Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Where to set reminders:
You can use any of the email fields (To, CC, BCC) for a FollowUp email address. If you put the address in the To or the CC field, we'll send all the recipients the reminder since it is public.
Some users will put their FollowUp reminder in the BCC field if they don't want the recipient to know they're putting a reminder on the email. However, most users apparently like pointing out they're using the FollowUp service to keep their conversation on track since it's a useful tool for most people using email.
Does FollowUp work in any email interface?
Yes! Our service works everywhere since it's just an email address you type in. You can use it in all the web email services (Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo Mail etc), any desktop email client (Outlook, Thunderbird, Mail.app etc), and in any email app your mobile phone.
How to set reminders:
1. Time from now:[quantity][time keyword]#followup,cc2. Future Day of Week:
mi = minutes, h = hours, d = days, w = weeks, mo = months, y = years
You can write them out in short form, "h", or long form, "hours", it doesn't matter.
Note: You can also combine them, so you could say 2d6h#followup,cc [which is 2 days 6 hours from now]
Examples: 3days#followup,cc, 12hours#followup,cc, 2w#followup,cc, 1w3d5h#followup,cc
You can attach a time parameter to days, weeks and months, such as:
3days-2pm#followup,cc, 2w-9am#followup,cc or 1month-6.30pm#followup,cc
[weekday]#followup,cc3. Future Date:
Examples: monday#followup,cc which will set the reminder for this coming Monday at 7am
You can also set the hour, so monday-9am#followup,cc or monday-6pm#followup,cc
[future_date]#followup,cc4. Upcoming Hour:
This is always a month abbreviation with a day after it and will also default to 7am. Just like above, you can set the hour as well.
Examples: jan30#followup,cc or jan30-9pm#followup,cc
[hour]#followup,cc
Set the reminder at some hour in the next 24 hours, such as 3pm. If you set 5pm and it is currently 10pm, it'll set for the next day at 5pm.
Examples: 9am#followup,cc or 5pm#followup,cc
You can also set time with minutes or even use the 24 hour format:
9.30am#followup,cc, 5.45pm#followup,cc, or 1745#followup,cc
Updating Reminders
Once a reminder has been set, you can always log into your FollowUp account and view, edit or delete the reminder from your calendar.
The most common update situation is where your recipient responds before the reminder is due. In this case, if you reply and put a new FollowUp in the Cc or Bcc, it'll update the existing reminder you have attached to that email to the new one.
Assuming you haven't received a response yet, another method is to go to your message in which you set the follow up and hit Reply (and make sure it's going to the intended recipients again, Gmail does this automatically). Set a new FollowUp reminder in the Cc or Bcc and we'll update the existing reminder on that thread.
Canceling Reminders
Similar to Updating Reminders above, once a reminder has been set, you can always log into your FollowUp account and view, edit or delete the reminder from your calendar.
The most common cancel scenario is where your recipient responds before the reminder is due. In this case, if you reply and put cancel#followup,cc in the Bcc field, it will cancel the existing reminder you have attached to that email chain.
If your recipient has responded but you don't need to reply back, you can just forward the email to cancel#followup,cc and we'll cancel the active reminder on that email chain.
Note: If you have the Response Detection feature in the Plus Plan turned on, this canceling is done automatically for you, so there is no need for you to manually cancel the reminder as outlined above.
Tags
Tagging has a variety of use cases with the simplest just being able to add context to an email conversation.
- You always start a tag with a + sign
Examples: +nyc#followup,cc or +b2b#followup,cc or +family+friends#followup,cc
- If you'd like to combine it with a reminder, you just put the reminder in front of the tags:
Examples: 1month+nyc#followup,cc or feb28+b2b#followup,cc
- You'll then see the email conversations listed on the Tags page under their respective tag. That way, you'll be able to see your conversations in context.
As an example, we used this feature recently to find all the conversations we had tagged as NYC so that the next time we were visiting New York, we could email those people ahead of time and see if they're available.
On the Tags page, you'll be able to manage your tags, including the ability to send your reminders from that screen (or just "ping" your original conversation in services such as Gmail)
What email address do follow up reminders get sent from?
Please add contact#followup,cc and reminder#followup,cc to your address books (and bookmark#followup,cc if you use our bookmarking service)
Can I add more email addresses to my account?
Yes, on the Settings page, you can add more email addresses your FollowUp account.
Optimized usage for Gmail & Google Apps
What email address do follow up reminders get sent from?- Please add contact#followup,cc and reminder#followup,cc to your address books (and bookmark#followup,cc if you use our bookmarking service)
How do I set up a filter in Gmail to label all my FollowUp messages?
- Go to Settings, Filters, Create a new filter.
- In the From: field, enter reminder#followup,cc. This will set all reminders from us with the label.
- Click Next Step
- Check Apply the Label: and select your FollowUp label (Select New Label... if you haven't already created one)
- Click Create Filter (and check the box to 'Also apply filter to # conversations below' if you see that)
How do I add my iCal Feed into my Google Calendar? (applies to Personal Plan or higher)
There are two ways that you can add your iCal Feed to Google Calendar:
1. If you have the "Other Calendar" box in the left column, then click Add, and select "Add By URL". Paste in your iCal feed, and it should load in less than a minute.
2. In the left column, find the My Calendars box and click the "Settings" link. Now on the right side, click "Browse Interesting Calendars", and then on the right again, click "Add by URL" and paste in your iCal Feed.
I just set a reminder and see it in my FollowUp Calendar, but not my Google Calendar yet...
Google Calendar imports your FollowUp iCal feed when you set it up initially. After that, it refreshes every few hours, sometimes longer.
This is under Google's control. Our calendar feed is updated as soon as a reminder is set in our system.
Is there a keyboard shortcut in Gmail to open up the Bcc field?
There is actually! We believe it's an undocumented feature, but it's simple to use:
→ Click b to compose new message with both the Cc and Bcc fields open
→ Click d to compose new message with just the Cc field open
