Filter Mail Items Automatically in Gmail

It seems like every time you go shopping these days they ask you for your email address to add you to their distribution list. Sometimes I really enjoy their email deals and coupons, but most of the time they are so annoying that I instantly delete!

Instead of having to manually delete these emails, you can create a filter in Gmail and send it to a folder, archive it, mark it as read, delete it, etc! 

• If you use Outlook for your work email, you probably already know how easy it is to create rules. Creating filters is very similar!

Here's how to:

1. Check the box next to the email you wish to filter on. 
• I have chosen to create a filter on my email from Smoothie King.

2. Next, on the top menu, click More, and then choose Filter messages like these

3. Now, set the filter. You can choose many things for your Filter: the sender, subject, words, has attachment, etc! 
•  I want my Filter to be based on if an email comes FROM the Smoothie King email address.
• The from text box is normally populated automatically.

4. Click "Create filter with this search >>"
5. Once you have chosen your filter options, you will be able to chose what actions Gmail should take for that filter. There are so many options available here like mark as read, delete it, apply the label, etc. 
• I want to move all emails from the Smoothie King email address to my Shopping folder in Gmail automatically. 
 
• I checked:
• Skip the Inbox (Archive It)
• Apply the label: 
• I clicked the drop down box and chose Shopping. 
• If you do not have any labels created and you would like to create one, click on the Drop Down then choose "New Label..."
• Also apply filter to __ matching conversation.
6. Click "Create Filter"

I use these filters for almost every sender of email that I get. I just love how it automatically moves to my category of choice. Enjoy!


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Updated Facebook Events & Birthdays Export

Well, as you can probably tell, Facebook updated its interface shortly after I made my how to! So I needed to update my instructions on how to export your Facebook Events to your mobile device or Google calendar! I imagine I may have to do this again in the future with Facebook's frequent updates!

I have quite a few events made and posted on Facebook and I wanted to be able to view my event calendar without logging into Facebook each and every time. I became determined to be able to view the events on my iPhone and/or on my Google calendar.

With the recent Facebook updates, you can now also export your friends' birthdays to your calendar! Never forget another birthday!

So here are the steps I took:

1. Go to www.facebook.com in your browser
2. Go to Events
3. Click on the Options button (the toothed washer item) and then click "Export" 

4. The "Export Events and Birthdays" popup will appear. Right-click on the "upcoming events" link and choose "Copy Link Address." 
• For the demo, I will just show how to do upcoming events, however you can do the exact same steps for Birthdays!
5. Paste the link into an email to yourself so you can keep it for your records.
6. Open the email on your mobile device and click on the link. 
7. Follow the steps on your mobile device to subscribe to this calendar. Wah lah! You are now subscribed to your Facebook Events Calendar.
8. Want to subscribe to your friends' Birthdays too? Follow steps 1-7, just choose "export your friends' birthdays" during step 4 this time!

Want to add the calendar(s) to your Google Calendar? That's simple too!

1. Open your Google Calendar and find the Other Calendars section.
2. Click on the drop-down box and choose "Add by URL"
3. Paste the URL that you emailed yourself earlier into the popup and done! 

Enjoy!

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Google Map Sharing

Did you know that you could save locations on a Google Map and then share and collaborate with others?

This works great when you are planning a weekend getaway with friends! I was able to save all our locations to one map, and then send that map over to my girlfriends! That is so much easier then having a list of addresses for everyone to google, or look up in their MAPSCO (does anyone still have one of those?). Also, they could add to and edit the map with me!

Here's how I did it:

1. Go to https://maps.google.com/
2. Click on "My Places"
3. Click on "Create Map"                                     
4. Name your new map and choose your privacy settings
5. Click Save
6. Search for a location that you would like to add to your new map
7. Once Google has found your location, click on the pin and choose "Save to Map"                                                                 
8. Choose the Map you would like to save to and click Save
9. Do this for every location you need to add to your map
10. Go back to your map by clicking "My Places"
11. Once viewing your map, click "Collaborate" 
12. Add Collaborators by their email addresses and send invitations.

This is a great way to plan an event with others! I have certainly enjoyed using it with many organizations since I discovered it. 

Need to send the link of the map to someone but don't want them to have access to edit it? Simple! Just click the link button. I personally love the short URL feature!

Enjoy!

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Flipboard

My new absolute favorite app is Flipboard. It is perfect for someone who is on the go but still wants to keep up to date with all of their favorite news and social media! I have Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and all of my news interests all in one application. Reading everything is as easy as a flip of the page! I even have Google Reader synced so I can check out all of my favorite blogs.

Check it out!
http://flipboard.com/
https://twitter.com/flipboard#
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