Virtual Assistant Tools # 2: Gmail Fetcher

Being a Virtual Assistant means handling multiple email accounts. Good news Gmail has a mail fetcher wherein I can integrate all my Gmail email addresses under 1 account. By the way, you can also link your non-Gmail accounts using Mail fetcher - as long as it the email your going to fetch supports POP access. This great tool can hold up to 5 accounts in one place.

Here is how to set up Mail Fetcher:

1. Click Settings at the top of your Gmail page, and open the Accounts and Import tab. (For Google Apps domains, open the Accounts tab.)
2. In the Check mail using POP3 section, click Add POP3 email account.
3. Enter the full email address of the account you'd like to access, then click Next Step.
4. Gmail will populate sample settings, but we recommend checking with your other provider to learn the correct server name and port. Enter your Password.
5. Decide whether to:
Leave a copy of retrieved messages on the server
If you'd like to keep a copy of each message Gmail retrieves in your other mail accounts, select the Leave a copy of retrieved messages on the server checkbox. This way, you can access mail in your other accounts, and in Gmail. Please note that some email services may still delete your messages when Gmail fetches them. If this option is checked, Gmail will instruct the other domain to leave the messages in place, though the final behavior is up to the other domain. If you'd rather delete copies of messages that Gmail retrieves, leave this option unchecked. Gmail will delete the messages from the other account as those messages are retrieved, meaning you'll only be able to read them in Gmail.
Always use a secure connection (SSL) when retrieving mail
If the email account being retrieved from supports Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption, you can select this option to have all information sent through a secured connection. If you select this option, and your email provider doesn't support it, Gmail will let you know that your configuration failed. Clicking Show error details will likely reveal a Protocol error in this case. You'll need to uncheck this selection before continuing.
Label incoming messages
If you'd like to automatically label all messages that are retrieved from your non-Google account, select this option. You can choose to use the predefined label (your email address), or you can select an existing label or create a new one from the drop-down list.
Archive incoming messages
Mail from this account can be archived directly, without showing up in your inbox. Learn more about archiving.
6. Click Add Account.
7. Once your account has been added successfully, you'll have the option of setting it as a custom From address. This allows you to compose messages in Gmail, but have them appear to be sent from your other email account. Click Yes to set up a custom From address.