With the invention of the Internet of people became more mobile, data-independent and received in the order the flexible tool for work, as well as fine means for entertainments. However in this field of activity it is easy to fall a victim of excesses.
One mailbox for a forum on interests, another for social network, the third just because it is better to have, than not to have. At some people the number of mailboxes exceeds all reasonable limits. If to ask about exact quantity, not each such person will be able precisely to answer a question. But where exactly there is that reasonable limit when "it is already enough".
Boxes for all occasions
If to think what mailboxes can be useful for, then there is the following picture. Al least one e-mail is necessary for each person in network. It is convenient, it is useful for registration at different forums, receiving mailings and other trifles for normal work. How many boxes not of a creek, at the same time you will not use all of them.
The aspiration to get boxes for all occasions inevitably will lead to big confusion.
On the other hand, at registration of a box it is offered to enter the second address for password recovery to the first. Not always the control question which you can just forget helps. And if there is the second address, there is always an opportunity to use it and to get access to the necessary box.
Some people prefer to have the separate address for "ICQ", "Skype", "Agent", plus to it for each forum the box. It can be useful if you are engaged in so-called "guerrilla marketing" or in common people "spam". In this case it is necessary to be registered on different resources as the new person, to send messages, to do the target addresses to audience. How many people were helped by the big list of the addresses in this case!
Besides, fans of safety and geniuses of masking can have many addresses just in order that nobody could define what box real. However it is required only in that a case if you the hacker or is time to go for reception to the psychiatrist. However, if you have a paranoia, does not mean yet that do not monitor you.
Reasonable quantity of the addresses
If you not the specialist in the embedded advertizing, not the hacker, not the expert in safety have also no paranoia, then in everyday occurences only 2 boxes are required. And it is dictated by simple common sense. As the first is necessary for everything that you can imagine to yourself in network. It is registration at forums, in online games, correspondence with friends, the newsletter and so on. And the second box is required if it is necessary to restore the first.
Only 2 boxes are enough to feel safe floating around the Internet.
It is possible to increase quantity of boxes only if you found the interesting e-mail server offering unique opportunities for management of mail. In that case it is possible to receive on it the new address, and old just to leave for memory or to delete, previously having notified all friends on the solution. And then neither people will be confused, nor you will get confused in the addresses.