Gmail: Your Stories

2008-03-03T10:41:00.000-08:00

Using Gmail filters I have found tons of great ways to make my life easier by emailing myself. I have set up filters so I have lists of items that don't jam up my inbox. Several of the many that I use are for movies I want to see, songs I want to download or buy, and owners manuals for items I buy. So instead of hearing about a great movie, or seeing a killer preview, only to be totally without any ideas next time at the video store or on-demand listing, anytime there's a great movie that pops up, I quickly send an email to myself with 'Movie' in the subject line and the movie's name in body of message. I set the filter to skip the inbox, now I have a list of many movies that I need to get to. Same thing with a great song I hear on satellite radio in the car or someone else's iPod. I quickly send an email from my Palm, with 'Song' in the subject. I totally love the large capacity of messages too. Whenever I buy a new gadget, item, tool, appliance, etc- I immediately go to the manufacturer's website and download the owners manual- typically pdf. I instantly email to myself with 'Manual' as the subject. Now I have one place to quickly turn when I need instructions or FAQ without having to remember where I put the manual.

Parker Harrington, Real Estate
Westwood, MA

2008-03-03T10:39:00.000-08:00

I am 88 years old and easily fuddled. But Gmail has made email so simple for me, that I have been problem free since I found it.

Joan Seymour, Retiree
Canada

2008-03-03T10:37:00.000-08:00

Gmail is like a platform where I can feel as if I'm sitting next to the people I'm talking to. I share all the emotions over chat, I organize pillow fights with people over chat, and I have intellectual debates with people over chat. Gmail helps me to be updated with everything and everyone which matters to me in my life.

Anushri Chordia, National Law University student
India

2008-02-25T10:19:00.000-08:00

I was originally born in Alexandria, TR, Romania. I lived there for 19 years before I had the chance to come to the United States of America. I have left my family and my friends behind, but Gmail has helped me keep in touch with all of them.

Adrian G. Mowrey, Computer Programming Student
Haddock, GA, U.S.A.

2008-02-25T10:14:00.000-08:00

Gmail has been awesome for my important citizen email lists. I have been been able to securely send out email updates to many citizens at once. There was a chemical manufacturing company that wanted to locate in the middle of our city, which was a risk for great disaster. Through Gmail, we are successfully fighting this company with citizen alerts.

Kathy Hammad, Community Activist
Sumner

2008-02-25T10:12:00.000-08:00

Believe it or not, I never get any spam using Gmail. There was a time in my life when I had to search for real emails from all the spam, but when I switched to Gmail it solved everything. Gmail is the best ever email system I have ever used.

Abdul Basit, Engineer
Finland

2008-02-25T10:08:00.000-08:00

I use Gmail to get in touch with my friends in other countries and to post articles to my blog. With fast, wonderful service, and connected with my other Google services, there's no word expression to indicate how great it is! I can easily get access to my Gmail anywhere due to its free POP3 and IMAP function, even using my cell phone.

Franklin Hu, Student
Shenzhen, China

2008-02-21T15:19:00.000-08:00

Before Gmail, it was too hectic and time-consuming to coordinate managing my email and chat messages. But now, with Gmail, I can relax. I've found a solution for getting in touch with my friends at the same time as managing my email communication.

Ramesh Chauhan, Software Engineer
India

2008-02-21T15:13:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Gmail's label and filter options, my inbox is full of the important emails I need while the subscriptions and newsletters are tucked away to be viewed at my leisure.

Paul Skinn, Student
Easton, PA

2008-02-19T09:29:00.000-08:00

I love using Gmail for receiving requests and setting up websites for my radio show.

Liam Mackessy, DJ
Ireland

2008-02-15T11:16:00.001-08:00

We use Gmail's 'thread utility' to help a bunch of mid 20's aged guys pass the workday by sending on nonsensical ramblings that prove to be more entertaining than doing real actual 'work.' Weekend recaps are a real joy, as well as anyone who has the time to create some humorous images using Photoshop. We recently started using Google Docs along with Gmail to help us plan events based on people's availability and even had one of our spreadsheet-savvy friends create an entire document that tracks and manages our Fantasy Slow-Pitch Softball Stats. (Yes, you read that correctly).

Brad VanGoethem, Traffic Manager
Overland Park, KS

2008-02-15T11:16:00.000-08:00

We use Gmail's 'thread utility' to help a bunch of mid 20's aged guys pass the workday by sending on nonsensical ramblings that prove to be more entertaining than doing real actual 'work.' Weekend recaps are a real joy, as well as anyone who has the time to create some humorous images using photoshop. We recently started using Google Docs along with Gmail to help us plan events based on people's availability and even had one of our spreadsheet-savvy friends create an entire document that tracks and manages our Fantasy Slow-Pitch Softball Stats. (Yes, you read that correctly).

Brad VanGoethem, Traffic Manager
Overland Park, KS

2008-02-15T11:13:00.000-08:00

With Gmail's simple but very complete filtering and label system I can stop worrying about handling different accounts for different purposes - like school, job, fun -and I can simply label, and even forward, messages according to what they say. This way I can always see only the messages I want to see.

Javier Ruiz, Engineer
Mexico City

2008-02-15T11:09:00.001-08:00

It was my dad's birthday and my present was to take him out to lunch at Lake Powell for a father/daughter trip. I was looking and looking for a nice restaurant in walking distance that you didn't have to spend to much on. I was emailing my step-mom about it when suddenly the Gmail ads came up and showed me tons of cheap fine dining restaurant in town. I took my dad for his birthday and he loved it he said it was the best thing about the trip.

Maddy, Student
Arizona

2008-02-15T11:02:00.000-08:00

We had an great idea to create a print magazine featuring fiction, poetry, photography and interviews with new and emerging writers & artists -- thus 34thParallel Magazine was born. But we had one big problem--we live on different continents! But, using Gmail as our working office we receive submissions, edit copy, contact authors and successfully collaborate using Google Docs. It's great to be able to simultaneously edit text and chat at the same time. The unlimited space allows us to receive, send, and save, photos, pdfs and magazine layouts. Gmail has made it possible for us to create a print magazine in virtual space, even though we've never worked in the same room. To date we've received hundreds of submissions and published work from almost 100 authors on 6 different continents! Our magazine would still be a dream without Gmail!

