Does anyone want a GMAIL account?
Thread Starter
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 28,318
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From: This is not my house!
What do I think? Here's what I wrote for my "Tips" page.
I've been using Gmail as a Beta user for just over a month now and thought you might like to know my thoughts. As a reader you're a friend, family member, a reader of my "Tips" page or maybe a Google employee. Whoever you are I hope you benefit by my comments.
On the whole I've found the Gmail free email service from Google to be a great web based app and easy to use. The so-called privacy issue is hogwash and completely misinterpreted by the public in general and besides... the service is 'free'. You don't have to use it.
Privacy:
Let me start with the privacy issue first and then get to the functionality. The privacy issue is simply that Google acknowledges that your email will be scanned by software to look for keywords which will generate content relative ads on the right margin of the email. WHo cares? No one is making you subscribe and it's not filtering you other (non Gmail) mail.
Besides... Yahoo and others do it too, only they do it to protect you from spam (which Gmail does too). The point is they all do it. Again remember, this is a free service. Google needs a way to pay for it.
The biggest issue here is that Google stands to suffer a black eye (if they haven't already) depending on how this is handled in the press. Too bad.
Conversations:
When I first heard about how Gmail handled email threads as a 'conversation' I yawned. I don't have any problem with following threads in my regular email and even if I did I can turn on "Discussion Threads" (in Lotus Notes). I've changed my mind.
Don't get me wrong this isn't a new paradigm or a revolutionary new method... it's just good.
Messages sort of fold in to one line item. One line might say, "me, Marc, Janine (7)" meaning Janine, Marc and I have sent 7 messages back and forth. To see them as line items I just click the conversation and it unfolds into line items with a brief comment on the content and the entire last message in view.
My 78 messages are collapsed into 24 rows. Very tidy.
A smart implementation.
Two minute Refresh:
One of my favourite of the simple ideas incorporated. Why doesn't everyone do this?
In short, if the browser is open with Gmail running it checks for new mail every two minutes or so. No hitting, "Reload" or F5 when you want to see if you have mail.
Simple interface:
Google has stayed true to it's love for simple UI. Anyone familiar with Google's search tool (i.e. anyone who doesn't live under a rock) is familiar with this.
I see this as a pro and as a con. I love the simplicity but find some things are not as obviously placed as they could be.
Google developers may laugh but I don't find the "Compose" button obvious at all. Okay it's right there in the upper left corner but the simplicity of the text has hidden it from my two or three times. A (simple) button might be more obvious.
Reply is beautiful though... you just click on the message. Brilliant! I mean what else might I want to do with a message I've displayed. When I click on it it opens a Reply session. What if I want to Forward. Simple too. Same as Reply but there is a Forward option.
The Delete function might be easier to locate too. Granted this is deliberate. The folks at Google are prodding you into "Archiving" your stuff. That's why they give you so much storage (more below on this). But hey! I want to delete some stuff.
That brings us to "Archiving".
Archiving:
I'm okay with this feature but not bowled over... not yet. The idea is that instead of sorting by Name or Date etc. you can do searches on keywords just like a regular Google search.
It seems to make sense but I don't have a serious need for this after only one month. I'll reassess this in 6 months or so.
Storage:
A whopping 1GB! That is a LOT of email. This goes with the philosophy of the Archiving. You Archive not delete. As a result you need a lot of space.
Here's what I think though... I'm loath to say but I think this will be of most value for spam-bait accounts. In other words I set up an account to use when I order flowers or something and let the spam pour in to the account. That way I don't have to go and delete spam for a half hour a month in order that the account won't fill up.
I hate that because I appreciate the effort that went into this service and see that Google might be paying for a lot of storage that is just spam.
Other features:
Gmail offers several other features like reasonably powerful Filters so that you can send mail from certain people to special files etc, great keyboard shortcuts if like me you hate using the mouse, and Labelling which allows you to put special labels on your email for "ToDos" or "Reread" etc.
What about the Ads? Unobtrusive, pretty relevant and good to click on once in a while to help Google pay for the service.
All things considered I like Gmail and would recommend it. The things I'd like to see.. Make Compose and Delete funcitons buttons, create a simple desktop app for reading or composing off line.
Other than that... thumbsup.
I'll PM my e-mail, though I think you probably have it...