Tag: Emails

Tech Tip : Make Important Emails Stand Out Automatically

Posted on by Paul Stradling

If important emails sometimes get lost among everything else in your inbox, Outlook can automatically make messages from particular people, or about particular subjects, appear in a different colour so they immediately catch your eye.

Why Is This Useful?

Unlike an Outlook rule that moves messages into another folder, Conditional Formatting leaves emails in your normal inbox but changes how particular messages appear.

For example, you could make emails from an important customer appear in red, messages from your manager appear in blue, or emails containing a particular project name appear in green. This makes important messages much easier to spot when quickly scanning a busy inbox.

How To Set It Up In New Outlook

In new Outlook:

  1. Click Settings.
  2. Select Mail > Conditional Formatting.
  3. Click + Add rule.
  4. Give the rule a name, such as “Important Customer”.
  5. Choose the condition you want to use, such as a particular sender.
  6. Choose the colour you want those messages to appear in.
  7. Click OK, then Save.

New Outlook has fewer conditional formatting options than classic Outlook, but it is ideal for straightforward rules such as highlighting messages from particular people.

How To Set It Up In Classic Outlook

Classic Outlook gives you more control:

  1. Select View > View Settings.
  2. Click Conditional Formatting.
  3. Click Add and give your rule a name.
  4. Click Font and choose the colour, font or style you want Outlook to use.
  5. Click Condition and tell Outlook which emails should receive that formatting.
  6. Click OK to save your changes.

For example, you can highlight messages from a particular person or make emails containing certain words in the subject stand out automatically.

A Simple Way To Make Your Inbox Easier To Scan

Once configured, Outlook applies the formatting automatically whenever a matching email appears, helping important customers, projects or colleagues stand out without moving messages around or requiring you to remember to flag them manually.

Note: Conditional Formatting is available for work or school accounts with a qualifying Microsoft 365 subscription. The feature is more comprehensive in classic Outlook, so some of the more advanced options may not be available in new Outlook.

Tech Tip: Insert Screenshots Directly Into Outlook Emails

Posted on by Paul Stradling

Outlook includes a built in Screenshot tool that lets you quickly capture a window or part of your screen and insert it straight into an email, saving time and avoiding the need to use separate screenshot tools.

How to do it

Outlook:

– Open a new email message.
– Place your cursor where you want the image to appear.
– Select the Insert tab in the ribbon.
– Click Screenshot.

Choose a full open window, or select Screen Clipping to capture a specific area.

The screenshot is then inserted directly into your email, making it easier to explain issues clearly and keep conversations moving without extra attachments or back and forth.

Note: This feature is only available in the desktop version of Outlook on Windows.

Tech Tip: Flag Emails for Follow-Up and Stay on Top of Your Inbox

Posted on by Paul Stradling

Most email platforms let you mark important messages so they do not get forgotten. Whether it is called a flag, a star, or a reminder, the idea is simple. Turn emails into prompts for action rather than things you hope you remember later.

Outlook

In Microsoft Outlook, follow-up flags work like lightweight tasks.

How to do it

– Right-click the email, or select it
– Choose Flag
– Pick a time such as Today, Tomorrow, This Week, or choose Custom

Flagged emails stay visible and are easy to revisit when you need to act.

Gmail

In Gmail, there are two useful ways to handle follow-ups.

Star an email

– Click the star icon next to the message
– Find it later under Starred in the left-hand menu

Snooze an email

– Open the email or hover over it in the inbox
– Click the Snooze icon
– Choose a time or pick a date and time

Snoozed emails disappear for now and return to your inbox when you actually need to deal with them.

Apple Mail

In Apple Mail, flags provide a clear visual reminder.

On iPhone or iPad

– Swipe left on the email
– Tap More
– Tap Flag and choose a colour if prompted

On Mac

– Right-click the email
– Choose Flag
– Select a flag colour

Flagged emails appear in a dedicated mailbox so nothing important gets lost.

