Quick tip: Email accounts from your ISP

Okay, so you've got yourself a lovely connection to the internet. Good for you, welcome etc. etc.

Your new ISP has been a dear and given you email too! You are the lucky one aren't you. Now obviously this email address should be given to all your friends because this email will be with you for all your life and they will always be able to get you on this email address... right?

Well no. This is something someone that I know has just been bitten with (as are many people). You've signed up for lovely-ISP.com and got your lovely-email and given this to your friends, family and anyone else you feel should be able to email you. All is well in lovely-land... and then you decide to move.

Now you are faced with the task of making sure everyone you would wish to have the ability to contact you aware of this change. In my opinion this is worse than a phone number because: -

1. People tend to pay attention to a phone number change... not an email one.
2. If anyone has emailed your old address it's not like a phone where they'll know straight away so you'll miss email.
3. You don't tend to use your phone number for online shopping usernames or contact with companies, that's the job of your email address.

So what should you do? Two options: -

1. Get a free online account that is not bound in any way to your current ISP. In my personal opinion, Google's Gmail is the only choice for this.
2. Buy your own domain and get email set up to use this.

I'd say most personal users should go for option 1. Business users should always go for number 2 (and you would not believe the amount that don't).

So what do you use the ISP based account for? Well, I'd use it for emailing folks you dont really care about getting in touch with again becasue you are never going to have the need to.

Now go email and be happy!