[plug] google apps for free email and web hosting

[Gavin Chester]

I just became aware of 'google apps' www.google.com/a/ as an alternative
to paying for an email-only account and/or relying on dubious free
hosting for your registered domains.  That is, if you have a domain that
is parked at a registrar somewhere while you are considering building a
site for it, you can set it up to be used for email and have it hosted
on google apps for nothing.  

After following the VERY helpful procedures from the google site to
change my MX and CNAME records with my registrar I put up a basic
site/home page in next to no time and can open up to 25 email aliases
under my domain.  If you want to check it out as an example, try this
domain of mine that I tested it out on:
www.woodcraftgallery.com  - and it gives me fully functioning email
addresses such as gavin[at]woodcraftgallery.com.

The extra good thing is that the email can be accessed by POP, just as
with your regular gmail accounts, so I can pull the mail straight into
my local mail client (evolution).  Can't see any minuses with this so
far - now I know I won't be renewing that email-only account with
godaddy ;-)

Gavin