Why It Works

Spending a few seconds marking an email when it arrives saves missed actions later. Once it becomes a habit, your inbox starts working for you instead of against you.

Tech Tip: Give Yourself a Safety Net Before Hitting Send

Posted on by Paul Stradling

Rushed emails are one of the easiest ways to create unnecessary confusion, embarrassment, or rework, and using delayed or scheduled sending gives you a short buffer after pressing send to catch mistakes, rethink tone, or make sure your message lands at the right moment.

How to do it:

Outlook

Compose email > Options tab > Delay Delivery
Choose a delay of 1, 2, 5, 10, 15, 30, 60, or 120 minutes, or set a specific date and time > Close > Send

Gmail

Compose email > Down arrow next to Send > Schedule send
Select a suggested send time or set a custom date and time, as Gmail supports scheduled sending rather than short delay options > Send

Why it helps

That short delay or scheduled send acts as a safety net, giving you time to correct typos, rethink wording that could be misread, or avoid sending messages outside working hours, helping your emails land more clearly and professionally.

Please note

It isn’t currently possible to delay or schedule messages natively in WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger, so once you hit send, the message goes immediately with no built-in buffer to catch mistakes. Also, most other email platforms focus on scheduled sending rather than true send delays. Apple Mail, Yahoo Mail, Proton Mail, and Zoho Mail allow emails to be sent at a chosen future date and time.

Tech Tip: Use Outlook To Find the Best Meeting Time Fast

Posted on by Paul Stradling

Streamline meeting planning in Outlook by creating a poll to find the perfect meeting time, boost attendee turnout, and save hours of back-and-forth emails. Here’s how:

How to do it

– Create a new meeting in Outlook.
– Click ‘New Meeting’, then select ‘Scheduling Poll’ in the toolbar.
– Enter meeting details and select 2 to 5 time slots for attendees to choose from.
– Send the poll; attendees’ responses will help you pick the best time.

Why it helps: Minimise back-and-forth emails, save time, and ensure more people can attend.

Tech Tip : Turn Emails into Actionable Tasks And Events

Posted on by Paul Stradling

Boost productivity, stay on top of your work, and never miss a deadline again by turning emails into to-do items or calendar events instantly. Here’s how:

How to do it:

– Open Outlook and select the email you want to convert, such as a meeting request, a task assignment, or a reminder from a colleague.

– Drag the email to the Tasks icon (it looks like a clipboard with a checkmark) at the bottom of the navigation pane to create a task.

– Or, drag it to the Calendar icon to schedule an event.

Why it helps – Quickly turn emails into actionable items, keep your tasks and calendar in sync, and stay on top of your work.

Tech Tip: Use Outlook’s “Groups” (Contact Groups) to Email Faster

Posted on by Paul Stradling

Did you know you can bundle any set of contacts into a single group and send a message to everyone with just one address? It’s a huge time‑saver and eliminates the risk of forgetting a recipient.

How to create a group – Desktop (Outlook 365)

– Switch to People (the icon at the bottom of the navigation pane).
– Click New Contact Group (or New → Contact Group).
– Give the group a clear name.
– Click Add Members, choose From Outlook Contacts or From Address Book, select the people you want, then click OK.
– Click Save & Close.

How to create a group – Web (Outlook.com / Outlook on the web)

– Open People, then click New contact list (or New → Contact List).
– Name the list, click Add Members, pick contacts from your address book or type new email addresses, then hit Create.

Why it’s so handy: One click in the To field expands the whole group, keeping your message tidy and ensuring everyone gets the same info instantly. Updating a group is as easy as editing the list with no need to rewrite dozens of addresses.

Give it a try next time you need to reach a project team, club, or family list!

Tech Tip: Create a Search Folder in Outlook

Posted on by Paul Stradling

Did you know you can save a custom query, like “all emails from my boss flagged as high importance”, as a folder that stays up‑to‑date automatically? This lets you jump straight to the results without re‑running the search each time.

