Nerds love making fun of those still clinging to their AOL e-mail accounts, which were considered cool when people still said “World Wide Web.”

Internet archeologists were unable to decipher this hieroglyphic.
Now, a company that claims to be able to “personalize” the Internet for you is getting in on the action, slamming everyone but Gmail users.
According to the presumed-nerds at Hunch.com, a person’s choice of e-mail service says a lot about them. There are several flaws to their theory (such as most people have multiple e-mail accounts), but the results are entertaining.
The article is infested with nuggets of non-wisdom, such as never use an AOL e-mail on a resume. Not sure about that, I got this gig using my geotard@CompuServ.com account.
Here’s Hunch’s other findings.
- AOL users are most likely to be overweight women ages 35-64 who have a high school diploma and are spiritual, but not religious. They tend to be politically middle of the road, in a relationship of 10+ years, and have children. AOL users live in the suburbs and haven’t traveled outside their own country. Family is their first priority. AOL users mostly read magazines, have a desktop computer, listen to the radio, and watch TV on 1-3 DVRs in their home. At home, they lounge around in sweats. AOL users are optimistic extroverts who prefer sweet snacks and like working on a team.
- Gmail users are most likely to be thin young men ages 18-34 who are college-educated and not religious. Like other young Hunch users, they tend to be politically liberal, single (and ready to mingle), and childless. Gmail users live in cities and have traveled to five or more countries. They’re career-focused and plugged in — they mostly read blogs, have an iPhone and laptop, and listen to music via MP3s and computers (but they don’t have a DVR). At home, they lounge around in a t-shirt and jeans. Gmail users prefer salty snacks and are introverted and entrepreneurial. They are optimistic or pessimistic, depending on the situation.
- Hotmail users are most likely to be young women of average build ages 18-34 (and younger) who have a high school diploma and are not religious. They tend to be politically middle of the road, single, and childless. Hotmail users live in the suburbs, perhaps still with their parents, and have traveled to up to five countries. They mostly read magazines and contemporary fiction, have a laptop, and listen to music via MP3s and computers (but they don’t have a DVR). At home, Hotmail users lounge around in a t-shirt and jeans. They’re introverts who prefer sweet snacks and like working on a team. They consider themselves more pessimistic, but sometimes it depends on the situation.
- Yahoo! users are most likely to be overweight women ages 18-49 who have a high school diploma and are spiritual, but not religious. They tend to be politically middle of the road, in a relationship of 1-5 years, and have children. Yahoo! users live in the suburbs or in rural areas and haven’t traveled outside their own country. Family is their first priority. They mostly read magazines, are almost equally likely to have a laptop or desktop computer, listen to the radio and cds, and watch TV on 1-2 DVRs in their home. At home, Yahoo! users lounge around in pajamas. They’re extroverts who prefer sweet snacks and like working on a team. Yahoo! users are optimistic or pessimistic, depending on the situation.
24 comments Add your comment
DW
March 11th, 2011
12:35 pm
FIRST
Hiring Manager
March 11th, 2011
12:48 pm
I lose respect for anyone who uses an AOL email address. I would not even consider someone who used an AOL address as their contact email on a resume.
nianya
March 11th, 2011
1:09 pm
AOL is just plain out of date; they should have included more age categories of men & women in gmail stats
Linda Smith
March 11th, 2011
2:15 pm
Fat people shouldn’t be allowed on the computer, regardless of what e-mail provider they use. They should be exercising or dancing to the oldies.
AOhL
March 11th, 2011
2:30 pm
I lose respect for anyone who calls himself Hiring Manager. I would not even consider allowing someone calling himself Hiring Manger to kiss my a*s.
Hiring Manager
March 11th, 2011
2:39 pm
When I see an AOL email address on a resume, it tells me this person is not computer literate, they will need their hand held every step of the way when it comes to learning their day-to-day tasks, they likely cannot make decisions independently and have an annoying need for their supervisor’s approval.
Sue
March 11th, 2011
3:07 pm
What sort of e-mail accounts are the older, non-hipster men using? Their work e-mail? The men are kind of ignored in this broad-brush report. For the record, I’m a mid-30’s college-educated female who has 4 e-mail addresses: my company e-mail for all things work-related, gmail for most of my personal messages, my old bellsouth account for contacts who are slow to switch to my new address, and yahoo for all the online registration crap I know will eventually translate into spam. I’m guessing most people juggle at least a couple of e-mail accounts.
Hiring Manager's Manager
March 11th, 2011
3:36 pm
I personally think people who spend time on the internet commenting on “news” stories when they should be working needs to be fired for incompetence.
goddibinc
March 11th, 2011
6:15 pm
Well la t freaking da to hiring manager…and you think the world rotates around you also??????
Hiring Manager
March 11th, 2011
6:18 pm
I’m adding poor grammar and lack of effective communicating skills to the list of traits common with AOL email address owners. They seem to have very short fuses as well and are quick to lash out in anger. Do yourselves a favor and get a new email address.