Chapter 10:Keeping in Touch with Gmail 189 Spam. This folder is the Siberia to which Gmail exiles suspected spam messages. Trash. This folder holds the messages that you delete. By default, Gmail only shows links to five of these system folders: Inbox, Buzz, Starred, Sent Mail, and Drafts. To control which folders you see, click Labels and then click Manage labels. In the Settings page that appears, click show to add a folder to the left of the Gmail window; click hide to remove a folder from the window. Okay, I hear what you're saying: "Dude, what's all this about labels? I thought we were talking about folders!" It's weird, I know. You see, in the sometimes odd realm known as Gmail, folders are inextricably linked with something called labels. A label is like a combination of a category and a storage area. It's a category because you can use a label to differentiate between various kinds of messages, such as work and personal; it's a storage area because each label also corresponds to a folder. For example, when you click the Personal folder, what you're really ordering Gmail to do is to show you a list of all the messages to which the Personal label has been applied. It's head scratching, for sure, but you get used to it (believe me). I'll go into this a bit more later in the chapter (see the section "Taking Charge of Your Message Labels"). The Outbox: Sending an E-Mail Message Let's begin the Gmail tour with a look at how to foist your e-prose on unsuspecting colleagues, friends, family, and former Brady Bunch cast members. This section shows you the basic technique to use and then gets a bit fancier in discussing the Contacts list and attachments. The Basics: Composing and Sending a Message I'm ready if you are, so let's get right to it. Here are the basic steps to follow to fire off an e-mail message to some lucky recipient: 1. Click the Compose Mail link. You end up with the Compose Mail page onscreen, as shown in Figure 10.2.