What Powers Your Email?

We all have very specific preferences when it comes to email. What program we use, how we like it arranged, how new email is handled, etc, etc. Typically, once we start using email a specific way, we don’t want to change it. It’s human nature to not like change. It’s why there are still people actively using aol.com email addresses. (you know who you are…)

In a world of ever changing technology, I want to know what powers your email. Are you an AOL user, or are you still giving out the Hotmail address you created in college? What about how you check your email – are you an Outlook addict or do you prefer Gmail? How about email and your mobile devices – I find that I am reading most of my email on my phone, but tend to reply when using my iPad or computer. And finally… do you love your email setup, or are you just living with it?

Here’s my email profile – I’d love to hear yours in the comments.

• Email powered by: Gmail. I do have more than 8 different email addresses (I lost count… remember, I’m lazy), but I interact with all of them via Gmail. I only use branded email addresses (e.g. @fieryfx.com) professionally, but when signing up for newsletters or creating accounts I’ll use my @gmail or @hotmail addresses.
• Checking my email: Usually via the Gmail app on my iPhone. I use the Gmail website on my computer (via Chrome for all the extras, like Streak) and the Gmail app on my iPad. I really prefer the Gmail app over the built in iOS Mail app because it handles all my different identities and the search rocks. I also use AwayFind to alert me of important emails. I find that knowing about every email that hits my Inbox is a waste of time & attention.
• Mobile devices: Yes – I’m typically not in front of my computer, so I usually see all my email on my iPhone.
• Love it? Yes – it took me a while to recover from my Outlook addiction, but once I figured out how powerful Gmail’s search capability is, there is no going back. Plus, the Gmail apps for my mobile devices make it just that much easier to handle email while away from a computer.