For months now we have been having major (but intermittent) problems with our email.
We have periods of a few days when we suddenly stop getting any emails (whereas we normally get about 10-20 per day). And we know that people have been sending us emails but they haven't got through. Have had loads of discussions with our ISP, but no joy.
Anyway, to cut a long story short, I have now set up a gmail account, and have a few questions...
1. Does it notify you when a new email arrives or do you just have to hit refresh periodically?
2. Can you set it up so that as well as living on the gmail site, the messages can still get sent to your microsoft outlook email client? (I hope they can so that I can still access my emails from my laptop even when I'm not online). And if so - do they then get deleted off the gmail?
3. Finally, is everyone on here who uses it happy with it? Is there anything I need to be aware of?
Thanks!
Daisy
Email Issues
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Normandy Cow
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Email Issues
Last edited by Normandy Cow on Sat Sep 08, 2007 3:45 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I cannot rave enough about gmail....
Your questions:
1. The web interface does refresh itself every few minutes if you leave it open.
2. Yes, you can connect it to Outlook. Gmail guides you through that process extremely well, and its incredibly simple.
3. Did I say I was happy ? I'm about to convert my wife over to it and connect her outlook up, but getting all her contacts out of Hotmail is a nightmare (Hotmail is a nightmare - period)
Other:
Gmail is superb at filtering my spam. I use outlook on the desktop and probably receive 1 or 2 spam messages a week, but there are hundreds in my Gmail spam box 99.9% are genuine spam.
So thats my only watchout: For every 1000 spam messages in my spam box, I occasionally find 1 genuine email that shoudl not have been filtered, so one does need to review the spam box superficially occasionally.
Good luck, and holler if you have any other concerns.
Your questions:
1. The web interface does refresh itself every few minutes if you leave it open.
2. Yes, you can connect it to Outlook. Gmail guides you through that process extremely well, and its incredibly simple.
3. Did I say I was happy ? I'm about to convert my wife over to it and connect her outlook up, but getting all her contacts out of Hotmail is a nightmare (Hotmail is a nightmare - period)
Other:
Gmail is superb at filtering my spam. I use outlook on the desktop and probably receive 1 or 2 spam messages a week, but there are hundreds in my Gmail spam box 99.9% are genuine spam.
So thats my only watchout: For every 1000 spam messages in my spam box, I occasionally find 1 genuine email that shoudl not have been filtered, so one does need to review the spam box superficially occasionally.
Good luck, and holler if you have any other concerns.
I use gmail and have been advised that hotmail does not like gmail (though that could be a 'hotmail' thing generally I guess) so when I send to hotmail I use my other account which you can also set up on gmail, theres a drop down box for other email addresses that you can set up and you can choose which address to send from plus they come into you gmail account
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Alan Knighting
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- Location: Monflanquin, Lot-et-Garonne, France
At the risk of going marginally off-topic (actually, I think its a relevant diversion, and maybe Daisy could change the subject to "Email issues" if she approves)....
Alan, thanks for highlighting that. I'm always interested in new things, so, can you tell us why do you use Thunderbird ?
I don't know too much about it, but at a glance it seems to be to be an alternative to Outlook as a desktop client. Is that correct ?
Do you choose it:
a) Because its not Microsoft (less buggy, less prone to infection etc.)
b) Its better for XX reason ?
or
c) I just want to be different
If necessary, we could start a new thread, but hopefully its all interlinked.
Alan, thanks for highlighting that. I'm always interested in new things, so, can you tell us why do you use Thunderbird ?
I don't know too much about it, but at a glance it seems to be to be an alternative to Outlook as a desktop client. Is that correct ?
Do you choose it:
a) Because its not Microsoft (less buggy, less prone to infection etc.)
b) Its better for XX reason ?
or
c) I just want to be different
If necessary, we could start a new thread, but hopefully its all interlinked.
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Alan Knighting
- Posts: 4120
- Joined: Mon Oct 18, 2004 7:26 am
- Location: Monflanquin, Lot-et-Garonne, France
You can set Thunderbird to interrogate all your e-mail addresses for new messages and consolidate them all in one place so you can read them. It’s handy when you are on the move and don’t have the time to look at a number of separate "Inboxes".e-richard wrote:Alan, thanks for highlighting that. I'm always interested in new things, so, can you tell us why do you use Thunderbird?
