WHY do people like Gmail?

[Adrian Bell]

I've never had a problem with mapping labels to folders, the folders appear much better if you enter [Gmail] as the root folder in your client.

The only problem with their IMAP is that it doesn't support push email unless you use their app. Deliberate I think. IMAP could actually do with some improvement anyway. The lack of a move command and the way things are deleted is antiquated I think.

[Zach]

Originally Posted by jhollington

As web-based email clients go, I really do like Gmail moreso than anything else, and if I were living entirely in a web-based world, I'd probably have stayed with it — I really do like the web interface a lot, and it's fast and really intuitive once you get used to it, especially with keyboard shortcuts, labels, and search, and what Google's doing with its new Inbox service is even more interesting, with built-in snooze features, the ability to ferret out email as rich content items (orders, receipts, reservations show appropriate cards above the email, summarizing the data in a standard format). Privacy issues aside, which are largely subjective, I think it's a very nice solution if you live on the web.

This. Admittedly, I was impressed with Gmail's interface and do see why it's increasingly popular compared to older servers like AOL, Yahoo and even Hotmail/Outlook. But the trade-off between the nice interface and privacy is too much for me. Having my details sold to advertisers isn't something I'd be happy with.

[kaptitsky]

Originally Posted by Zach

This. Admittedly, I was impressed with Gmail's interface and do see why it's increasingly popular compared to older servers like AOL, Yahoo and even Hotmail/Outlook. But the trade-off between the nice interface and privacy is too much for me. Having my details sold to advertisers isn't something I'd be happy with.

Your details are used to show you appropriate ads.

They are not sold to advertisers.

Advertisers only ask their ads be shown to people with an interest, say, in home decor or basketball. They are not told which users those are.

Your details are kept secure within Google and used to algorithmically tailor your user experience so it is more useful and related to your interests.

The broad brush of "Google examines your mails!" has been used by smaller players to create fear and doubt around Google, while the notion that "Google uses automated systems to show you options which you will find relevant" is played down, though they are the same thing.

Google is one of the few internet companies that has not reported a privacy breach in the past few years. That is exemplary.

Google sells your eyeballs and your interests to advertisers by using ad space on what you ask for, it is true.

That does not mean that Google gives information on you to advertisers. That would break their privacy policy and make their relationship with you less useful to both you and Google.

[ChinaLamb]

Originally Posted by kaptitsky

Your details are used to show you appropriate ads.

They are not sold to advertisers.

Advertisers only ask their ads be shown to people with an interest, say, in home decor or basketball. They are not told which users those are.

Your details are kept secure within Google and used to algorithmically tailor your user experience so it is more useful and related to your interests.

The broad brush of "Google examines your mails!" has been used by smaller players to create fear and doubt around Google, while the notion that "Google uses automated systems to show you options which you will find relevant" is played down, though they are the same thing.

Google is one of the few internet companies that has not reported a privacy breach in the past few years. That is exemplary.

Google sells your eyeballs and your interests to advertisers by using ad space on what you ask for, it is true.

That does not mean that Google gives information on you to advertisers. That would break their privacy policy and make their relationship with you less useful to both you and Google.

This is only partially true. Google also sells information about their users (not you specifically but there is a code that represents you). While they never give any data that would link specifically to you and your email address, they do sell statistical information to other companies, willing to purchase. Some of this can be used to specifically target you with ads, but again, they never know that it is you specifically, and there is no way for the advertiser to contact you directly... But, Google does mine information about you, and they sell that information. X number of people who live in X city, do X -- etc.

Google also collects information to see how popular restaurants, shops, malls, churches, etc. are... They collect every type of information possible. They can tell stores, X number of your customers live in the ##### zip code... Again, not tied specifically to you, but Google is building a massive database of infomation about people, their habits, etc. and YOU, the customer, are the one fueling Google's massive database... Google is finding new ways to sell this information every day.

Again, however, there is no way to link that information to your specific name/email/address/phone, etc.

[kaptitsky]

Gmail came from a Google imperative to do e-mail in a very Googly way. They threw out all the old assumptions and expectations to create a next wave of public e-mail system.

Since then, the world has been struggling to keep up. Google, on the other hand, has been working to add features and functions that directly serve users needs and doing an amazing job.

Gmail demanded a learning curve from users who had expectations built from legacy systems, but as users in this thread have affirmed, getting on that learning curve has resulted in real pay-offs in productivity in e-mail.

There have always been people coming here to complain that they don't like the Google way, that Google should be more like legacy systems, that Google should allow people to keep old functions.

