If I get a submission by a potential client and they provide no phone number, I then email them back.

But now even gmail users get my emails thrown into Spam

What is best way to text non Mac users (using their email only)?Thanks

Both the Messages app on the Mac and iDevices allow you to text to non-Macs using an e-mail address. Where you would normally type the recipient's phone number, use the e-mail address. The catch in all of this is that the person to whom you are texting must have their e-mail address entered as a texting preference, along with their phone number.

I'm not sure if this is the same thing or a corollary...

I often receive texts in Mail.app that have been sent to my email address, but I've never set any prefs in that respect.

(And conversely, you can text from Mail.app to a cell phone using its number and a special @xyz email address.)

Thanks Ira, hmmmm. one person I texted in messages, a sign immediately came up saying was not possible, so I assumed it was a non Apple user.

If I am remembering correctly, if you are texting from a device that does not have cellular (laptop, desktop, some iPads, iPods) then you will not be able to send a text message to a non-Apple recipient. iMessages to an Apple device appear as blue text bubbles once sent; non-Apple text messages show up as green text bubbles. iMessages require at least wi-fi, ordinary text messages go via cellular networks.

So no cellular, no text to non-Apple devices. Now having said all of this, different cell phone carriers may have work-arounds or options that overcome some of these limitations.

Thanks Ira, seems to be working except one catch. When I test to myself, the incoming text has to sound alert, very odd.