In Search of Gmail

So I have, like many others it appears, been envious of the people who have been offered gmail accounts by Google. The storage size of 1,000MB and the ability to search your email Goggle style is very enticing. Goggle is basically my default homepage anyway. I start most of my web browsing from there and it is the only search engine I use. I even use it to search the Cisco website instead of Cisco's web search engine.

This means I really want a gmail account for myself. I'd like to test it out and see how it works. The curiosity is definitely there on my part. However, gmail is by invitation only and I have as of now not received an invitation from Google. So today when I read an article in the Houston Chronicle about gmail I was intrigued.

It seems like many coveted things on the internet there are websites sprouting up to meed the demand for gmail. On this very Google based blogspot, there is a gmail based blog. It is located at www.gmail4u.blogspot.com. The premise of this site is that you post and request a gmail invitation from an existing gmail user. If you are granted the invitation then you have to turn around and give an invitation to another poster on the site. Kind of a pay it forward approach. Rest assured my name is on the list there.

Another interesting site is www.gmailswap.com. This site lets people post what they are willing to do or give up for an invitation to gmail. There are definitely some interesting things being offered, like: homemade chocolate chip cookies, writing a song for you or writing poetry for you. Worth checking out. I haven't posted yet though, I'm not sure which of my "skills" to offer up.

We'll see if this comes to fruition. I'll post again later if and/or when I get a gmail invitation.