What is the best way to do email now?

Best free email site: Gmail or Yahoo.
Best Free Client: Thunderbird.

I prefer web.

Web-based all the way. :)

Both my email accounts (school email, and gmail) are web-based, but I've only gone to the actual website for each of them a handful of times, local clients are much nicer for organizing emails.

Definitely web-based, although I prefer to have a local client on top of that. Its just much easier, and in the case of Gmail, faster.

The best way to do email these days is not at all.

ISP email (usually with a windows app, like Outlook, or Netscape's email program, which is some cases is/was better than Outlook). Most ISPs do have webmail, too.

Gmail and school email

Gmail. I have it set up so that the messages go to my Blackberry. :goodjob:

The best way to do email these days is not at all.

I have heard of some people switching to blogs or RSS feeds instead. The only problem that I see with that is that you have no idea if someone else reads what you intended them to.

Facebook is a better option than blogs or RSS feeds. The message and wall functions are de facto email, except you can't use special formatting or attach files.

I still think email is necessary, though. You don't want to have your teacher, boss, or job interviewer sending all communications though a Xanga profile.

Well I voted "ISP's email server for incoming/outgoing" but that's not quite accurate - my *ISPs* server is crap, but I use someone else's POP based email server.

Also note that there is some overlap, as some web-based emails allow POP access too (gmail, and I think Yahoo if you pay for it).

I prefer to download my email sooner or later, as I prefer to be able to back it up, and keep it in my hands rather than a company's.

Gmail all the way. and you can use POP and IMAP services with Gmail as well and use THEIR servers, not your ISP's, even if they selectively block port 25

I'd go for Windows Live Hotmail. MSN Hotmail sucked but Windows is a huge improvement.

I'd go for Windows Live Hotmail. MSN Hotmail sucked but Windows is a huge improvement.
What's the difference?

Better organization of stuff and better security.

Web because it is automatically backed up by Gmail. Unfortunately, now Google knows all about me.

Web based (read: G-Mail ;) )

Gmail is great