Trace Sheridan & Martin Chipperfield, Publishers and Editors of 34thParallel Magazine
Southern California & South Australia

2008-02-15T10:51:00.000-08:00

Gmail was a great tool for job hunting because I was able to easily communicate with multiple leads at once. However, Gmail saved me in a way that I didn't expect. I was offered two jobs at the same time. One was from a company that I wanted to work for and I felt was a great fit for me. The second offer was for another company that I wasn't as enthusiastic about but offered me significantly more money. I took the job that offered more money and hated every minute of it for two months. Thanks to the archive feature, I still had all the contact information of the hiring manager at the other company. I emailed them and they made me an offer. I may be making less, but I'm much happier!

Mike, Account Manager
Bloomington, MN

2008-02-15T10:50:00.000-08:00

While working on a group project in college, I created a new Gmail account and gave the password to each team member. We used it to upload files and as a place to store all of the files associated with the project. The key to organizing and making it useful was having clear subject lines so we could search for specific documents, and everything was in one place.

EK
Miami, FL

2008-02-15T10:48:00.000-08:00

I attended private school with the same 20 people for 6 years so I got to know them really well. When our 6th grade year came, we all went to different middle schools and did not see each other much. So we all got Gmail accounts and stayed in touch. Using Gmail let us communicate together and plan events. I even hosted a mini reunion at the beach last summer. We are still great friends because of Gmail.

Alex Gallagher, Student
San Jose, California

2008-02-15T10:46:00.000-08:00

Gmail has more than once saved projects that I've been working on. My university limits student email size to about 1.5 MB, which our reports always (and I mean ALWAYS) run over. So, we've found that the easiest way to transfer these files is by using Gmail! Nearly everyone has one (and a lot of people forward their university emails to their Gmail accounts, myself included), and you don't really have to worry about running out of space. It also makes it great for when you're looking up a piece of code that you know you wrote last semester, but you know got deleted off the school's servers. You know that as long as it passed through Gmail at some point, and you haven't deleted it, it's still there!

Greg Miller, Aerospace Engineering Undergraduate Student
Boulder, CO

2008-02-15T10:44:00.000-08:00

My husbands work requires that he be in Antarctica for many weeks at a time. Communication in the conventional ways (phone calls) are limited on the continent and we need creative ways to keep in touch. After all, we have bills to coordinate being paid, kids to take care of, and ways to connect to keep our marriage alive too! Thanks to Gmail and chat, we have been able to stay connected even from the bottom of the world.

Risa Ganel, Marriage Therapist
Columbia, MD

2008-02-15T10:40:00.000-08:00

I am the president of a Pastor's Wives Committee in the Florida Conference. There are over 120 pastor's wives that email updates, encouragement, and interesting articles to. With my previous service, I would have to divide the list into three separate emails in order to send a message to 120 people. It drove me crazy! But with Gmail, I write the message, click on cc, click on contacts, click group, and click send---one time!! It has made my life so much easier, and saves me a lot of hassle!

Julie, RN
Florida

2008-02-15T10:31:00.000-08:00

Gmail was my life line to my husband, family, and friends while I was deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq. Because of Gmail's simplicity and low need for a lot of internet data (without a lot of advertisements and graphics like other services), it was easy for me to read and reply to my emails while I was serving my combat tours. Because the internet was sooooo sllllooooowwwww over there, using Gmail was a snap.

Gracie Ramirez, US Army
Fayetteville, NC

2008-02-15T10:28:00.000-08:00

The way that Gmail keeps track and records conversations was really helpful for my court case. Since there was some "he said, she said" going on with phone conversations, the judge made part of the court decision that communications would be kept via email. Gmail, with the auto logging conversations, keeping both the sent messages, the drafts, and the received- with no time limit, AND the search feature.... didn't make Gmail first choice, but the ONLY choice. A email service actually became an essential part of life by its features.

Kathryn Goolsby, Butcher
Anchorage, Alaska

2008-02-15T10:24:00.000-08:00

Living in the Canadian Arctic is tough for many reasons, one of which is the slow-as-molasses internet connection. Every computer-user is used to watching in agony as screens fail to load. The little green bars in the bottom-right hand side of the screen can be our worst enemies and many a temper has been lost frantically clicking the "refresh" button, in hopes that a faster connection will have magically appeared in the last two seconds. More often that not, frustration results as information disappears, especially when that information is in a personal or professional email. Dealing with the dial-up has helped me grow to love Gmail's Basic HTML option. Why wait forever for the little "Loading .." sign to not come through on its promise? Instead, choose to go back to the basics, and enjoy your email much faster. Sure, you don't get all the fancy add-ons to Gmail (which are super-sweet, by the way! New colors for my labels? You know I love it). But, when you are in a pinch, and you need to know if there's a little (1) waiting in your inbox, the Basic version does just fine.

Andrew Stuhl, Volunteer Teacher
Inuvik, Canada

2008-02-15T09:44:00.000-08:00

I love that Gmail is universal and I have been easily been able to use it whether I was in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Mexico, Costa Rica or while spending time in any of the airports in between.

Bob White, English teacher
Costa Rica (previously Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, USA)

2008-02-14T15:12:00.000-08:00

About 7 months ago, a guy that I had been seeing (and who I was madly in love with) received a scholarship to travel to Africa for a year. Since his departure we have been emailing each other under the same subject heading "Poke poke...it's me!". I am always able to go back and read our old emails to each other and look at the progression of our relationship. The little things in Gmail make the big things like love so much easier to deal with.

Sasha De La Cruz, Student
New York City

2008-02-14T15:07:00.000-08:00

I originally come from New York, USA. In 1998 I decided to sell it all and backpack around the world. I've met some interesting people and had about 15 email addresses since then. Being a rolling stone, you don't always have time to check your mails every few months. I've lost so many contacts that way. After a few months of not logging in, all my mails and contacts are cleaned out of those other free services, never to be retrieved again. I've since settled down in Holland and received an invite to Gmail and have been hooked ever since. With Gmail I just don't delete anything... it's like my own private Google search engine! If I'm looking for a babysitter I used a few months ago but forgot the name... just search my Gmail. If forgot a phone number of someone I'm meeting up with tonight, but I know a keyword in a mail (place, names... ) I just Google my own Gmail.

