OT : Using gmail

[Michael Butash]

I use gapps for my business domain(s), and find it's a nice solution for 
most things.  Docs and drive have been great for multi-user 
collaboration, and work with several other companies now that use it for 
their businesses as well, far larger than mine.

Layering atop that, I use things like insightly for crm, switch.co for 
voip/ivr/employee numbers (works great in chrome, even on linux!), 
expensify, lucidchart (web visio replacement), and other things that all 
tie into the domain with oauth for universal namespace use.  Mostly due 
to enumerating employee accounts, working with contacts stored there, 
calendaring, etc.  Gapps makes it all together nice integration when 3rd 
parties integrate them well, and said examples tend to do so.

Sadly, you won't avoid "big brother" peeking in aside from hosting 
everything in a non-nato nation, and even then if they really want, 
they'll just have the cia threaten the foreign consulate to get what 
they want anyways as they have dirt on everyone already. Outside of some 
link to terrorism, or you're the next up and coming Enron, likely not 
much to worry about.

I still keep my personal email outside of gmail, just for some 
diversity, and don't really like the idea of having my personal info in 
google where they can/will harvest data off it whether they say so or 
not.  That and the whole "all eggs in one basket thing", so I leave it 
outside, at least for now.

I do need to find a new email provider, after my last round of working 
at godaddy, don't really like the thought of keeping my data (or 
domains) there anymore any more than putting it into google for them to 
analytically harvest.  All the new mgt there are ex microsofties, so 
they're intent to sell the company soul to M$, and were going to 
migrate/sell ALL customer email to office365 for service/license 
discounts (hosting/rev share), where I will NOT use an exchange-based 
system.  Any linux support is still shite with o365, even internally 
migrations there for corp use were as much a disaster moving to it when 
they did.  Luckily they backpedaled on that at the time, and kept their 
existing platform, for now so I stayed until my current renewals end (soon).

Helps my gd account is so old, and entwined with my ancient employee 
account I get a bunch of stuff for free because they can't figure out 
how to unentangle them.  ;)

HTH

-mb


On 06/09/2015 11:05 AM, Keith Smith wrote:
>
>
> Hi,
>
> I have an email with gmail that is in the form of 
> my-domain at gmail.com.  This is a new website I am configuring and I 
> have several google features or services configured with the gmail 
> account such as webmaster tools, you tube channel, G+... etc.
>
> I was thinking of using this gmail account as one of my main accounts 
> and utilizing the calendar, doc, etc.  I will be focusing mostly on 
> this new website and it is for my business.  I already have 
> my-name at my-domain.com to use for business purposes.  I was thinking 
> the gmail calendar and docs might a be nice addition.
>
> I know Google is the biggest of the big brothers and I do not like 
> them for that reason.  I was wondering if anyone else was using gmail 
> in earnest and what feedback... suggestions... etc you might have.
>
> Thanks!!
>