HACKER Q&A
📣 consumer451

I got the .com for my surname, best way to share this with family?


I have a relatively uncommon surname, and I was eventually able to get the surname.com

At this time, I have the most basic G Suite account using the domain name, so I can have myfirst@lastname.com, although I am not tied down to this. I just did it because after playing with proton, fastmail, and others, gmail was the most reliable email.

If I want to share the opportunity to have firstname@lastname.com with my family members, with whom I am not close at all, what is the best way to accomplish this?

^ That is the main question, don't get distracted by the rest of my post below.

I could manually accomplish this a few different ways, but is there anything out there which would enable this with the least amount of legal and customer support liability?

I don't want to host email. I was thinking just incoming forwards would be easiest, but would love to hear any other thoughts on the matter. Ideally, incoming and outgoing would be supported, though I know Send As is up to the email host.

Something like https://home.omg.lol/ but only for email aliases? I would manually approve each application, but the mechanics would be automated. Is there FOSS anywhere close to this?

Sorry if this question is a mess. Thanks in advance for any advice.


  👤 throwaway167 Accepted Answer ✓
Prepare for them not to be interested.

Or tech support questions.

Or, given you state they're not close, for trust issues that may manifest one day when something goes wrong and they suspect their email.

But cool you have it. At least make an offer while explaining the points above.


👤 GOTO95
I have a globally very rare last name and also own the .com for it, registered it in late 90's so that all of us would get their firstname@lastname.com email addresses. During the last 25 years exactly one (1) other than me ever wanted one and that was my younger son (he did use it exclusively).

So even if you think getting firstname@lastname.com is cool, just like I did/still do, I doubt most of your family really cares.

Also, Gmail/GSuite. Done. If it costs then good, you're not the product.


👤 akerl_
Isn't this definitionally what GSuite does? Make 'em each a user/inbox in GSuite, bam, done.

👤 HenryBemis
Remember to add a catch-all for the 'other' accounts, so when someone emails Steve@surname.com instead of SteveN@surname.com, you will catch it and forward it.

I have gotten the domain of my surname 20+ years ago. I offered to make a mailbox to one cousin at the time and he said no. Reading your question I realized that I dodged a big bullet as he turned out to become one of the best guitar players to walk this earth and I wouldn't want to be his IT support for life, OR give him MY domain (and reverse roles - his domain - and I would be the 'cousin' with the loaner mailbox)


👤 sp332
None of the people in this group share a first name? What's your policy for who gets the address and who gets stuck with adam2 or whatever?

👤 adamomada
I think this service is made for this https://www.migadu.com

👤 Samon
ImprovMX

👤 krapp
family Mastodon account?

👤 VoodooJuJu
They won't care.