How email became my worst nightmare.

Holy Crap!  What a mess.   I'm 66 years old and you would think I'd know better than to let something like this happen.  What happened you ask?   I changed internet providers.   I dumped Comcast...is that cheering I hear?  Comcast finally got some "real" competition here in town...Fiber to the home service, fast stuff, much faster than cable even, and a promise of good customer service.   So far my speed tests have verified what Metronet has promised, at least as far as the speed....and the service is cheaper than Comcast.  It comes with up to seven new email addresses....woo-hoo~!

So here is the problem, and it is one that has been building ever since I first got Comcast and opted to use a Comcast email instead of one of the big, free, online email services like gmail or Yahoo or MSN, AOL, etc.  Actually I did get a gmail address around 2008 and I used it on occasion, mainly I thought of it as a back up service in case something happened with Comcast.  Every time I signed up for a newsletter, or joined some online service I gave them the comcast email.   When businesses asked for my email I gave them the Comcast address, when I made a political donation I gave them the Comcast address, when I ordered something online I gave them my Comcast address,  everyone I've corresponded with since about the year 2005 has my Comcast address, friends, relatives, business associates, everyone.  

Ok...all you smart people out there can start laughing now.   I can see you shaking your heads, wondering how I could have been so dense.  I deserve it...

Of course this very issue is probably the reason all the internet providers out there offer "free" email...  like a worm on a hook...once you swallow it, and especially if you use it for a long time then switching away from that internet service company is going to be very painful...and they know that. They want it to be painful to leave.

I've spent the last four days going through my contacts folder....deleting a lot of old ones, addresses for people I have no idea who they are or why I have their addresses in my contacts....Those I recognize I've been sending a change of address email, directing them all to the gmail account.   I've also been going through all the newsletters, and services where my email is used, making changes on those I want to continue to receive....and smugly ignoring those who I don't want to hear from again.

I did set up a couple of address boxes with the new server...one will be used only for a small handful of the companies that I wish to still get advertising from, or daily news headlines, political or financial commentary and the other is reserved for junk...if I make a political donation that special email address will be used...it will be a box that I can look at occasionally, and then just delete the entire contents. If the hardware store wants my email I'll probably tell them NO, but if they insist, well, they will get that special address. robjnk@newprovider.com  It will be my email version of a "drop-gun".

I will probably forget changing something, or someone, but I'm getting most of them and even at age 66 I'm still capable of learning a lesson the hard way.  If you too want to prevent a nightmare like this, do as I say, not as I do.