Eric Guzman, Progress Programmer
Utrecht, Netherlands

2008-02-14T15:00:00.000-08:00

Winter 2006, it all began as one friend sending an email to a group of friends regarding the weekend. But this was not your ordinary email, this was the beginning of something much greater. The quartet in that original email soon increased to 14 strong. A group of guys, all in their mid 20s, many having gone to the great Ohio State University together, and some just friends of friends. Dispersed around Graduate Schools and jobs around the country; Cali, NY, Missouri, Ohio, Kentucky, Illinois, and the Caribbean is where we called home. The emails multipled exponentially by the day, leading to each person eventually registering for a Gmail account to ameliorate the problems that arise with hundreds of emails flooding one's daily inbox. The thread of single email addresses soon morphed into a full-fledged Gmail Group, which was for more than just keeping in touch. We would discuss anything and everything, from sports, to the opposite sex, to life, religion, politics, and current events. We would share interesting articles and links that we thought the group would enjoy, and of course, share anecdotes from the shenanigans that was our respective social lives. This Gmail Group kept us sane from the rigors of work and school, this was our defense mechanism against what many call the mid20s: "The Quarter-life Crisis." This Group has become a fraternity of like-minded individuals. Strangers became acquaintances, mere acquaintances became friends, and good friends became brothers. Simply a random group of friends no more...We're now the Gmail crew!

Mayank Mittal, Sales
Chicago

2008-02-14T14:54:00.000-08:00

I am a student who uses Gmail daily to get homework updates, quizzes, and so on. With my previous service, I would get hundreds of spam messages in my inbox, even after I had reported them as spam. I would spend hours trying to sift through all of those messages to find what I really needed. Now with Gmail, when I report spam, it never bothers me again. now I am able to spend less time looking for the homework and more time actually doing it.

Andy Webber, Student
Boston

2008-02-14T14:52:00.000-08:00

I needed to reference emails sent to me two years ago for specific information. The information consisted of vague bits and pieces in a long series of emails exchanged between multiple parties over several months. Because of Gmail I was able to type three words into the search field and pull up the information within seconds. Without the sheer storage capacity and efficient search engine at that precise moment in time, I could not have retrieved the information in time that eventually yielded me my dream job (i.e. my current job). I'm not sure where I would be without Gmail! I rank its overall importance to my life above my car, but slightly below my toothbrush. Probably above my girlfriend (but don't tell her that).

Eric, Federal Contractor
Virginia

2008-02-14T14:47:00.000-08:00

Using Gmail I include important notes when I load clients' information, including where I met them and what they purchased from me. Then I can look it up later, by simply typing in one name - like a hostess's name - and then see all those I met through that person. I can also look up clients by typing in a keyword in the 'search contacts' bar, to find which clients purchased a particular product from me, to then contact them for a reorder.

Megan Mazer, Tastefully Simple Gourmet Foods Consultant
Pennsylvania

2008-02-14T14:45:00.000-08:00

I'm the President of a local non-profit volunteer Arts organization. We plan monthly events focusing on local artists' work and the performing arts. We have 16 Board members across a wide spectrum of industries and professions. Keeping these professionals, their communications with me, and each other, organized should have been a complete disaster, but with Gmail, I've been able to keep all our heads above water, and we continue to have successful, well-tended events every month. I thank you, my board members thank you, and the artists whom we support thank you.

Kristi Bond, Account Manager
Kansas City

2008-02-14T14:23:00.000-08:00

I use Gmail in my involvement with the Southbank Bristol Arts (SBA) to track all communication from the steering group to the members. After I joined the steering group, Gmail again proved invaluable as a way of "archiving" all of our communications. I have recently been elected Chair of the SBA and the ability to just search the past archive is a fantastic resource. We now have every email sent out to the members and practically every email sent between the steering group in my Gmail account. In fact, the more we put in the more useful it seems to be. We also use Google Calendar as the "official" SBA calendar. Gmail is our complete archive!

Pete Gilbert, Artist / Chair of Southbank Bristol Arts
Bristol, UK

2008-02-14T14:15:00.000-08:00

Gmail is perfect for my online tarot business because it sorts mail automatically by date and conversation. For me, my whole business consists of conversations! Each one is basically a small project for me. Gmail offers me exactly the organizational structure I need for my business.

Tara Dorscher, Engineer and Tarot Card Reader
Perth, Australia

2008-02-14T14:12:00.000-08:00

Gmail has been our lifeline while traveling over 8,000 miles in our motor-home. We have stayed in touch family and conducted our business by way of Gmail...

Richard Gordon, Retired
Dawson, AL

2008-02-14T11:59:00.000-08:00

As a divorce lawyer, the ability to communicate with my clients in confidence is key. That means the old family email account is off limits... There is nothing worse than to find out that the your client's spouse is reading your email about the divorce strategy. When I take a new case, I send my clients a Gmail invitation so we can send documents back and forth, collaborate with clients on pleadings and plan strategy in confidence and security.

Eric Ballinger, Divorce Lawyer
Canton, Georgia

2008-02-14T11:57:00.000-08:00

I started using Gmail during my undergrad program at University of Phoenix. Gmail is great for online chat meetings and exchanging ideas. My whole team had Gmail accounts which made team projects a breeze. Currently I am working on my MBA and I setup a team email account so that the team members are able to log in drop off assigned pieces of team projects. The team email has helped us tremendously.

Floyd Webster, System Administrator
Atlanta, GA

2008-02-14T11:55:00.000-08:00

Gmail continues to help me to stay in touch with my friends from Ukraine now that they aren't in the US anymore. They send me photos of their art work and travels, we exchange music, and we chat using the messaging system. Gmail helped to strengthen our friendship and now it's almost as though we became closer once we were far away.

