So how are "Labels" any different than traditional Folders, really?

whuzizname · 26 Mar 2005, 11:07 AM

So how are "Labels" any different than traditional Folders, really?

I don't see the difference. Thanks.

metal · 26 Mar 2005, 12:00 PM

With labels, mail stays in the inbox.

war17 · 26 Mar 2005, 12:06 PM

Once you put labels on your emails, you can sort by label to find all the emails in same labels. This acts lke a traditional folder.

With labels, all the emails are really in one folder. So you can do a search all emails without having to search one folder at at time.

registered_user · 26 Mar 2005, 12:12 PM

Functionally, there is no real difference. The interface is a little different (search for all messages with a particular label instead of browsing to the directory that contains them), but in the end, there really is no difference at all.

That doesn't mean Google's search tools aren't nifty. Labels are just functionally identical to putting things in folders since any robust search tool should be just as capable of handling folders as it is labels. There's no reason at all why Google couldn't let you search all of your folders at once (actually I can't think of any email system I've used that forces you to search folders one at a time).

Labels == Folders in the case of GMail

rmns2bseen · 26 Mar 2005, 12:25 PM

yeah, really there doesn't seem to be that much of a radical difference between Gmail's "labels" and the Yahoo "create a folder on the fly" routine.

registered_user · 26 Mar 2005, 12:56 PM

I think that labels may make slightly more sense semantically (when you consider how data actually is stored in computers). I mean, UI designers have known for decades now that the whole folder/directory-tree thing is kind of a dead end from a usability perspective and everyone is kind of expecting meta-data to replace the way we think about organizing our data.

But I don't see Google's labels being robust enough to actually provide the kind of revolutionary flexibility that a better meta-data system would. Can you assign more than one label to a single message? I haven't tried it myself. Maybe I should.

If not, well, then their actually worse than folders because folders at least have the ability to be structured heirarchically. If you can assign an unlimited (and it has to be practically unlimited to be truly powerful) number of labels (or tags) to a single message, than it could end up being very cool indeed and way better than folders if you start to put it to good use (big if since we're all still entering most of our meta-data by hand).

Okay, I just tested it in GMail and you can add more than one label per message so there is a slight difference.

-Folders are arranged in a hierarchy. Labels are not.

-Messages can generally exist in only one folder at a time. Messages in GMail can have as many labels as you like.

-your inbox on Yahoo will be much cleaner to look at when you check your mail if you file things away in folders as you read them. Your inbox in GMail is just going to continually accumulate stuff.

-Labels are way more powerful for people who search (if and only if those same people take the time to actually assign labels in a suitably useful manner which is not always a simple task). Folders are better for people who browse.

-GMail should not have used the term "labels". "Tags" is already in wide use for this purpose and they're just confusing things (this is a Microsoft tactic Google. Make it right. Next thing, we'll have to start worrying about you appending 'g' to every word left and right the way Apple does with 'i'?).

-A best solution might be a hybridization of the two filing tactics. A use of both folders and tags would probably be for the best (since I don't want my inbox to always be full, I want it to only contain those things that are coming "in" and haven't yet been processed by me, and sometimes I do prefer to browse rather than search no matter how backward that may seem to the decision makers at Google).

So I guess I spoke a bit too soon in my last comment. Labels can actually be very different from folders, but it depends entirely on how you use them. If you want examples of how to use labels (stupid Google, they're actually called tags by the rest of the world), check out Flickr, del.icio.us or just about any wiki you can find for examples of how collaborative tagging changes the way information is categorized and to get an idea of how tagging your personal data could change the way you categorize things too.

pyedka · 26 Mar 2005, 03:20 PM

A single message can be tagged with more than one label. For traditional folder a mail usually sits in a single folder only. You may copy it to other folders in some ways but you will use up more storage.

xmailer · 26 Mar 2005, 11:20 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by registered_user
(actually I can't think of any email system I've used that forces you to search folders one at a time).

I believe fastmail.fm does, this being just one of that service's serious shortcomings, in my view.

euroman · 27 Mar 2005, 08:18 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by xmailer
I believe fastmail.fm does, this being just one of that service's serious shortcomings, in my view.

Yes that is correct and is one of the reasons why I gave FM the flick for mailsnare and gmail as a backup.

Creating filters is so much easier on gmail as well and when I do I can apply as many labels as I like.
The worst aspect of gmail is that you can't delete a threaded message without deleting the whole message.

**psalzer** · 27 Mar 2005, 09:41 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by euroman
Yes that is correct and is one of the reasons why I gave FM the flick for mailsnare and gmail as a backup.

Creating filters is so much easier on gmail as well and when I do I can apply as many labels as I like.
The worst aspect of gmail is that you can't delete a threaded message without deleting the whole message.

Actually, I think you can. If you click on "more options" in the message view, "Trash this message" is one of the choices. That sends just the message you're viewing to the trash. You can't do it in the mailbox view, though, which is a limitation.

You certainly can apply mutiple labels to a message. I know that's been stated. I'm just seconding it.

rmns2bseen · 3 Apr 2005, 12:41 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by rmns2bseen
yeah, really there doesn't seem to be that much of a radical difference between Gmail's "labels" and the Yahoo "create a folder on the fly" routine.

