Jane Heller

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I Thought This Was Hilarious

March 10, 2011

Apparently, people can tell what sort of a person you are by your email address? Check out this Huffington Post piece today. Talk about stereotyping.

If you’re an AOL user:

AOL users are most likely to be overweight women ages 35-64 who have a high school diploma and are spiritual, but not religious. They tend to be politically middle of the road, in a relationship of 10+ years, and have children. AOL users live in the suburbs and haven’t traveled outside their own country. Family is their first priority. AOL users mostly read magazines, have a desktop computer, listen to the radio, and watch TV on 1-3 DVRs in their home. At home, they lounge around in sweats. AOL users are optimistic extroverts who prefer sweet snacks and like working on a team.

If you’re into Gmail:

Gmail users are most likely to be thin young men ages 18-34 who are college-educated and not religious. Like other young Hunch users, they tend to be politically liberal, single (and ready to mingle), and childless. Gmail users live in cities and have traveled to five or more countries. They’re career-focused and plugged in — they mostly read blogs, have an iPhone and laptop, and listen to music via MP3s and computers (but they don’t have a DVR). At home, they lounge around in a t-shirt and jeans. Gmail users prefer salty snacks and are introverted and entrepreneurial. They are optimistic or pessimistic, depending on the situation.

If Hotmail’s your thing:

Hotmail users are most likely to be young women of average build ages 18-34 (and younger) who have a high school diploma and are not religious. They tend to be politically middle of the road, single, and childless. Hotmail users live in the suburbs, perhaps still with their parents, and have traveled to up to five countries. They mostly read magazines and contemporary fiction, have a laptop, and listen to music via MP3s and computers (but they don’t have a DVR). At home, Hotmail users lounge around in a t-shirt and jeans. They’re introverts who prefer sweet snacks and like working on a team. They consider themselves more pessimistic, but sometimes it depends on the situation.

And Yahoo users are:

Yahoo! users are most likely to be overweight women ages 18-49 who have a high school diploma and are spiritual, but not religious. They tend to be politically middle of the road, in a relationship of 1-5 years, and have children. Yahoo! users live in the suburbs or in rural areas and haven’t traveled outside their own country. Family is their first priority. They mostly read magazines, are almost equally likely to have a laptop or desktop computer, listen to the radio and cds, and watch TV on 1-2 DVRs in their home. At home, Yahoo! users lounge around in pajamas. They’re extroverts who prefer sweet snacks and like working on a team. Yahoo! users are optimistic or pessimistic, depending on the situation.

I love how they can tell what size you are and what you like to eat. I mean, come on.


Filed Under: Lifestyle, Mainly Jane, Popular culture Tagged With: AOL, email addresses, Gmail, Hotmail, Huffington Post, stereotyping, Yahoo

Comments

  1. Roseann says

    March 11, 2011 at 4:03 am

    This is hilarious! I have email addresses on AOL (that was the easiest option way back in the 90s — remember the free installation CDs you would get every day in the mail? I collected them and used them as coasters lol), Gmail and Yahoo, and don’t fit any of those “profiles”. However, after reading this I wonder what email service religious people use? Since anyone who uses any of these 4 services is “not religious”, are we to believe that “religious people”, as a stereotypical group, are anti-web-based-email?!

  2. Margaret says

    March 11, 2011 at 5:45 am

    I saw this yesterday. It made me scratch my head.

    Since my provider isn’t listed I will share with you who I am…I am tall, gorgeous, very rich and extremely thin. I have a satellite dish, several DVR’s,I am narcisstic,my family doesn’t come first I do, and I work in my underpants. Because I signed up early I was also given superpowers but I am not allowed to reveal them just yet.
    Now don’t you wish you too were on FIO’s?

  3. Melissa says

    March 11, 2011 at 6:07 am

    this is just plain crazy! I work in a small town library and see hundreds of email addresses. Those profiles don’t fit at all! And how silly it all is. I have 4 gmail addresses and only match three of the characteristics mentioned. What a load of hooey!

  4. Jane Heller says

    March 11, 2011 at 9:04 am

    Most of my friends had AOL at first, Roseann. Some still do. They’re the ones who gave us “You’ve got mail.” But the stereotyping in this “study” is just ridiculous. I couldn’t resist posting it.

    HAHAHA, Peg. I will now and forever picture you working in your undies exerting your superpowers. My provider isn’t listed either. I’ve been an earthlink girl since the beginning of email, so what does that make me?

    Of course the profiles don’t match reality, Melissa. But share – which of the three characteristics do you match? Come on, fess up.

  5. mike fierman says

    March 11, 2011 at 9:28 am

    as an early adopter gmail user i am thrilled with my stereotype! ..i only wish i was still under 34…
    hope you are OK with tsunamis today… xoxo

  6. Jane Heller says

    March 11, 2011 at 9:39 am

    If you became a Gmail user early on, Mike, you were ahead of the crowd! And yes, we all wish we were under 34….at times. Very scary to wake up to the tsunami warnings this morning, but Santa Barbara faces south, not west like points north, so we’ll have a slightly higher water level but that’s all. So lucky!

