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Pimp Your Email

By Ian ⋅ December 10, 2007 ⋅  Email this post ⋅  Print this post ⋅ Subscribe By Email ⋅ Post a comment

We all want the same things when looking for a good email provider: convenience, efficiency, low cost (or free), disk space, functionality, mobility, control, security, and a memorable address. Did I miss anything? Most of us will settle for getting five or six of these, but why not get them all? Here’s how…

Mobility, functionality, free, efficiency, and a ridiculous amount of disk space are all covered with Google’s Gmail. Is there any argument? It’s by far the best free (or paid) email client I’ve used, and probably will be for a while.

HOWEVER, there are a few major drawbacks…

• Can you get the address you want? Many names and words are already taken.
• Do you want to advertise Google’s services every time you send an email, or your own business?
• I know, very unlikely, but what if Google doing something to Gmail?

Security Tip: Gmail defaults to a non-secure login, but also provides a secure login. To access it, is type https://gmail.google.com instead of your standard way of getting there.

• With Gmail everyone who sees your address will know not only your username, but also know they can try guessing your password at Gmail login page.
• What if someone else comes along with a better solution than Gmail? Do you really want to be starting up a new email and forwarding over all of your old mail?

There are solutions to these problems. With the help of Gmail itself, the solution is easy! Gmail let’s you use their interface to handle a mail account from your own domain name. In other words, you can use the interface Gmail uses, and have the same user experience, but instead of being forced to have a gmail.com email address, you can use any email address you own (that allows you to connect through a POP or IMAP connection.)

Pros

• Choose your own email address (you must buy and use a domain name that’s available)
• Own your email address by owning your domain name. You have total control over your new address
• All the advantages of Gmail
• Addresses all of the concerns mentioned in the beginning of this post

Cons

• You must take the time you find a good domain name and use the setup process described below
• It’s not free. BUT all you have to do is pay for a domain name (<$10 per year) and have the email hosted somewhere. 1and1.com has a decent email hosting plan for $0.99 per month.

After going through the setup process below, you will be able to use your own email address, online from anywhere in the world, with all the features of Gmail with ownership, and the ability to move or change your email client if and when you want, all transparent to your email recipients.

Setting Your Domain Up With Gmail

1. In your Settings, go to the Accounts tab…

2. Click on the “Add another email account” link, and a popup window will appear.

3. Type in the email address you want to add and proceed to the next window.

4. Fill out this box with information about your mail server settings. These are the same as if you were setting up Outlook or any other standard POP mail client. I like to check the label incoming messages. This lets Gmail flag all of your messages coming in under this account name so they are easy to see, file, and find.

Efficiency Tip: Learn the Gmail keyboard shortcuts. The keyboard is much faster than a mouse.

Gmail will sent a confirmation email to the email address you use, and that’s it. Now, when you login to your Gmail account, you can use your regular gmail.com address and the email you added.