I have been using my primary personal email for Yahoo since 1998, davey1977 at yahoo dot com. I also use Yahoo Instant Messenger program, which includes YIM and email alerts to run that program all the time, only for me to alert me for the new email messages. I never been using YIM instant messenger to have conservation with people, because I had AOL Instant Messenger for very long time since 1996. I felt two different IMs (AIM and YIM) are too much for me, I rather to have one AIM at a time.
I just learned GMail has added new features: Gmail Notifier. It asks me when new mail is coming; to notify through my computer. I like it. I like it a lot.
I decided to retire my primary personal Yahoo email and transfer to my new GMail. In coming weeks and months, I will be reducing my priority to use Yahoo email, and increasing my priority to use Gmail.
I know how I feel the difficult move for my primary email from Yahoo to Gmail, it takes a while for me to take patient in weeks.
UPDATE: Via Chasing Daisy, I found a cool email icon generator, it looks good to me: 
