Well now a days there are thousands of websites offering email and other services. If you are really serious about choosing web service I am giving my comment on what I will be looking while choosing a web based service provider.
1) Look and Feel : It must be soothing to eyes and appealing, as I have lot of choices I dont wnat to stuck to cluttered web pages.
2) Storage Space: This is the second important thing. Even though you don’t get lot many mails, still try to choose the one with higher storage space. You can use it to store your resume, photos and other documents.
3) Calendar: If you don’t want to miss a birthday of loved one or don’t want to miss an LIC policy payment :) or any event which is to be notified.
4) Address Book: Store Names, Phone Nos and you can access them from any where. You need not carry that thick Telephone dairy where ever you go.
5) Integration with other services (like Address Book, TV Programs, Calender): This is very important to me. I should be able to see my mails, the top 10 head lines in the news, stock market stauts, calender entry for next 1 week etc all in one page.
6) Spam Protection: There should be provision to mark-unmark mails as spam.
7) Customizable: Should be able to change the design and choose the contet of the pages.
8) Instant Messaging: To connect to my loved one and do online chating using my webcam and microphone.
Based on all these factors I will say the Yahoo is the best. And the best part of the yahoo is that u can integrate all the webservices (email, calender, address book, news, photos, shopping and many more customize pages in to one called My Yahoo. It allows you to connect to blogs also. Excellent! It allows you to create your own pages and let you choose the contet of the pages. Use it and you will be in love with this.