Gmail

If you haven’t heard about Google’s new email service where have you been? A free gigabyte of storage; searching instead of filing; and messages displayed in context as conversations are all key features of the new service called Gmail but what’s really making a buzz is the exclusivity of it.

Like Google’s social-networking service Orkut, the service is currently invite only and those invites are currently few and far between. Although still in Beta, Google really has made a viral buzz about this service - I mean, who cares if you have a Hotmail or Yahoo email address? But a Gmail address, today, gives you mucho web credibility!

Some critics have attacked Google’s advertising policy on the site. Google has used its AdSense technology to display relevant ads beside each email. Their system scans the content and places ads applicable to the content (e.g. if you get sent an email from a friend about whale watching in San Diego you might get an ad about whale-watching serivces in the San Diego area in the ad area). Google sees nothing wrong in this although others are concerned that the sophisticated behaviour of the advertising is Big Brotheresque and even may spook potential users away.

FREE GMAIL ACCOUNT

(and Orkut Invitation)

Yours truly is a gmail user! AND! Gmail are letting Beta users invite other users. Subscribe to PSFK’s regular newsletter in the box below and I’ll invite the 250th subscriber when the next round of invites are ready! I’ll also invite every subscriber to Orkut too!