How to avoid e-mailing the wrong person using Gmail

Ever sent an e-mail to the wrong person just because their name was similar to the intended recipient, and you weren't paying attention when Gmail filled in the rest of the address after you typed the first few letters? A new feature will help you avoid such mistakes

1. Log into your account at Gmail.com. Click on "Settings" in the upper-right corner of the page.

2. Click on the "Labs" tab under Settings. (If you don't see the "Labs" tab, make sure you have the latest version of your Web browser.) Scroll down and click on "Enable" next to "Got the wrong Bob?" Click on "Save Changes."

3. The feature only works when you are e-mailing more than two people that you often e-mail at the same time. For instance, say you often e-mail Sally Smith, Bob Jones and Joe Brown at the same time, but instead of Joe Brown, you accidentally add Joe Giles to the list. If that happens, you should see a message underneath the address box that says "Did you mean: Joe Brown instead of Joe Giles"?

4. If you did indeed add the wrong person to the e-mail list, just click on the name of the person Gmail suggests to add and remove the incorrect recipient.

5. There's a related Gmail Labs feature you can enable called "Don't forget Bob," which will make sure you don't leave a regular off your e-mail list.

(c) 2009, The Orlando Sentinel (Fla.).

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.