fix

Gmail may be great, but it's annoying sometimes too. Find out some of those attributes that Don Reisinger thinks Google should address.

[timster799]

When you said you don't like "labels", I lost all interest in the rest of the article. My first thought was that you haven't practiced using labels and that you're stuck in old ways of doing things. How's those huge Outlook folder archives working out for you?

[Webbull]

Why should I have to "practice" using labels? I don't want to learn a new email filing system. There is nothing wrong with folders. Forcing people to adopt to new system of labels instead of folders just alienates the average user.

[BIGELLOW]

@Webbull,

Actually, it turns out that Gmail doesn't use labels. It uses folders. All of those other services use labels. So, if you don't like labels that those other services force upon you, use Gmail... because it uses folders.

Oh, but, the language has changed over all of these years. We no longer use "thou"... and we also don't use that archaic word "folders" anymore... we just say "labels."

:D

[PaulTwo]

I think you want to use Gmail for more than it was intended for. By your complaints what you need is Microsoft Outlook. Microsoft Outlook will fix everything that you are complaining about.

Remember, Gmail is FREE. Google generates their money through advertising which is what keeps Gmail free. You can't complain about something that is free. If Yahoo and AOL allow you to drag and drop they why aren't you using them instead of Gmail? If you are using Gmail through your web browser don't expect it to do what a desktop application will do.

[Anthonyp93]

My gripes

1. gmail and the rest of its services are not very design orientated which it ought to be, i know gmail now has themes but it has a web 1.0 feel.

2. You should be able to choose from more domains gmail.es etc would be good rather than googlemail.com which is way to long!

[BIGELLOW]

Use your own domain and sign up for the free Google Apps.

[simbadogg]

seriously? i guess you missed the big DELETE button that is at the top of every email ones you open it. Miss that one? well there's also a delete this message selection available after you hit the reply button. Asking for folders when you have labels, i'll say that's just you're prerogative. Mainly because once you label a message, then hit the archive button. It performs the exact same function as a folder. All in all, i think these are 5 gripes that were written for the sake of complaining, and not real complaints.

[svk1069]

I find it interesting that if there is any criticism of Gmail at all, how rabid the Gmail fans get. It's okay for people to differ on opinion. It's just that: OPINION, not anything more.

If I like having multiple signatures, that's my opinion. If I prefer folders over labels, that's my opinion. I have my reasons. For one, I thinks it's too easy to sign too many labels to an e-mail whereas folders force you to choose one and only one. I also hate the way labels work (or don't- it's buggy at best) with IMAP. I have a need for IMAP, so labels really screw things up.

Calm down people. Gmail is a fine product, but it's not for everyone. People are going to have their own preferences, and we need to respect that.

[lordmorgul]

I would love to have multiple signatures too, but for me that is a very small issue, because I primarily use Apple Mail for my GMail accounts, not the web interface.

The labeling system works absolutely fine for me through IMAP using Apple Mail (on leopard). I really cannot even begin to see how it causes any issues. My smart folders work nicely (and I have several for each account), my labels work nicely and my sub-labels (Folders4Gmail) work nicely.

I have labels, sub-labels, smart folders, multiple gmail accounts, multiple signatures, and a wonderful archiving and backup system in place with GMail IMAP.

[svk1069]

If I drag an e-mail to one of my labels/folders in IMAP, it tells me I have a new, unread e-mail in that folder. If I drag that e-mail to more than one different label/folder, it often deletes it from the first label/folder.

[BIGELLOW]

Having an opinion is one thing, but being wrong or lying is another. Imagine if I said "I really don't like Windows Live Mail because you can't access it over the Internet. What the hell?" I would hope that people would jump on me and say, "Ummm, yes you CAN access it over the Internet. What is wrong with you?"

Everyone who is complaining about labels aren't really giving a real reason why folders are better (or different.) The only argument against labels have been IMAP usage. If that's the case, why don't people just complain about Gmail's IMAP implementation? Instead, it's always about labels labels labels, as if it is anything different than folders.

