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The people I know who use hotmail these days all love it. Unfortunately an @hotmail.com email address in my field is just instantly regarded as unprofessional

The people I know who use hotmail these days all love it. Unfortunately an @hotmail.com email address in my field is just instantly regarded as unprofessional and laughable.

mattgreenrocks 15y ago
It's strange how people talk about email hosts as if they mean something. By the same token, gmail.com is headed for the same fate eventually.
- sliverstorm 15y ago
  They do mean something. Not a lot, maybe, but your choice in email host is a reflection on you, the same as your choice in car or clothes or shoes.
  - mattgreenrocks 15y ago
    Ah yes, the belief that powers Western capitalism: your choice in trivial matters somehow becomes part of your perceived identity. What does it mean? Can you answer in a way that isn't couched in the fashion of the day? There was a time when a Hotmail account was not looked down upon. What makes this instant in time so different, besides fashion?
    - forensic 15y ago
      Hotmail ruined its reputation in a few ways, but the primary way was how they would embed advertisements in your emails. So if you receive an email from an @hotmail person, you also receive a cute little ad!
      - cdcarter 15y ago
        That, and it took a bit for Hotmail to catch up on having huge mailboxes. It used to be that if you weren't on gmail or a private provider, you probably couldn't handle getting 3-4 CAD files a day for weeks at a time.
    - deleted 15y ago
      [deleted]
    - endtime 15y ago
      What on earth does that have to do with capitalism? And what makes you think your choice of how to present yourself doesn't become part of how others perceive you? You might wish to read this: http://lesswrong.com/lw/yp/pretending_to_be_wise/ http://lesswrong.com/lw/yp/pretending_to_be_wise/
      - smhinsey 15y ago
        Excellent link. This phenomenon has been driving me up the wall on another site I frequent and that article captures it well.
      - mattgreenrocks 15y ago
        I don't see how the article applies here, as we're not discussing a matter of significance. Were we discussing something that affected people's lives, it'd be appropriate. But I was being deliberately irreverent towards the notion that one should take care to choose the 'right' email provider. After all, its a fucking email provider. It sends and receives email. That's it. To talk about it as if it is something to take seriously is goofy. Peace.
        sliverstorm 15y ago
        I wasn't advocating choosing the "right" provider (though you should certainly try to pick a good one, for your own sake!). I have simply found that people's technical competence generally (GENERALLY) corresponds to what domain they are using. It's an observation, not a fashion trend.
    - deleted 15y ago
      [deleted]
  - stoney 15y ago
    > your choice in email host is a reflection on you Actually my choice to use hotmail is a reflection of me X years ago when I created the account. It is also a reflection of the state of free web based providers X years ago. You don't know the value of X, which makes it difficult to draw any conclusions from my email address. I guess it's also a reflection of the current me in that I don't see the point of going through the hassle of ditching an email address just to have something slightly more trendy (and slightly more usable).
    - sliverstorm 15y ago
      See, I already learned something about you. Ditching an email address doesn't have to be a hassle. Tip: Hook your old and new accounts into Thunderbird with IMAP (IMAP is key. No POP3). Drag-and-drop your folders full of email from Old to New. Wait for it... you're done! Now turn on forwarding in your old email account, and never log in to it again.
jrockway 15y ago
What field?
- cdcarter 15y ago
  Live entertainment production, and arts administration.
a1k0n 15y ago
Out of curiosity, how does @hotmail.com compare to @live.com, or even @yahoo.com or @ymail.com in the perceptual hierarchy of free email providers?
51Cards 15y ago
I still have a Hotmail address as my 'spam catchall' address around the web. I've had it since probably 1998 and since a lot of old friends and accounts are still connected to it I'm not letting it go. It continues to serve its purpose well. I've watched Hotmail evolve over the years and honestly the current state of it is pretty good. Considering they are the #1 spam sink on the web I get virtually none in my in-box. Their interface is pretty slow at times but considering I don't live in there I don't mind. I wouldn't write off a Hotmail address as a 'joke' though.. some of those who still have them may have had them a long, long time.
revorad 15y ago
The people I know who use hotmail these days all love it. I couldn't tell if you were joking, so I just logged into my hotmail account after years. Wow, some things never change. What do your friends love more - the flashing banner ads or the Outlook-style frames with scrollbars?
synnik 15y ago
Oh, be serious. I still use my @hotmail.com account extensively. I've had it since before MS bought it, so I think it is more a sign of my longevity online than anything else. Most professional software engineers that I know feel the same way. My experience is that people who judge you by your email tend to be very young and inexperienced software folk.
- carbonx 15y ago
  I'm in the same boat as you as far as how long I've been using hotmail. I've been migrating more and more to gmail, but I've got that hotmail account tied to so much shit over the years, I'm not even sure what I'd be losing if I ditched it completely.

