# Is there anyone left in the world without a gmail account? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 13, 2006, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anyone-left-in-the-world-without-a-gmail-account/344324 "2006-02-13T19:49:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anyone-left-in-the-world-without-a-gmail-account/344324/1 "2006-02-13T19:49:19Z")
If so, email me at the addy in my profile, creatively use “Cecil” in the subject line, and you’ll no longer have to battle the weight of the overwhelming peer pressure. ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anyone-left-in-the-world-without-a-gmail-account/344324/2 "2006-02-13T19:52:13Z")
Just out of curiousity, why would I want one? I’m not being facetious - I am not sure why they’re supposed to be so cool. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anyone-left-in-the-world-without-a-gmail-account/344324/3 "2006-02-13T19:53:03Z")
Well, me. I’ve got all sorts of different e-mail accounts right now, some of which I don’t use. So why get another e-mail account I won’t use? ---
**Author:** ![swampbear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampbear/32/467_2.png) [@swampbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampbear)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anyone-left-in-the-world-without-a-gmail-account/344324/4 "2006-02-13T19:54:44Z")
I don’t have one. Can’t figure out why I’d want one either. I forget to check the email I have for days on end at times. ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anyone-left-in-the-world-without-a-gmail-account/344324/5 "2006-02-13T19:56:04Z")
Count me in the ‘don’t want one’ column too. And I like to drink a glass of peer pressure with my breakfast bagel, byyyatch!! 😃 (Actually, just kidding - I don’t even eat bagels, but it made the line sound cooler.) ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anyone-left-in-the-world-without-a-gmail-account/344324/6 "2006-02-13T19:58:26Z")
Yup, sorry – another “don’t have, don’t need” here. Damn, are we a tough crowd or what? ---
**Author:** ![Improv\_Geek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b3f665/32.png) [@Improv\_Geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Improv_Geek)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anyone-left-in-the-world-without-a-gmail-account/344324/7 "2006-02-13T20:00:53Z")
> [@Missy2U](#): > > Just out of curiousity, why would I want one? I’m not being facetious - I am not sure why they’re supposed to be so cool. 1. It’s web mail and for a world where you can go almost anywhere and have internet access, that makes it much easier than using the standard POP3 access which lets you download at home. 2. It’s “unlimited” storage. Right now storage is at 2694 megs, or 2.7 gigs. I’m using 8% of that after over a year and they’re increasing space at a rate such that I have yet to break 10%. And I get a fair bit of email. 3. Built in spam filtering. Though the filter is having more trouble these days, I get a butt load of spam and I only see a handful of them. (And when I say buttload, I mean over 15000 spam in a month). 4. It’s google, so they have to be good right? [/tongue in cheek] 5. I really dig their interface. It’s incredibly adept and monitoring conversations, even on mailing lists and so you group your email. 6. Cell phone access. Not especially well known, but if your cell phone has internet access, you can check your email via the phone, as well as send it. I used this in the airport to get my confirmation number on an e-ticket once. Those are my big 6 reasons, that isn’t to say it isn’t without concern. There are privacy concerns mostly with the fact that they use a computer program to give you text ads most relative to your email topics. I was talking about my shampoo with a friend in email and the text ads were for an online hair salon vendor thing. ---
**Author:** ![ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anyone-left-in-the-world-without-a-gmail-account/344324/8 "2006-02-13T20:08:35Z")
The handiest thing, for me, is using my gmail account to manage my google news alerts. But other than that, imho, it is pretty much a free webmail account with a metric assload of space, that just happens to require an invitation to get an account. There are some other bells and whistles, but they’ve all been discussed in previous threads. The latest advancement, I believe is the integration of Google Talk and gmail. I see now that I should’ve added “who would like one” to my topic. I just figured my tongue-in-cheek sarcasm would accross sufficiently… ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anyone-left-in-the-world-without-a-gmail-account/344324/9 "2006-02-13T20:11:47Z")
I don’t have one, and I can’t see why I need one. I don’t have gigabytes of anything that I would want to store on the web; I have two hard drives for that. I don’t have any devices to check my e-mail by phone. I don’t want themed advertising, _especially_ based on their **monitoring the content of my private communications** - assuming I had any that I would make from a public webmail site. I’ve had three Yahoo accounts for nearly 10 years. I’m not using more than 10% storage on the main one, and less than 1% on the other two. What do I need gmail for again? ---
