Hi Nivard If you dig deep into the help section of Gmail, there is a page headed: 'Gmail (standard view) Guide - Creating a Gmail address', which contains the following: "Desired login name Your login name is both the name you use for signing in to your account, and the part of your email address which appears before the @ sign. Note that in most countries, your email address will have the form login_name@gmail.com, but in a small number of countries, including the UK, it will have the form of login_name@googlemail.com. " When I dial up www.gmail.com on my browser, I'm automatically routed through to www.google.com which only offers accounts with the googlemail suffix. Possibly it checks that my ISP (TalkTalk) is based in the UK? Maybe your ISP or route to gmail can't be checked so easily? If you have some neat way to get around this restriction please let me know. Regards, John ======== Original message ========= Date: Sun, 2 Aug 2009 00:10:28 +0100 From: "Nivard Ovington" <ovington1@sky.com> Subject: Re: [COMPUTERS] A 'Permanent' Email Address for FH To: <computers@rootsweb.com> > Hi John > > Have they changed things then? > > I am English and have a gmail.com and have had for quite some time > > My usual email is also gmail but via sky > > Nivard Ovington in Cornwall (UK) > > > Mary recommended Gmail & Stan gave it qualified approval. > > I investigated further and found that UK customers can't get > > an account with a 'gmail.com' suffix, we have to put up with > > 'googlemail.com', which is a bit clumsy. ------------------------------