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Large Web Host Urges Customers to Use Gmail

Posted by timothy on from the conceding-loss dept.

1sockchuck writes "LA hosting company DreamHost, which hosts more than 700,000 web sites, is encouraging its customers to use Google's Gmail for their e-mail, rather than the DreamHost mail servers. DreamHost is continuing to support all its existing e-mail offerings, but said in a blog post that email is "just not something people are looking for from us, and it's something the big free email providers like Yahoo, Microsoft, and Google can do better." DreamHost addresses a question about Google that has vexed many web hosting companies: is Google a useful partner, or a competitor that intends to make "traditional" web hosting companies obsolete? In this case, partnering with Google offers DreamHost a way to offload many of its trouble tickets, reducing the support overhead. Is Google starting to make web hosts less necessary?"

5 of 436 comments (clear)

  1. it's all about the SPAM... by timjones · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I'm a very small webhost provider (< 20 domains), and for me, it was a no brainer to get all my customers to get GMail for Domains, point all their MX records to Google, and wash my hands of the SPAM. I use it for all my personal domains as well. Google does a far better job of SPAM filtering than I ever could with SpamAssassin and the blacklists thing... and for this small set of users (< 50 people total), it just wasn't worth it. My tech life got a lot easier when I decided I wasn't going to mess with email anymore, just like the day I decided I was going to ignore Microsoft's APIs. Both are losing propositions in the extreme. So, for me, Google is a VERY useful partner. And I like their web/chat interface too, both the browser version and the mobile edition, which I access from my Treo 650.

  2. Re:Webmail by mweather · · Score: 5, Insightful

    For me, GMail equals unprofessional. It equals Mom and Pop. It means you can't even afford to run your own mail server or have someone do it for you. It means not knowing if the person I'm dealing with is really associated with the domain or the business in question. Last I checked, you could pay for Gmail and use your own domain name.
  3. Re:Webmail by jafuser · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It means that my communications are being scanned by a third party, and that I should self-censor accordingly. If your mail passes through the USA, this is unavoidable.
    --
    Please consider making an automatic monthly recurring donation to the EFF
  4. Re:Webmail by ibmjones · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It means that my communications are being scanned by a third party, and that I should self-censor accordingly.

    Most email are sent plain-text, so it doesn't take much effort to scan the contents. That is why you use PGP. :)

  5. Re:We switched to gmail. by Snocone · · Score: 5, Insightful

    For your sake, I hope your company doesn't have any trade secrets.

    For your sake, I hope you're not stupid enough to think that your company's trade secrets are safe in email that doesn't go through gmail...