: Image via CrunchBase

As much as I hate latching onto a topic such as this, I had to put my $.02 in about this one. Yes, Gmail went down (although I never noticed--in fact, when I saw people saying it was down, it was still working fine for me) for a short period of time and true to form the Twitterverse went crazy (I am not pointing fingers, I love our ability to keep brands honest, but sometimes it is a bit much).

The one thing that people need to remember is that Google is providing a service, much like Con Ed. When was the last time one of the following happened?

You had a power outtage

Your cable stopped working

You lost hot water

These things happen all the time; the difference is, we pay for the above services, Gmail is free (well, this statement is not entirely true, as they are monetizing the service through advertising, but we need to give Google credit for finding a way to bring us a great service at no cost to us. I challenge Time Warner cable to do the same; my cable bill is absolutely ridiculous). On top of the fact that Gmail does not cost consumers money, Google has gone out of their way to make sure that you are able to access your data offline, and frequently reminds you to back your stuff up.

Sure, it is annoying when Gmail goes down, but cut the big G some slack--they provide a great service for free, right?

They did a pretty good job of getting the service back up, right?

Maybe this is my morning crankiness speaking--if you disagree, speak up, please!