Compass Designs .net

Ok, so I finally broke down and made the switch to gmail. I have been using a POP client (thunderbird), but the number of emails I get a day was overwhelming (150+).

I'll add to this post over the next few days with some reflections on the move. Might be of use to people considering the same.

Day 0:

Ok, so first up is a choice, I can get google apps for domain, so my gmail would be contact[at]compassdesigns.net, or I could use my regular gmail account compassdesigns[at]gmail.com, and download email from other accounts into that account using POP3.

Google Apps:
Pros:
Possible to get $50/year upgrade that provides support and remove text ads
Cons:
Need to mess with MX records
Email only exists on google servers (no back up)

POP to regular account
Pros:
Keep a backup of email on your own server
Flexible
Cons:
Ads

Ok, so that clears that that up, its a choice between having ads or a backup. I'll take the ad version!

Setting up POP on Gmail

Now all I have to do is go into the settings > accounts, add my other email accounts and create some filters, 10 or so. Now I watch as alll my email gets sucked in. For me I left the email on the (my) server, as that will give me a back up in an emergency.

I'm gmailing now!