OpenX (previously OpenAds), developers of another popular free ad server, recently made their concerns known. But in doing so they cleverly painted a picture of Google as Big Brother…placing doubt in the minds of readers about Google’s master plan. Normally I shrug this kind of stuff off, but their point resonated with me. It is in Google’s best interest to determine what margins are being earned on their web publishers’ properties – and reduce that margin to the lowest the market will bear.

Did it stop me from signing up for a test drive of Google Ad Manager? No. But will I think twice before managing all my ads with a Google product? Absolutely.

Side note: As conversionrater.com accurately points out, free has its price, and some businesses are looking for more than just a low price point. And just as Google Analytics shook up the analytics world (didn’t kill it, like some expected), Ad Manager will probably do the same. Competition can be a very good thing.

Using a free-mail account for your business e-mail is like handing out hand-written business cards. Sure, it’ll work, but does that mean you should do it?

E-mail is by far the most common form of business communication, so it makes sense that you should put your best foot forward during e-mail communications. Aside from buying your own domain name, using an e-mail address at that domain name is one of the easiest ways to polish up your professional image. Small business owners / employees who use free mail accounts (like Hotmail, Yahoo, and Gmail) for their business e-mail accounts are really missing the boat…but it’s so easy to catch up.

Take advantage of the opportunity to expose everyone to whom you send an e-mail to your brand (i.e.: jane.smith@mycompany.com). The more often people see your company name and domain name, the easier it is for them to remember it (and more importantly, the better chance they’™ll remember it when they’™re talking to other people).

Whatever reason you have for still using that old Hotmail address for professional communications (i.e.: mycompany@hotmail.com), be assured that the benefits of having an e-mail address with your own domain name do outweigh your reasons for sticking with free mail. Here are some reasons why people stick with free-mail – and the reasons those excuses are bunk:

1) But My “Free Mail” Account is Free: Sure it is. And guess what, so is an e-mail account at your domain name. Nearly every major registrar (GoDaddy, Network Solutions, etc.) gives you a free e-mail account with every domain name you purchase. But even better, Google Apps can now be configured to work with your domain name…meaning you can have the great Gmail e-mail interface with a “custom” domain name. And Google gives you the first 50 e-mail addresses free. So, there you have it – two other free options that allow you to use your domain name in your e-mail address.

2) But I Don’t Have a Website Yet: You don’t need a website to have an e-mail address – although you can set up one of those for free or cheap as well. All you need is a domain name ($9/year).

3) But I Don’t Want A Second E-mail Account: Of course. Why deal with more e-mail accounts than you need? Have your free-mail account forward all messages to your new @mycompany e-mail address and you won’t even skip a beat. Once you start replying to e-mails only from your new e-mail address, people will get the point. Meanwhile you will still receive any e-mails sent to your old address.

4) But I Don’t Know How to Set Up E-mail at My Domain: This might be the only semi-legitimate excuse on this list. But really, depending on the solution you choose (see #1 above), it should take less than an hour to set up a new e-mail account on your domain. Google Apps makes it pretty easy. But if you’re not comfortable editing your domain’s DNS settings, contact us – we can do it for you quickly and affordably.

Free mail accounts may get the job done, but so would hand-written business cards, and your brand deserves better.