What your email address says about your computer skillz

[scaryjim]

My personal domain email is very private and secret, only given to trustables, otherwise my hotmail has served me really well since Dec 2001 !

This - my wife gives out our own domain email only to trusted people, has me forward it to hotmail, and uses an "everything's spam unless it's sent to 'me@mydomain.co.uk'" type spam filter. All those online deals where you have to give an email address to get a 5p voucher for washing up liquid get her hotmail address, and instantly fall into oblivion.

That said, the other thing having your own email domain can mean is that you are serious about your chosen profession, which may or may not be technical. For instance, my dad keeps lizards for a living, but has email at his own domain name because I told him there was no way he was putting an @sky.com or @aol.com email on his business cards and provided him with his own domain, email accounts and website...

[HSK]

I have emails spanning across all sorts of services and owned domains. All serving their sordid purposes. Junk & newsletters and Viagra spam catchers, to online shopping and personal email.

[Whiternoise]

Just a follow up, I'm pretty sure Microsoft has a similar policy (I had a cursory look and it seems to), but Google has this to say about privacy and Gmail:

http://mail.google.com/mail/help/privacy.html

Uses

* Google maintains and processes your Gmail account and its contents to provide the Gmail service to you and to improve our services. The Gmail service includes relevant advertising and related links based on the IP address, content of messages and other information related to your use of Gmail.
* Google's computers process the information in your messages for various purposes, including formatting and displaying the information to you, delivering advertisements and related links, preventing unsolicited bulk email (spam), backing up your messages, and other purposes relating to offering you Gmail.
* Google may send you information related to your Gmail account or other Google services.

Remember that if you browse google signed-in, they have access to your search habits too. This effectively means that there's nothing secret from them and they've got an awful lot to sculpt adverts at you. At least with a different provider you spread the risk (or you install some addons to mask your search habits ).

[Tonka777]

They forgot the @Mac.com....

[GoNz0]

They forgot the @Mac.com....

the profanity filter kicks in when it says your a ****

[Funkstar]

That said, the other thing having your own email domain can mean is that you are serious about your chosen profession, which may or may not be technical. For instance, my dad keeps lizards for a living, but has email at his own domain name because I told him there was no way he was putting an @sky.com or @aol.com email on his business cards and provided him with his own domain, email accounts and website...

It really winds me up when you see a company website on the back of a van, yet they put their email address down at @btinternet.com or @aol.com. You've paid for a domain, why not actually use it??

[jim]

It really winds me up when you see a company website on the back of a van, yet they put their email address down at @btinternet.com or @aol.com. You've paid for a domain, why not actually use it??

It's pretty cringe-worthy at the best of times

[scaryjim]

It really winds me up when you see a company website on the back of a van, yet they put their email address down at @btinternet.com or @aol.com. You've paid for a domain, why not actually use it??

It's pretty cringe-worthy at the best of times

Couldn't possibly agree more - it makes me seethe (possibly excessively so ). You won't find either of my parents doing that (they both have their own businesses that I provide domains / hosting / email for through my own business - what a family ).

[oolon]

I have 5 domains not really sure why some times but seeing as I have 2x3 letter ones, 1x4 letter and 1x5 letter, I kind of feel I should keep on paying, 4 .org and 1 .net

[Jay]

I have my domain email on a 2010 hosted exchange cluster the I setup at a datacentre for an ISP.... what does that say about me?

I am sad, thats what.

[TooNice]

Oooh never thought of that. I'm screwed then - they'll have logged years of my emails by now Seriously though, is it sad that I'm worried by this now as well?

*Shrug*. My sis (who also uses the email from her own domain) also share that concern. I am aware of the possibility, yet I am somehow not that worried.

Going back to the use of multiple webmail, there is a reason for that. It makes it easier to check different mail boxes without having to log-out from one or another (or use any plug-in that you require saving one's password). Oh and while I am at it, I am going to add that the most unusable email provider I've used must've been from the now defunct Lycos.co.uk.

I like Gmail for the full https it provides (handy when using public wireless while on the go), but I must say that after years of usage, I still prefer 'folders' to 'labels'.

[Singh400]

I have @gmail.com, @live.co.uk, @hotmail.com and @yahoo.co.uk.

And I am a self confessed geek

[Funkstar]

I use my own domain (on a hosted Exchange 2008 Server), but also have a gmail account for all the Google services and for a second email account in case anything happens to my domain (it's a royal pain in the neck when you get locked out of your domain and can't get email conformations from your host because you are locked out of your domain )

[arthurleung]

I like my very short @vista.aero email domain, great for a windows follower AND an aeronautical engineer

P.S. effectively I'm graduating today

[Funkstar]

P.S. effectively I'm graduating today

Well done Arthur

[Dredj]

I use Hotmail. I signed upto Yahoo for a reason I don't remember as I don't use it. I have gmail but I am too established on Hotmail now to drop it, also gmail gets a megaton of spam and even though it gets filtered it's still a pain in the arse to empty the folder.