Do You Have Your Own Domain for Email?

[pamperedlinda]

We have been seriously considereing getting our own domain name for email for quite some time and now I am more than ready. We use bellsouth and I know that I do not get all of my email. This has happened before and just this week I've heard from 3 people who asked why I didn't respond to them. So, it makes me wonder how many emails I'm not getting that I don't know about :cry: . I've contacted BS (bellsouth :yuck: ) and of course they have no answer for me other than we have no record of that and we'll look into it and get back to you, which they never do - and you cannot get in touch with customer service or a supervisor located in the US who speaks good clear English - grrrr! I digress.

Anyhow, we've had it with lost email. I've been on yahoo and godaddy to check out available names - and that isn't fun either - probably why we haven't done it before now. I want something short and simple, DH comes up with all these funky words and acronyms - we may have to each get our own if we can't agree.

Anyone here have their own domain? Any tips you can give me? I'm clueless about this. I know I'll need a few months transition for the new email address too.

Help.....

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

http://www.jrmanning.com.Have you looked in your spam folder? I find real messages in there a couple of times a week, while sometimes a copy watch or body part enhancement message gets into the regular inbox. Spam filtering is not an exact science.

 

[pamperedlinda]

I check my spam folder every day - sometimes I'll get messages a week after they were sent too. It's like the messages fall into an internet black hole. The tech from BS told me that at times email will get lost if the sender sent them at the precise second that BS was doing a system update....yeah sure!

I'm not the only one in my neighborhood having these isses with them either.

 

[pamperedlinda]

Nice site KG. I don't really care (right now anyhow) to have a fullblown website, but I really want more reliable email service. Are you aware of any email issues with your site?

 

[crystalscookingnow]

I use Yahoo Mail Plus & I've been really happy with it. However, I am considering getting our own domain as well. While I don't feel that I've lost any messages, I can't e-mail our school system b/c they have a block on the entire Yahoo domain. I also don't know how many more customers would be receiving/opening my e-mail if it wasn't coming from yahoo.com.

 

[KaryCam]

me tooI have seriously considered getting my own domain too. 85% of the e-mail I get everyday is spam. (yes I have a spam filter) I am sick and tired of it. I am sure I probably have overlooked a good e-mail in the flood of spam when deleting them.
I might also make a family website on it.

 

[ljeffries]

Linda - I might be wrong (usually am), but I think you would have to register a website to get the e-mail service. I have a personal website for my pottery and can get e-mail through there.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Nice site KG. I don't really care (right now anyhow) to have a fullblown website, but I really want more reliable email service. Are you aware of any email issues with your site?

No, because all my email gets dumped into one inbox, anyway, which is with AT&T (or whatever they're calling themselves this week.)

I used to use hotmail for some things at work, and hotmail has always been a little slow. Messages can sometimes take several minutes to get to and from hotmail - like the message is being bounced off a satellite circling Altair 4, but it always gets there.

If BS is also your ISP, changing to a different email system might not solve the issue.

 

[pamperedlinda]

Linda - I might be wrong (usually am), but I think you would have to register a website to get the e-mail service. I have a personal website for my pottery and can get e-mail through there.

what's involved with that? When you buy the name through yahoo or godaddy (any others?) does that register it? Are there hidden fees too - from what I saw it loks like it's @ $10-$20 a year. Fill me in...

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

You might also recognize someone here.

 

[pamperedlinda]

......If BS is also your ISP, changing to a different email system might not solve the issue.

We might change that too - but with my PC biz, I need an email address that won't change.

From what I've heard about the BS ISP part is that if I have my own domain then I am only relying on BS for internet access, that my email will be completely seperate from the BS email servers (which is where I believe the problem stems from.....didn't have any of these issues before ATT bought BS hmmm) That my email will come through my domain which is reliant only on internet capability - make sense?

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Yes, it does make sense. If I had it to do all over again, I would have my primary email on something other than the AT&T domain. I'm locked into them now, for the same reason you mentioned - permanence.

