What are your thoughts on gmail

[Evil Chris]

Google has been testing "gmail" for awhile now.
What are your thoughts on it? I'm still trying to decide what I think.

http://www.gmail.com/

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040406/ap_on_hi_te/google_mail_2

[Mefo]

I just read something about that in a newspaper, it's cool that you can have 1 gig of space but I don't really like that idea that they customize the adds to your own personal profile...

[monaro]

Originally posted by Evil Chris
Google has been testing "gmail" for awhile now.
What are your thoughts on it? I'm still trying to decide what I think.

http://www.gmail.com/

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040406/ap_on_hi_te/google_mail_2


If it is true inwhich I have read Chris,

This contextual advertising system, quoted by "Omwando"
to scan for frequently used terms in creating its contextual ads.


So, If you are promoting your product or service, and if they do not remove adult related ads from account holders who are at legal age (based of dob in the signup) then this sounds like a way to get in front of the surfer first..



One day Sleazy Dream quoted "You have to get infront of the surfer first that day!"
Thank you Sleazy.. you have taught me so much since that interview!




Chris.. Also these sort of ads can also make new webmaster leads.
Do you see what I see?

[sweet7]

I think it's a good idea from a marketing standpoint but definately not when it comes to privacy. In the end people who choose GMail will accept that their personal emails will be scanned. I personally don't use these email services for private emailling and most of my inboxes contain junk on yahoo and hotmail etc.

I think it'll be good overall.

[Magnus3x]

Buying those targeted ads will be a welcomed addition to any marketing campaign. I want to try it and start sending out some BS e-mails and see what ads they send me..see if some of my competition is using it.

[Panky]

Anyone reading or tampering with my postal mail is a federal offence. Law enforcement agents need to obtain a court order for wire tapping and some forms of surveilance. Scanning user emails should follow under the same laws and regulations.

There is other methods to obatin information to serve targeted advertising. They don't need to scan user emails to do this.

It's a huge marketing potential for advertisers, plus Google stands to profit immensely.

There's also a bigger picture. If scanning user emails becomes widely accepted by gmail users and the general public, then every company after that will begin to follow suit. There's way too much potential for abuse.

I'm not against gmail in particular. I'm against the use of technology to scan user emails, no matter what purpose it is disguised under.

<img src="http://smilies.sofrayt.com/%5E/r/biggrininvert.gif" width="15" height="15">

[Crak_JMan]

Well they just allowed themslefs to spam everyones email by having a robot surfg the message and had a targeted advertising...

Maybe I should hit up Google and everytime there's the word small, big, dick, penis or pills they pop one of my ads...

Think they'll go for it :D

[NetRodent]

Originally posted by Panky
Anyone reading or tampering with my postal mail is a federal offence. Law enforcement agents need to obtain a court order for wire tapping and some forms of surveilance. Scanning user emails should follow under the same laws and regulations.

Unfortunately it can't work that way in practice. Technically there is no difference between scanning email to detect spam or viruses or scanning it to serve advertising. Many companies already scan for spam and viruses, this is nothing new. Email is in no way private. Email is just slightly more private than exchanging messages by posting them on billboards around town.

Email is sent in plain text across the net. That means that the admins of the senders network, the recipients network, and all of the networks in between have ability to read the mail. Plus anyone with a packet sniffer on the senders network, recievers network, or anywhere inbetween can also read the message. If you want privacy encrypt your email.

Originally posted by Panky
There is other methods to obatin information to serve targeted advertising. They don't need to scan user emails to do this.

Companies don't need to put up billboards to obscure the landscape, there are other ways to advertise. Companies don't need advertisements on tv and radio that interrupt that shows you like, there are other ways to advertise. Companies don't need to send junk snail mail, there are other ways to advertise.

Originally posted by Panky
It's a huge marketing potential for advertisers, plus Google stands to profit immensely.

Oh no! Not immense profits!!! Isn't profit the whole point of business?

Originally posted by Panky
There's also a bigger picture. If scanning user emails becomes widely accepted by gmail users and the general public, then every company after that will begin to follow suit. There's way too much potential for abuse.

If people don't want their email scanned they don't have to use the service. There are plenty of alternatives.

Personally I wouldn't use Gmail for anything confidential, but then again I wouldn't use any of the free email services, or even my isp's email for anything confidential either. If its important that nobody reads it, I encrypt it. As far as free email services go, some targetted ads in exchange for a Gig of space (and Google's clean utilitarian interface) seem like a good deal.

[Panky]

I could care less about the profits they will earn. More power too them. I didn't make the earlier statement like it was a bad thing.

I've used encryption for years. It's nothing new to me. The problem is, people tend to think it is ok for anyone to read their emails. Emails, just like regular postal mail, is no one elses business. People are just nosey.

I think Google should focus more on cleaning up their databases.

It'll be interesting to see the results from a marketing campaign using gmail. I wonder what the fees will be and if they will charge more for adult content?


<img src="http://smilies.sofrayt.com/%5E/r/biggrininvert.gif" width="15" height="15">

[Mister X]

Hotmail already scans every single email on it's service for viruses and optionally for spam filtering. And there are of course ads on every single page. So what's the difference if it's scanned for keywords already and it then passes keywords to the ad script as well as the anti-spam filter? And every single email provider out there makes it plain in their TOS that all email is liable to be scanned or read at any time without prior notice to the user. Email is by no means a private service and it never has been and never will be.

I don't really see any difference between Google, et al targeting their ads based on what you search for in their search engine and this.

[Evil Chris]

I think a lot of people know (and most everyone would believe) that most of the free email services already scan email for their own benefit. I don't agree with it, but there you have it.

This will probably open up new doors for email encryption business and practices.

[Mefo]

Originally posted by sweet7
I think it's a good idea from a marketing standpoint but definately not when it comes to privacy. In the end people who choose GMail will accept that their personal emails will be scanned. I personally don't use these email services for private emailling and most of my inboxes contain junk on yahoo and hotmail etc.

I think it'll be good overall.


I gotta agree here