2 hidden ways to get more from your Gmail address

When you choose a Gmail address, you actually get more than just 'yourusername@gmail.com.' Here are two different ways you can modify your Gmail address and still get your mail

• Append a plus ("+") sign and any combination of words or numbers after your email address. For example, if your name was hikingfan@gmail.com, you could send mail to hikingfan+friends@gmail.com or hikingfan+mailinglists@gmail.com.
  
• Insert one or several dots (".") anywhere in your email address. Gmail doesn't recognize periods as characters in addresses -- we just ignore them. For example, you could tell people your address was hikingfan@gmail.com, hiking.fan@gmail.com or hi.kin.g.fan@gmail.com.
  

Read the complete article at Official Gmail Blog: 2 hidden ways to get more from your Gmail address