 

[ljeffries]

what's involved with that? When you buy the name through yahoo or godaddy (any others?) does that register it? Are there hidden fees too - from what I saw it loks like it's @ $10-$20 a year. Fill me in...

Registering a domain name means just that - you have the name.
Mine is lamarjeffries.com. When you register your domain name, you get no service, you just 'own' the name.

My service, and my friend (conniecrowe.com) are through Network Solutions (networksolutions.com). Check it out.

I am not technoligically advanced, but it is pretty straightforward.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

I used to use network solutions, but when I relocated my office, something got screwed up and my domain got locked up. It took quite a bit of effort to wrestle it away from them and regain control of it. I'd be hesitant to recommend them.

 

[pamperedlinda]

So, does it matter who I purchase my domain name through? I was looking at yahoo and godaddy - should I look elsewhere too?

 

[chefann]

When you purchase your own domain, you also have to pay for hosting services. And the method to which you connect to the internet from home will probably not change, depending on the hosting service you use. DH and I have our own domain, but we still have to access the internet through our Comcast service (which also handles outgoing mail, even though our domain is what's on the outgoing mail). So you may not clear up all the problems you're having just by going with your own domain. Also- the number of email addresses you can have on your domain is a function of your hosting service, not the place from which you order the domain.Getting your own domain, too, opens up a whole bunch of issues about your mail getting through to other ISP's on your customers' ends. Some ISPs and email systems automatically filter email that comes from specific extensions (.biz, .us, etc.). Sticking with a known provider can eliminate those issues, as you're more likely to have a .com address, or for your current ISP to have agreements with major systems. You can also get around that by using gmail, which is free, and you can use an email program to download the messages so you don't have to access them through the web (POP download).

 

[myinnerchef]

Owning a domain name is an entirely different animal than running your own mail server. I do that, but it does not mean you won't get spam. I get hundreds of spam messages a day, thousands over the course of a week.Some of the domain sellers like godaddy or yahoo also sell email service along with your domain name. They will host a mail server for you and you can retrieve your mail using a standard mail program like Microsoft Outlook or Mozilla Thunderbird.Like I said, though, you'll still get spam if you give out that email address to everyone under the sun. I have a dedicated email address I use only for PC. This is a web-based email through google and I have yet to receive spam (knock on wood) in my inbox. I have another email address I use only for friends and I have seriously strong spam settings on that account. E-mail from anyone not in my address book gets bounced. My ISP email address is the one I use when I need to register something online. When the inbox is full, the email starts to bounce. I go in periodically and delete all the messages but it's starting to get a little ridiculous.

 

[pamperedlinda]

I'm getting more and more confused!

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

I just consulted with my domain consultant (and no, that is not redundant) and he reports that he does all his domain work with godaddy and has no problems with them. He further reports that you may not want to have godaddy host your domain/site as their servers are way too slow.Just another 2¢ worth.

 

[Kitchen2u]

I'm getting more and more confused!

I'm in the same boat as you Linda...

Can you explain it in less than 100 words in "Email/Domain for Dummies version 101?" :yuck:

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Your Domain - your web site and web address, like kitchen2u.comThe host/server - where your domain lives. It's a computer that contains your website information, all the pages, and everything associated with your website. When someone logs on to kitchen2u.com to see your web page, they connect to your server by following your domain address, kitchen2u.com because it is the only one in the world.As a function of hosting your domain name and web address, your host may offer to provide you with at least one and perhaps as many five or ten email addresses. You could choose [email protected] and that is where your email will go.Clear as mud?You need to register your domain name with someone like godaddy.com so it becomes your domain. Next, you need to find a host who will set aside server space for your web page to take up residence. That's it in a nutshell. Or C shell or Korn shell, if you happen to be a UNIX geek, but that's another topic.

