What's Behind Gmail's Popularity? By Steve Bass, PCWorld Jun 16, 2004 1:00 AM

Since my two columns on Gmail posted online ("Is Gmail the Hotmail Killer?" and "Test Drive of Google's Gmail"), I've had tons of reader questions, found some innovative Gmail-related sites, and seen a funny Gmail cartoon. Even my editor, stodgy character that he is, asked if I could finagle an account for him. [Private note to editor: Remember that raise we talked about in 1997?]

But to give you a feel for the buzz Gmail is creating, I want you to see the cartoon first off.

Dig This: Gmail as babe magnet? If you're wondering why I'm enjoying my Gmail account, you probably haven't seen The Joy of Tech yet. It'll clear things up immediately.

Why All the Fuss?

Gmail has all the blessings of a good news story: There's the privacy controversy, plenty of glitter around the 1GB of storage, and the fact that it's new and not available to the general pubic. Even if you know someone with Gmail, you're not guaranteed an in: Not every account has the magic "Invite a friend to join Gmail!" link.

Then there's Yahoo's reactive announcement offering a gigabyte of storage, and unlimited storage (whatever that might be) to users paying an annual fee. You can get the details in "Yahoo Boosts E-Mail Storage."

On top of that, Gmail's PR machine is going full throttle. For instance, some accounts (mine included) showed 10000000MB of storage--that's 1 terabyte--for a short time. Gmail calls it a bug. I think it's a brilliant way to get press.

Talking about publicity, I had my two days of fame when my newsletters were linked on Google's News site. My mom just couldn't get over that.

Another Competitor

BTW, I tried Spymac, which I mentioned in a previous column. This free Web-based e-mail service also offers 1GB of storage. The site's infused with a Mac look, with cute doodads and adorable toggle switch icons. If you can put up with the kitschy look, you might be interested: Spymac offers 250MB of storage for images, 100MB of Web space, and other freebies.

Dig This: Got a deadline? Need a break and just want to space out? Try watching "Recursive" for a while. Wondering how it's done? The creator was kind enough to provide instructions.