Do you still use Microsoft Outlook or Eudora for your emails, or maybe something else? If you do, you probably are not having the most productive and user friendly experience that you could be having.

Up until about a month ago I had been using Outlook entirely for my emails, then I trialled Gmail (Google’s Free Email service) for 2 weeks and since getting to know Gmail, I have not turned back… there are just so many more features that make Outlook (and other similar email programs) seem just unworthy. Even Darren Rowse from Problogger has made the switch.

Although it may take a week or two to get used to gmail, over the many years to come, it will literally save you weeks of your time. I highly recommend to switch to Gmail and below I give 12 reasons why.

12 Reasons To Switch To Gmail

Gmail spam filters block 99% of the spam that usually makes it to your inbox. Although Outlook 2007 had a good spam filter, I still usually got around 2 or 3 emails a week sneaking into my inbox… not with Gmail. With Gmail you get to keep your old email account, and all incoming emails will be forwarded to your new Gmail account . Also, emails that you send from your new account will have your old email account in the from area. You can create Word docs, PDF’s and spread sheets with Gmail via the use of GoogleDocs. Gmail allows you to schedule events with the Google Calendar that will notify you by email to remind you of an appointment or meeting. It can also send a reminder to the person or persons that you will be meeting with. Gmail has something called ‘Stars’ and which allows you to tag emails you find important. You can actually do a search for ‘Starred ‘ emails and they all pop up, and as quick as a normal google search! Your emails are tabbed into a thread, which means you no longer have to look for old emails… it is more like a conversation window. You can archive old emails or whole conversations so that you can keep your Inbox clear. You can set up filters and labels to keep your Inbox organised and clutter free. It has a fast, easy search function which means you will never lose an email again. The search is as fast a normal google search which is ace. All your emails are online which means that you access your emails from anywhere, not just one computer. Update: Forgot to mention how much space there is with Gmail… you will never have to delete an email again. Update: The ‘Canned Responses’ aka drafts feature is great. When you need to email something over and over, this function will save you a lot of time.

Learn About Gmail

Below are some great videos to get you started with Gmail. If you have a website and an email related with your website you should be using Google Apps to set up your Gmail Account… the videos below will explain.

Using Gmail – Part 1 (5m 38s)- Learn about the basic features of gmail in this video.

Using Gmail – Part 2 (7m 50s)- Learn about how to retrieve other (ie. your old email address) email into Gmail, setup labels and filters, explain the Archive function and Gmail conversation.

Using Gmail – Part 3 (4m 39s)- Explore the more advanced settings options and some of the features coming out of Google Labs

Further Email Tips

Anyway I hope you give Gmail a try… it really is worth it. What other email programs / sites do people use and why?