Gmail as a scrapbook of the internet.

Ever found a great article on a subject that you want to save complete with pictures. And you want to save it for the long term. You can build your own personal library with Gmail and the Google toolbar.

Yes a toolbar. The Google toolbar has many uses, but to keep it simple we’ll focus on one feature. A powerful feature that sometimes gets lost in the jungle of options. So here it goes.

Optional

If you don’t like the Google Toolbar and want to end up with a clean interface follow the following steps:
The following example of course deals with Firefox, like most of my articles.

1. Install the Google Toolbar. Click on View Menu | Toolbars | Customize
2. Instead of using the Customize Toolbar dialog, direct your attention to the Google Toolbar and locate the “send to” icon
3. Drag this icon to be a part of your links Toolbar.
4. Then close the dialog. Click on View Menu | Toolbars and uncheck the Google Toolbar. Now you have a clean system again with the exception of the new send to icon.

Usage

Now when you see anything on any webpage you want to save.

1. Highlight and click the icon.
2. Select Gmail.
3. Put your email address.
4. Click send

That is it. Now you have a permanent copy in your massive Gmail account quickly searchable for your convenience.

You can also skip the highlight and simply click on the “send to” icon and send the whole page.

Advanced (optional)

What I do is create a filter which activates any time an email contains aStar or astar. It then archives, labels it as an “a Article” and adds a star to it. Reason for “a” is a strategy I use to sort labels not only alphabetically, but also by attention priority. My top labels have an “a” in front with a space. When I’m done reading the article I take off the star.

Convenience

You can archive more than just the Internet this way. You can email yourself pictures you take on the road business cards and the like. Just tag them as you email them. Not only with the “astar” operator but with key words such as “John Smith Business card.” If you forget to tag, reply to that picture with the key words as body or subject. That will create a conversation which is searchable.

Are you knew to the internet?

If so the first thing to learn is how to do a Google search. If you are not new still read this quick tip there is something new here for most people.

1. Type in Google.com in the address bar.
2. Type in cnn on the search field.
3. Click “I’m Feeling Lucky”

Notice what happened. You didn’t get a search results list. You got CNN.com. Go back and try MTV, Yahoo, AOL. What you are getting is the best result for the keywords. You can even try “Yahoo Mail”. Using the “I’m Feeling Lucky” button on Google.com is a great shortcut that seems to be underused.

Alright, hope this was new to you and see how simple the web can be.