Ah, to be young and care free on the internet. As we creep further into adulthood we can become more detached from our creative, if somewhat unhinged, selves. Especially when it comes to our email addresses.
Nowadays, we’re often stuck with a professional string of letters for work, that are usually based on boring things – like our names. But, it wasn’t always this way.
The long-forgotten time of Hotmail.
Take yourself back to the Hotmail era. The original Hotmail was one of the biggest and easiest email providers when it launched back in 1996. Microsoft subsequently bought it out and it went through a raft of variations – MSN Hotmail, Windows Live Hotmail, Outlook – which is where it has stayed.
For many of us, a Hotmail account was the very first email we had access to. But, like any email, it required you to pick a unique address that wasn’t taken by anyone else at the time. As kids, some of us may have been smart enough to find a variation of our actual names.
But not everyone had john.doe@hotmail available, which led to something else. Something many people have shut away in a dark part of their minds for eternity.
Some of my co-workers, who will remain anonymous, were brave enough to share their terrible email accounts. I think it’s a pretty clear indicator of what early 2000s Hotmail addresses were like:
- singing_sweetheart_99@hotmail
- tis_a_little_leprechaun@hotmail
- bianca_is_cool_jb@hotmail
- ozzybabe1@hotmail
- blondebombshell94@hotmail
- dancing_princess213@hotmail
- sexc1_4_u_2nv@hotmail
- pussy__cat7@hotmail
- osamabinladenishiding@hotmail
- saskia_luvs_twilight@hotmail
- guinea_pig_angel@hotmail
Let me paint you a mental picture. You’re at the check-out counter, the sales assistant asks ‘are you part of our loyalty program?’ Yes, you are. But, oh no, you don’t have your loyalty card with you.
That’s ok, they can look you up via your email address.
A moment of shame as you painfully spell out your long-winded hotmail email address, that you made when you were 10.
How great was Hotmail?
Your Hotmail address deserves to live
As much as you may want to burn all remains of your Hotmail email address from the Earth, it’s actually worth keeping it around. Microsoft still lets you access your Hotmail address through its servers – it just doesn’t allow any new Hotmail addresses. So really, your old email is a relic of history.
You’ll need to sign in every now and then to keep it active. So, consider this your reminder if you’d like to hold on to your emails past. Also, make sure you change that password in case your email has been leaked over the years.
Why is it worth keeping it? Well, one day you might need access to an old account that is still linked to your Hotmail. Some services may require you to verify your account through that old email for 2-factor authentication.
And some services will never let go of that original Hotmail address, forcing you to create a new account if you ever want access again. None of this can happen if you don’t have that shameful Hotmail email on hand.
So, no matter how embarrassing, just keep your Hotmail. Because once you delete it, it’s impossible to get it back.