Sam Roe, Student
Lewes, Delaware

2008-02-14T11:53:00.001-08:00

This Christmas I traveled out of Hong Kong and I made use of Gmail's POP3 function to retrieve my emails from my five different email addresses - some of which are from my business email addresses. I was extremely pleased to find that I can access, receive, reply or send an email on any available computer and still make it look like it is originating from my professional email address...

Lynda Shen, Proofreader
Hong Kong

2008-02-14T11:50:00.000-08:00

I am as close to paperless as I think I can ever be, thanks to Gmail. I have a website for patients, which I started longer ago than I care to say. Before Gmail, and its generous storage, I kept clippings to write from if they weren't for that day but were interesting...they stacked up and get yellow...and it just never worked as I wanted. Now I email journal abstracts to myself so I always have originals. I email news stories which I won't write from but which have interesting background info, too. I have on my laptop every journal article I wanted to save, etc...and instead of having to be super organized (some stories could fit into any number of topics)...all I need to do is search mail to find what I am looking for.

Cheree Cleghorn, Editor
Washington, DC

2008-02-14T11:45:00.000-08:00

I love the way that way I have everything all at my fingertips from around the world with Gmail. I can travel anywhere and get email and contacts from any computer, or from any wireless phone. I used to hate going from work to home, and needing to email some people from my home account, not knowing the email, as it was stored locally on my home machine. Now, I can just log into Gmail and have it all at my fingertips.

Brandon, Consultant
Illinois

2008-02-14T10:14:00.000-08:00

I spent my last year of college doing internships in Veterinary Hospitals. It was a really really busy year and I had little time for family or friends! The last four months of the internship were spent in Spain....then, not only was I away from everyone I knew, I was also in a different country, with a different language! Thanks to Gmail, I was able to stay in touch with those I love, especially with my boyfriend. I sent photos from my work and from all the places I visited, and received photos from everyone back home. And now...I have all those memories stored in my account....just a click away!!! And more....I'm a veterinarian thanks to Gmail!! While I was away from home, I completed my final graduation thesis, always safely stored, and accessible all over the globe. I remember I actually worked on my thesis at the Barcelona Airport....without a laptop of my own!!!

Marta Cipriano, Veterinarian
Lisbon, Portugal

2008-02-14T10:12:00.000-08:00

My Fiancee and I (since before we were engaged) have used Gmail to communicate daily as I work in San Jose, CA and her in Modesto, CA. After making my long drive from Modesto daily, We would hit up Gmail to keep in touch through out the day. We have now exchanged over 7,500 emails and I am not even counting chats. I have EVERY message since the first day we met (on eharmony) and counting...

Jason Slack, Software Engineer
San Jose, CA

2008-02-14T10:08:00.000-08:00

I was an exchange student in 1994, sent from Melbourne, Australia to Colorado, USA. During the first few weeks, I met a guy called Mike - another exchange student, from the Philippines. I was just 15, and Mike 16, so we weren't all that well-versed in courting rituals. We attended his prom together, wrote letters, talked on the phone. In August, he returned to the Phils. As this was prior to email, we wrote a few letters to each other, but this quickly died out as he started college and I completed my year in the States. After 10 years, a few things had prompted me to look for his address, and in 2004 I wrote to his parents, supplying them with my Gmail address. Mike had actually just moved back into his parents' place again, and wrote right back. We started using Gmail to email and chat, mostly because it was the only net-based mail service not blocked by my school administrators! After a few years of what had become almost constant contact, I decided to visit the Phils to see if the guy that had been my first kiss all those years ago was still as special now. We knew it was the moment I walked out of the airport doors, and we married on July 7, 2007. Life is good! (Or, as they say in Tagalog; 'Sarap ng Buhay!')

Megan, Teacher
Manila, Philippines

2008-02-13T14:05:00.000-08:00

I got each of my students a Gmail account so that they could submit their assignments online. I could keep tabs on them to make sure they observed deadlines and uploading attachments on Gmail is faster and more efficient than any other email service. I also use Google Calendar to keep my students informed of our studies schedule, tests and quizzes. We had a ongoing tutorial with questions and students answering each others' questions on the documents feature. No one could complain that they didn't know we were having a quiz or a deadline for submitting an assignment. They could have a quick tutorial from home in the evenings if they were stuck on something. And a one-on-one chat with a student who is too shy to ask a question in class is worth its weight in gold. As a teacher, I love it and parents and students were very grateful. Gmail is a great teaching tool.

Wally Zeisig, High School Science Teacher
Kuwait

2008-02-13T13:56:00.000-08:00

Locally, we have a swap meet called Larryville.com which acts like Craigslist. Last year, a kid named Case started to collect items for people in need around Holiday time. He was unable to complete this task this year and I volunteered to run the program. I signed up for a Gmail account and am using it to track requests and get donations. The color coded label function allows a friend and I to keep track of all the people in need of help. It has been a great tool to use and organize all the donations to people. We have helped raise over $1000 worth of donations and that number is still rising. Gmail is just making it much more efficient.

Jeff Pierce, Pharmacist
Lawrence, KS

2008-02-13T13:45:00.001-08:00

I am a home-schooled teen living in rural Wisconsin, and I just want to say that Gmail is possibly one of the greatest things ever to enter into my life. One of the FAQ I get when I say I am home-schooled is "how do you socialize?" Gasp! Because obviously you CAN'T socialize in ANY OTHER form other than at a regular school environment! And to that I say, well, you obviously have not heard about Gmail. Since all of my friends live in the Minneapolis\St. Paul area, it is a very long drive to get together with them, but thanks to my mom, I get to see them about once or twice a week. I also take classes with them during the regular school session about once or twice a week, but as any teen knows, talking once or twice a week doesn't cut it. Enter Gmail. With Gmail, I talk to my friends at least twice a day, usually more, and we all join group chats to discuss stuff that is happening in the world today. Plus, I can send them great YouTube videos, and the favor is returned. I can stay connected to them, even though they all live at least an hour away. Living an hour away from all your friends isn't easy, but Gmail makes it way better.

