MailTags 2.2.1 - Mac OS X Mail Productivity Add-On

Pros

• MailTags allows you to assign projects, keywords, notes and deadlines to emails in Mac OS X Mail
• Integrating with Spotlight and smart folders, MailTags keywords and notes can be found fast
• MailTags creates to-do items or in iCal, links and synchronizes them with email messages

Cons

• MailTags lets you assign but one project to each message
• Only iCal is supported for to-do list integration
• With (uncached) IMAP accounts, MailTags can slow things down a bit

Description

• MailTags lets you assign projects, priorities, due dates and keywords to emails, notes and RSS items in Mac OS X Mail.
• All MailTags fields are accessible and can be set via Mail rules.
• Both incoming and outgoing mail can be assigned meta-data, and MailTags can classify replies to tagged mail to automatically.
• You can search MailTags project titles, keywords, due dates and comments using Spotlight.
• Smart mailboxes can be built using MailTags keywords, projects, due dates and priorities.
• MailTags also adds "Conversation" search to Mail that finds threads across folders.
• Integration with iCal lets MailTags create to-do and calendar items. Due dates, notes, and other data are synchronized.
• MailTags notes can be displayed as italicized subjects in the mailbox summary.
• MailTags supports Mac OS X 10.4/10.5.

Guide Review - MailTags 2.2.1 - Mac OS X Mail Productivity Add-On

Often, but not always. There is something missing from mail organization in Mail, and it is precisely nothing that can be found anywhere in the messages as you receive them.

Adding tags and keywords is not the ideal solution to information organization, but for organizing emails (temporarily), it does wonders. With MailTags, you can assign a project, a priority and free-form keywords to each message easily, complemented by a due date and a free-form field. In Mail 3, all these can be attached to RSS news feed items and notes, too.

At this point, Mail's own talents come into play again: using search, filters and, most of all, smart mailboxes, you can organize your emails just the way you want them effortlessly. Create a folder containing all messages pertaining to a certain project due today. Set up a filter that, for now, makes all incoming mail due next month. Make a smart mailbox showing all high priority mail.

With the Mail Act-On plug-in, you can even create keyboard shortcuts that postpone the due date or assign a project to a message to help you actually use the newly gained meta-data power.

Conversation search that finds threads across folders adds further zest, and automatically created and maintained iCal to-do or calendar items help you remember. Message's due dates, alongside other MailTags data, can be displayed in Mail's message list. You can even have MailTags color messages as their deadline passes, for example.

While MailTags does work with all account types available in Mail, it does have a slight impact on performance with IMAP accounts. MailTags does keep its data on the server, though, so you can use it from multiple locations.