**Author:** ![Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Man_With_a_Cat)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anyone-left-in-the-world-without-a-gmail-account/344324/10 "2006-02-13T20:16:31Z")
> [@ronincyberpunk](#): > > 1. It’s web mail and for a world where you can go almost anywhere and have internet access, that makes it much easier than using the standard POP3 access which lets you download at home. So is Hotmail, so is Yahoo. > [@ronincyberpunk](#): > > 1. It’s “unlimited” storage. Right now storage is at 2694 megs, or 2.7 gigs. I’m using 8% of that after over a year and they’re increasing space at a rate such that I have yet to break 10%. And I get a fair bit of email. I get tons of e-mail between this one I use strictly for SDMB, an old Hotmail that’s still my main personal mail, and my work mail. Guess how much I keep? Very little. Read, save any necessary attachments and delete. The little meter thingee on Hotmail says I’m using 8% now, and most of that is saved files from correspondence with a lawyer I don’t want saved on a HDD. > [@ronincyberpunk](#): > > 1. Built in spam filtering. Though the filter is having more trouble these days, I get a butt load of spam and I only see a handful of them. (And when I say buttload, I mean over 15000 spam in a month). Hotmail sucks in this regard, but Yahoo’s e-mail seems great for this. > [@ronincyberpunk](#): > > 1. It’s google, so they have to be good right? [/tongue in cheek] Don’t bite down on that. > [@ronincyberpunk](#): > > 1. I really dig their interface. It’s incredibly adept and monitoring conversations, even on mailing lists and so you group your email. So. A neat toy I’d never have use for? M-kay. > [@ronincyberpunk](#): > > 1. Cell phone access. Not especially well known, but if your cell phone has internet access, you can check your email via the phone, as well as send it. I used this in the airport to get my confirmation number on an e-ticket once. So does Yahoo, so does Hotmail. > [@ronincyberpunk](#): > > Those are my big 6 reasons, that isn’t to say it isn’t without concern. There are privacy concerns mostly with the fact that they use a computer program to give you text ads most relative to your email topics. I was talking about my shampoo with a friend in email and the text ads were for an online hair salon vendor thing. Reason #1 not to use G-Mail, in addition to marking me in the “got enough e-mails now” column. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anyone-left-in-the-world-without-a-gmail-account/344324/11 "2006-02-13T20:17:14Z")
I also don’t have one. I ahd a Yahoo email account for a very little while. Then something happened and I couldn’t access it. I could read the damned things but not reply. So, I went into help and they told me to send them an email from the account or some damn fool thing–well, I couldn’t do it. It was a big hassle, made me stay with AOL (I know, but I don’t see a need to change at present–it gets me where I want to go) and I gave up on more than one email account. It’s too much work. Another password, account, algorithm to remember. I’m trying to figure out why anyone would want more email! ---
**Author:** ![Jayn\_Newell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jayn\_Newell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayn_Newell)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anyone-left-in-the-world-without-a-gmail-account/344324/12 "2006-02-13T20:17:21Z")
I don’t have one, nor do I want one. I’ve been using hotmail for years, so I’m already enjoying some of the same benefits. I was at one point over 50% storage used…and then they upgraded me from 2megs to 250. I still have yet to break 3% since then. I hate having to change my e-mail address–I had to a few years ago when the service I was using went under, and it was pain enough then. I already have a second account I rarely check through school. So, frankly, I have no reason to get a Gmail account. ---
**Author:** ![Improv\_Geek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b3f665/32.png) [@Improv\_Geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Improv_Geek)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anyone-left-in-the-world-without-a-gmail-account/344324/13 "2006-02-13T20:21:28Z")
I didn’t mean to sound like I was preaching for people to go and get one. I was just answering her question as to why people might want one. In fact I no longer use it as my default email preferring instead an email on a personal server with a web client. I was just answering a question as to why people might want gmail. I still have it and check it regularly because since I did use it for so long there are many companies and lists which send it mail that I haven’t tracked down to direct to my newer email. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anyone-left-in-the-world-without-a-gmail-account/344324/14 "2006-02-13T20:23:25Z")
> [@Missy2U](#): > > Just out of curiousity, why would I want one? I’m not being facetious - I am not sure why they’re supposed to be so cool. The most obvious thing is this… _checks account_ > [@gmail inbox](#): > > You are currently using 170 MB (6%) of your 2694 MB. That’s… um… conspicuously generous compared to other free e-mail services. By, what… about 1000%? More than that, though, I like the way that it’s organized. Correspondence is presented in a threaded format, so it’s much easier to keep track of conversations. You can search through all your email, so instead of doggedly looking through every likely piece of mail, you can find what you’re looking for in seconds. You can sort things very handily by applying “labels” to them. For instance, I have labels set up for work stuff, SDMB correspondence, things relating to the rooms I let to students, and photos. (I email photos that I might want access to elsewhere to myself. One click, and I’m looking at list of all the photos, instead of hunting through a cluttered inbox.) Gmail’s spam handling is also much better than any other free service I’ve seen. Spam is directed to the account, but it’s never seen because it unfailingly goes to the “Spam” folder. I’ve never had a single “false positive,” either. It’s reliable – I’ve never encountered any downtime. Just yesterday I was saying to a friend that I have _no_ idea how this is a paying proposition for Google. Ostensibly, it’s supported by context-sensitive advertising. The ads are incredibly discreet, though – in fact I don’t recall ever noticing one. How Google can afford to offer me gigs of space and a considerable amount of bandwidth, and pay for maintainance of the servers and the development and administration of the project – in return for the possibility that some day I might notice an ad, and if I do, that there’s a chance I might click on it – is totally beyond my ken. But I sure ain’t complaining. ---
