Ever needed a second (or third, etc.) email address? Easy solution if you use Gmail.

Do you ever find yourself in a situation where you need a second personal email address?  If so, and if you are a Gmail user, read on ...

I've been using Gmail for years and never knew about this.  Maybe you already know and will laugh at me!

But occasionally I run into a situation where I need a second (or third, etc.) email address.  Say, for example, you are signing back up for a website or service you've used in the past, but they say you "already have an account" and won't let you sign up again.  I'm not suggesting doing anything "against the rules" ... however, if you simply need to use a different email address, but can't use the same one again ... here is a "trick" ...

With Gmail (don't know about other email providers), you can put a period (or dot) anywhere in your username (before the "@" sign) and it is irrelevant TO GMAIL.  Said another way, you can email me at "pdxdealsguy @ gmail dot com" (I don't like posting my email address on the web to avoid spammers - which is why I am spelling out my email in that strange/long-hand way) -OR- at "pdx.deals.guy @ gmail dot com" ... and, either way, I will receive the email you sent to me (even though my Gmail address is technically just "pdxdealsguy").

So ... if you need a second email address for any reason ... and don't want to have to check a second email account for emails sent to that email address ... AND if you use Gmail (again, not sure about other providers - as I know that often times PERIODS DO MATTER, but not in the case of Gmail) ... then you can probably sign up at a lot of websites by just randomly putting a period somewhere in your Gmail username!

Again, maybe some of you already knew this trick.  But it was new to me, and figured it was worth passing along.