# Gmail now 2 gig, who wants an invite? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 5, 2005, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gmail-now-2-gig-who-wants-an-invite/297837 "2005-04-05T14:12:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2005, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gmail-now-2-gig-who-wants-an-invite/297837/21 "2005-04-05T22:31:00Z")
50 invites…slackers. 😉 I’ve got no less than 150 invites to give away. yep. lsura73 at gmail dot com will get you, and only you, one of my fine invitations. They’re going fast, don’t delay! ---
**Author:** ![Lucretia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/13edae/32.png) [@Lucretia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucretia)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2005, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gmail-now-2-gig-who-wants-an-invite/297837/22 "2005-04-05T22:49:41Z")
I’ve got 50, too. [ileen.verble@gmail.com](mailto:ileen.verble@gmail.com) ---
**Author:** ![Sample\_the\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8797f3/32.png) [@Sample\_the\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sample_the_Dog)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2005, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gmail-now-2-gig-who-wants-an-invite/297837/23 "2005-04-05T23:20:22Z")
So, does Gmail scan your mail, and incoming mail, for keywords, as planned? Do they retain your mail on their server after you delete it? If so, no thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Sample\_the\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8797f3/32.png) [@Sample\_the\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sample_the_Dog)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2005, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gmail-now-2-gig-who-wants-an-invite/297837/24 "2005-04-05T23:22:56Z")
> [@TheLoadedDog](#): > > The really cool thing is [Gmail Drive](http://www.viksoe.dk/code/gmail.htm), which turns your Gmail account into a virtual drive on your computer. When you store a file there, it sends that file as an email with an attachment. If you want to retrieve it, it just looks like a normal file (no email), and you simply click on the icon like you would for something stored locally. This is a good thing? ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gmail-now-2-gig-who-wants-an-invite/297837/25 "2005-04-06T01:47:12Z")
> [@Sample\_the\_Dog](#): > > So, does Gmail scan your mail, and incoming mail, for keywords, as planned? Do they retain your mail on their server after you delete it? > > If so, no thanks. They use software to scan the mail and put targeted ads on the side of the screen based on the scan. I find this less obtrusive than the banner ads on, say, Yahoo, and I don’t see how it’s more of a privacy concern than other software filters, such as the spam filtering software on all email sites. I don’t care if a bot reads my mail for spam filtering, why should I care if a bot reads it for ads? Regarding retaining email: [http://gmail.google.com/gmail/help/more.html#data](http://gmail.google.com/gmail/help/more.html#data) > [@](#): > > Data retention > > Some news stories have suggested that Google intends to keep copies of users’ email messages even after they’ve deleted them, or closed their accounts. This is simply not true. Google keeps multiple backup copies of users’ emails so that we can recover messages and restore accounts in case of errors or system failure. Even if a message has been deleted or an account is no longer active, messages may remain on our backup systems for some period of time. This is standard practice in the email industry, which Gmail and other major webmail services follow in order to provide a reliable service for users. We will make reasonable efforts to remove deleted information from our systems as quickly as is practical. ---
**Author:** ![Nic2004](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/4491bb/32.png) [@Nic2004](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nic2004)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gmail-now-2-gig-who-wants-an-invite/297837/26 "2005-04-06T01:47:13Z")
> [@Sample\_the\_Dog](#): > > This is a good thing? Is there more to the down-side of this thing I should know about before applying? Can you enlighten me (at least on this topic… I don’t want to ask too much) please? ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gmail-now-2-gig-who-wants-an-invite/297837/27 "2005-04-06T01:49:02Z")
> [@Sample\_the\_Dog](#): > > This is a good thing? Having 2+Gig of space to store files that can be accessed anywhere with an internet connection is indeed a very good and useful thing. ---
