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The Three Email System

Email is one of the most used forms of communication in the world. Many people just have one email address, which they use for everything. This may not be the best idea, though. For example, your email address may have your real name in it. Every time you sign up for a service or a website you are giving them your full name through your email address. Even if you use an alias for your email, most of the time when you have to communicate professionally or academically, it’s best to just use your real name. When you use an alias for professional communication, it’s going to be quite odd for whomever is emailing you (see this reddit post). One exception to this is when you do freelance work online and you don’t want to give up your name to anyone who hires you.

I’d like to propose the three email (address) system. You use:

  • one address for signing up for accounts,
  • one address for professional communication where you use an alias,
  • and one address for professional communication where you use your real name.

This system separates each need into its own email address. This would allow for easier organization and better communication when using email.

An example of an email address used for accounts could just be <alias>@<email-provider.com>. You could then use a email using a different provider or, better yet, an your own domain, for professional communication through an alias (for example, email@<alias>.com). For professional or academic communication where you would use your real name, you could use <firstname>.<lastname>@<email-provider>.com. I recommend not using Gmail for this because Google is not to be trusted with your full name.

Fun fact: a lot of colleges and universities give alumni-labeled email addresses to alumni for free. If you get one, you could use this address for professional communication where you use an alias if you want people to know that you graduated from said college/university.

Anyway, I hope this email address system is useful to you in your emailing ventures. It is definitely much better than using one email address everywhere.