5 Reasons I love Gmail

Over the years, I have had so many e-mail accounts that I am almost ashamed. "Almost" only because I know in my heart that many people my age have also had similarly embarrassing Internet pasts.

I always just kind of dealt with the inefficiency of crap like Yahoo, Hotmail and once, when I was 12 and "rebelling" against my anti-e-mailing-strangers mother (yeah that whole debacle made everyone involved look real wise or whatever), Email.com. Wow, those were the days. I mean, when I look at Email.com now, it looks like a batch of email keywords threw up on itself.

In any case, I took a deep breath and switched from my most recent, main account at Hotmail to Gmail. It was a daunting task, because of how much personal stuff I accumulated in my Hotmail account. But now. Oh, now.

I am so in love. So in love that I have had to remind myself that saying "I love you" out loud to an abstract, unfeeling entity like Gmail would make me feel really stupid later. Here are some reasons why I love Gmail so much.

1. The themes. Mine is the "Bus Stop" one, and it was already great before I discovered that it changed with the real-life weather! When it rains, my Gmail is adorably rainy. Yesterday, when it was nearly as foggy as San Francisco, my Gmail was foggy and SUPER ADORABLE (see above, click for larger). Maybe I'm just a huge girly girl, but I love when my inbox is adorable.


2. The labels. I am a very organized person when it comes to my computer and my e-mail. Call it OCD, call it endearing (by all means), call it whatever you like. When my inbox is fresh and clear because my messages have all been tucked away in their proper folders, I feel in control of my life. And Gmail makes that very easy with labels - you can even attach multiple labels to one message.


3. The neatness and efficiency. I love how Gmail keeps track of your "conversations" so that each new reply between you and the other person is encapsulated in one little clickable bundle of joy.


4. The Labs. I consider myself pretty tech-savvy. I like knowing as many keyboard shortcuts as possible, I type like 100 words a minute (srsly, I checked with the uber-scientific Typeracer), I've troubleshooted (troubleshot?) a fair share of epic computer disasters. I like when I can make my Internet work for me. So the labs feature is perfect; I can customize my way up the wazoo. That said, I only have one enabled right now (toolbar drag-and-drop cause that shit is useful), but it's nice to know I have options.


5. The prestige. I may be a superficial girl only just out of my teenage years, but I'm not afraid to admit I'm a sucker for brand names. Especially nerdy ones like Google/Gmail and Sony. I can't help it, they're just so alluring and sexy. Having @gmail.com attached to my very own name makes my heart swell with ridiculous, misplaced pride, and God damn it, I like it.

Gmail. Switch today. This message not sponsored in any way by Google or its affiliates. :)

San Francisco fog image via Crazy-Frankenstein