[Dan Frakes]

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My major concern, though, would be that what is the use of a 1GB account if it is bombarded with a sort of demographically-controlled spam?

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I don't think you're quite understanding how Gmail works. You don't get spam (email message) advertisements. Rather, you get small text ads on the right-hand side of the Web page as you're reading mail. To see what I'm describing, go to Google.com and do a search for something; on the results page, the very right will have a few text ads. Those are what you'll see when using Gmail's Web interface.

[anapplemacphreak]

Well, I will have to use it first. I have no idea what this is going to be like, So I am not getting my hopes up yet, But from the way that they are advertising it, It seems pretty decent.
Don't get sucked into thinking this is the best service out there. But if it keeps going on like this, Then this will put a 40 foot log up Yahoo's ass (Their free service offers 4MB's of free storage space)
Mike

[sereluna]

A gigabyte of storage is useful, for sending multi-megabyte attachments across the globe. And as for the advertising - all free email companies bombard you with it, only usually it's in the form of flashing pictures, which are far more distracting than text. I'll try it, but if they make you pay for POP downloading I shall stick with my ISP for most things.
Everyone's going to get themselves an account, just because it's been talked about so much.

[charlieartist]

Thanks for the clarification!
But, couldn't this have the potential for going overboard? Sort of like a layout/piece of architecture with too many elements?
It will be interesting to see how this will unfold!

[g4cubed]

1st post /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif Hello to all
They just came out with support for safari. But I won't be using it. This seems to be to much like big brother watching me. I don't know what else they scan for besides for ad purposes. Besides I like all the features that come with .mac

[d00d]

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I don't know what else they scan for besides for ad purposes.

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It's all part of their user agreement.
I just don't get all the paranoia. Google is disclosing exactly what happens and how it works. Meanwhile, everyone completely trusts Microsoft and Yahoo not to read their email.
Does anyone realize that the processing that's done on your mail at Hotmail or Yahoo for spam filtering purposes is the same type of processing done when Google generates ads to go along with your email? I mean really, it's the same exact thing. Why didn't privacy adovocates get up in arms about that?

[g4cubed]

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Does anyone realize that the processing that's done on your mail at Hotmail or Yahoo for spam filtering purposes is the same type of processing done when Google generates ads to go along with your email?

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I was unaware that the spam filtering was done in this way /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif I guess I should have checked it to it more.
Thanks for the info, d00d

[d00d]

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I guess I should have checked it to it more.

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Not really. The problem is all the "privacy experts" coming out of the woodwork "alerting" people to the "problem" of GMail. I think they caused this big uproar for personal gain (fame, and I wouldn't be surprised if they had monetary interests in Microsoft or Yahoo).
Both techniques parse your email for specific words or phrases in certain frequencies. In the case of spam filtering, it makes a simple binary decision: spam or not spam. In the case of Google, it's a little more complex as the frequency of certain words eventually translates into a specific ad being chosen. I think most people mistakenly think that Google's employees are sitting at computers reading your email and slapping ads on the messages. That's not the case at all. Google has already stated no actual person reads the emails on their end.
This point is fairly moot for me however, as I use .Mac because I want IMAP access to my email instead of using a web based interface.

[g4cubed]

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I think most people mistakenly think that Google's employees are sitting at computers reading your email and slapping ads on the messages.

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I can't believe that some people would think this, especially with the way companies are downsizing.

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Both techniques parse your email for specific words or phrases in certain frequencies. In the case of spam filtering, it makes a simple binary decision: spam or not spam. In the case of Google, it's a little more complex as the frequency of certain words eventually translates into a specific ad being chosen.

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I guess it's the complexity that bothers me, that each word is looked at in a different way, just not spam/not spam. But you're right that these other companies are going to start if not already doing it. I guess when I was laid up in bed for a few months I watched to much tv /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif (no laptop to use). Though these movies were kinda lame it makes you wonder.
.MAC RULES!!! /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[LokiSnake]

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I can't believe that some people would think this, especially with the way companies are downsizing.

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Perhaps he thinks that google hires people in India to read our email... /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

[g4cubed]

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Perhaps he thinks that google hires people in India to read our email...

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I wouldn't worry as much then....
They can't speak english that good, so why should they know how to read it /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

[Dan Frakes]

In reply to:

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But, couldn't this have the potential for going overboard? Sort of like a layout/piece of architecture with too many elements?

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Since so few people have seen Gmail in action, here's an example. A few days ago I wrote a fictional "test" message and sent it to myself and a friend to show someone what Gmail looked like. The message talked about Macworld Expo in Boston, and mentioned a popular Boston hotel. (I figured those were specific enough items that they would generate advertisements.)
Here's the screenshot of the message as viewed in Gmail: link to picture
Notice the ads on the right-hand side (under "Sponsored Links") that were clearly targeted because they refer to the Park Plaza hotel.
(Hopefully Gmail won't cut me off for this /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif )

[rockinphotog]

So Dan, in Gmail next to the Forward button at the bottom, there is a "Invite xxx to join Gmail". Can you refer others as Beta testers? Is this feature working yet? I sure would like an account before the names become hard to get.

[dcipjr]

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They can't speak english that good

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Ummmmmmmm.....nah, it's just too easy. /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif