Do I need a professional email address?

1. 93

   Dreamhowlposted 9 years ago

   Do I need a professional email address?
   
   I currently have two email addresses - one with live.com that is attached to my Xbox Live gamertag, and is unprofessional, and another with gmail.com that has been functioning as both personal and professional. I use it to contact family and friends, but also have it listed on my resume and professional sites. It is already a combination of my first and last name. Should I have a separate email for professional purposes? How many email addresses do you have?

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2. 84

   Express10posted 9 years ago

   It is really your choice. You can have just one but it is common for people to have 2 - 4 email addresses. For a professional presence, you just need an email that is simple and does not reveal more than your name. You certainly would not want to have an email address that refers to sex, religion or political affiliations when you will be using it for professional purposes. Just using your name and a combination of numbers if your name is already in use will work just fine.

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   1. 93

      Dreamhowlposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks! As I try to make more of an online presence, I feel like I should have an email solely for contact about freelance and writing opportunities. Maybe I'll just make a different combination of my name for a new one.

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3. 0

   sheilamyersposted 9 years ago

   I agree with Express that it's really up to you. It used to be that people wouldn't consider you a professional if you used a gmail or hotmail account, but I think that's all changing because a lot more people are using them. As an author, I use a hotmail account and the name before the hotmail.com is the main character from my books, although my real name does appear in the block for who sent the email. In my mind, using one of the "generic" email accounts is no different than professionals who use PO boxes instead of giving out their street addresses. If I decided I wanted to use a different email account, I'd probably create one with my internet provider.

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   1. 93

      Dreamhowlposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Yeah, having one with gmail or hotmail was never as big as a problem, but when I got to college I made the gmail with a combination of my name. It is just a matter of deciding if I should make a separate one for freelance specific matters.

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   2. 0

      sheilamyersposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Now I see what you mean. If you want one specific to business, perhaps create one with like LastNameFreelancing at whatever dot com.

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