  7. Bethany says

    March 11, 2011 at 9:45 am

    You’re right about the sterotype. Here’s how the people I know who use those providers differ:

    A. My mother and my father have AOL. They are over 64 years of age and have gone to college.

    B. I have a sister who uses gmail. She is not a thin man who has been to 5+ countries.

    C. I used to have hotmail, and I haven’t been to 5 countries.

    D. I use Yahoo. I have traveled outside my country (been to Canada…I know that a lot of people like to think of Europe or other countries as “outside the USA”, but the fact of the matter is Canada IS a separate country from the USA). I’ve been married more than 5 years. I only read magazines on occassion (and only because they have to do with my craft or my religion).

  8. Bethany says

    March 11, 2011 at 9:46 am

    Jane,

    P.S. Glad you’re okay.

  9. Harold M. Bluenote says

    March 11, 2011 at 10:13 am

    Well…based on Bethany’s second posting…let me add that we hope no nasty Japanese tsunami FX or anything like that invade your neck of the woods…or beach…
    Agree with Roseann…this is pretty hilarious, and we used AOL or Whatever Was Cheap in the early daze of internetting. Now, like many folks, our home internet is linked with our cable and phone service in one big messy mix. Lose one, likely you lose ’em all. Ever heard of Comcast? Probably in the mid-Atlantic only.
    So who would a “comcast” user be? Well, he’s between 55 and 65, fat and balding, college-educated but can’t remember when, what, or why. Politically in the middle (but considered a reactionary if living in a liberal state), in a relationship forever, kids grown & gone, but not far enough. Has been to a handful of nations, but long ago & far away. Likes — no, LOVES — salty snax, sweet snax, ANY snax. Preferably with a cold alcoholic libation. Lounging around in the same togs everyday, except maybe on game days, to change the mojo. Religious? Yup. Religiously having another beer…!

  10. Jane Heller says

    March 11, 2011 at 10:29 am

    Thanks for sharing the profiles of the email users in your family, Bethany! Crazy stuff, right? And thanks for your thoughts about the tsunami but we’re just fine here in Santa Barbara, thank God. It’s north of us where they’re having a bit of high surf and some boat damage.

    I’m surprised they didn’t do a profile for Comcast users, Dave. I know lots of people who have it. Same with sbcglobal and att.net and on and on. You should write them a letter with all your profile info: bald, middle-aged man who loves beer and snax!

  11. Kristen says

    March 11, 2011 at 10:48 am

    Wow, this is hilarious – thanks for sharing! Single ladies take note, apparently all of the men are on gmail, LOL.

    At the mortgage bank, when I coordinated email marketing we certainly had our own theories about different email addresses. Yahoo users were almost never going to respond to our solicitations because Yahoo accounts tend to be the freebie throwaway account people maintain to give when they have to give an email address but don’t really want to deal with the ensuing junk mail. Gmail users seemed a little more tech savvy. AOL users were the most likely to have technical difficulties with our messages. And Earthlink we just plain hated because their spam filters are some of the most strict. Tough for legitimate email marketers trying to keep up with the ever changing e-advertising protocols but absolutely brilliant for the customer…hence my own email address.

  12. Jane Heller says

    March 11, 2011 at 11:13 am

    Interesting perspective on all this, Kristen. So I guess there ARE useful profiles about email users? I’m laughing about earthlink, which I’ve been using for years and see that you use it too. The spam filter does work great except when you don’t want it to, right?

  13. Melissa says

    March 11, 2011 at 3:15 pm

    Oops, there are four attributes I match. College educated, not religious, liberal and have been to over five countries.

    But gmail is my no spam account. I made a new gmail account so I could log onto your old MLB blog and not have to uncheck the special offers each time.

  14. Jane Heller says

    March 11, 2011 at 5:28 pm

    Maybe the study isn’t that far off then, Melissa. Four attributes is pretty good, especially the one about the five countries. What are they, btw? I know England and the US are on the list. What are the others? I’ve never been to England in my life and it amazes me. Every year Michael and I have at least one conversation about taking a trip there (I’d love to go for Wimbledon), but it never happens.

  15. Melissa says

    March 12, 2011 at 6:01 am

    the funny thing is that the gmail accounts are my spare ones. My main account is road runner.

    Living in England, it was easier to go to other countries, so I’ve been to wales, Scotland, France, Switzerland, and Germany. and living in NY state makes it easier to have also visited Canada.

  16. Jane Heller says

    March 12, 2011 at 7:52 am

    That’s the great thing about living in Europe, Melissa. You can travel to all the neighboring countries so easily. I’ve heard Wales is beautiful (I have friends whose favorite destination it is). I’ve been to the Swiss/Italian border when I was staying in the lakes district of Italy and it was gorgeous. So many places to visit, so little time!

  17. Melissa says

    March 12, 2011 at 9:18 am

    And so little money!

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About Jane Heller

Jane Heller is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. Her fourteen breezy, witty novels of romantic comedy and suspense are now entertaining millions of readers around the world, along with her two books of nonfiction.

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