Give it a try, if you don't like it then just bin it.
Alan
Thanks for the tip about the spam I do forget to empty mine and so it's then hard to see any not spam ones amongst the millions. Still it's good to know that so many are happy with their boyfriends,that it's apparently not too late for me to have a better sex life, that I can have as much money as I want and that the right health solution is never far away - oh and that I could have so many penfriends 
Daisy,
Yes to all your questions, in brief. I very much like Gmail and highly recommend it.
I have used the POP3 service, but I now tend to just use the webmail, because I like the tags, the way the messages are grouped in threads, and that the message search function brings up entire threads.
But when I did use POP3, I used Thunderbird. I like it a lot more than Outlook.
Yes to all your questions, in brief.
I very much like Gmail and highly recommend it.I have used the POP3 service, but I now tend to just use the webmail, because I like the tags, the way the messages are grouped in threads, and that the message search function brings up entire threads.
But when I did use POP3, I used Thunderbird. I like it a lot more than Outlook.
Brooke
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Normandy Cow
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Mountain Goat
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A few thoughts on Gmail:
Some great features, and I like having the odd 5,000 messages in my Inbox to play with and browse (Mrs MG feels ill with more than 10). The AdSense ads can be fun and useful. Good integration with other toys such as their blogs, photo galleries, documents etc (but a pain that shutting one down shuts down the others). Excellent spam filter, but it does need going through for the 0.1% genuine message.
1) Consider getting Gmail address instead of Googlemail - the latter being a bit of a mouthful on the 'phone. Needs you to sign on abroad to get Gmail I think.
2) Not keen on their tags system instead of folders - thought I would get used to it but haven't.
3) Might be worth upgrading to paid version (combined with Picasa image storage). I've heard some horror stories from users who had a free account and when it seized up due to some technical glitch couldn't get anything out of their free tech support (is there one?). Keep meaning to do this, but can't find the link.
4) Consider that some recipients' junk Gmail to spam folders automatically.
5) Not being able to concisely whitemail or blackmail incoming addresses or domains.
6) When using formatted text I find it very fiddly to revert back to normal - it locks on to any text format in the vicinity.
7) Consider running duplicate account and copying all outgoing email to it (likewise with incoming, say, via your website) in case Gmail seizes up.
MG
Some great features, and I like having the odd 5,000 messages in my Inbox to play with and browse (Mrs MG feels ill with more than 10). The AdSense ads can be fun and useful. Good integration with other toys such as their blogs, photo galleries, documents etc (but a pain that shutting one down shuts down the others). Excellent spam filter, but it does need going through for the 0.1% genuine message.
1) Consider getting Gmail address instead of Googlemail - the latter being a bit of a mouthful on the 'phone. Needs you to sign on abroad to get Gmail I think.
2) Not keen on their tags system instead of folders - thought I would get used to it but haven't.
3) Might be worth upgrading to paid version (combined with Picasa image storage). I've heard some horror stories from users who had a free account and when it seized up due to some technical glitch couldn't get anything out of their free tech support (is there one?). Keep meaning to do this, but can't find the link.
4) Consider that some recipients' junk Gmail to spam folders automatically.
5) Not being able to concisely whitemail or blackmail incoming addresses or domains.
6) When using formatted text I find it very fiddly to revert back to normal - it locks on to any text format in the vicinity.
7) Consider running duplicate account and copying all outgoing email to it (likewise with incoming, say, via your website) in case Gmail seizes up.
MG
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Mountain Goat
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That's what I thought originally, but sometimes they're not recognised, sometimes they bounce, and at other times they disappear into the ether.
Having said that, I've noticed if I logon outside the UK, the default email at top right of the screen is gmail on a googlemail account.
AdSense and other Google applications seem to steer to gmail whether in the UK or not.
MG
Having said that, I've noticed if I logon outside the UK, the default email at top right of the screen is gmail on a googlemail account.
AdSense and other Google applications seem to steer to gmail whether in the UK or not.
MG