Hannah, Student
Wisconsin

2008-02-13T13:42:00.000-08:00

When I had to travel to London on business recently, I had to get a passport for the first time in my life. The backlog at the State Department made me worry about losing it--how long would it take to replace it? So, just in case, I scanned the passport into a JPG and then emailed the file to myself. I left for London secure in the knowledge that I could produce an image of my passport from anywhere with web access.

Karen Wester Newton, Publishing System Manager
Rockville, MD, USA

2008-02-13T13:41:00.000-08:00

Gmail is the first email service I have used that blocked out a lot of frightening spam. Since I'm a kid, that's important to me, and to my mom. : ) I also liked how when this one type of spam kept getting through, I hit one button and it never showed up again.

Lily
New York

2008-02-13T13:20:00.000-08:00

I started using Gmail from the beginning and after I setup a firm selling IRC shells I decided it was in my business interest to use Gmail as the official support email. It has been over a year and a half and it's amazing. Not a single hour or day of downtime. How could I say it better: I have trusted and built my business with Gmail, and because of the search feature I managed to find in seconds using referral numbers I previously put into emails sent to clients all the information I needed in time for support.

Hodirlan Cristian, Administrator
Oradea, Romania

2008-02-13T13:17:00.000-08:00

I use Gmail to communicate with the world... being autistic and having a neuro-degenerative disease makes me terrible at managing information. Gmail with IMAP helps me do this by acting as an assistant to me, and allows me to continue to run my small brokerage at ease.

Alin Steglinski, Stock Trader
Palatine, IL

2008-02-13T13:14:00.000-08:00

I use Gmail as an email "hub". All my email accounts forward to my Gmail account, and I can send mail from any account I want with Gmail. Since I've signed up for Gmail, it's made my life so much simpler because now I only have to check one place for email, and I can send from any of my needed addresses. Gmail is easy, fast, and fun. Especially with Keyboard Shortcuts.

Nicholas Jensen
Grants Pass Oregon

2008-02-13T13:12:00.000-08:00

Our business relies on email-based orders. When our internet service provider went down today, we could not get email from our clients nor send them email. Fortunately, we use Gmail as a backup. Within only a few minutes, our staff, which is spread through 3 states, was able to communicate and notify clients that they could contact us via Gmail. I would estimate Gmail saved us several thousand dollars in lost orders today alone. Awesome!

Dean Rotbart, Publisher
Beverly Hills

2008-02-13T11:48:00.000-08:00

I am a grandmother and not very familiar with modern technology. With Gmail, I run my international business from my home and I contact suppliers all over the world as well as buyers in the USA. Much of my success is due to Gmail and the convenience of not having to type in an address, but just clicking the right letter to find them. I also value the storage space and ability to operate many accounts simultaneously.

Malini Perera, Entrepreneur
New York

2008-02-13T11:46:00.000-08:00

I have used Gmail since it first came out, and I must say it gets better and better. I have a photography studio, and I am very busy answering client emails. Well my web server email program crashed, and I was unable to retrieve any messages. I logged into Gmail and set up external email accounts. Viola, I got all of my email delivered to my Gmail from my business email account, instantly! I was hooked, and to this day, I use Gmail to check all of my email accounts. It's so convenient to have this functionality in one place!

Joshua Westbrook, Photographer
Athens, GA USA

2008-02-13T11:42:00.000-08:00

With Gmail I have archived, the changes, thrills, sucesses and failures of my first relationship, ended friendships, moving from high school to college, my first, next and grown-up jobs; the ending of ties with my father, the renewal of ties to the rest of my family, and the discovery of tools that changed my internet experience as well as my life and study habits. I can email notes to the boyfriend I had class with, search through old chats for the phone number I forgot, discover new tools like the blog, goog-411 (i'm never lost anymore) and Google scholar (I don't have to buy half my textbooks anymore) as well as Google images - all because I got this Gmail account. And now I keep in touch with friends who are far away, and life moves on, but we are able to keep talking and our relationships don't disintegrate.

Ariel, Student and part-time DHS worker
Portland, OR

2008-02-13T11:39:00.000-08:00

Upon entering college four months ago, I was convinced my college email address would be able to handle everything I needed. Unfortunately it filled within a month and wouldn't let me receive new messages. My business school mentor told me to use Gmail since it was the most amazing thing he'd ever used on the computer. I couldn't deal with the hassle of deleting messages from my mailbox every two days on my college account. With Gmail I'm able to get my mail from the other account, keep it organized and make sure that I don't miss anything important when sorting my mail. I also keep in touch with my parents and sister a lot more now since I don't have a lot of time to make phone calls but Gmail is always there! Gmail saved my life more than a few times this semester, the hardest one of my college career hopefully, by always saving everything right down to the drafts of my emails, seconds after I've written them. Gmail also saved me when my computer screen died hours before a final paper was due and I was able to get the file off a different computer in the library.

Rebecca, College Student
George Washington University, Washington D.C.

2008-02-13T11:38:00.000-08:00

While working on a very hot item for production, our company server decided to start stripping out attachments and I had one unhappy client on my hands. I directed them to my Gmail account and was able to retrieve the files and continue with production. In fact, after I left for the day, I was notified of more changes. So, I retrieved the file at the juice and coffee bar of my local gym and was able to complete and forward to final production.

Scott Sparks, Client Services Rep
Bixby, Oklahoma

2008-02-13T11:37:00.000-08:00

I use Gmail primarily for FUN! My friends and I have created our own version of the classic Madlibs word game. We take original bodies of text from a variety of sources, such as business emails, personal blogs, and classified postings, then substitute much funnier words to make it more interesting and silly. One of the features I like best about Gmail is the ability to go into my archives and read old Madlibs of the past for a good laugh. I also find it quite convenient to do the same to look for directions to someone's home or something that was emailed to me a while back.

