Google Apps for domains

It has been a while since I posted anything, that's for sure - but I'm finding it difficult to make time for things like blog posts these days. It seems if I'm not at work or chasing Liam around then I'm desperately seeking sleep. I stopped running a while back (while I was fighting off a cold) and have been meaning to get back into it but that hasn't happened yet. Perhaps that is contributing to my feeling of everlasting exhaustion.

One of the things I have managed to do is to set up Google Apps for my haggerty.ca domain. I've been holding onto the domain now for a couple of years but haven't really done anything with it. I recently saw something about Google Apps for domains being free so I checked it out. I think Dave and I had checked it out previously but at the time there was a stipulation that you had to have registered your domain with Google to use the service. Things have changed and you can set it up for any domain now - provided you have the ability to change the records associated with your domain. Anyways, what I've set up is an email address for everyone in my family (or at least those that want one) with the haggerty.ca domain.

The interface is exactly like Gmail, but you have an option to re-brand it. I've temporarily changed it from Gmail to Hmail but I'm not convinced Google would be pleased with my blatent copying of their logo so I think I'll have to change that soon. In addition to email, you also get calendars, docs and chat. Basically you can sign into most google services using your Google Apps for domains login. There are also some default sharing levels set up such that it's easy to share calendars and docs with other members of the domain, which is nice. I had been telling my brother a while ago that he should get himself a Gmail account, but since I set this up, I was able to give him the equivalent product but with a much better email address. :)

Since I really didn't want to give up my Gmail address or even send out one of those "my email address has changed" emails, I just decided to use POP to consolidate all my email at the new location and am now just sending email from the new address. I figure eventually people will just start using the new email address (or reply to messages I've sent from there), and if they don't - it doesn't really matter since I'm getting all my old Gmail email at the same place anyways.

All this to say that I'm very impressed with Google Apps for domains and would recommend it to anyone out there who has their own domain.