Google, though, does things in a Googly way, working very hard to find best practices and then implementing them.

That Googly way has been great for me, because learning it offers easy access to a huge suite of web and mobile services that all exist in the Google world.

Gmail does require a learning curve, no doubt. But a vast, vast legion of users show that the benefits of that learning are great.

[kaptitsky]

Originally Posted by ChinaLamb

This is only partially true. Google also sells information about their users (not you specifically but there is a code that represents you). While they never give any data that would link specifically to you and your email address, they do sell statistical information to other companies, willing to purchase.

Agreed.

Your details are never sold to advertisers.

Broad, aggregate information about user interests are sold, but never with personally identifying information.

Doesn't that just mean that your details are kept private in Google?

[Eireannach]

Originally Posted by William9

...... Targeted advertising is what you must accept with Gmail.

Not necessarily - Google allows you to opt-out of targeted ads. I presume this would apply to Gmail as well ? I too have the slight uneasiness about Google but in fairness they do make it relatively simple to set your options re what history is kept ( web, Youtube etc). They also as far as I know were the first to introduce 2FA.

I have tried Fastmail, Runbox, Outlook.com, iCloud and others and found something to like/ dislike about each of them - I suppose nothing is perfect . As I think about it more over this last while I am beginning to think perhaps the anti-Google sentiment is exaggerated

[chuckster]

In 2014 Microsoft went after Google with attack on gmail privacy concerns just to promote Outlook email because Gmail was gaining massive attention.
Microsoft made you think "Outlook.com believes your privacy is not for sale". Their campaign fizzled and actually hurt them.

I think most of the anti-trust issues are pretty much dead. I'm not surprised gmail has now reached over 1 billion active users because it simply works.
I'm more surprised with people subscribing to a paid email service only to forward it to gmail as back up.

[ozar]

The thread title probably should have been "why do some people like gmail?"

A few years back, I had an active google account but found them to be far too invasive when it comes to privacy, and they were constantly finding new ways to make logging in or dealing with your user account extremely annoying so I stopped using google altogether.

These days, I use fastmail for email and various search engines (rather than google) for online searches and have found that I don't miss google a bit. My google account was probably frozen or removed long ago, but I'm not interested in it enough to even bother with checking.

That said, I'm not all that sure certain there is any trustworthiness to be found online anymore.

[communicant]

Originally Posted by ozar

. . .A few years back, I had an active google account but found them to be far too invasive when it comes to privacy, and they were constantly finding new ways to make logging in or dealing with your user account extremely annoying so I stopped using google altogether.

These days, I use fastmail for email and various search engines (rather than google) for online searches and have found that I don't miss google a bit. My google account was probably frozen or removed long ago, but I'm not interested in it enough to even bother with checking.

That said, I'm not all that sure certain there is any trustworthiness to be found online anymore.

I don't necessarily disagree as a general proposition, but, as I asked in an earlier post in this thread (and nobody responded to the point), what does Gmail do, specifically, that is 'more invasive', more alarming, or more annoying, than the practices of other large providers? They are surely the most reliable email provider in the world, rock solid, and I wish it were possible to feel better about them. I share your unease. With that said, however, I agree most with your last observation, which brings me back to the question -- if there is no reliable trustworthiness to be found anywhere these days, then what is worse about Gmail? I would really be interested in learning what seems to trouble people about Gmail more than they seem to be troubled about other services (other than automated scanning to provide targeted ads, which is a widespread practice and surely not unique to Gmail). I am not defending Gmail, only curious as to why people seem to think it is worse than the others.

[David]

The OP is asking 'why do people like GMail'

The answer to that question (imho) is because of their interface. It is fast and sweet, much like Fastmail's original interface used to be - the one they did away with.

[kaptitsky]

And behind that simple, fast interface is amazing function, from the neural processing that tamed spam to fast and easy filters, to the power of labels and great attachment handling, from drag and drop on.

Great easy interface and and deep effective functionality which lead the industry, all on a incredibly reliable system.

[Adrian Bell]

Yes, the spam filtering is very good, much better than Virgin's current system. (Virgin used to use Gmail but they stopped).

[Eireannach]

On the whole privacy thing I can't speak to the accuracy or veracity of the linked report but an interesting read / food for thought ?

http://www2.itif.org/2015-privacy-panic.pdf

[William9]

My impression is that Gmail is one of the most secure email services. Security (resistance to hacking and data theft, etc.) is a necessary part of privacy.