Personally, I don't use labels quite as much anymore. I use Quick Links... and stars. For me, the only reason I would want to reference an email again is because there is something I need to do (or it contains important information.) So, I turned on the additional Gmail superstars (Gmail Labs)... then my rules are:

yellow-star: needs personal action, low priority
yellow-bang: needs personal action, high priority
red-star: needs business action, low priority
red-bank: needs business action, high priority
orange-star: I am expecting a reply from someone else.
orange-guillemet: Someone else is expecting a reply from me.
purple-star: unread fax (I use a fax-to-email service)
purple-question: unheard voicemail (I also use a voicemail-to-email service)
green-star: tracking (i.e., order confirmation, shipping confirmation, itinerary email, etc...)
green-bang: special offer email
blue-star: short-term information (i.e., an invite link for something...)
blue-info: long-term information (i.e., password information for a regularly used site, etc...)

I have gotten quite used to applying these stars appropriately and archiving everything else. Then, my "to do" list consists of all of my unread starred emails. Now that Gmail has added Tasks, I have enhanced this method with the following:

1) I have a task-list called TRACKING... I associate a task with each green-star email.
2) I have a task-list called SPECIAL OFFER... I associate a task with each green-check email I plan on taking advantage of.
3) I have a task-list called WORK STUFF... I create tasks to handle at work.
4) I have a task-list called PERSONAL STUFF... this is all of my personal to-do stuff.
5) I have a task-list called SHOPPING... this is my general shopping wish-list.
6) When Christmas comes up, I create a task-list just for my shopping plans for gifts.
7) When a trip is coming up, I create a task-list just for travel plans, itinerary, and shopping plans for the trip.


My only current gripes with Gmail is that I wish their task option was better integrated with Google Calendar. When I set an expiration or due date to a task, it should be able to appear in my calendar. Also, it would be nice if I could automatically add tasks using filters... or even base it on actions... for instance, the action of adding a star should optionally create a task... removing the star should remove the task or mark it as complete. I'm sure some of this is just around the corner.

"If I prefer folders over labels, that's my opinion. I have my reasons. For one, I thinks it's too easy to sign too many labels to an e-mail whereas folders force you to choose one and only one."

And if I think that you are being ridiculous, that's my opinion. If I prefer that Google keep the main innovative and differentiating features about Gmail the way they are, rather than take seriously your grouching about it being too easy and too flexible, that's my opinion.

You're complaining that ketchup doesn't taste as good as when is was called "catsup," and that glass bottles are better because they're harder to pour.

[svk1069]

Hmmm? If all the difference between "labels" and "folders" is just terminology, can you explain why I can nest folders but not labels?

Don't try to sell me that Firefox extension as a solution. I don't access my e-mail exclusively through Firefox.

[OctoChops]

theres no drag and drop because it would ruin the entire usability of the program and confuse the user. Then you'll just start asking questions, "well why cant i drag this but not this?" etc etc. If one thing drag and drops, everything has to.
and LABELS >>>>>>> everything

[GRobLewis]

I wish they'd make the sidebar on the left a true separate panel. Then if you scrolled the main message window down, the sidebar wouldn't disappear.

[dcmichie]

you clearly don't know how to use labels then don

[superswiss]

I've actually stopped using folders and labels for the most part and use Search, whether I use Gmail, Outlook or Windows Live Mail. Since I use Vista, I search for pretty much anything rather than browsing through file folders, start menu email folders. The Windows Search service is so powerful and fast once you learn the keywords to narrow down your search. I usually find what I'm looking for in seconds and I have 10,000s of emails between my Inbox and all my Archives.

[superswiss]

Another cool Outlook plug-in I'm using is xobni. The best way to find past emails and attachments. I instantly puts the email you are currently looking at in context and gives you one-click access to all emails and attachments from the same person. Folders and Labels is 90s technology. Today is all about indexes and searches.

