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Google Apps for Your Domain |
Smiles, smiles, smiles! Google Apps for Your Domain is a free service that offers private labeled email, Instant Messenger, Event Calender, a WYSIWYG based web page creator and stuff. I guess its been online for over two months now. What I was looking out into it was the Gmail offered for the email service. :)
Who wouldn’t want your domain email to have all the features of and power packed into Gmail. So I signed up there and within a matter of an hour I was running my email on Google servers. 2GB of space and a hulluva features over SquirrelMail(the default mail webmail client on my server), its brought a smile.
The configuration doesn’t take much time at all. Just a MX entry change from your Domain/Hosting CP, and if you would like to have a custom page from your domain then a little CNAME settings that you will have to ask your host to do it for you. Or you can just redirect any subdomain. Once done you can use Google’s Gmail to send and receive your emails and also chat on Google Talk with that id.
Currently this service is free. This is what I just read on Google’s Official Blog:
If you’re from a larger business or university with more advanced needs for communications and sharing, please get in touch regarding premium versions of the service, due out later this year.
Also here is what their site says:
Organizations accepted by Google during the Google Apps for Your Domain beta period are eligible for free service for their approved beta users even beyond the end of the beta period, as described in the Terms of Service.
Hmm… that means there is always going to be an ad supported free version on the roll. May be they will offer their advanced services like Writely (their word processor) and Google Spreadsheets into more plans to be rolled out in future.
You can offer this service free to as many people, as you would like to use your domain email. While Google’s competitor Yahoo, offers a service for a single email at some 34.95 USD/Year and 10 email IDs for 9.95 USD/Month. Though all this is interesting, I don’t see big organizations resorting to a Google or a Yahoo to manage their email. Inhouse mail servers not only give companies a server-level defense against spam and virus attacks, but also provide the ability to back up e-mail at will.
But for all my needs for this blog’s email, this free service is way too impressive. And the word does count FREE :).
Wow, this is awesome! Finally Gmail without Gmail :D. As soon as my exams are over and I transfer my domain to my new servers I am signing up! :D
It’s available for individuals also right ?
Yes Rohit, its available for indivisuals. Once u signup, u r on their servers as long as Google-shwar Baba is :)
I got a domain and it sucks big time if it’s not for the email thing aseem.
U cant transfer the domain, you cannot redirect it.
Youre stuck with the kids stuff with Google.
I wouldnt really recomment it unless youre interested in the email thing.
Cheers!
Mani
hmm.. i didnt buy domain from their service… its just that i transferred my email to their servers.
Hello Aseem,
I had applied for Google apps registration, and had to confirm my domain. But in my control panel of domain provider(Indiatimes), there is NO options for changing CNAME available. So what i did is I I changed the NDS Sernvername to ghs.google.com. But still my site is not active. Do you have any idea?
Hi Ajith.. you just require to change the MX entry for your domain to ASPMX.L.GOOGLE.COM.
CNAME entry change is when you want your url to be branded to your subdomain/domain you configure for the service.
I have not had any domain with indiatimes. Dont know if they allow you to manage your MX entries. With other domain registrars you have to buy a DNS management service for your domain.
Aseem,
The MX entry is same as the Name Server Name? They listed out Name Server1,Name Server2 etc.
The only option i found is the Name Server entry :(
-Ajith
Nope MX entries are different to Name Server entries
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