 

[KateD]

I have had several of my own domains, and loved having email through them. We had one for our family - thedohls.com, pretty straightforward, and each of our addresses was name @ thedohls.com.I've bought all my domains from GoDaddy, and used a fairly cheap host that did everything we needed for about $5 a month! That means that each year we paid about $80 - for hosting of page (and email) and the domain registration.I still got tons and tons of spam, and wasn't keeping up the webpage end of it, and switched to gmail.com. I love it. It is a ton more reliable (IMO) than any of the emails I've had through verizon, bellsouth, or other hosts I've used
for small domains at work and personally, and has a better spam filter than I've ever used before. I used Outlook, but switched to Thunderbird, for sending and receiving messages, but I like that I can check my email from any computer (although that's fairly common for any service). You get something like 2G of online storage, and they have a wonderful search function for finding messages you've received. And it's free!Just my 2 cents (devalued to .84 cent in current economy).

 

[Kitchen2u]

Thanks KG ~ you're the BEST! Clear as spring water! So those of you who have servers...do you use a separate PC for it? Just wondering...

I live with a UNIX geek! Don't even want to go there! LOL I purposely do not ask my SH computer issues...since the conversation go on for HOURS!!! LOL Thanks for the condensed version KG!

 

[PampChefJoy]

I use 1and1.com as my web host for all my businesses and have been very happy with them. Here's their email only package: http://order.1and1.com/xml/order/MailInstantMail;jsessionid=D619C42C0A081ECE15E4112FFF21932C.TC60b?__frame=_top&__lf=Static

Their spam filter is a bit too aggressive so I turned it off. It was putting legit emails into my spam folder... of course, since I am using it for my business, I was getting a ton of vendor emails, which probably seemed like spam to the server...

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Thanks KG ~ you're the BEST! Clear as spring water! So those of you who have servers...do you use a separate PC for it? Just wondering...

I live with a UNIX geek! Don't even want to go there! LOL I purposely do not ask my SH computer issues...since the conversation go on for HOURS!!! LOL Thanks for the condensed version KG!

YW - and you'll find that most individuals do not have their own servers for web sites, in fact, all but larger companies rent space on host servers. I don't even know where my server is located (it could be on the side of Krakatoa or on Kwajalein for all I know) and those annoying little ads at the top pay for it.

 

[pamperedlinda]

Thanks everyone for your input, I 'think' I'm learning a lot.

 

[pamperedlinda]

YW - and you'll find that most individuals do not have their own servers for web sites, in fact, all but larger companies rent space on host servers. I don't even know where my server is located (it could be on the side of Krakatoa or on Kwajalein for all I know) and those annoying little ads at the top pay for it.

If all I plan to do it use the domain for email is this even necessary? If the host server has issues will it affect my email?

We have an extra desktop, can we use that as a server?

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Maintaining an Internet server is both expensive and a collosal PITA. Find someone who's dumb enough to do it on their own and pay the few bucks a month to rent space. We've even got a couple of computer stores locally that will maintain your account for a few bucks a month.

 

[chefann]

If you maintain your own server, you have to keep that machine up and running all the time, on a 24/7 internet connection. Too much bother. Let someone else handle it.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Think of the server that hosts CS. Every time it has a little burp, whether it's for a few moments or down for several hours, how it spawns several threads of "What happened?" or think how upset everyone gets when the PC server hiccups once and awhile. Yup - let some other poor slob deal with those headaches.

 

[myinnerchef]

If you maintain your own server, you have to keep that machine up and running all the time, on a 24/7 internet connection. Too much bother. Let someone else handle it.

And you need a static IP address. Most people these days have a dynamic IP address, which means it changes every now and then. To have your own server, your IP address (which is the street address equivalent for computers) needs to be the same all the time. You would have to check with your ISP for the cost difference. You would probably need to upgrade to business service.

BTW, congrats on surviving a UNIX geek as housemate. I have one too and want to kill him most days. I consider myself pretty smart but it's like he doesn't even speak English when he talks about computers. But he does run our mail server and web host so I can't complain too much.

 

[jenniferp417]

I bought my domain through register4less.com - I've been very very happy with them. I then get my email through google's free "google apps for your domain" - excellent, excellent spam filtering.So I send and receive mail to [email protected] but I used google's interface and it works well.Total cost: $15 a year for the domain.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

When your Unix Geek DH gets on a tear, just tell him that if he doesn't behave, you're gonna run rm -r on his system and that'll shut him up.