Yahoo! Mail Blog, UK and Ireland

In today’s tip I wanted to draw your attention to a feature of the all-new Yahoo! Mail that – by reading through your feedback – you either love or you find a real pain ;-). Today’s topic is the reading pane.

What is it?
The reading pane allows you to preview messages without having to double-click on them to open them in a new tab or window. When you log into the all-new mail for the very first time, it’s turned on by default. Most people really like it, however there is a small number of your fellow users that think is takes up too much screen real-estate.

Do you love the reading pane?
If you do, here are two tips to help you get the most out of the reading pane.

First you can resize the preview pane to make it suit the size of your screen. Just put your mouse over the dividing line between your message list and the preview pane. When your mouse pointer turns into an up-and-down arrow, click and drag the line to make the pane bigger or smaller. Just like in the screenshot to the right.

Second, for a little more advanced tip for the reading pane, click on the “Options” menu in your Inbox (hint: it’s the link labeled “Options” in the picture below for those folks who aren’t favourable about the reading pane). Then click on “Mail Options”. On that screen you’re going to see this option that let’s you set what happens to the mail message when you look at it in the reading pane:

So if you don’t want the message to get marked as read when you’re viewing it in the reading pane, just select “Never” from the pick-list.

Do you hate the reading pane?
If you do, and I know there is a small minority out there that really doesn’t like the reading pane. Here’s a quick tip I know you’re going to love. Take a look at this picture of the “view menu”. See that “v” next to the menu item “Reading Pane”. That’s a short cut key to show or hide the reading pane at the touch of a key. Try it out. When you’re in your Inbox, just hit the “v” key and see what happens.

Love it or hate it. Those are some quick tips to help you use it the way that suits you best. If you love it, which is most of you, those tips should really come in handy. If you don’t love it, use that “v” key tip to hide and show the preview pane. I think if you use the reading pane more, you might just grow to love it.

Happy emailing,
Andrew – Yahoo! Mail Team

For my second installment for “the what’s new with Yahoo! Mail Beta”, I wanted to highlight the new ability to expand the viewable reading area in your mailbox.

More space to read
If you look about half-way down the ad on the right-hand side of your Yahoo! Mail Beta mailbox, you will see a small triangle (some might call it an arrow). If you click that triangle, cum arrow, you’ll be able to get more reading space. Here’s a picture:

It won’t hide the ad forever; you’ll have to sign up for Yahoo! Mail Plus for that. But you do get the option for a bigger reading area when you need it.
Happy emailing!
Andrew – Yahoo Mail Beta Team