Kim
Hollywood, FL

2008-02-13T11:33:00.000-08:00

Gmail saved my relationship with my girlfriend. I lived in Edmonton,Alberta, Canada for a year with my girlfriend. Then I received fantastic news, I had been offered a scholarship to get my MBA in business down in St. Louis and play university hockey. My girlfriend coincidentally received an offer to work up north in the Oil Fields in Canada making fantastic money. Neither of us could pass up these opportunities. Where she went, there were no phones. Messenger was blocked on her work computer, as were all other chat programs. For a few days we thought that we would have to break things off, since we had absolutely no contact. But then we started talking on Gmail chat. In fact, the only way we could talk was through Gmail chat. We spoke 1-2 hours a day on Gmail while she spent 6 months up in the remote parts of Northern Canada saving all the money she could. Our conversations kept us so close that when she was finished, she moved down here to St Louis with me, while I finish up my masters at University. I don't think we could have survived the time apart without Gmail chat.

Ryan F., Grad. Student
Lebanon, IL

2008-02-13T11:31:00.000-08:00

I've been working with clients who send me huge files for me to work on (MSV, DVF, WAV, MP3,PPT, PDF, XLS, etc.). I used to have to open lots of email accounts to be able to accommodate the size of these files. Now, I don't have to. With Gmail, I get to store all my work files without having to delete. It also allows me to keep track of deadlines, conversations and transactions. Spam isn't a problem for me either. It's great!

KYS Valderia, Freelance Writer and Transcriber
Manila, PH

2008-02-13T11:25:00.000-08:00

I am Indian and do not know Spanish. I applied for a PhD position in Spain and I was asked to fill and submit an application form for that. The irony is that I do not know anything in Spanish and the forms were completely in Spanish. So I used Gmail chat with 3 of my friends from various parts of the globe. One of my friend knows Spanish while another one corrected my documents and the third one verified it. Wow! It was fun. Gmail could store all our chats and I could easily copy and fill the forms. Moreover, it is unique that the chat was inbuilt and does not disconnect like other download-needed chat systems. I filled it in and sent it for grant application successfully! Let it be brainstorming, fun with friends or attachments to be sent in a jiffy, Gmail is the best! Thanks for being a part in my life.

S. Kalyanasundaram, Scientific Researcher
New Delhi, India

2008-02-13T11:23:00.000-08:00

I'm happy because I'm down to one email (they all forward to Gmail), and the spam they didn't catch, Gmail does! It's nice to know when my iGoogle says "Inbox (1)", I actually have a relevant message and I'm not wasting my time deleting yet another spam. Thank you for reclaiming my Inbox.

Chris Stepaniuk, Software Engineer
Calgary, Canada

2008-02-13T11:17:00.000-08:00

I have been using Gmail for over 1 year now and the ease and comfort provided is par excellence. Also the way it handles spam is outstanding...almost 95% of my daily count of about 50-60 spam mails are filtered directly into the spam box...I just wonder where I would be if this was not the case.

Jitendra Adhikari, IT Specialist
Secunderabad, India

2008-02-12T17:19:00.000-08:00

Spam filtering is second to none. If something gets through, it only gets through once. I tell Gmail that it's spam, and it's never seen or heard from again. On the flip side, if something is accidentally labeled as spam, a couple of clicks, and poof, it's all acceptable.

Frank. ATM Technician
Western USA

2008-02-12T17:16:00.000-08:00

I received an email from a gentleman in Beijing, China and he was interested in collaborating on a book he was writing. To make a long story short, he and I collaborated and wrote "The Mango Tree Cafe, Loi Kroh Road" via internet and instant messaging from Gmail. We've never met each other or talked on the phone. Gmail chat worked just fine for us! Pretty incredible considering he is on the other side of the world from me! The book is now available and we have 2 YouTube videos online, and a Blog capturing our progress on the book. Plus, the book has even been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize!

Taryn Simpson, Freelance Writer
Nashville, TN

2008-02-12T17:14:00.000-08:00

As a journalist, I'm always trying to find new sources, and usually it's an active, time-consuming process on my part. The ads that are placed inside the compose cell of my email account, tailored as they are to my subjects, have more than once provided me with a new organization or interviewee for an article. That's cool!

French Clements, Freelance Writer
Lee, MA

2008-02-12T17:12:00.001-08:00

I wear a lot of hats. A LOT of hats. I like that Gmail can easily give me an account for each hat. My genealogy goes to one account, my journal account goes to another, my paranormal mail goes to a third, and so on. Within each email account are sub-categories. I have ADD and this helps me keep my head together. Probably the most unusual account is my home school account. My children each have their own school-related Gmail addresses and I send them links and assignments via those accounts; they write reports in the replies. It's quick, it's easy, and I can keep track of all of it
in a click.

Maer, Genealogist, Home Schooling Mom, Artist, Writer ...
Ontario, Canada

2008-02-12T17:10:00.000-08:00

I have a business consulting with architects, engineers, building owners, etc. regarding historic sites. The need to exchange scanned images and huge drawing files was not being handled with grace or dignity by my existing infrastructure. Big files typically would crash and burn in transmission, which necessitated embarrassing apologies. A graphic designer I work with, who was having similar frustrations, began using Gmail and suggested I look into it. What a transformative
day! Not only did I get a great Gmail address that totally describes what I do, but now I can say with confidence, "Send me the file!" or conversely, "I'll send you the image." It's been great for business!!

Anne, Architectural Historian
Cross Plains, WI

2008-02-12T17:09:00.000-08:00

Being a business student isn't easy considering we can have up to 5 group projects going on at the same time. With all these business plans and presentations floating around it's hard to keep what is going on separate. But since I have found Gmail I can do the work all while keeping my sanity. I'm happy and so are my group members.

Melanie Lajeunesse, Student
West Palm Beach

2008-02-12T17:07:00.000-08:00

I use Gmail and Google Docs to write my wedding ceremonies. Once a wedding is booked, we swap ideas for the custom ceremonies online via Docs, and on a couple of occasions when brides have forgotten their vows, I have been able to access them and print them out at the wedding location. Saved the day!

Debi Ashe, Minister
New Hampshire

2008-02-12T17:06:00.000-08:00

My husband is in Iraq, and Gmail is the only means of communication I have with him. I know that none of his words will get lost or deleted, and when I am sad or lonely, I can easily find my favorite messages of his, to reassure me. Gmail has helped keep my love alive!

