So I have a Gmail (Google Mail) beta account.
Now what?
Actually, I’ve had it since right before the Comic-Con (thanks again, Fred), but only now went back to it. Problem, is, I’m not sure what I want to do with it.
I like having my own domain mail. I have no desire to get rid of that. Heck, I have no desire, when not at the office, to use a browser-based client rather than a local client program. There are times when I want to look at my mail when I’m offline, and with Gmail that isn’t possible.
On the other hand, the Gmail interface is a lot nicer than, say, Mail2web.
What would be keen would be a way in Gmail to pull all my messages in and use it as the reader of my POP account, but also use my PC-based client, too, as the “true” copy. There doesn’t seem to be a way to do that, though.
Harumph.
Just not sure what I’m going to do with the thing.
That would explain why you didn’t reply to my offer of one.
I use my gmail account for e-mail lists. This produces a searchable archive of things.
Actually, I don’t think I got your message about it (I was surprised when Doyce mentioned it). And it seems like there’s a new wave of invites floating around — folks on several sites I regularly go to have been offering them up. Heck, I suppose I could offer some up, too, if the demand seems high.
I’m a lazy cuss. Most of the lists I belong to I want to be able to access through a single interface — my mailer. I never delete the stuff, and, yes, Thunderbird does indeed have a search facility.
Gmail strikes me as a very nice web mail system. I just don’t seem to have a huge need for one. Unless I can think of a need.
I actually like it better than Thunderbird in some ways, and that’s near blasphemy for me, but I’ll explain why down at the end.
As for this:
What would be keen would be a way in Gmail to pull all my messages in and use it as the reader of my POP account, but also use my PC-based client, too, as the “true” copy. There doesn’t seem to be a way to do that, though.
That’s easy-peasy:
1. Go into cpanel for your domain management.
2. Create a mail-forward from dave@hill-kleerup.org to whatever@gmail.com.
3. DO NOT delete your normal email box on the domain server.
HostingMatters’ kick ass program processing will, in fact, both Forward the email to the alternate address AND put it in your POP3 box — one configuration setting does not preempt the other, which is just cool. (Granted, if you delete it from Gmail, it will still be in your Tbird inbox when you get home, but them’s the breaks.)
(It suddently occurs to me that I have no understanding as to why you can’t run Thunderbird from your laptop when you’re at work if you can run it while you’re at home… but that’s a whole other topic.)
WHY I LIKE GMAIL A WHOLE BUNCH:
Simply put, I don’t have a laptop, and essentially have (until now!) had two ‘sent’ boxes from my home email — the one in my ‘work’ installation at work and the one in my ‘home’ installation — if what I’m looking for is an email I *sent* instead of one that I received, and I happen to be looking for it on the weekend when I actually sent it from work… well, I’m screwed (unless I remembered to CC myself, which creates all kinds of clutter in my inbox until I get home and put the file into a folder somewhere).
With Gmail, it’s the same sent box no matter where I go: now that I figured out why my cpanel was screwed up (rather, Seki did) and set up a few forwards here and there, I can even keep using my normal ‘domain’ email address with Gmail as the back-end, completely transparently. The feeling of Decomplicating that washed over me the first time that I realized an email I’d sent from home would be available to me at work WITHOUT HAVING TO TAKE ANOTHER STEP was quite wonderful.
I’d originally thought of using it to hold just my mailing lists as Rich suggests (partly out of curiosity about what kind of context sensitive text-ads would pop up from some of them :), but it quickly charmed with things like the conversation grouping. (And yes, when I first heard about the conversation grouping, I thought “Everyone does that, and I’ve never liked it.” Well, they don’t do it like GMail, and I love the way Gmail does it.
I want Forge Forums to work this well. I want a Gmail-based RSS aggregator. I’d damn near pay for this thing, and I vowed long ago not to pay for email programs.
And frankly, Google’s mail-search tool kicks everyone else’s tools too the moon and back. I mean, it’s Google; do the math. 🙂
As for accessing email when I’m not online… well, again, I don’t have a laptop, so that really never comes up.
Anyway, my two cents.
Hmm. I’ve got one too now, and I’m not sure what I’m going to be using it for. I’ve got domain name addresses and about half a dozen others too. *sigh*
Of course most of them get a zillion spams a day.
Google Groups2 (groups-beta.google.com) have Atom-based feeds on them. You can set up an e-mail-based discusssion groups on them. I subscribe to these groups using gmail to get the cool discussion threads.
(It suddently occurs to me that I have no understanding as to why you can’t run Thunderbird from your laptop when you’re at work if you can run it while you’re at home… but that’s a whole other topic.)
Because my corporate masters have blocked the ports for POP and SMTP. If I knew of a way to do mail with different ports, I would.
Simply put, I don’t have a laptop ….
Ah. Say no more. If I didn’t, I’d want it, too. And your advice is well-taken, and I may very well do that. More as I try it …
I love my gmail, but also wish I could check my domain mail thru it. I emailed them. Now, I’ll just wait and see….
GMail now allows pop access and can forward your GMail to any other account you specify.
I like the technology; the idea of using a search engine rather than folders is pretty cool. However, I want to have my mail on my laptop so I can look at it even when I’m not online. I’m also a bit worried about security issues (e.g. online purchasing receipts would go into GMail, and I’m not sure what kind of security risk that poses).
While I can see the benefit of having an email address that doesn’t change when you change internet providers, it’s not clear to me that GMail will always be there, or that it will always be free. .mac email addresses started out free but now cost money.
I’m also waiting to see how the next iteration of Apple’s mail.app integrates with the indexing search tool that is reported to be include in the next version of Mac OSX.
I’m open to the possibility of switching to GMail, but I haven’t seen a compelling reason yet.