Chris Kunicki’s excellent Newsgator Reading Tip for Outlook 2003 (set up a separate PST file for your newsfeeeds, and use Search Folders with it) reminded me to share one of my favorite Outlook 2003 tips, which I’ve never seen elsewhere.
The first icon in Outlook 2003’s new Navigation pane (a huge improvement over the clunky old Outlook bar) is called Shortcuts. You can add Search Folders to this pane, although the technique for doing so is well-hidden. Don’t bother using the Add New Shortcut link. Instead, click the Folders icon in the Navigation pane.
Start by creating a Search folder. Click to select the icon for your new Search Folder and drag it onto the Shortcut icon at the bottom of the Navigation pane. Don’t let go of the mouse button. Wait until the Shortcut pane appears, and then drag the icon up to the Shortcuts list at the top of the pane. Now drop it.
In addition to Search Folders, you can create shortcuts to any regular Outlook folder. You can also create shortcuts to Web pages (drag from an IE window or from an existing IE shortcut), which then open in the Outlook window, or to a program, file, or folder (drag the icon from Windows Explorer).
I have my shortcuts organized into groups, as the following screen snippet illustrates.
If you encounter any problems when you try this, let me know in the Comments section and I’ll try to add more details.
Ed Bott 
Ed: Cool tip! I use the “Favorite Folders” pane in the Mail sidebar to accomplish the same thing. All I have to do is drag any item from “All Mail Folders” up to “Favorite Folders”.
It works great for a short-term project that generates a lot of mail in a short period of time. When the project is complete, I simply delete the reference in the “Favorite Folders” pane.
I’ve got some of those Favorite folders too and agree that the feature is a good one. The thing I like about the Shortcuts pane, though, is it hides a lot of clutter. I have more than 100 folders for mail and news, and in the Mail view it’s hard to keep as focused. Plus it accepts shortcuts to folders other than mail!
Ed,
Thanks for this great tip!
How do you add a url to the shortcut’s bar like you have in the Web Sites group?
Sorry – after reading your tip again I see that you plainly state how to add an internet shortcut.
Thanks again