Felicia Minto-Rodman, Student
Washington

2008-02-12T17:05:00.001-08:00

I was a missionary in Mexico for 7 years and now when I'm on Gmail, I can talk to other missionaries. It's been a great way to keep in touch with friends in other countries.

Toni Bookman, Graphic Artist
Texas

2008-02-12T17:02:00.000-08:00

I lost touch with so many of my friends when I left school and they've started this group email that has updates about all their lives, photographs and stuff. Friends I lost touch with are now getting
married and are sending me invitations to their weddings. I know that because of Gmail, I can keep in touch with them and see how they've all changed. It's a letter that never stops sending us updates and we're all in different parts of the world and Gmail is the best way to get in touch with everyone!

Anna, Postgrad Student
Newcastle, UK

2008-02-12T16:59:00.000-08:00

I use Google tools: email, Docs, and Calendar for all my grade 9, 11, and 12 socials and history classes who do all their work on class laptops. I do all my classes and work online through Google tools. The students, almost 120, pick up their work with their Gmail account and open them with Google Docs. When they are finished they email me the results after completion. I share my Google Calendar with all the students and they can then keep up with the class even if they are ill or on vacation. On occasion they have a real time chat with me on Gmail chat. Without Google, all of this would not be possible.

Ken Stokowski, Teacher
Gibsons British Columbia Canada

2008-02-12T16:57:00.000-08:00

I have done a lot of travel in the last year, 14 countries in 12 months! I have missed my family, my pets and my home but it was strangely comforting to me that wherever I went my Gmail Inbox was the same. I used Chat to stay in touch with my nearest and dearest. It's funny, Gmail's interface became the interior of an online virtual home that never changed.

Patrick, Adventurer
Washington D.C.

2008-02-12T16:56:00.001-08:00

A friend and I exchange music files of us singing and playing guitar and we layer over each others tunes with our own harmonies and send them back! Jamming across the hemispheres!

Lesley, CEO of YoYoDyne Industries
Australia

2008-02-12T16:56:00.000-08:00

2008-02-08T15:36:00.000-08:00

My best friend of 23 years moved from Virginia to a little village in Ethiopia to work for The Clinton Foundation. Gmail and Gmail chat has allowed our girl-talk to continue! There is a 7 hour time
difference but we always find time to gossip, laugh, confide, complain, celebrate, and our friendship and conversations continue.

Sandi
Virginia

2008-02-08T12:13:00.000-08:00

I have no great story to share nor shining moment of revelation to detail on. Quite simply, Gmail does what it's supposed to - make email friendly again. From backing up my personal data by emailing it to myself, to never having to delete an email again, Gmail has simplified my work flow. Gmail puts the fun in functionality.

Kyle, Communication Specialist
North Dakota

2008-02-08T12:11:00.000-08:00

I used to get well over 12,000 spam messages (this is not an exaggeration) in my inbox a month before I switched to Gmail. Ifilter my other email accounts through Gmail just to get rid of all the spam!

Jacinda Phillips, Business Owner/Operator
Portland, Oregon

2008-02-08T12:07:00.000-08:00

I am currently a foreign exchange student in a small Argentine town. I will be gone a total of ten months. Being only 16 I was as scared as I was excited to leave my town in Oregon and come to this new country. The mail system here hardly works and so a letter can take weeks, but with Gmail I can talk with my family and friends and keep everyone up to date as well as talk with my counselors back to prepare for college. Without Gmail my experience as an exchange student would have been really difficult but thanks to you, I can keep in touch and experience a new culture. When I go back to the states next summer I know Gmail will be useful in keeping in contact with all of the new friends and people I meet here. Gmail is my connection to the world.

Audrey Lewiw, Student
Isla Verde, Argentina

2008-02-08T12:05:00.000-08:00

My husband and I work opposite shifts so we don't see each other on the weekends. I am 8 1/2 months pregnant and Gmail takes a lot of worry out of our lives. My husband works for a company that does not allow him to install programs such as other messengers. With Gmail chat being web-based he can just leave the window open and be there for me when and if I need him. When our special day comes I will message him on Gmail chat before I will call his job.

Roxanne Aviles, Psychiatry Office Manager
Winter Springs, Florida USA

2008-02-08T12:02:00.000-08:00

The best part of Gmail is the ability to attach files all at once instead of waitng for each individual attachment to upload like other services that take forever to upload each individual file. Recently while working on a large commercial real estate transaction I was able to effectively upload contract documents and addendums with great ease. I formated my email, attached my files and hit the send button and walked away to continue other important tasks. All of these documents had to be submitted in an expeditious manner to make the deal happen. As a result of Gmail, I was able to secure a 3.7 million dollar contract deal that netted me a hefty commission check.

Michael, Real Estate Broker
Miami, Florida

2008-02-08T12:00:00.000-08:00

I have an 11 year old who wanted so much to keep in touch with family in another state with email. I set her up an account with another provider a couple of years ago but no matter how hard I tried, I could never prevent inappropriate email from getting through. I had to stop letting her use it. I started using Gmail many months ago and noticed that I never got ONE unsolicited email. Not one. I decided that it would be safe to set her up with an account and it's worked perfectly. I've really pushed it as an option for the kids in our family and they absolutely love it...

Rachel, Software Support
Texas

2008-02-08T11:55:00.000-08:00

I am in the field artillery currently deployed in Iraq. I keep in contact with all my family through Gmail, and I also tried to do something else. For 4 years, I have been single, and I could never
find the "right" one close to my last girl. She was everything a man could want. Then we went our seperate ways, and I got deployed. Being down here makes you think of the past and how you could've changed it. Well, I looked around, found the one I lost, on Gmail, and we started to talk. Chatting is the first step, then we started to talk about the old times. Chat was always fast, no delay from emails, pictures are sent in great formats, and I think nothing could've gone wrong. You have made us connect in a way that we never have before.

Jonathan Marrero, U.S. Army
Iraq

2008-02-08T11:52:00.000-08:00

A few months ago I made an online purchase, but the item never made it. I needed a confirmation code in an email sent to me some time before. If I had to delete my emails on a regular basis I would not have had the code and would not have received the item. Gmail has saved this High School Senior's internet buying experience.

