I have four email addresses I use on a regular basis and three more that I access a few times a month. Why? Two are for work. The third and fourth are both personal. One I use for banking and personal correspondence the other for lists and newsletters I like to receive. The next two are fall-backs. If I have to give an email address but don’t really want to I throw one of those out there.  The last one? Oh I forgot that password ages ago and never bothered to reset it.

Do I really need seven? Does anyone?  How many are needed?  I asked around and the range is wide.   A few people I know use one or two.  Many use three or four.  A few others are about where I am and some even have more.  I told my neighbor to stop counting at 18.  I once had five setup on my phone and I think I could actually hear the thing sizzle it was working so hard.  My conveniences were becoming inconvenient.  I have since reduced my phone to a happy three.

But the questions remain.  Is it ok to use just one address?  Is it safe?  At what point are more addresses better and at what point does that curve drop off?  I decided to form an opinion; so here it is…

I think each person should have at least two, preferably three email accounts.  One account should be for work or business.  Keep it clear of the clutter or everyday things so you can quickly see what needs to be done.  Depending on your work environment (and the size if its big brother) you may not want any personal conversations going on here.  Have the address be something that clearly identifies you such as your name or business name, or both.  Use it only for professional purposes and spammers will be less likely to find and target you.  The second account should be personal.  Use this for correspondence with friends and family and also to receive some well recognized newsletters and lists that you are interested in.  This is the most likely place for your banking.  Keep this address somewhat private, try not to provide it to people or sites you don’t know.  The last account is for items and messages you don’t trust 100%.  If a site asks for your email and you feel hesitant give it this one.  If you want to sign up for a discount or coupon but are concerned it will lead to piles of junk give this one.  Make sure this address does not personally identify you by name or business in case any activity does turn malicious or just plain unwanted.  Any additional accounts would really be extensions on these ideas.  Keep business and personal separate and have a place to direct anything you don’t trust or don’t know.

So there we are.  Maybe I’ll try to weed a few accounts out.  Now if I could just remember that password…