Scott La Counte - Gmail For Seniors: The Absolute Beginners Guide to Getting Started With Email

Im going to go quickly through this chapter. Dont worry! This is just a high-level overview. Ill slow down in future chapters to drill a little deeper into different subjects.

One thing to note: this book only covers the desktop version of Gmail; the mobile version is very much the same, but there are a few extra thingsnotably swipe gestures. Once you understand the desktop version, you should have no problem with the mobile app.

First things first: How do you get an email? If you already have one, great! Skip this part! In fact, you might find yourself skipping around a lot. This book is for beginning and more experienced users alike, so if youve already been using Gmail for a while, then you may jump ahead.

As a side note, you can have as many email addresses as you likepersonally, I have a family one, a business one, and a bogus one (which I use to fill out forms for companies Im not sure if I trust). So if you already have one, feel free to create another!

To get started, go to gmail.com. Youll be greeted by a very simple webpage. Its asking you to sign in. How do you sign in when you dont have an account? You dont, obviously! Just click the Create account button under the sign-in box to get started. (Note: Anytime you need to access email after you have created an email, start at this page):

When you select Create account, its going to ask if its for yourself or a business:

If you select business, Googles going to sell you on having a business account. That lets you use Gmail, but have your companys @ extension. Many businesses use the free personal version for their businessespecially when theyre just getting started.

Next, fill out the Google Account info, and hit Next:

Remember I said an account could be bogus? Here I am creating one for Jonah Simms (in case you dont know, thats the name of a fictional character on the NBC show Superstore):

Turns out Im not the only person who is a fan of Jonah Simmsmy guess is there actually is a Jonah Simms in the world. In any case, my first choice for email is gone:

You might get the same error messagewith over a billion Gmail accounts out there, many usernames are taken. Just keep thinking of new ones until you find one thats not taken. I just added a number 2 to mine.

Next, Gmail will ask some more personal information about you:

Why do they want to know this? If you really want to know, click the hyperlink, and it will tell you:

Most the fields are optional. Even the gender field has an option for not sayingand one for creating a custom gender:

Privacy is big with Google. The next page has a very lengthy Terms of Service. Is creating a bogus account in violation of these terms? Feel free to read this lengthy legal document to find out!