[Web4lib] Your preferred web-based e-mail site

[Gillian Wiseman]

Thanks for this really good advice and pointers. Everyone has suggested g-mail so far, so tomorrow morning when I can get on a public computer and try it out, I'll make a quick decision. 

Gillian

-----Original Message-----
From: Marc Truitt [mailto:marc.truitt at ualberta.ca]
Sent: Monday, August 20, 2007 4:11 PM
To: Wright, Jen
Cc: Gillian Wiseman; web4lib at webjunction.org
Subject: Re: [Web4lib] Your preferred web-based e-mail site


Hi,

I have a Gmail account (and a Yahoo! account) and agree with the 
previous postings about its simplicity and features.  That said, I think 
that if you decide to proceed with it as your suggested e-mail solution, 
you ought to make a point of informing your audience also about Gmail's 
approach to privacy and targeted content advertising.  Users need to 
understand the consequences of this before they are confronted with 
sidebar ads that appear to respond (however accurately or inaccurately) 
to the content of messages they might otherwise believe are personal and 
private.

cheers,

- mt

*************************************************************************
Marc Truitt
Associate Director,
Bibliographic and Information       Voice  : 780-492-4770
    Technology Services              e-mail : marc.truitt at ualberta.ca
University of Alberta Libraries     fax    : 780-492-9243
Cameron Library                     cell   : 780-217-0356
Edmonton, AB  T6G 2J8

         "...really, who'd want to live in Santa Fe forever
         when Waco beckons?"
                                  -- Molly Ivins
*************************************************************************

> -----Original Message-----
> From: web4lib-bounces at webjunction.org
> [mailto:web4lib-bounces at webjunction.org] On Behalf Of Gillian Wiseman
> Sent: Monday, August 20, 2007 4:30 PM
> To: web4lib at webjunction.org
> Subject: [Web4lib] Your preferred web-based e-mail site
> 
> I teach library patrons how to use e-mail. I've been teaching Yahoo mail
> for years, but their sign-up process is difficult - for example, finding
> a username that isn't already in use is a really time-consuming process
> - and wading through all the "new features" pages and the "set up your
> own webpage" pages, etc... can be confusing to new users.
> 
> I'm looking for suggestions for web-based mail that would be easy to
> have patrons sign up for, are reliable, and have enough similarity to
> yahoo/outlook/other e-mail programs that people can transfer what they
> learn when they later want to use other tools.
> 
> Most of my patrons are seniors or other new computer users who are
> easily confused by complexity and obscurity as well as computer
> terminology, so if there's a super simple or super basic site, that
> would be my first choice.
> 
> If you want to reply to me privately, I'll report my results to the
> list.
> 
> Gillian Wiseman
> Electronic Resources Librarian
> Waco-McLennan County Library
> (254)750-5944
> gwiseman at ci.waco.tx.us
> 
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