Mute works like the mute button on a phone. According to Google:
"If you're subscribed to a mailing list, you've no doubt been subjected to the 'thread that just won't die!' If you're part of a long message conversation that isn't relevant, you can 'mute' the conversation to keep all future additions out of your inbox."You can search muted message (is:muted)and message sent directly to you, rather than the list, are not muted.
The New Message Notification feature lets you know as you compose a reply if you receive a message in the same thread. This cuts down on the duplicate responses that bog down newslists.