**Author:** ![Jman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jman/32/4416_2.png) [@Jman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jman)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anyone-left-in-the-world-without-a-gmail-account/344324/15 "2006-02-13T20:23:39Z")
Don’t have one, and don’t need one. Since I own my own domain, I set my own e-mail up, and I’m just limited by the amount of storage and bandwidth I’m willing to pay for. 🙂 I can modify and create new accounts if one gets clogged with spam. I have routing e-mails so that my true e-mail address isn’t linked by any sites, just directly forwarded from the external name. It’s quite nice. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anyone-left-in-the-world-without-a-gmail-account/344324/16 "2006-02-13T20:35:13Z")
I’m actually surprised by how much I _don’t_ want a Gmail account: I love Google and was so excited when I heard they were coming out with a webmail client, but a couple of years ago I signed up for Yahoo Mail’s “Plus” service (for just $20/year) and it beats the free Google stuff by a mile. I’m sure Google isn’t done developing Gmail yet, but there’s a handful of things I can do with Yahoo Plus that Gmail doesn’t offer. Storage is comparable (I get 2GB and have never used more than 3% of it), spam filtering kicks ass, etc. The main benefit Gmail seems to have is its search ability, but I don’t believe I have ever searched my webmail in the 9 years I’ve had an account (though Yahoo does offer it). The main thing I’m waiting for Google to offer is full access to other POP accounts: I use Yahoo to receive _and send_ mail from/to my Comcast and university accounts – it’s extremely handy. Then again, I’ve seen the beta of Yahoo’s new GUI and I don’t like it … maybe when everyone has been converted over to the new interface I’ll give Gmail a second look. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anyone-left-in-the-world-without-a-gmail-account/344324/17 "2006-02-13T21:16:59Z")
Okay, I’ll answer a little closer to the OP. I have one but my ex- and kids do not. Would you consider sending an invitation to them for me? ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anyone-left-in-the-world-without-a-gmail-account/344324/18 "2006-02-13T21:24:24Z")
I had one, but abandoned it. The interface was, for me, less user-friendly than Yahoo! Mail. I’ve not found a need for the level of storage (if it’s that important, I’ll save it to my computer) or for the search abilities, however good they may be. I don’t have a problem with Gmail; I just don’t find it offers me any functionality that I don’t already have through my other mail accounts. ---
**Author:** ![Epimetheus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c4cdca/32.png) [@Epimetheus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Epimetheus)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anyone-left-in-the-world-without-a-gmail-account/344324/19 "2006-02-13T22:02:27Z")
I have one, and have 100 invites if anybody wants to send me an email. [dgilfoy@gmail.com](mailto:dgilfoy@gmail.com) Personally it isn’t a huge deal anymore, I believe yahoo has 2 gig storage now, and I have no intention of ever using the whole amount. Mostly I got it because I really like google, as a company and as a search engine. It has a nice format, the plain white, easy to load google look. Some other features I like are: (not preaching, just stating for those interested in reading) 1. Conversations are grouped- If you reply to email and your contact does as well, it puts all the emails under one, and is tabbed so you can move about and read each one for reference. 2. You can star certain emails, keeping the important ones standing out from the less important. You can also label emails and create subgroups. Business, personal, password information/confirmation, Friends. The one thing I don’t like is you cannot create folders and place individual emails in them. You can sort by labels which filter out all the ones that aren’t in the group, but it doesn’t feel the same (I like the folder layout, similar to bookmarks) 3. Great spam filters. I have not had one get through in some time. I used SBC yahoo email before gmail and I got loads of spam and most got filtered, but some did get through as well. I think this is less of a point because I am sure spam filters are pretty good now in most email clients. 4. Search emails. This for me is the best selling point for myself. If I can’t remember who wrote me about a certain topic, I can do a google search through my email and find out which person said it and which email it was in. Much better than an Ctr-F search. 5. 2 gigs. This is way too much IMO, but then again I have a tendencey to trash emails when they become irrelevent. This HAS bit me in the ass a few times truth be told, but I am an anti-packrat, and get the impuse to throw things away from time to time. I can see those that like to keep all emails they ever get, and here you would never run out, combine the size with the ability to do a detailed search through the emails, stars and labels… and you have yourself a nice little database of emails you have access to for years to come. 6. It’s google. Did I mention I like google? Call me a corporate sell out, but I really like the companies style, its visions, and how it operates things, and what it suggests is in store for the future. I have a foothold in a company that actively works towards bettering its services, and that is more than I can say for yahoo or hotmail, of whom just jump on the bandwagon. Google is a leader, the rest are just followers. IMO of course. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anyone-left-in-the-world-without-a-gmail-account/344324/20 "2006-02-13T23:08:08Z")
> [@saoirse](#): > > Okay, I’ll answer a little closer to the OP. > > I have one but my ex- and kids do not. Would you consider sending an invitation to them for me? I sent two invites to the address in your profile. Enjoy 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anyone-left-in-the-world-without-a-gmail-account/344324.md?page=2)