Generating Additional E-Mail Addresses from GMail

There are two really great ways to use your Gmail address that can give you greater control over your inbox and save you time and headaches. When you choose a Gmail address, you actually get more than just "yourusername@gmail.com." Here are two different ways you can modify your GMail address and still get your mail:

1. Insert one or several dots (".") anywhere in your email address. Gmail doesn't recognize periods as characters in addresses -- instead, they are just ignored. For example, you could tell people your address was assmoothassilk@gmail.com, but that address has some visual problems. However, tell them instead your address is as.smooth.as.silk@gmail.com. 
2. Append a plus ("+") sign and any combination of words or numbers after your email address. For example, if your name was cookingguy@gmail.com, you could send mail to cookingguy+friends@gmail.com or cookingguy+mailinglists@gmail.com. 

The great part...for both of these tricks, you need to configure or set up ABSOLUTELY nothing other than have a GMail address. You have infinite e-mail addresses available to you, with just one account.

One of the significant values in being able to manipulate your email address is that it makes it really easy to filter on those variants. For example you could use cookingguy+bank@gmail.com when you sign up for online banking and then set up a filter to automatically star, archive or label emails addressed to cookingguy+bank@gmail.com.

You can also use this when you register for a service and think they might share your information. For example, you might add "+donation" when giving money to a political organization, and later when you see emails from other groups to that address, you know exactly how they got it. Then build a filter, perhaps to auto-delete.

Sandy Hook, The Voice, and a Bitter Hallelujah

I realize this is completely off-topic. But this blog about technology does not live in a vacuum. 

Neither do any of us.

So what happened on The Voice last night, with one of my favorite songs, was pretty amazing....

Sandy Hook, we are with you.

LinkedIn Endorsements

On LinkedIn, you have many smart, talented, and skilled professional connections. In September 2012, Endorsements made their debut onto the LinkedIn platform. Endorsements are a new feature that makes it easier to recognize LinkedIn users for their skills and expertise. With just one click, you can now endorse your connections for a skill they have listed on their profile or recommend one they have not added yet.

Do you think your connection is great at programming or project management or selling? Let them know!

More importantly, let them know with an Endorsement, so everyone else will know too!

This is how you can make a LinkedIn Endorsement. This is truly easy!

• Scroll down a LinkedIn connection’s profile, you will see the Skills & Expertise section for that LinkedIn user.
• To endorse, simply click on the skill (shaded in gray) you intend to endorse. That's it!
• You can suggest additional skills as well, and LinkedIn will often suggest one or two skills for which you can be the first to offer an Endorsement.

Here is what my Endorsement section looks like. This shows me--and more importantly shows any LinkedIn viewers--a quick snapshot of what OTHERS think I am good at. When a recruiter or hiring manager stumbles by this page, I have a ready-to-go assembly of networked contacts confirming my skills.

This is powerful stuff!

Do you need or want practice? Just click on the image and you will be at my profile.

Want to see who has endorsed you? LinkedIn will notify you via email and on LinkedIn whenever you are endorsed. You can scroll to the bottom of your profile page under Skills & Expertise to see the faces of people who think you are great at what you do. You can also accept any new skills recommended by your peers that you may not have thought to include on your profile.

Here is a fantastic video explaining how to endorse your LinkedIn connections from Marc Miller at Career Pivot. Marc knows the value of this LinkedIn feature. Stop by his website at www.careerpivot.com or send him a thank you tweet at @careerpivot. I know he will appreciate it.

So go Endorse, my friends. It will improve your connectivity to your network, and unquestionably help out others too.

Facebook, the World's 3rd Largest Country

Some mind-blowing data concerning Facebook: In Autumn 2012, Facebook surpassed the  1,000,000,000 user milestone.

Facebook would be the world's third largest country, with a GDP of $3.71 billion. (You would think its leader afford more than a T-shirt.)

Social Media & Restaurants: The Leaders

Curious how your favorite restaurant or coffee haunt handles Social Media? This quick glance confirms what you have been thinking: These brands are putting enormous efforts into Social Media.

Personally, I am AMAZED at how much Starbucks has distanced itself from its peers on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest. Astonishing!

They are definitely listening. Drop any of these brands a line in a Social Media channel and see what happens.

Restaurant Social Media Top 10 [Infographic]

Compliments of QSRweb.com and Foodservice Social Media Universe

How I feel about Internet Explorer...

...and my apologies and sympathies to those of you who have no other choice at work.

E-Mail Blunders You Don't Want To Make

I think I have done all of these at one point or another.

Borrowing material from the fine folks at Rackspace, who have put together 3 minutes worth of humorous and frighteningly familiar e-mail blunders.

My personal favorites (or pet peeves, as the case may be)

• Don't E-Mail Angry

And

• Don't Reply All

Any other favorites in there? Or better yet, any great stories of e-mail nightmares?