43 Folders

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43Folders.com is Merlin Mann’s website about finding the time and attention to do your best creative work.

Desktop or web-based email?

After getting used to Gmail 3 years ago, I swore I'd stick to web-based email. With IMAP now available, I set it up last week in Apple's Mail client on my desktop to integrate better with offline storage, emailing links, etc, and found myself changing my ways.

It wasn't easy: The initial download took forever and I had to work at getting Apple's Junk Filters to cooperate. (I.e., still work on the 2 POP accounts I check in Mail while leaving Gmail's already filtered mail alone).

I'm a convert. I used to open a browser window with three tabs: Google homepage, RSS, and Gmail and check it throughout the day. Now I'm in Mail only when I need to be, and ignore RSS and news until it occurs to me to catch up.

I did really like the Gmail interface, with conversations, shortcuts, etc, but I've been trying to make Safari my full-time browser and it wasn't playing nice. I've found a surge of productivity by sticking to the desktop.

How do others find web-based vs. desktop email to impact their productivity?

mike's picture

Multiple Programs

After using Gmail for a wile I was sure I had swarn off other programs but now I use a trifecta.

Gmail for my webmail when I need webmail Mailplane for my 2 macs which is my primary mail program. Mailplane is more the gmail interface integrated into the mac And mail.app is completely setup with imap for accessing mail information from within the mac OS. Or for when an app calls for mail and MailPlane does not respond.

Works quite well.

All of my email is on my own domain hosted by google apps.

 
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