GMail

I've had a GMail account for about 7 years or more. I started it up when I was returning to NZ from UK.

I didn't like Hotmail, at the time it was annoyingly restrictive and I hated the user interface.

Having a webmail account like GMail was very handy:– it meant I could use whatever ISP I wanted, without having to notify contacts of changing my email address.

Now I can access my GMail account via WebMail, or via my email client. I have it set up, as a POP account on my home computer, so it checks and downloads email several times an hour (I have broadband).

I can also check my email when out and about via WebMail.

In the past year, I have explored and expanded my GMail usage. On WebMail page, I can create "Labels" for individual email addresses or subjects. And create "filters" or rules, to have different emails going into different folders.

For example: I have a label set up for my family; a label for my work; a label for my husband's family and one for his work. Using labels, means that an emailer can belong to more than one group.

If I click on a label, it finds all the emails designated as belonging to that group.

GMail also ensures that "conversations" on the same topic, are grouped together.

I like GMail, and periodically look at how I can improve my usage of it.