I have a confession to make.
I am a Google product user. My phone and tablet are both Android, my browser is Chrome, I use Google Maps, Google Calendar, Google Tasks, Google Drive, YouTube, Google +, Blogger, and of course, Gmail.
Gmail, there comes the rub. Unlike other email software, Gmail has a unique feature. It does not recognize the lowly dot ( . ). Hence “joe.bloggins” and “joebloggins” are treated exactly the same (This link explains). Now, according to Gmail, their system will not allow anyone to have the same email address that someone already has, therefore it should be impossible for “joebloggins” to be approved if “joe.bloggins” had already received his address.
Of course, my name is not Joe Bloggins, however I did choose to use that for demonstration purposes.
Considering that my name is probably about as uncommon as Joe Bloggins, I still manage to receive emails from multiple organizations in the United Kingdom, the Western United States and Australia. I have been notified of dental appointments, insurance quotes, environmental issues, and that my car was in need of servicing, to mention a few. I have responded many times that I am not the person they are providing the information for, I have unsubscribed from a great number of email notifications, but they continue to come. I am used to it now and just use my friendly delete button.
Looking at the variety of organizations I receive emails from, I am forced to conclude that there are several people out there who are convinced that they are providing these organizations with the correct email address, which happens to be the same Gmail address as me except containing a different number of dots. This is perplexing, particularly with the understanding that Gmail says it’s not possible.
As Gmail addresses the question, it would appear to be a common issue. To me, it has ranged from a minor irritant to mildly humerous. It is what it is. Here endeth today’s wee rant.
Richard's Ramblings 