[bogeegee]

my only issue with gmail is contact management... you can not sync with any other programs like outlook or plaxo(only syncs one way). Many of my friends had issues moving from out look to gmail, The All Mail through them off..

[BIGELLOW]

I sync my contacts both ways between Gmail and Outlook (Exchange, really).

[BSherb]

On your first point: Labels are SO much better than folders. Duplicating a piece of data (like an email message) is of course a bad idea; with folders, one msg can only go in one folder; but with LABELS, a single email message can have just one label or multiple labels. Folders are single-use containers; Labels on the other hand are editable metadata, and as such are much better ways to organize pieces of information... leaving a SINGLE copy of it in the file system (in this case Google / GMail) and adding metadata that describes the information (in this case, labels) and changing the metadata (labels) as needed when it changes over time.

Compared to old-school folders, Gmail's label method or a treatment like it quite simply is the future of info management.

Folders and subfolders are NOT the future.

[dell1980]

I used to dislike labels as opposed to folders as well until I figured out the whole archiving thing, at which point my opinion on the matter did a 180.
Archiving mail doesn't mark it as read it only removes it from the inbox, so you can set up filters to lable and archive mail, and mail can have more than one label as opposed to one folder offered by other services.

[widepart]

the only thing that 'REALLY REALLY' gets my goat about Gmail is the inability to drag and drop jpegs into the body of an email.

This feature would save me a lot of time every day!

[websterphreaky]

TALK TALK TALK .... Talk is cheap and we ALL know ALL the BS problems with Gmail. Get the A-Holes at Google to DO SOMETHING about it!! Because WE CAN'T, you see those arrogant A-Holes leave no way for US peons to complain to the Jerks in Frisco.

[BIGELLOW]

Last time I checked, the Google programmers work for Google, not for your company. If you have a better idea, create it yourself and sell it to the world. I'm sure if you're in the majority, everyone will like your service better and everyone will flock from Gmail to yours. Let me know when it's up, I'd love to try it out.

Don't have the infrastructure to handle gigs and gigs of emails? No worries... just use Gmail's servers to store the emails, then use POP3 or IMAP to store the emails, then write your own front-end. With much anticipation.

[lordmorgul]

Don, you should read some documentation on using labels as you clearly don't know how to use them, judging by your statement that folders are somehow different. They clearly are not... what you lack is the knowledge how to filter your inbox based on labels, which gives you exactly the same view a folder would.

Folders4Gmail is an excellent extension for Firefox (or GreaseMonkey or Stylish script) that can help you figure out how to use labels. Hint: its not doing anything very clever, just grouping your labels.

A label provides a search filter to categorize. That is all a folder does.

[professionaladventurer]

Why are you using web based email? Just get a laptop IMAP and get over it. Wait, maybe I am old school?

[tarzieboy]

strange, i just tick the box&press delete!!!!!!gone

[lordmorgul]

GMail Labs has a new feature called "Advance IMAP Controls" which lets you do several things to ease the pain of labels for the labels-challenged people here. You can select labels that shouldn't appear in your IMAP folder sets inside an external application. I find it handy.

Using labels->IMAP folders is not really a problem if you've got your mail syncing frequently... the duplication of mail messages (and unread counts) fixes itself automatically, just read the mail once and ignore it in other folders where its duplicated for awhile.

[nottcross]

I would like to be able to sort the names of the senders so I can check them faster.

[BIGELLOW]

I remember when sorting email was necessary. I also remember when I had to move my rabbit ears around so that the channel would come in clear. I also remember the Atari 2600. Ahhh, those were the good old days.

[CyR00k]

Don you wanted better filtering and functionality for the labels....ummmm you do realize that the labels are user defined so you would have had to set up the messages that receive which labels, and the filtering beyond that is also user defined. If you don't like your labels you can always remove them or modify them.