Now that you’re auditing your online account security, log into your Google account(s) and visit the Account Recovery Options page. Here you can update your secret question and answer, your secondary email address, and even associate your mobile phone number with your account so you can get a password recovery code via text message. (Just a tip: don’t set your Google Voice number as the phone number or automatically forward mail from your secondary email accounts to your Gmail account–if you do, in the event that you lose your password, the recovery process won’t work.)
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Host Your Domain Email at Gmail (Without Forwarding)
Posted on October 3, 2009
If you already own a domain name like yourname.com, you want to use your personalized email address–but you don’t want to advertise to the world you’re forwarding to and sending those messages from Gmail. While you can manage multiple email accounts inside Gmail by using forwarding, the POP fetcher, and different reply-to addresses, there’s an easier way–especially for groups like your family or small business. Google Apps Standard Edition (formerly known as “Google Apps for Your Domain”) can host your personal email at Gmail, but without tying you to a gmail.com address for free. Obviously you’ll need a domain to use this service, which will cost something to register. When you sign up for a Google Apps account, you’ll have to set your domain name’s email MX record to point to Google’s servers (you’ll get instructions on how to do that when you sign up). Once that’s done, you’ve got Gmail behind your personalized domain name. The Google Apps Standard Edition includes Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Docs, and Google Sites (for simple web pages).
There are two main advantages to using Google Apps (for your domain). 1.) You can easily create other users at your domain. If my email is gina@example.com, and I’m the domain administrator, I can set up addresses for my co-workers or softball team members too and make jack@example.com and jill@example.com accounts. Then everyone at my domain can collaborate on documents and a shared calendar easily. 2.) If you decide you don’t like Gmail anymore? Just point your MX record to another host and you’re done. Your email address never changes, like it would if you wanted to bail on your you@gmail.com address. Back when it used to be called “Google Apps for Your Domain”, I explained more in detail how it works over at Lifehacker with some screenshots, then later at a post at HarvardBusiness.org. Check ‘em out:
How to Make Your Small Business Look Big [HarvardBusiness.org]
Ask Lifehacker: What Does Google Apps for Your Domain Actually Do? [Lifehacker]