Tim:
If you use an external one (e.g. gmail, yahoo, or many others), you're not subject your provider's whims...
George N. White III:
Or the whims of people who spend their time reporting content they don't like to blocklists. The downside of the external email providers is that your data gets used for their benefit. I try to limit use of gmail to email lists, e.g., only content that is widely available in list archives, etc., but my personal email is with a community organization that also hosts websites for local organizations.
I agree. I used to have several email addresses, but discovered that you just get more spam that way (to each address). Now my method is like yours. For list mail, I'll use a service that was often a source of spam, such as yahoo, so they can deal with any spam that public list mail attracts (I think this is karma, as well as practical). And my personal mail is handled by a completely separate service.