I just realized that I have completely transitioned myself out of using any sort of free email service (Gmail, Hotmail, etc.). One of the lures of free email used to be the cost associated with getting our own domain, along with hosting services, but thanks to mass consumer adoption and services like Google Apps for Domains, that no longer holds true.

If I am scared of spam, I just create a temporary email address on my domain; if I am scared of running out of storage, well, Google provides 2 GB!

Apart from my personal domain, I now use .Mac for almost everything else. It costs a lot, but is more than just an email service.

I wonder if this is going to be an increasing trend as people move away from free email services for personal communication.