I have to retract that...actually in terms of using POP the "label" system used by Gmail is radical. Applying a label to email on the web interface doesn't prevent your downloading them to your email client. And if you do download your mail to Thunderbird etc, the labels are still very much operative on the web interface (if you choose to leave your mail on the Gmail server). On POP3 servers I've used before, if I file mail into a folder I wouldn't be able to download it via a client. (edit)- maybe it's the "All Mail" sort of "global inbox" that's to account for this? Pardon my ignorance

jbonet · 4 Apr 2005, 12:03 AM

Here's a good example to show that labels are NOT the same as folders: When someone sends me a good joke, I apply the label "Joke" to the message. Obviously a filter that did that would be impossible.

26 Mar 2005, 11:07 AM	#1
whuzizname Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 5	So how are "Labels" any different than traditional Folders, really? So how are "Labels" any different than traditional Folders, really? I don't see the difference. Thanks.

26 Mar 2005, 12:56 PM	#6
registered_user Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 164	I think that labels may make slightly more sense semantically (when you consider how data actually is stored in computers). I mean, UI designers have known for decades now that the whole folder/directory-tree thing is kind of a dead end from a usability perspective and everyone is kind of expecting meta-data to replace the way we think about organizing our data. But I don't see Google's labels being robust enough to actually provide the kind of revolutionary flexibility that a better meta-data system would. Can you assign more than one label to a single message? I haven't tried it myself. Maybe I should. If not, well, then their actually worse than folders because folders at least have the ability to be structured heirarchically. If you can assign an unlimited (and it has to be practically unlimited to be truly powerful) number of labels (or tags) to a single message, than it could end up being very cool indeed and way better than folders if you start to put it to good use (big if since we're all still entering most of our meta-data by hand). Okay, I just tested it in GMail and you can add more than one label per message so there is a slight difference. -Folders are arranged in a hierarchy. Labels are not. -Messages can generally exist in only one folder at a time. Messages in GMail can have as many labels as you like. -your inbox on Yahoo will be much cleaner to look at when you check your mail if you file things away in folders as you read them. Your inbox in GMail is just going to continually accumulate stuff. -Labels are way more powerful for people who search (if and only if those same people take the time to actually assign labels in a suitably useful manner which is not always a simple task). Folders are better for people who browse. -GMail should not have used the term "labels". "Tags" is already in wide use for this purpose and they're just confusing things (this is a Microsoft tactic Google. Make it right. Next thing, we'll have to start worrying about you appending 'g' to every word left and right the way Apple does with 'i'?). -A best solution might be a hybridization of the two filing tactics. A use of both folders and tags would probably be for the best (since I don't want my inbox to always be full, I want it to only contain those things that are coming "in" and haven't yet been processed by me, and sometimes I do prefer to browse rather than search no matter how backward that may seem to the decision makers at Google). So I guess I spoke a bit too soon in my last comment. Labels can actually be very different from folders, but it depends entirely on how you use them. If you want examples of how to use labels (stupid Google, they're actually called tags by the rest of the world), check out Flickr, del.icio.us or just about any wiki you can find for examples of how collaborative tagging changes the way information is categorized and to get an idea of how tagging your personal data could change the way you categorize things too. Last edited by registered_user : 26 Mar 2005 at 01:04 PM.

26 Mar 2005, 12:00 PM	#2
metal Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Chair Posts: 115	With labels, mail stays in the inbox.

26 Mar 2005, 12:06 PM	#3
war17 The "e" in e-mail Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: California Posts: 3,452	Once you put labels on your emails, you can sort by label to find all the emails in same labels. This acts lke a traditional folder. With labels, all the emails are really in one folder. So you can do a search all emails without having to search one folder at at time.

26 Mar 2005, 12:12 PM	#4
registered_user Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 164	Functionally, there is no real difference. The interface is a little different (search for all messages with a particular label instead of browsing to the directory that contains them), but in the end, there really is no difference at all. That doesn't mean Google's search tools aren't nifty. Labels are just functionally identical to putting things in folders since any robust search tool should be just as capable of handling folders as it is labels. There's no reason at all why Google couldn't let you search all of your folders at once (actually I can't think of any email system I've used that forces you to search folders one at a time). Labels == Folders in the case of GMail

26 Mar 2005, 12:25 PM	#5
rmns2bseen Master of the @ Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: USA Posts: 1,426	yeah, really there doesn't seem to be that much of a radical difference between Gmail's "labels" and the Yahoo "create a folder on the fly" routine.

26 Mar 2005, 03:20 PM	#7
pyedka Cornerstone of the Community Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Hong Kong Posts: 737	A single message can be tagged with more than one label. For traditional folder a mail usually sits in a single folder only. You may copy it to other folders in some ways but you will use up more storage.

4 Apr 2005, 12:03 AM	#12
jbonet Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Caracas, Venezuela Posts: 63	Here's a good example to show that labels are NOT the same as folders: When someone sends me a good joke, I apply the label "Joke" to the message. Obviously a filter that did that would be impossible.