How to create a Search Folder

1. In Outlook (desktop or web), switch to Folder view.

2. Right‑click Search Folders (or click the “New Search Folder” button in the ribbon) and choose New Search Folder.

3. Pick a template (e.g., “Messages from specific people”) or select Custom Search Folder> Create a custom search folder.

4. Click Choose to set the criteria:
– From: type your boss’s name or email address
– Importance: select High
-Add any other filters you need (date range, subject keywords, etc.).

5. Give the folder a clear name (e.g., “High‑Priority from Boss”) and choose where to save it (usually under Search Folders).

6. Click OK.

With this built‑in feature in Outlook 365 (desktop and web), Outlook creates the folder and automatically populates it with matching messages. Whenever a new email meets the criteria, it appears in the folder instantly, no manual refresh required.

Why it helps: No more repeating the same search. Click the folder and the latest results are right there, saving you time and keeping critical emails front‑and‑centre.

Security Stop Press : Thousands Of Brand Subdomains Hijacked For Spam

Posted on by Paul Stradling

Cyber Security Company, Guardio Labs, has reported uncovering a major “SubdoMailing” campaign which involves the hijacking of 8,000+ trusted domains to send millions of spam and malicious phishing emails daily.

Brands whose subdomains are being exploited in the campaign include MSN, VMware, McAfee, The Economist, Cornell University, CBS, Marvel, and eBay.

Guardio Labs said it has identified the threat actor behind the campaign as ‘ResurrecAds,’ a bogus ad network known for reviving “dead” domains from big brands and using them as backdoors to exploit legitimate services and brands and circumvent email protection.

The advice to businesses, which should already have antivirus protection in place, is to exercise caution and to avoid opening any unsolicited and suspicious looking emails, even if they do appear to be from known brands.

Featured Article : New Yahoo & Google Guidelines For Bulk Emails

Posted on by Paul Stradling

With newly expanded Google and Yahoo guidelines for high-volume emailers coming into force from the 1st of February, we look at what needs to be done to comply.

Why?

As Google says about the reason for the new guidelines: “we’ll require bulk senders to authenticate their emails, allow for easy unsubscription and stay under a reported spam threshold.” Yahoo echoes this, saying: “Sending properly authenticated messages helps us to better identify and block billions of malicious messages and declutter our users’ inboxes.” 

What Is A Bulk Sender? 

Google categorises a “bulk sender” as those who send more than 5,000 messages to Gmail addresses in one day.

Bulk Sender Authentication – Leverage Industry Standards 

It’s clear from Google and Yahoo’s new guidelines that validation is to be a focus and reputable messaging is to be prioritised, i.e. making users feel more confident about an email’s source. For this reason, Google and Yahoo will require bulk senders to implement stronger email authentication and to leverage industry standards such as SPF, DKIM and DMARC. One of the key benefits of doing so, as outlined by Google, will be that it “will close loopholes exploited by attackers that threaten everyone who uses email.”

Easy To Unsubscribe – One Click and Within Two Days 

One of the issues that leads to email inbox clutter is not just the number of regular subscribed emails that users receive but also how easy it is to unsubscribe. As Yahoo says: “Users should be able to unsubscribe from unwanted emails without any hassle. It should just take one click.” 

Yahoo also says that it has tried to promote solutions to this issue for some time but adoption of these “common-sense standards” has been low among bulk senders. This means that Yahoo and Google’s updated guidelines will require senders to not just “support one-click unsubscribe” but to honour users’ unsubscribe requests “within two days.” 

Spam Threshold To Be Enforced 

One other major bulk, commercial email issue that Google and Yahoo are to tackle with the new guidelines is by making sure that companies only send emails that users actually want to receive, i.e. not irrelevant / spam emails. After measuring user-reported spam rates for some time, Yahoo and Google’s solution to this problem, and an industry first, will be to start enforcing a clear spam rate threshold that senders must stay underneath if they want to reach Google and Yahoo users’ inboxes.

