Change the Subject Line in Your Email Conversations
Gmail groups conversations. This is awesome and terrible. Having conversations of emails together is really handy until it gets out of control and you can’t find the conversation. What groups a conversation together in Gmail is having the same subject line. If two different people send you an email with the same subject line, they are grouped into a conversation. This can be a blessing and a curse.
Two Different Emails
Notice in this screenshot that Google Classroom sent a progress report on two different dates. The grades are different but the email is the same. Since it is the same email conversation I might think this is nothing new and miss it.
Replying to the email lacks context about which progress report I am referring to.
Click the Tiny Triangle
I am a big encourager of clicking on tiny triangles in G Suite. If you see one, CLICK ON IT! Notice when you reply to an email there is a small triangle next to the reply swoop. Click on it to “Edit subject.”
Get Out of the Conversation
If you are in an email conversation with multiple people and want to reply to one person, consider editing the subject line so your side conversation is grouped together in it’s own conversation.
Start a New Thread
When I am back and forth with someone in an email and I am changing the topic, I also want to change the subject line.
Answer a Specific Question
It is not uncommon for me to miss replying to someone’s specific question when it is asked in a thread of multiple emails. Click reply and then click the tiny triangle next to the reply swoop to “Edit subject” and indicate what question you are answering.