Monday, July 18, 2011

Technical things

So, I still use Yahoo.

In the era of Gmail and Gchat and Twitter and The Cloud everything and whatever, it feels like a shameful secret. Like telling you I wear my underwear three days in a row.

Which I don't. Although when I was trekking in Nepal, I did wear the same clothes for a week straight without taking them off. Not my socks, not my undies. Because it was too damn cold.

I feel no shame.

So anyway, I change my underwear daily. And I use Yahoo.

I have a Gmail account - two of them, in fact. I've had them pretty much since Gmail accounts became available. And yet, for my primary email, I hang onto Yahoo.

I know it's so 1990s. People get judgy. I know, I know.

Plus, Gmail just works so much better. It's easier.

But here's the thing.

I have years and years of history in Yahoo. I have all these messages from my dad, messages I don't want to lose. But also, messages I can't handle going through, one by one, to forward to a new email. And I don't want to print them all out.

I just want to download my entire Yahoo account. And then move on. So I can keep it for when more time and distance has gone by.

You know how some things are like that?

13 comments:

  1. Rachel in Chicago7/18/2011 4:20 PM

    I totally understand you keeping the yahoo, I kind of do the same thing. But gmail offers a service to import stuff from other accounts so you don't have to pick/choose or print anything. Click on the little gear at the top right and go to mail settings. Then to Accounts and Import. Then the second option is there to pull in your contacts and mail from other email. Maybe this will help if you want to consolidate and/or simplify.

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  2. if you need help with this, give me a call...

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  3. I do understand. I've deleted two different email accounts and I am still sorry for the disappeared history.

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  4. Can you do this, download an entire email account into another? I'm on Yahoo! too and want to merge them.

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  5. No judgement. And I'm in I/T. The Cloud is a great place though.

    I love posts when you refer to trekking in Nepal. Oh to have your life experiences!

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  6. Yahoo wont let you forward or import to another email unless you use their paid account.

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  7. Um. My main email is AOL. Hello?!But here's my reasoning. And it's SOUND! I worked for the church, starting in 1995. I have have kids contact me on my aol account in the last 5 years, hoping I'm still there. AND I AM. So there. That's why I keep my aol account. That's why it's my primary. And I feel no shame. It's my only history.

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  8. I'm just like you - still hanging on to the yahoo account I've had for over 10 years. Two gmail accounts working on the side, but when it comes to giving out my email address, I always fall back to the comfortable old yahoo address. I've been surprised by the "does this address still work" messages I've received now and then. Fortunately, it's so easy to monitor email accounts on a mobile these days.

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  9. Another closet Yahoo user here! I've had the same e-mail address for FOREVER and people I haven't heard from in a lifetime will contact me hoping it's still my e-mail. And it is. If I moved, that wouldn't happen. Plus, I'm used to it, it works well and I like it. So there! :)

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  10. Rachel - This is EXACTLY what I need to do! Thank you!

    vvk - Thank you. You know I will. :)

    Lisa - I let a couple of the accounts I created for online dating go - although I'm sure they're an interesting archive. But I've never deleted a primary email address - that would be traumatic.

    Jennie - Apparently, yes! I haven't had time to try but I'm going to maybe this weekend.

    HK - Thanks for not judging! :) You're the one who turned me on to Google Docs, and I owe you eternal thanks.

    Anonymous - Thanks. A friend emailed and told me that it's $20. I'm OK with it if it means I can have it all in one place.

    Kate - Ah, yah, AOL is pretty stigmatized at this point, isn't it? :) That's the thing, though - once you've had an email for so long, you don't want to let go, because people pop out of the woodwork and email out of the blue.

    Keenie Beanie - I just want to stop checking so many places, you know? It's easy to get the email on my phone, but I want to just be in Gmail - so much easier for me.

    Cheryl - I love how we've been in the closet. It's silly to be embarrassed about...but I kind of am.

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  11. you-re not alone - i'm a hotmail loyal. and i don't care who knows it.
    in fact not only do i love it because of all the history sitting in there but because i've had it since high school and old friends can find me - which sounds silly except i received an email last month from someone i haven't talked to in 10 years and it was awesome to catch up!

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  12. hi my name is sb and i have a yahoo acct too...
    for a similar reason..
    i guess ill always have it...

    but..and maybe this will work for you...
    i have everything forwarded to my gmail...
    xoxo

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  13. I am totally a yahoo lady too. I use my google account to funnel potential junk mail. Everyone says google is awesome, but I kind of hate it. Mostly because it would require me to get used to something new, and yeah, that problem with all my saved emails that I don't want to get rid of or delete. So it goes.

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