What is the Best Email Company?

“Tidbits of Rockford” Internet Helper Article #5

I was around in the early 90’s when there were only two different ways to access the internet that were mainstream:  America Online and Compuserve.  Most people who signed up with America Online also then had AOL emails.  Till this day, I still check the email address for which I signed up in the 90’s.  However, just because I still check it does not mean that I personally think that it is the best email program at this time.

I see a wide variety of different emails being used.  The most popular ones are:  AOL, Yahoo, Gmail, Hotmail, and Live.  However, I am sure that you have asked yourself in more than one instance, “Should I change to a different address?”  After weighing the options, you may stick with the old email address because of the hassle of losing or transferring your contacts.

However, when is it indeed time to change?  I mentioned earlier that I still use AOL, but only for personal use.  For my business, I use Gmail.  The reasons are very simple.  With Gmail, I never have to erase a single email.  I simply check the email, respond appropriately, and let the email sit in my Gmail account as reference.  As a business owner, I know how crucial it is to have a paper trail, and with Gmail I always have a trail!

It is also very easy to conduct a search if I need to find an older email.  I use this feature at least 3 to 5 times per day.  Additionally, every time that I view an email in AOL, an advertisement changes on the page.  That means that in order to read my email or navigate each screen, I must wait for a new animated banner to load.  Sometimes this even jams their system!  When using Gmail, I am exposed to Google’s pay per click ads, but those are simply text and load extremely quickly.  I am never bombarded with ugly advertisements.

In an earlier “Internet Helper” column, I discussed Google Documents.  Google Documents is another advantage of having a free Google account.  If you sign up for a free Gmail, then you can use Google Documents for organization, to build a webpage, to load tracking analytics onto your website, to setup a Google Calendar to remind you of your obligations, and even to link it to your Youtube account.  It is essentially an all encompassing tool for individuals and businesses.  We will continue our discussion of email addresses in the next “Internet Helper.”