Agreement 

Yahoo says the updated guidelines will apply to all the domains and consumer email brands that Yahoo Mail hosts, and has been clear that Google is in complete agreement. For example, Yahoo’s blog even features a quote on the issue from Google’s Neil Kumaran, Group Product Manager, Gmail Security & Trust, who says: “We firmly believe that users worldwide deserve a more secure email environment, with fewer unwanted messages for an improved overall experience. We look forward to working with peers across the industry to boost the adoption of these email standards that benefit everyone.” 

What’s In It For Google And Yahoo? 

The introduction of the new guidelines is expected to significantly benefit both Google and Yahoo in terms of streamlining the email ecosystem, making it easier and cheaper for Google and Yahoo to manage and monitor email traffic effectively. The changes may also enhance the overall image of the security and trustworthiness of their email services which could, of course, lead to greater user satisfaction, which in turn may translate to customer retention and attracting more new customers.

What About The Bulk Senders? 

For legitimate bulk senders, the guidelines provide a clear framework for compliance. By adhering to these guidelines, legitimate bulk senders can ensure their emails reach their intended recipients without being marked as spam, thereby protecting their reputation, brand, and potential profits. That said, the guidelines will mean that legitimate businesses will now have to take the time to rigorously audit and upgrade their email authentication protocols, ensuring compliance with minimum DMARC requirements and proper configuration of SPF and DKIM to maintain the integrity of their sent emails. This could involve meticulous management of subscription and unsubscribe processes to ensure smooth and prompt opt-out mechanisms and having to diligently monitor and maintain spam complaint rates well below the stringent thresholds set.

For legitimate bulk senders, it’s essentially a matter of having little choice regarding the extra work, costs, and changes involved. However, it shouldn’t be solely about finding new ways to avoid the spam folder.

The hope is also that the regulations will make life much more difficult for the bulk spammers. These new guidelines should mean that spammers will find it increasingly challenging to penetrate these defence mechanisms which could force them into a position where they must align their practices with the guidelines to preserve any kind of reasonable email deliverability and subscriber-reach.

Challenges

Although the idea of ‘forcing spammers out’ is a laudable one, legitimate bulk senders might face several challenges while trying to comply with the new guidelines. For example, they may need to upgrade their systems to ensure robust email authentication with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. This would require a degree of skill and resources to implement. Also, implementing a seamless one-click unsubscribe feature that adheres to the guidelines while ensuring that legitimate users are not inadvertently removed may potentially be an issue for some people.

There may also be the need for some significant effort in content-management and user-engagement analysis to make sure email content and communications are desired and relevant.

That said, Yahoo says help for bulk senders will be on hand via information provided on its Sender Hub (coming soon), and senders can email Yahoo their questions on the subject.

What Does This Mean For Your Business? 

For businesses, the new guidelines from Google and Yahoo signify a crucial (and many would say necessary and not-before-time) pivot towards more stringent email authentication and streamlined subscription management for the bulk senders that fill up our inboxes. If the guidelines work as intended and spam and malicious emails are curtailed, users may place greater trust in the emails which they do receive, potentially increasing engagement rates for compliant senders. Bulk sender businesses that adapt swiftly and adhere to the regulations may also benefit from improved sender reputation and deliverability. On the flip side, these regulations will hopefully pose a significant challenge to spammers, helping cleanse the email ecosystem of unwanted clutter. This may not only enhance user-experiences but also level the playing field for businesses committed to ethical email marketing practices.

In summary then, while compliance may initially be demanding, these guidelines at least offer a clearer path to enhanced email deliverability and reputation for legitimate bulk senders. Those businesses who are proactive in adapting will benefit from the decluttered inbox landscape, ensuring their communications are both seen and trusted by recipients.

Perhaps a pragmatic stance to take is that this shift isn’t just about having to adhere to certain annoying rules to enable communications to get into mailboxes, it’s more about embracing a culture of transparency and respect within digital communications that all businesses could benefit from going forward.