**Author:** ![Sample\_the\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8797f3/32.png) [@Sample\_the\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sample_the_Dog)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gmail-now-2-gig-who-wants-an-invite/297837/28 "2005-04-06T02:01:27Z")
Well, I admit I’m super-paranoid. I even regret that accessing SDMB anonymously screws with the controls (I assume b/c being unable to determine a user’s browser and OS messes up the if/then’s in the code – I get different interface options when accessing via Mac and PC) so I have to access directly via commercial ISP with everything visible for convenience sake. Y’all carry on. Don’t mind me. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gmail-now-2-gig-who-wants-an-invite/297837/29 "2005-04-06T02:07:42Z")
Well, paranoia is a good thing. It’s easy to forget that any web-based email is inherently not private. I’d bet that workers at all these companies browse people’s email when they get bored. I know I probably would. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gmail-now-2-gig-who-wants-an-invite/297837/30 "2005-04-06T02:22:28Z")
I see over 650 invites available in this thread, and only one person asking for one. I think Google might have AOL beat in the “please please _oh please_ try our service” department. ---
**Author:** ![drewbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drewbert/32/15890_2.png) [@drewbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewbert)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gmail-now-2-gig-who-wants-an-invite/297837/31 "2005-04-06T02:52:52Z")
I got 50 more here, but why bother? 🙂 Overall, I like gmail, especially for archiving and searching the several discussion lists I’m on. Two problems I have though: 1. When you forward or redirect mail to gmail, it lists the date and time it received the forward, not its original date. In other words, if today, for archival purposes, I decided to redirect my three year collection of straightdope-digest emails to gmail, I’d find that they’d all end up displaying today’s date in the inbox. Even so, I can open individual emails, and see the real original sent date. The data’s still there, gmail just doesn’t report it correcty. From what I hear, searching by date also goes by the forward date instead of the original date. Did that all make sense? 2. I know their plan is for you to keep all your email there, permanently, and never need to delete anything. Still, I’d like a way to transfer emails back to my hard drive should I want. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gmail-now-2-gig-who-wants-an-invite/297837/32 "2005-04-06T03:05:30Z")
> [@drewbert](#): > > 1. I know their plan is for you to keep all your email there, permanently, and never need to delete anything. Still, I’d like a way to transfer emails back to my hard drive should I want. I bet you can download them via POP. Settings-\>Forwarding and Pop-\>“Enable POP for all mail (even mail that’s already been downloaded)” then aim your email client at it. ---
**Author:** ![drewbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drewbert/32/15890_2.png) [@drewbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewbert)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gmail-now-2-gig-who-wants-an-invite/297837/33 "2005-04-06T03:22:38Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > I bet you can download them via POP. > Settings-\>Forwarding and Pop-\>“Enable POP for all mail (even mail that’s already been downloaded)” > then aim your email client at it. Ah, you are right! :smack: ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gmail-now-2-gig-who-wants-an-invite/297837/34 "2005-04-06T07:10:19Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > Well, paranoia is a good thing. It’s easy to forget that any web-based email is inherently not private. I’d bet that workers at all these companies browse people’s email when they get bored. I know I probably would. Paranoia is a good thing to a point. You can put your name, address, and bank account number on every site you go to, download spyware galore, and shut down your firewall, or you can pull your internet connection completely and use your computer as a 1989-style stand-alone for playing solitaire and minesweeper. Or, like most of us you can find a happy medium. I think this is the case with Gmail (and Gmail Drive). The usual common sense online security rules apply. I’m not storing extremely sensitive information there, but I’m not going to be scared off using what is a very useful functionality based on some “what if” concerns. As it happens, I intend on using it for a second backup (first is CD) of sentimental stuff like photos, old ICQ chat transcripts, saved e-cards, and some other stuff. Any Google employee reading this stuff for entertainment value will odds-on be bored out of his skull before he gets very far. ---
**Author:** ![Othersider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/cab0a1/32.png) [@Othersider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Othersider)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gmail-now-2-gig-who-wants-an-invite/297837/35 "2005-04-06T09:08:09Z")
I also have a zillion invites to give away. I remember reading that when they first came around, some people sold theirs on eBay for more than a hundred bucks. Now, you can’t give all of your invites away, they’ll keep giving you more even if you don’t give _any_ of them away. ---
