Why Labels instead of Folders?
It is a folder
A
labels mimic the concept of folders without being subject to the
inherent limitations of folders. An email can be removed from the inbox
and placed in a label just as Outlook did with folders. Both folders
and labels are used to categorize mail to be used sometime in the
future.
Other people use filters in conjunction with
labels to have certain emails bypass the inbox. This is especially
useful for recurring emails that do not need regular attention. The
biggest difference between a label and a folder is the lack of a folder
icon.
Multidimensional categorization
A
folder limits you to a single categorization. People compensated for
that in Outlook by nesting folders within other folders. A label
simplifies the categorization schema by allowing for multiple labels to
be attached to a single email item. Thus, one can label a conversation
as "Budget", "Need attention" and "From the boss." When you want to see
all emails that "Need attention," they are there and listed, but also
viewable by clicking on the other labels.
Doesn't have to be removed from the lnbox
There
are many reasons to flag an email message without actually removing it
from the inbox. With a Outlook folder, you either viewed the contents
of a folder or the contents of the inbox at any given time. A label
allows you to choose where an email message can be seen. This can be
helpful in a group setting where you are using labels to indicate who
is working on a particular email. It is also useful in a personal
setting. For example, email sent to a student account can be flagged as
"Student," yet you may also want it to be part of your normal
day-to-day workflow. This way it can still reside in you inbox but is
available for organization when you click on the "School" label.
To provide the proper context for search
There
is more to searching an email than just using a keyword. Often metadata
(data about the data) is needed. Labels act as metadata. This can be
useful to limit the scope of a search by allowing you to search for a
specific keyword, but only searching within those emails that have a
particular label. A label as metadata also allows you to create context
about what an email is about. Contextual searching enables more
accurate search results.
Techniques for Working with Labels
Drag and Drop
You
can drag and drop email messages from the inbox to a Label. To
configure which Labels appear on the left-side of your Gmail screen,
choose Settings > Labels at upper-right and ensure the Labels you want to appear listed are set to "Show" rather than "Hide."
Move to
At
the top of the email screen there is a button with a pull-down arrow
called "Move To." This button is used to move an email to a label in
folder fashion. It will remove the email from your inbox and assign it
to a label for future reference. This is a one-click method, just like
drag-and-drop. From this same menu, you can also create a new label
categorization.
Label Search
If you're
using labels as metadata you can quickly create more labels than can
easily display on the screen. A search-filter box has been added to
both the "Move To" and "Labels" buttons. This allows you to filter your
labels quickly and efficiently.
Advanced Search
When searching, you can filter your search to only a particular label by typing label:
This can also be done via the "Show search options" link to the right
of the Search box. The search option allows you to select the label
from the Search pull-down menu.
Nesting
You can also search for multiple labels. Type in the search box label:
AND label:
This allows for full virtual nesting of labels. In this method, emails
can be found in any number of search combinations. If this is a common
search, you can save it as a Quick Link.
Custom Label Colors
When
using labels in the inbox it is helpful to add color to visually
separate labels. For example, in our Help Desk email account, staff
will add their personal label to an email they are working on. One
label name may appear in dark blue, while another label is in red. This
offers a quick visual identifier to help interpret information. This
can be enabled in the Labs section and then selected by using the
down-arrow next to each label.
Hiding Labels
Some
people do not want to deal with their labels all that often. The label
list can easily be hidden from view by pressing the minus sign next to
a label box.
Removing Labels
Once a label has
been assigned, it can easily be removed. When you open up an email, the
labels currently applied to that email are listed across the top, next
to the subject line. Each label has an X next to it. Press that X to
remove the label.