Cheapest Acceptable Quality Business Cards

If you have a domain name, it takes 2 seconds to set up a dedicate email address and forward that to your gmail account. I have 4 redirects into my one gmail account. No one knows that but me. Looks way more professional with a dedicated email and web address. Shows one actually took the time to consider their branding and cares about their business in that way rather than take the cheap way out and go with a free address. Do I want the person I hire to take the cheap way out? Or the person that takes pride in their business? Easy choice for me. My opinion only.

Gmail even offers business names that mask the gmail address.

I don't think I'd mind not being hired by someone for whom my email address is a deal-breaker. I mean, good riddance. Really.

cory1848 wrote in post #11271448
If you have a domain name, it takes 2 seconds to set up a dedicate email address and forward that to your gmail account. I have 4 redirects into my one gmail account. No one knows that but me. Looks way more professional with a dedicated email and web address. Shows one actually took the time to consider their branding and cares about their business in that way rather than take the cheap way out and go with a free address. Do I want the person I hire to take the cheap way out? Or the person that takes pride in their business? Easy choice for me. My opinion only.

Gmail even offers business names that mask the gmail address.

Never knew that !!! Thanks..MY domain provider email program sucks and gmail is much better

scorpio_e wrote in post #11272138
Never knew that !!! Thanks..MY domain provider email program sucks and gmail is much better

I have never used my domain providers email, they all suck. Just set up the email as a forward. Then set it up on gmails end. Once it is set up, you can select which address you want to reply from.

The only downside is that gmail's servers tend to be really slow in pushing email from a redirected domain. For instance, if someone sends me an email to cory@gmail.com, it arrives almost immediately. If they send it to cory@fixedfocus.us, that get redirected to gmail but sometimes can take up to 30 minutes to come through. You can manually force it to retrieve emails though through gmail.

Actually, if you have a domain name, you can set up google apps email.

http://www.google.com/​apps/intl/en/group/ind​ex.html

It's essentially domain-based gmail, and it works great.

I have to admit that I also judge professionals on their email addresses until I get to know them better. If I see an aol email address, I'll assume they're amateurs or casual freelancers.

cdifoto wrote in post #11271673
I don't think I'd mind not being hired by someone for whom my email address is a deal-breaker. I mean, good riddance. Really.

I will gladly take that business from you then... Good to know you are doing so well that you can turn away business.

SirStuey wrote in post #11272358
Actually, if you have a domain name, you can set up google apps email.

http://www.google.com/​apps/intl/en/group/ind​ex.html

It's essentially domain-based gmail, and it works great.

$50 per user per year? Am I reading that right?

cory1848 wrote in post #11272371
I will gladly take that business from you then... Good to know you are doing so well that you can turn away business.

You can have the PITAs.

cory1848 wrote in post #11271448
If you have a domain name, it takes 2 seconds to set up a dedicate email address and forward that to your gmail account. I have 4 redirects into my one gmail account. No one knows that but me. Looks way more professional with a dedicated email and web address. Shows one actually took the time to consider their branding and cares about their business in that way rather than take the cheap way out and go with a free address. Do I want the person I hire to take the cheap way out? Or the person that takes pride in their business? Easy choice for me. My opinion only.

Gmail even offers business names that mask the gmail address.

+1. My business email address is info[at]@fayebernoulli​[dot]com and it forwards to my main Gmail account (along with 3 other email addresses).

As for cards, I recently had a batch done from MPix-- I wanted to see the quality of their linen paper. Though the 100 lb paper was a bit thin for my taste, I actually like them!

cory1848 wrote in post #11272382
$50 per user per year? Am I reading that right?

Standard edition is free. "Premium edition" is $50 per year per user.

cory1848 wrote in post #11271448
If you have a domain name, it takes 2 seconds to set up a dedicate email address and forward that to your gmail account. I have 4 redirects into my one gmail account. No one knows that but me. Looks way more professional with a dedicated email and web address. Shows one actually took the time to consider their branding and cares about their business in that way rather than take the cheap way out and go with a free address. Do I want the person I hire to take the cheap way out? Or the person that takes pride in their business? Easy choice for me. My opinion only.