**Author:** ![Nic2004](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/4491bb/32.png) [@Nic2004](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nic2004)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gmail-now-2-gig-who-wants-an-invite/297837/36 "2005-04-06T14:30:23Z")
I am now on Gmail. Many thanks to **Revtim** A question. I am wanting to use the storage as backup as some others have stated. My problem so far (and I’ve only gotten started) is that when I try to gmail myself a Folder to act as a backup, it only allows Files to be attached, not Folders. The Folder in question has 3500 Files in hunderds of Folders. If I have to open and attach each File in every Folder it will take forever. Is there a method for backup of Folders? **Revtim** mentioned a Shell, or a virtual drive drag-n-drop. Any recommendations? Again, many thanks to **Revtim** for putting up with me. ---
**Author:** ![Marathon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7cd45c/32.png) [@Marathon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marathon)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gmail-now-2-gig-who-wants-an-invite/297837/37 "2005-04-06T15:23:56Z")
> [@Nicodemus2004](#): > > My problem so far (and I’ve only gotten started) is that when I try to gmail myself a Folder to act as a backup, it only allows Files to be attached, not Folders. The Folder in question has 3500 Files in hunderds of Folders. If I have to open and attach each File in every Folder it will take forever. > Is there a method for backup of Folders? **Revtim** mentioned a Shell, or a virtual drive drag-n-drop. Any recommendations? > Again, many thanks to **Revtim** for putting up with me. Is it possible to put everything in a zip file, using WinZip or something? Then you could just gmail yourself the .zip file and everything would be there - if you ever needed it as a backup, just detach it and unzip it. ---
**Author:** ![jhinman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/779978/32.png) [@jhinman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jhinman)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gmail-now-2-gig-who-wants-an-invite/297837/38 "2005-04-06T16:51:25Z")
jared (dot) hinman (at) [gmail.com](http://gmail.com). I have another 50 to give away. ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gmail-now-2-gig-who-wants-an-invite/297837/39 "2005-04-06T17:33:07Z")
> [@Patty O'Furniture](#): > > I see over 650 invites available in this thread, and only one person asking for one. I think Google might have AOL beat in the “please please _oh please_ try our service” department. Of course, I think there’s a big difference between spamming radio, TV, snailmail, and the net with ads and millions of disks; and simpy telling your users that they can invite friends and associates to use the free service as well. Google is simply the besterest.[/fanboy] ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gmail-now-2-gig-who-wants-an-invite/297837/40 "2005-04-06T17:39:23Z")
> [@TheLoadedDog](#): > > Paranoia is a good thing to a point. You can put your name, address, and bank account number on every site you go to, download spyware galore, and shut down your firewall, or you can pull your internet connection completely and use your computer as a 1989-style stand-alone for playing solitaire and minesweeper. Or, like most of us you can find a happy medium. I think this is the case with Gmail (and Gmail Drive). The usual common sense online security rules apply. I’m not storing extremely sensitive information there, but I’m not going to be scared off using what is a very useful functionality based on some “what if” concerns. > > As it happens, I intend on using it for a second backup (first is CD) of sentimental stuff like photos, old ICQ chat transcripts, saved e-cards, and some other stuff. Any Google employee reading this stuff for entertainment value will odds-on be bored out of his skull before he gets very far. I use my second Gmail account as a place to store files for my graduation portfolio. This way, everything is in one place, and it’ll keep forever. The only downside is that I have a big honkin’ 20+ minute piece that I can’t send unless I zip it. I may do that this afternoon. Robin [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gmail-now-2-gig-who-wants-an-invite/297837.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gmail-now-2-gig-who-wants-an-invite/297837.md?page=3)