Ask HN: Why should I get email at my own domain?

5 points by nahcub 9 years ago | 3 comments

vs. something like Gmail or Hotmail. What are the advantages? Disadvantages?

tlb 9 years ago |

I have @tlb.org, which was available when the internet was young. I send and receive through gmail.

- it's one more thing I have to remember to renew every couple of years. Not renewing would be a disaster, since everyone has that address.

+ I can switch email providers without changing my email. I used to run my own server (which was a hassle), and could again, but gmail is pretty convenient.

+ It's slightly shorter to dictate on the phone

+ I don't like sticking someone else's brand on my public identity. Gmail is a fine brand, but not mine. Some other brands (@hotmail.com) have, at least in the past, had a connotation of noobishness.

paulpauper 9 years ago |

advantages: no snooping, no deletions , no annoying lockouts if your IP changes, no adds, much less confusing the layout, much better spam filtering, looks more professional, better customer service

disadvantages: monthly or yearly fee, possible downtime issues, more work to set it up

LinuxBender 9 years ago | |

I agree with all of this.

I would add that if you host your own server, then your email is your property. On google, it's their property and they can discontinue their service and purge all content if they so desire. (Not that they would, just saying they could)