I recommend clients begin using Google Gmail™ because the benefits of a free Gmail™ account are terrific. Gmail™ accounts come in two flavors, basic personal email accounts, or small business accounts (Google Apps) where the MX Record for your domain is pointed to Gmail™ and the site owner furnished with an administrative interface for managing multiple email accounts.

Those who register for a Google Small Business Account can even have Google handle their web site email after changing the MX record associated with the domain name. Features of Gmail™ accounts include: Calendar, Notebook, Gbase, Picasa™ Web Albums, Local Business Center, and the sharing of documents and spreadsheets. An admin panel is furnished to manage email, and each email account has their own settings. Users with multiple email addresses can optionally add all their other email addresses to Gmail, have them verified, and subsequently use those email addresses within Gmail when sending new messages.

Email forwarders can easily be configured in your web site control panel, to forward messages to your Gmail™ account where there is nearly unlimited space. Filters, folders, signatures, and numerous additional features can be configured in Gmail™.

Gmail™ users can sign up for Picasa™ Web Albums which is fantastic for uploading large quantities of photographs, and creating public or private photo albums. A complete list of online solutions is available at Google™ Products

December 2009: The City of Los Angeles switches to Google Apps in order to reduce expenses.

Google Wave

Google Wave is a new online collaboration tool, currently in beta release and open by invitation only.

Request an invitation to Google Wave