I don't use a desktop e-mail program. I use Gmail's Webmail client as the one and only interface for my e-mail accounts. That means if Webmail's down, so am I. Google recently posted some tips on what to do if you can't get into Gmail through the Web.It has happened only a few times in the years that I've been using Gmail, but it has happened. I am talking about not being able to get into Gmail via the basic Web-based client. Usually I just ride it out and wait for Google to fix the problems, whatever they are. Since a copy of the latest 200 e-mails is in the in-box on my phone, I know at least some of my messages are available.

Because outages do occur, and other things can prevent you from being able to access your Gmail, Google has some tips. It says that password and other account issues are always a distinct possibility.

Colin Bogart, Gmail user support team, writes on the Official Google Blog, "Most of the questions we get about account interruptions are the result of lost or forgotten passwords and as such are relatively easy to fix (more below). But no matter what their origin, we take these issues very seriously. Of course, there are certain cases where our options are limited -- we don't ask for much personal information when you sign up for Gmail, which can sometimes make it difficult to prove ownership of an account and trigger the recovery process."

If you have properly remembered your password, and your account doesn't otherwise appear to be compromised, here are a few other steps:

• Don't share your Gmail password with anyone. Not friends, not family, not anyone. And if you need to write down your password, be sure to keep it in a safe place, away from your computer. (For info on how to choose a good password and keep it safe, check out this post.)
• Don't respond to messages asking for your login info. As you may already know, there are people out there who will try to steal your login info. Google will never send you an e-mail, IM, or any other communication asking for your Gmail login info, so don't respond to any messages asking for it.
• Always keep the verification number you get when you sign up for Gmail. When you sign up for Gmail, we'll ask you for a secondary e-mail address and then e-mail a verification number to that account. This number is the best way to prove ownership of your account, so be sure to hang on to it.
• If you aren't able to access your account, try resetting your password. As mentioned above, most of the support requests we get turn out to be lost or forgotten passwords, rather than something more serious. Resetting your password usually gets the job done.
• If resetting your password doesn't work, try our account-recovery process. We recently launched an account-recovery form in our help center that can drastically reduce the amount of time it takes to verify ownership of an account and restore access. If you have the information necessary to prove ownership -- such as the verification code for the account -- this new process can help our support team restore access within a matter of hours.

So there you have it. A few simple, but notable tips.