Google mail or Gmail as it is popularly known has revolutionized the way webmail users store their data. With a massive capacity of 4GB, this free webmail service provides users the flexibility of storing important data without having to regularly clear their mailbox. Although reliability is the hallmark of the Gmail services, the backup of data is a prerequisite in the digital world.
Email data backup can be done in a number of ways. However a novel data backup solution is the use of Google Groups. Along with features like connecting to other users and sharing information, this free service allows storage of online data. Here is a simple step by step guide to using Google groups for backup.
Step 1: Create a Google account. Existing account holders can sign in using their Gmail login id and password.
Step 2: Set up a group by providing a name for the group along with an email address and description of the group. Since your objective is data backup, select the Access Level as “Restricted”. Click on “Create a Group” button.
Step 3: Skip the “Add new members” step and proceed to your group. Click the “Group Setting” option and select the “Advanced” tab. Check the box titled, “This group is hosted on another mailing list host” and enter your Gmail address instead of the on Google mailing list. Save the group’s mailing address before saving changes
Step 4: Log in to your Gmail account and click on the “Settings” button. Click on the “Forwarding and Pop” tab displayed in the “Settings” page and paste the group’s mailing address in the “Forward a copy of incoming mail to” field. This ensures that messages are forwarded to Google Groups account. In addition, click on to the “Filters” tab and specify the details of messages.
Read about the disadvantages with this method !