The people I know who use hotmail these days all love it. Unfortunately an @hotmail.com email address in my field is just instantly regarded as unprofessional and laughable.

mattgreenrocks 15y ago

It's strange how people talk about email hosts as if they mean something. By the same token, gmail.com is headed for the same fate eventually.

sliverstorm 15y ago
They do mean something. Not a lot, maybe, but your choice in email host is a reflection on you, the same as your choice in car or clothes or shoes.
- mattgreenrocks 15y ago
  Ah yes, the belief that powers Western capitalism: your choice in trivial matters somehow becomes part of your perceived identity. What does it mean? Can you answer in a way that isn't couched in the fashion of the day? There was a time when a Hotmail account was not looked down upon. What makes this instant in time so different, besides fashion?
  - forensic 15y ago
    Hotmail ruined its reputation in a few ways, but the primary way was how they would embed advertisements in your emails. So if you receive an email from an @hotmail person, you also receive a cute little ad!
    - cdcarter 15y ago
      That, and it took a bit for Hotmail to catch up on having huge mailboxes. It used to be that if you weren't on gmail or a private provider, you probably couldn't handle getting 3-4 CAD files a day for weeks at a time.
  - deleted 15y ago
    [deleted]
  - endtime 15y ago
    What on earth does that have to do with capitalism? And what makes you think your choice of how to present yourself doesn't become part of how others perceive you? You might wish to read this: http://lesswrong.com/lw/yp/pretending_to_be_wise/ http://lesswrong.com/lw/yp/pretending_to_be_wise/
    - smhinsey 15y ago
      Excellent link. This phenomenon has been driving me up the wall on another site I frequent and that article captures it well.
    - mattgreenrocks 15y ago
      I don't see how the article applies here, as we're not discussing a matter of significance. Were we discussing something that affected people's lives, it'd be appropriate. But I was being deliberately irreverent towards the notion that one should take care to choose the 'right' email provider. After all, its a fucking email provider. It sends and receives email. That's it. To talk about it as if it is something to take seriously is goofy. Peace.
      - sliverstorm 15y ago
        I wasn't advocating choosing the "right" provider (though you should certainly try to pick a good one, for your own sake!). I have simply found that people's technical competence generally (GENERALLY) corresponds to what domain they are using. It's an observation, not a fashion trend.
  - deleted 15y ago
    [deleted]
- stoney 15y ago
  > your choice in email host is a reflection on you Actually my choice to use hotmail is a reflection of me X years ago when I created the account. It is also a reflection of the state of free web based providers X years ago. You don't know the value of X, which makes it difficult to draw any conclusions from my email address. I guess it's also a reflection of the current me in that I don't see the point of going through the hassle of ditching an email address just to have something slightly more trendy (and slightly more usable).
  - sliverstorm 15y ago
    See, I already learned something about you. Ditching an email address doesn't have to be a hassle. Tip: Hook your old and new accounts into Thunderbird with IMAP (IMAP is key. No POP3). Drag-and-drop your folders full of email from Old to New. Wait for it... you're done! Now turn on forwarding in your old email account, and never log in to it again.

jrockway 15y ago

What field?

cdcarter 15y ago
Live entertainment production, and arts administration.

a1k0n 15y ago

Out of curiosity, how does @hotmail.com compare to @live.com, or even @yahoo.com or @ymail.com in the perceptual hierarchy of free email providers?

51Cards 15y ago

I still have a Hotmail address as my 'spam catchall' address around the web. I've had it since probably 1998 and since a lot of old friends and accounts are still connected to it I'm not letting it go. It continues to serve its purpose well. I've watched Hotmail evolve over the years and honestly the current state of it is pretty good. Considering they are the #1 spam sink on the web I get virtually none in my in-box. Their interface is pretty slow at times but considering I don't live in there I don't mind. I wouldn't write off a Hotmail address as a 'joke' though.. some of those who still have them may have had them a long, long time.

revorad 15y ago

The people I know who use hotmail these days all love it. I couldn't tell if you were joking, so I just logged into my hotmail account after years. Wow, some things never change. What do your friends love more - the flashing banner ads or the Outlook-style frames with scrollbars?

synnik 15y ago

Oh, be serious. I still use my @hotmail.com account extensively. I've had it since before MS bought it, so I think it is more a sign of my longevity online than anything else. Most professional software engineers that I know feel the same way. My experience is that people who judge you by your email tend to be very young and inexperienced software folk.

carbonx 15y ago
I'm in the same boat as you as far as how long I've been using hotmail. I've been migrating more and more to gmail, but I've got that hotmail account tied to so much shit over the years, I'm not even sure what I'd be losing if I ditched it completely.