How to Make An E-Mail Address

An e-mail address should represent You.

Electronic mail, or e-mail, as it is widely referred to, began in the 1970s, but didn't become popular with the general public at large until the 1990s. Nowadays, it's hard to believe we ever lived without it. Most people are familiar with e-mail, and have set up at least one e-mail account to send and receive. But creating an e-mail address that is right for you at work or home can take a bit more consideration.

Here's a few tips on making an e-mail address that represents "You" best, whatever the situation.

Things You'll Need

• Internet
• E-Mail account

Instructions

1. 

   INDIVIDUALS: Many people opt to have several e-mail accounts for a variety of reasons. While an e-mail address of "[e-mail]" is okay to use to stay in touch with family and friends, it's probably not the best choice to use on a resume, or on contact info for any type of employment. In that type of situation, it's better to create an address that is basically just your name, such as "[e-mail]".

   Hence the reason for multiple accounts as your email address is a reflection of you. You, the job applicant as well as You, the mom, gamer, friend, or even online dater. You may also want to create separate email addresses for groups or forums that you belong to, especially if there is a lot of activity on that account.

2. 

   BUSINESSES: Most larger companies set up e-mail naming conventions for their employees, typically using some variation of first and last name @ companyx.com. If you are setting up e-mail addresses for your business, consider the functionality. For instance, creating email addresses for "[e-mail]" and "[e-mail]" allows some anonymity but provides your customers a way to send and receive information from your company. Most web hosting providers has packages that allow from 5-1000 different e-mail addresses, so it's a good idea to take advantage of their offering, and set up accounts for your business that are attached to a job or category, as opposed to a particular person. You can always create those as well, or re-direct "general" e-mail addresses such as "info@xxx" or "sales@xxx" to a particular employee's mailbox.

   For data collecting, having general email accounts can be an effective marketing tool too!

3. HOME-BASED BUSINESSES/SOLE PROPRIETORS: In my opinion, one of the most frequent mistakes I see Small Business owners make, is to use an email address that does not reflect their business or their website. Perhaps you are a Realtor working from home, and you've signed up for internet service through your local cable or phone company. You most likely have an e-mail address like "[e-mail]". While it may be more convenient for you to use this account for all your emails (personal and professional), it's not an effective marketing tool. You will be much better served to have a web page and an email address that coincides with your domain name (for example: [e-mail]).

   If you don't have a website or domain name, at the very least, consider using a web-based email account that you can sign up for free (Yahoo, Hotmail, Gmail, etc.) and create an address that is reflective of your business ([e-mail]).

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure you are satisfied with the email address you've chosen BEFORE you print out business cards or other marketing materials! It can be an expensive "redo" if you end up changing your mind.

• FOR SAFETY: Don't add personal details that can potentially flag web predators! Years ago, my 17-year old niece created this email address: [e-mail]. Her email account was flooded with porn and other derogatory emails, and since she showed her email address on her various Yahoo and Hotmail profiles, she was constantly emailed or IM'd by men twice her age. It was an innocent error: LA (her initials), FOX (because she loved motocross), 17 (yes, she put her age to let people know she was UNDER 18!). Parents beware.

Resources

• Gmail.com
• Yahoo Mail