Gmail cans responses; journalists rejoice!

What won’t the Gmail team think of? First, the folks behind Google’s e-mail service began watching our back to make sure we weren’t drunk e-mailing. And now, they’ve done it again: A built-in auto-responder to PR pitches! Huzzah!

OK — technically, Gmail’s new Canned Responses feature is not just for gently rebuffing persistent pitches. But it certainly can’t hurt.

Let’s take a look. From Google’s blog post on the subject:

> If you’re sick of typing out the same reply every time someone emails you with a common question, now you can compose your reply once and save the message text with the “Canned responses” button. Later, you can open that same message and send it again and again.
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> It couldn’t get any easier unless Gmail automatically pushed the Send button. If you’re lazy enough to think that would be a good idea, then read on, friend.
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> Gmail already lets you create filters based on a combination of keywords, sender, recipients, and more in your incoming messages. Turn on Canned Responses in Labs, and you can set a filter to grab one of your saved responses, create an automated reply, and hit the Send button for you.