HOOK, LINE AND SINKER
A few days ago, VC Paul Kedrosky had written a great letter to Google:
"Yo Google, Gmail accounts are too small.
Yes, 2.7 GB might seem like a lot, but having set Gmail to be an online archive of all of my email -- everything gets forwarded through there, thus making it web accessible -- I have spiked up to 286 MB (11% of capacity) in a scant three months. At this rate I will have hit the limit on my Gmail account within a little more than two years.
Why can't I buy more Gmail storage? I want 10 GB, or maybe a terabyte. Honest, I'm good for it."
I totally concur with Paul. In 2005, I saw Google's Gmail become an integral part of my email experience. NOT my Google email address themselves, BUT the easy to use, massive storage capability of Gmail, along with the slick, easy way to access the service from any browser anywhere. Gmail in that regard is a Thriller! service in my book.
Yahoo! by the way, still makes you pony up for a "Mail Plus" account to go from 1 gigabyte to 2 gigabytes of storage, for $20 or so a year.
As a result, like Paul, I've taken to forwarding all my main email addresses into multiple Gmail accounts and can totally see a time when 2 Gigabytes will not be enough.
Googlefolks of course are smart enough to realize this...in fact are likely counting on folks like Paul and me to get "hooked" on their easy, inexpensive, freely available online storage, with the POSSIBLE hope of getting us to pay up for far more storage. It's a strategy that's hundreds of years old.
Well, I'm psychologically ready for that hit in 2006. I see the various possibilities and appeal of ubiquitous, online storage and can't wait to get more.
Not to be a kill joy, but based on recent history, I'm not sure storing all of your old e-mails is a good idea ;-)
Posted by: Bill Burnham | Tuesday, January 03, 2006 at 12:03 PM