Gmail Invites

[Grifter]

Figured I'd start posting my unused Invites here for forums users to grab. I encourage others to do the same. I've got one extra right now, but I'm sure others will follow.

http://gmail.google.com/gmail/a-e38791d8c0-ce548b53c2

[highwizard]

Figured I'd start posting my unused Invites here for forums users to grab. I encourage others to do the same. I've got one extra right now, but I'm sure others will follow.

http://gmail.google.com/gmail/a-e38791d8c0-ce548b53c2

So who is "RedBot"?

[ck3k]

I got 3 left on one account and soon to have more, if you want one, email me at ck3k (atx) ck3k (dot) org

[ck3k]

I got 3 left on one account and soon to have more, if you want one, email me at ck3k (atx) ck3k (dot) org

zero now, hope ya'll enjoy, when i get more, i will say so, and all will be well

[haydenth]

I got three invites left, drop me an email at thayden <at> gmail <dot> com and I'll hook you up.

Update: i'm all out now

--
tom

[HyperCityGirl]

Privacy backlash against Gmail....

Twenty-eight privacy and civil liberties organisations, including the World Privacy Forum and the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, have urged Google to suspend its Gmail plan until privacy concerns are addressed.

Google last week said it would launch its own free email service, but drew criticism from privacy groups when it revealed plans to scan incoming messages so that appropriate ads could be placed on the page.

In a letter to Google the privacy groups request the search engine to clarify its written information policies regarding data retention and data sharing among its business units.

"Google's proposed Gmail service and the practices and policies of its business units raise significant and troubling questions," it said.

The privacy advocates expressed concern that Google has not set specific limits of how long it will retain user account, email, and transactional data, and has not set clear written policies about data sharing.

http://www.vnunet.com/news/1154174

[octalpus]

Twenty-eight privacy and civil liberties organisations, including the World Privacy Forum and the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, have urged Google to suspend its Gmail plan until privacy concerns are addressed.

http://www.vnunet.com/news/1154174

Yes, I think we all understand how Google is making money on this. Personally, I like it. Google has been keyword scanning since they began. Do a search on Google. Look at the right hand column. You'll find links related to your search. Google sells ad space based on keywords you enter in the search box. They're doing the same thing to the keywords in your inbox. I'd rather get small text ads about pet supplices and homeschooling materials (99% of the mail in my Gmail box is regarding one of those topics) than have them selling my address to porn spammers (a la Hotmail).

[Grifter]

I agree. If you're doing something so secretive that you don't want anyone scanning your messages so they can place keyword ads along the sidebar, use hushmail.

[skroo]

On a related note, people with spare gmail invitations they're intending to donate may want to check out http://www.gmail4troops.com/ - essentially, donate it to servicemen and women so that they can take advantage of the gigabyte of online storage to hold video and sound of family members, etc. Something to consider.

[TheCotMan]

Twenty-eight privacy and civil liberties organisations, including the World Privacy Forum and the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, have urged Google to suspend its Gmail plan until privacy concerns are addressed.... [chop]
http://www.vnunet.com/news/1154174

We had a discussion on #dc-forums the other day about gmail. I did some complaining and questioning and others responded. Here is some of what was discussed:

[Joke]gmail invitations come off a bit like like chain letters "You must send these out to X number of users for good luck or to get more"[/joke] gmail invitations are a purposeful artificial shortage designed to generate interest and hype in getting gmail accounts. It is a very good idea, and I am just jealous that I did not think of it first. ;-)

On a more serious note:

(Paraphrasing what i said on #dc-forums, examples were not included in original discussion)
I am starting to see how they may begin to profit from this model. from the invitations, google will be able to better link how people know each other, and to some extent, be able to assign a level of "like" based on the order in which gmail invitations are sent out to others.

