You've Got Mail!

Or rather, you can get your own personalized email address!

This is thanks to AOL. They call it My eAddress. They will register a domain of your choosing so you can have your own personalized email address.

I, a rabbit, went ahead and became a guinea pig so you could decide if you want to do this yourself.

Now, we're not talking about an email address like whiterabbit801 (a) gmail.com, or (a) aol.com. We're talking about your very own domain, like whiterabbit801.com! AOL actually goes out and registers the domain for you. As you may have guessed, I selected the domain whiterabbit801.com. The first address I created for myself is tardy (a) whiterabbit801.com. Go ahead and write me! I'll reply!

It's actually pretty cool. But before you go off to do this, allow me to post a few caveats here. If you're still interested (and eligible) continue on to my instructions below.

Okay, the caveats.

• The domain becomes the property of AOL.com. They own it. That means if you come up with a really cool name, then later decide you want that name for your own website, well tough luck! AOL does say they will eventually have a way for you to transfer that name to yourself. Just not right now. OTOH, if you're willing to wait, and want a way to park a .com or .net domain name for FREE...
• You must have a cell phone capable of SMS. When you sign up, they ask for an SMS capable cell phone number. They send an activation code to that number. Now, if I were the paranoid type, I might think they were collecting cell phone numbers to sell off to advertisers and/or spammers. I guess only time will tell.
• You must have an alternative email address. This one is a little less clear. I typed in a legit address and they sent me a welcome email there. Perhaps they would not send the phone the activation code if the email bounced, but I just don't know. Also, could this be another way to harvest email addresses?
• Advertising all over the place. Of course, nothing in life is really free. This 'rule' certainly applies to free email. There are ads on the main AOL page, the main mail page, and ads embedded in the email you send (at least in the one email I sent).

So there are the things you might want to consider before signing up. Want my opinion? Skip down to the bottom of this post (the Conclusion) and I'll let you know...

Still with me? Okay, then. Here is how to sign up for your own personalized email address...

1. Go to AOL.com.
2. Now go to the bottom of the page and look for the box labeled 'Free from AOL'.
3. Under 'Right AOL for You', click on 'New AOL - Learn more'.
4. Roll your mouse over 'Personalized Email'.
5. On the right side of the window, click on 'Create My eAddress Now'.
6. Now follow all the directions and soon you'll have your very own personalized email address.

Oh, a couple more things...
Just in case you want to check your email, go to http://mail.aol.com. Your 'screen name' is the full email address you selected.
If you want to add more email addresses, go to https://myeaddress.aol.com. It asks for an email address and to tell you the truth, I don't know if you can reuse the one you signed up with or not. I didn't try it.

Conclusion
Personally, I'm not sure it's worth it. I think what really kills this 'deal' for me is the fact that your emails contain ads. I just hate that!

If I were you, I'd go and register your domain name at someplace like godaddy.com for $7 to $9. These registrars often have free email. Google is also beta testing (there's that word again!) a free mail system using your own domain name.