How & Why to Get a Gmail Account (Announcing a Contest)

I KNOW A LOT OF YOU HAVE AN EMAIL ACCOUNT WITH YAHOO OR AOL. MOST OF US GREW UP with Yahoo, but it's time for a change. It's kinda like leaving high school so you can go to college.

Here's why you need a Gmail account from Google:

--  More Storage Space! I know Yahoo says you have unlimited storage, but when I keep too many emails, I can't copy and paste anything into a Yahoo email. Really frustrating until I figured out what was going on! You won't have that problem with Gmail. If you own a small business or take a lot of photos, you really need Gmail.

--  Less Spam! Most of those annoying ads for viagra will end up in your spam filter or you won't get them at all (yeah!).

--  Mobile Access! If you've got a Smart Phone, you'll LOVE being able to check your mail while away from your computer. It's all at your fingertips. I clean up my email in the morning and afternoon while I'm on break at the office. When I get home, I can focus on blogging instead of email. It's a real time saver and amps up your productivity.

--  Access to All Things Google! Let's face it. Google rocks. If you have a Gmail account, you can access Google Analytics, Google Webmaster tools, and other great Google products.

--  Fewer Ads! The Google ads are barely noticeable compared to other free email services.

--  It Gets Better and Better! Google continually makes improvements to help you better manage the info in your life.

--  You Can Comment on a Blog! I've gotten emails and calls from friends saying they couldn't leave a comment on my blog. I know it's confusing trying to figure out if you should select LiveJournal, WordPress, Typepad, AIM or OpenID. If you don't understand the question, much less the answer, then those options probably don't relate to you. Get a Gmail account and you can comment on any blog, not just mine.

--  Enter a contest to win a copy of Getting Into the Vortex Guided Meditations CD and User Guide by Esther and Jerry Hicks! You know I start my day by meditating to this CD. Now you can, too! I'll give you a week to get that Gmail account and then I'm announcing a contest and you need a Gmail account to participate. You could try to buy the book yourself, but the last time I checked, Barnes & Noble was sold out and Amazon has them back-ordered, as well as limiting you to three copies. Well, I've got a little stash. I've been giving them away to friends. I'd like to give you one, BUT YOU NEED A GMAIL ACCOUNT SO YOU CAN COMMENT ON A QUESTION I'LL POST NEXT WEEK.

OK. Ready to get that Gmail account? It'll only take about three minutes. Here's how.

STEP	ACTION
1	Access www.gmail.com.
2	Click Create an Account. RESULT:  The “Create an Account” screen shows.
3	In the “first name” box, enter your first name.
4	In the “last name” box, enter your last name.
5	In the “desired login name" box, enter your desired login name and click Check Availability. NOTE:  The “desired login name” is also called a “user name”. For example, I entered “beautifullybetter” as my login name is and my gmail login name, user name and address looks like this:  beautifullybetter@gmail.com.  If you have a common name, you may get a “xxxxx is not available, but the following user names are” message. In that case, try a different login name.  Pick a name that is easy to remember and spell. And avoid numbers since they’re hard to remember.
6	In the “choose a password” box, enter your password. NOTE:  Pick a password that’s easy to spell and remember. Be sure it has letters and at least one number.
7	In the “re-enter password” box, re-enter your password.
8	Click the down arrow next to “choose a [security] question”.
9	Click on a security question that fits for you.
10	In the “answer” box, enter the answer to your security question.
11	In the “secondary email” box, enter a different email address (such as Yahoo). Why? Because if you get locked out of your gMail account and can’t access it, they will send your new password to your secondary email.
12	Click the down arrow next to “location” and select a location.
13	Click in the white box under “word verification” and enter the letters you see.  Why? This is their  way of making sure you’re a human and not an automated program.
14	Read the “Terms of Service” and select “I accept. Create my account.” RESULT:  The “Congratulations” message shows, along with an introduction to how to use Gmail.

May resources surround you,


Catherine