This has some obvious advantages for market stragety and targetting a potential customer who might buy your product with ads for your product. Consider the following data-mining:

Gamil system notes that you receive a great deal of list information for Security Lists, so now gmail considers plastering your session screen with banner ads from companies selling security software, books on security from Amazon, and maybe other links related to home security or which prey upon people's insecurity like gas mask sales and duct tape.

Gmail system notices you are on a listserv that discusses various breeds of dogs, so now you are targetted for ads for pet supplies.

The ability to create directed weighted graphs of people's relationships with each other where edges weight specifies strength of relationship, could also be used to aid in targeted advertising. Consider the case where you have 5 friends who are on listservs for Travel, and these friends are rated by gmail as having strong likes to you, and you are rated as having strong likes to them. Now google may consider you to be a target for vacation ads and travel offers since your friends seem to do a lot of this as well.

The ability to create directed, weighted graphs for relationships becomes easier when you consider they can examine the frequency with which mail is sent to you by these people and from you to these people. Content can also be examined for keywords that suggest intimacy and level or kind of relationship. Maybe they notice certain keywords suggest you are engaging in a romantic relationship with another and corresponding through e-mail.... BAM! you get ads for sending flowers or candy... or maybe condoms. (heh heh)

Some have stated that google can just use orkut for this same thing. For this, I respond with the following:

Not everyone wants or desires an account on orkut. We do not need orkut. However, people who are on the Internet for any length of time generall have or want to have an e-mail account. A greater percent of the people who use the Internet have e-mail, but only a small percent has orkut. The sample space of Orkut is too small to really be effective.

From an academic perspective, google may be able to provide evidence of "7 degrees of separation" or maybe "9 degrees of separation" to help us see if it really does appear to work as people have theorized. Of course, it can't really be proven unless everyone is on the Internet, but it can be disproven if a counterexample can be found.

Gmail could also take the route that hotmail did, and sell to spammers the e-mail addresses of people who send e-mail to gmail accounts.

Of course the examples of searches which will also include ads with the found e-mail messages is another way they can make money.

Yes, there is a privacy issue, but I heard some good counter args to the above:

One user offered this: (paraphrased) (I want to cite credit, but don't want to print their name until I get permission)
I actually like the idea that I would see ads which take my interests into consideration when I am reading e-mail. There is a chance that an ad may show up for something that I really do want. Also, I would rather have a banner ad while reading my e-mail than have to deal with a message that was spam. (She offered more ideas than this, but these are very good points.)

Another user offered this: (paraphrased) (I want to cite credit, but don't want to print name unless I get permission)
Subscriptions to all of security focus' mailing lists in a gmail account should work great. There is nothing private in these, and it would be nice to have a quick search system and plenty of disk space to store all of the messages. I'll be able to free up several hundred Megs of disk space

Kry0NiK offered (paraphrased)
I understand what is stored in my gmail is at risk for privacy concerns, but I consider that in how I will use my gmail account. Obviously, I won't retain private data or encourage delivery of it to my gmail account.

I am still trying to think of other benefits google may have to financially gain on this offering and how else they might be able to make money, but the above counter statements are quite good.

[LiteHedded]

also http://www.gmailforthetroops.com/ skroo
it's a great idea for the gmail service

[Grifter]

CotMan, honestly I don't have time to read your replies. They're like a novel everytime. Where do you find the time to write them?

[TheCotMan]

CotMan, honestly I don't have time to read your replies. They're like a novel everytime. Where do you find the time to write them?

Have not been sleeping much and I have more time at home.

It is also difficult to be brief: When I start writing one thing, I think of exceptions and want to cover those as well, and a simple reply becomes "War and Peace."

(Hey! A short reply!)

[Edit: added more below]

Also, I tend to reply to questions and do not post much in the way of social comments here so much as I do in #dc-forums.

[haydenth]

Yeah, I've invited a lot of people, every once in a while they give you three more. I think they keep refilling it as long as you continue to invite people.

[TrymBeast]

Anyone has unused invites?