Kade Lyons, Student
Utah

2008-02-08T11:48:00.000-08:00

I was a newly-wed when I went to Bahrain for work and my husband was left in the Philippines. We used Gmail to communicate everyday and every minute just like chatting. Thanks to Gmail, I dont need to delete all the conversations we've had for the last 14 months. Thanks for making our very, very long distance relationship feels like were just a seat apart.

Mai, Medical Transcriptionist
Bahrain

2008-02-08T11:43:00.000-08:00

I use Gmail as my hard drive for my papers. This way I know when I go to school to print out a paper, I never have to worry about whether or not the computer can read my file saver. When computers switched from floppy discs to jump-drives, I couldn't afford one. I quickly learned it was faster and easier to just email the documents to myself and archive them. Now I can access all my papers and not take up computer space!

Elizabeth, Graduate Student
San Diego, CA

2008-02-08T11:38:00.000-08:00

I'm a meeting planner by trade, but my address book is a mess. I've probably asked my best friend for her address in Arlington, VA three times. I finally put two and two together and asked her in Gmail chat, so now anytime I need it, I can find it in the saved chats. Now she never needs to know I don't remember it!

Judith, Meeting Planner
Boston, MA

2008-02-08T10:52:00.000-08:00

My daughter attended college in our hometown, delaying any "empty nest" sadness on my part. However, the day after she graduated from college in 2002, she packed her little car up and moved to Dallas where she now lives. I would have been much sadder if I did not have Gmail to help us remain in contact through stressful job searches, break-ups with boyfriends, lost cell phones, and other crises. I have saved over 1400 emails that I will someday combine in a scrapbook as a sort of history of our relationship.

Earlene Caldwell, Therapist
Corpus Christi, Texas

2008-02-01T15:24:00.000-08:00

I work for a state senator who often needs someone's phone number en route to a meeting, or from the floor of the Illinois Senate. I constantly use the search mail feature to find contact information from weeks or even months ago in just a few seconds... I can't imagine what I'd do without it! Also, I was able to chat with my fiance during his 2 month engineering practicum in Guam this summer, even while he was monitoring a radio tower and I was at work. It made the separation much easier.

Laura, Legislative Aide
Chicago

2008-02-01T14:18:00.000-08:00

I'm in a band called Mercury Descends. The other four members and I met while serving in the US Military stationed in Japan. After a couple of semi-succesful years making music, our military commitments landed us all in different parts of the world. We continued making music by recording our individual parts of songs and sending the files to eachother via Gmail. Our latest album entitled "Foreign Protocol" was written almost entirely over the internet with the help of Gmail. Thanks to you guys, we were able to keep the creative juices flowing and communicate musical ideas without the use of phones. You saved us many awkward conversations and loads of phone charges. It's much easier than sitting the phone down in front of you while you play a guitar riff for a bandmate who is half way across the world. We're still making music and using Gmail to share ideas with each other. 2/5 of Mercury Descends is still in the military with one deployed to the Middle East. Without Gmail, there's just no way we could continue our musical endeavors.

Alan Mabee, Student
Carbondale, IL

2008-02-01T14:09:00.000-08:00

Gmail is reliable and keeps me in touch with my wife back home in florida all the way here from Iraq. The pictures always work and I get every email that she sends me of my 5 month old daughter. Thanks for letting me watch my daughter grow up since I cant be there in person.

Bobby Draughon, Army
Iraq

2008-02-01T14:06:00.000-08:00

I use Gmail to run an archaeological project. It is highly effective because it shows strings of conversations. I interact with hundreds of random students and then I can pretend I remember what they all said.

Samuel Connell, Archaeologist
California & Ecuador

2008-02-01T14:05:00.000-08:00

I do repairs and modifications to my car and take pictures with my cell phone. I then email them to my Gmail account so I can share them with people on message boards.

Tim G., Auto Mechanic
Pawtucket, RI

2008-02-01T14:02:00.000-08:00

About 10 months ago I was diagnosed with brain cancer. One of the unfortunate side effects of the location of my tumor is short term memory loss. I needed some kind of tool to enable myself to send myself reminders and notes on the go. Before the cancer diagnosis, I was a constant Gmail user. I had even started using Gmail for mobile applications. I used mobile Gmail so much that it made sense to adjust my usage slightly in order to help make up for my new disability. Now I use Gmail constantly to give myself reminders and to correspond with friends and supporters while I am on the go between appointmen... Without Google applications, I would have had a much harder time getting through this bought with brain cancer. I'm not through yet, but I will continue to use Google as my crutch for as long as I still need it.

Michael Brown, Financial Analyst
Chicago

2008-02-01T14:00:00.000-08:00

This fall I was trying to study for the law school admissions exam. I didn't have the time or the money to take a class but I did have a brother in law who scored in the 99th percentile and was willing to tutor me. Unfortunately he lived in St. Louis and I lived in Phoenix. He came up with the idea to use Gmail chat for our tutoring sessions. Not only did we save a ton of money on our phone bills but Gmail chat saved a record of our conversation, so I also had something to refer back to when I was studying on my own. Gmail is awesome! It works almost as hard as I do.

Janelle Sheppard, Marketing & Communications Coordinator
Phoenix, Arizona

2008-02-01T13:59:00.000-08:00

Gmail has helped me organize important college emails that I have received, containing information about my applications and scholarship programs. As a senior in high school, keeping track of these things is VERY important! Gmail has helped me (with its STAR method) pull out my "important" emails and seperate them from the "not-so important." Gmail is fast and efficient.

Majesta, High School Senior
California

2008-02-01T11:35:00.000-08:00

As an up-and-coming radio disk jockey, Gmail gives me an easy way to contact show promoters and search through emails with ease! I am able to upload my demo reel and resume with no problems and send them off to professional radio stations so I can get a job! Gmail has also helped me to keep in contact with my boyfriend; we've been in a long-distance relationship for two and a half years. As if all this wasn't enough, I'm constantly using Gmail to transport documents that I'm working on for my college classes! Gmail makes my life easier.

Cristin, Radio Disk Jockey
Boston, MA