The Case for Email Forwarding: Take Control of Your Online Identity

by Larry Franschman

We're online now, there's no turning back. And email is what we do most on the net. It's increasingly a part of our daily lives and our modern identity.It’s often preferred to a phone number when networking with new contacts.

Even so, most of us haven’t yet taken control of our email name, usually leaving that to our ISP or free provider. So our names are often long, meaningless and subject to change when we travel, change schools, jobs or internet provider.

Each time that happens we must notify our friends, family, clients, contacts, lists and others of our (latest) name, one by one, erasing the networking and recognition built up in our prior email name. And because email sent to an old account doesn’t normally get forwarded to your new address, mail often gets lost.

But your email address should be permanent and functional no matter where you are or who supplies your email. A portable email address is basic electronic self-defense, allowing you to seamlessly switch services or email providers at any time, based on merit or convenience, not forced allegiance, without any hassle, change of identity or missed messages.

There’s two ways to do this. First, you could get your own domain name and route your email through it, as an entrée to website ownership perhaps. This service usually costs about $35 per year and is offered by most reputable domain registrars. In Canada, your email name would be you@yourdomain.ca, for example.

Email forwarding is just a new name or alias for your current email account that works alongside your current address. A custom inbox and, if you synch your reply or return name, a complete email identity upgrade. All email sent to your new name is instantly redirected and appears in your current inbox or any other email account you choose. The cost ranges from free to about $30 per year, and some services offer features such as an auto-responder and the ability to use multiple email accounts with your new name.

Both email channeling and email forwarding are simple, powerful tools that offer a more memorable, personal and permanent identity. And each separates your email name from your provider, so travel and changes of address are masked and your name stays constantand follows you wherever you go.

The goal in developing www.our.ca is to reflect the promise that is our national internet street, our .ca domain, by offering honest, common sense utility for Canadians and others. We offer email forwarding, yourname@our.ca, online bookmarking so your favourite sites are also available anywhere you are and convenient links to all of Canada’s top newspapers in one place.

If you want a truly Canadian email name, your name at our dot-ca, get it at www.our.ca. Our email forwarding allows you to be you@our.ca. It makes a nice Canadian flag on your email backpack! It only takes a minute, there’s no obligation, we don’t ask for any personal information on our site and we don’t impose a limit on attachments or the number of emails you send and receive. And we don’t have access to view or alter anyone’s email.

CareerOwl members get 3 months free if they register before December 31, 2002. After that it’s only $12 per year. Just go to www.our.ca/careerowl, and also see our FAQ.

Larry Franschman
our.ca inc
www.our.ca

Larry Franschman attended York University and graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School (LL.B.) in 1987. He practices commercial litigation and real estate law at Toronto and is founder of www.our.ca and www.vote.ca.

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