Gmail, and why you should use it.

I started using Gmail in 2010 when I first started college. Before then, I had no reason for email. When I came to college, I had to use Auburn's email, which is hosted by Microsoft's Hotmail. Hotmail is pretty bad, so I needed to find out a way to use a better email client. I chose Gmail after doing a little research into different webmail platfroms, and I'll tell you why.

First, Gmail let me import my Auburn email account directly into Gmail. This was a simple process. You can link multiple other email accounts to your Gmail account. It syncs up directly to my phone and tablet, both of which are centered around my Gmail login.

The process I check emails is different than many people, but it is efficient and quick. If I'm on my phone and don't have time to read the email, I'll star the email. If I don't want to read the email right then, I'll star it. Then I check my starred inbox regularly. This means I never miss an email. Below is my starred inbox, which are just two emails I'll have to get to later.

Gmail has tons of themes. I use a dark theme when available on all websites, so a grey/black theme is perfect for me. There are also many Google Labs addons you can choose. I was going to type out all the Google Lab features that I use, but then I noticed there are about 15 that I use. So Gmail has lots of customization!  If you use Google+ Hangouts or Google Talk, these integrate right onto the sidebar of Gmail. If you use an Android phone, which you should, all of your Android contacts sync right into Gmail's Contact list.

You can also setup desktop notifications for Gmail through Chrome. I have it set up on all of my computers, so that when I get an email, Chrome alerts me that I have an email. You can set up different folders for different email addresses, and send email from them as well. For example, on my Auburn email, I receive email in Gmail as rjs0015@auburn.edu, and can also send them back as rjs0015@auburn.edu. I could also choose to send them back as robertjskelton@gmail.com if I wanted to.

Gmail has a great spam filter, some would even say it is too fair. Google has even marked messages from Google as spam. For instance, I recently signed up for a searching class through Google, and the email they sent me as confirmation was sent to my spam folder.

Also, storage. Gmail gives every user tons of storage. Every Gmail user has 10 GB of free space for email, and considering that most emails are all text, that will take a while to fill up.

I hope I've convinced you to use Gmail, and will continue teaching how to sync your life around a Google account in my next few posts. My next one will be about Google Drive, and why switching from Dropbox, SkyDrive, or Box.com can be worth your while.