Gmail even offers business names that mask the gmail address.

I considered that, but that would also forward the SPAM. Gmail does a pretty fine job of keeping SPAM from dinging my phone while dinging my phone with real emails instantly so I can reply promptly to all inquiries.

Besides, once you respond to your forwarded email your gmail address is revealed and the jig is up that you're taking the cheap way out anyway.

Sure, I could set up an EXCHANGE server for $$$ to get instant emails and get spam filtering for $$ and hopefuly configure it properly to be effective and so on and so forth but really nobody actually cares whether your email is you@yourbusiness.com or yourbusiness@gmail.com.

I'm one of the higher paid photographers in my area and it's not because of my email address. In fact, email is my second least used communication method, with voice calls being at the bottom.

cdifoto wrote in post #11273169
I considered that, but that would also forward the SPAM. Gmail does a pretty fine job of keeping SPAM from dinging my phone while dinging my phone with real emails instantly so I can reply promptly to all inquiries.

Besides, once you respond to your forwarded email your gmail address is revealed and the jig is up that you're taking the cheap way out anyway.

Sure, I could set up an EXCHANGE server for $$$ to get instant emails and get spam filtering for $$ and hopefuly configure it properly to be effective and so on and so forth but really nobody actually cares whether your email is ou@yourbusiness.com or ourbusiness@gmail.com.

I'm one of the higher paid photographers in my area and it's not because of my email address. In fact, email is my second least used communication method, with voice calls being at the bottom.

First impressions do matter, but for pros like you, customers will have already formed an opinion before they see your email addess. For those whose customers see an email address before a portfolio, having an @aol.come mail address can influence potential customers in a negative way.

After initial contact and a good impression is formed, it doesn't matter as much if someone has an @aol address or an @whitehouse.gov.

cdifoto wrote in post #11273169
I considered that, but that would also forward the SPAM. Gmail does a pretty fine job of keeping SPAM from dinging my phone while dinging my phone with real emails instantly so I can reply promptly to all inquiries.

Besides, once you respond to your forwarded email your gmail address is revealed and the jig is up that you're taking the cheap way out anyway.

Sure, I could set up an EXCHANGE server for $$$ to get instant emails and get spam filtering for $$ and hopefuly configure it properly to be effective and so on and so forth but really nobody actually cares whether your email is ou@yourbusiness.com or ourbusiness@gmail.com.

I'm one of the higher paid photographers in my area and it's not because of my email address. In fact, email is my second least used communication method, with voice calls being at the bottom.

Not true. You also set up your business/outside email address on the Gmail side, and when you're composing/replying to an email, you can choose which address to reply from.

If spam is indeed forwarded, Gmail does a great job of filtering that out (like you said), even if it's coming from an outside email address.

fayebernoulli wrote in post #11274056
Not true. You also set up your business/outside email address on the Gmail side, and when you're composing/replying to an email, you can choose which address to reply from.

If spam is indeed forwarded, Gmail does a great job of filtering that out (like you said), even if it's coming from an outside email address.

Are you sure about that? Wouldn't gmail assume you want to determine for yourself what's spam and what isn't, since it's forwarded (ie coming in at your command) and not coming in direct/unsolicited? I get so much spam that I haven't wanted to risk trying it.

cdifoto wrote in post #11274075
Are you sure about that? Wouldn't gmail assume you want to determine for yourself what's spam and what isn't, since it's forwarded (ie coming in at your command) and not coming in direct/unsolicited? I get so much spam that I haven't wanted to risk trying it.

Pretty sure. I just checked my spam folder right now and Gmail filtered out some comments from WordPress. Time to put it on my safe list.