Sign up for Gmail…
A couple of days ago, I showed you how to migrate from your current email provider to a supercharged Gmail account that has huge amounts of storage space, great spam filtering, and the power of Google search. As I thought about it, I realized that I forgot one crucial part of the equation: signing up for a Gmail account.
The first step is to head over to the Gmail home page. When you get there you should direct your attention to the bottom right corner of the page and look for the Create an account button.
This will lead you to the create an account page.
Before we move on, I just want to point out that all of this is free, so don’t bother getting your wallet out at any point. Do remember that Google doesn’t do this out of the goodness of their hearts. They do it to sell ads which will grace the page around your email. The ads are small and non-intrusive and can even be :gasp: HELPFUL!!! Also, while the ads will have to do with keywords in your email, Google doesn’t actually read or use any of the information in the emails. It simply uses a computer algorithm to figure out which ads fit best.
Back to the account creation page. On this page, you have a list of chores to complete which should be pretty simple. The first task you must complete is to find a username. This can be difficult because your proper name is probably taken, so you have to get a little creative. Some options for someone named The Awesome Digitante and born 12/31/1900 are:
- First letter first name and your last name: tdigitante@gmail.com
- First name, last name, birthdate or year: thedigitante1231@gmail.com or thedigitante1900@gmail.com
- First name, middle initial, last name: theadigitante@gmail.com
You’ll notice in the last example, it looks like my name is Thea. You need to look over your chosen username carefully to avoid confusing letter combination such as theedigitante@gmail.com which people might suspect contains a mistake (the second E) even though my middle name might actually be Excellent. It is also good to avoid names which could be construed as strange or inappropriate by those emailing you, such as choosing sexykitten1995@gmail.com which sounds like a 14 year old girl even though it might be a 40 year old woman who got married in 1995. If you have any questions, run your choices by a friend, such as The Digitante.
Once you have found a username that fits, choose a password. As usual, choose a strong password that isn’t easily guessed. Once again, you can head to my password post for tips on being secure. Additionally, you will need to add a secondary email address in case you lose access to your Gmail account and you will need to answer a security question.
After performing these tasks, you can simply click to create your new Gmail account. You are lead to a page congratulating you on your success in setting up a Gmail account. It will also give you a few pointers on managing your new Gmail account.
After that, you can simply click on Show Me My Account.
You can now start handing your brand new email address out to all your friends and use some of the handy tips from the prior Gmail post to get started with your new account. And as usual, explore! There are many hidden treasures in your new email account including a features called Labs, fun and customizable themes, and powerful tools like filters and labels.
If you are having troubles getting signed up for a new Gmail account or are signed up and want to know where to go from here, head over to the About page to contact The Digitante to help you get emailing.
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