I Need Opinions. I'm Changing My Email Address...

[Jules711]

...but I'm not sure what to do. We are changing service providers. However, my email is on all of my business cards, catalogs, and current flyers that are out. Now my phone & website are the same so it's not like people can't find me. Also, I realize that I can send an email out to my address book too. I'm just concerned b/c I have HWC order forms out there with my info on them. I'm going to send out a ton today (haven't printed them yet). So...do I pay extra money to keep my current address for the rest of the month? Also, I'm trying to decide if it's best to have a separate address for only PC stuff. It's one more to check. Help! For some reason this is really stressing me out and no one else really understands the implications of changing.

I realize that I can do yahoo or hotmail or something, but I love using Outlook and have everything all set up. We do not change email often (first time in several years). Plus, I don't want advertising stuff being at the bottom of each email.

 

[CrazyChef]

I now use gmail, exactly for those reasons. We changed service providers a couple of times and that meant a whole new email address. With gmail, it stays the same regardless of who serves us or where I am.

With Outlook, you can also set it up to connect to your gmail server to get messages. That way, you get to use all the Outlook features.

 

[tlennhoff]

I would keep the seperate address through the end of the month. Send out info now about the change and again a few days before the change takes affect.

I would use a seperate email for PC. While it is a pain to have to check several it is easier to know where the PC stuff is and easier to find it when you need it.

I have an email ISP and so I'm able to use outlook. Then I have a seperate folder just for PC stuff and have rules that automatically put all PC email there. Many of the hosting plans for this are under $3/month.

 

[Jules711]

I can set up several different email address if I want to. I just need to remember to check both. Several customers/host are also family or friends now so they'll email me at my home one too. Honestly, I'd be more likely to check my PC one vs home! Tasha~ So if you have a separate folder, is it really a separate email address? Wouldn't everything in that email be for PC? I'm not sure I'm understanding.I think that I will keep it for the rest of the month.CrazyChef~ Thanks for the info on Gmail. I've heard of it and think I know a couple of people who use it. I didn't realize I could use Outlook with it. Not really familiar with how that all works (but my dad is all knowing in the computer area).

 

[tlennhoff]

What I've done is set up a PST file for Pampered Chef with folders there. When email comes in for my pampered chef email account everything goes there so I just need to click on the PC folder to see the emails related to my business. Did that make sense?

Gmail probably has really good directions for setting it up to work with outlook so once you've set up your email account there you just need to follow the steps.

 

[KellyTheChef]

I now use gmail, exactly for those reasons. We changed service providers a couple of times and that meant a whole new email address. With gmail, it stays the same regardless of who serves us or where I am.

With Outlook, you can also set it up to connect to your gmail server to get messages. That way, you get to use all the Outlook features.

I have gmail right now for the same reason...didn't want to have to change my business cards and stuff every time we have to change providers!

I didn't know you could use Outlook with gmail- is that easy? Where can I find info on how to do that?

 

[Jules711]

Okay, so you have a separate email address, but don't go into it. It comes to you in a folder (within Outlook and your "regular" email) so that you only click on it there? Sorry, I'm not computer illiterate but only really know what I need to know. Thank you!!!!

 

[DebbieJ]

That is one thing I tell my new recruits. Set up a new email with yahoo, hotmail, whoever....one that will never change. That way they never have to change their info.

I was not that smart.

 

[ivykeep]

I have a hotmail account that I've had since hotmail started that I use as my personal account (this is also set up as a premium account -- I pay something like $20 a year which let me have a larger email box and larger attachments as well as use with Outlook). I also have an msn account that I use as my business account (also works with Outlook) and I have a gmail account that I use strictly for my family tree research and wedding invitations (I'm a birchcraft dealer).

I get all three of them delivered to my blackberry. I do recommend using an address that won't change with your service provider -- I made the mistake of organizing my high school class reunion with my verizon account and then changed phone numbers and suddenly couldn't have verizon dsl any more. Got burned badly there, so even though I have comcast, I don't use the email.

 

[tlennhoff]

I didn't know you could use Outlook with gmail- is that easy? Where can I find info on how to do that?

There instructions are http://mail.google.com/support/bin/topic.py?topic=1555 and look pretty easy to follow.

 

[tlennhoff]

Okay, so you have a separate email address, but don't go into it. It comes to you in a folder (within Outlook and your "regular" email) so that you only click on it there? Sorry, I'm not computer illiterate but only really know what I need to know. Thank you!!!!

Do you have someone that helps you with computer stuff? If so talk to them about setting up a gmail account for your PC business and using outlook to manage the account. Once it is set up it is really easy to use/do stuff.

 

[genburk]

My business cards list my phone number and my Personal Web site, which has my e-mail account. I have several e-mail accounts (at last count 6, I think) and have changed them 2 times in the last 6 months (one was deleted and one added), so I didn't have my e-mail put on the cards. I can just let HO know and change it on my site.

Do you think that will be a problem, instead of having right on the card. Maybe it will draw more people to my site as well, but mostly I won't have to keep changing cards and supplies.

 

[DebbieJ]

Tina,

Anytime I make a flyer I always put my PWS url on it and purposely do NOT put my email on it. I want to drive people to my site.

 

[Jules711]

That's what I'm thinking. I WANT people to go to my website so that's probably good, but is it annoying? I guess as a customer, I wouldn't be too annoyed as long as it was easy to see on the website. I think that may be what I do too. I just realized that I have my beautiful stamp with my address, EMAIL address and website. Grrr!! Like it really matters. Oh well. There are a ton of things out there with my email address, but unless someone else chooses the same one, I'm fine. They can call or go to my website.

 

[jenniferknapp]

I would go in to the settings and set up a forward on any emails that you get to the current one before you change providers....sometimes those settings work even after you don't have access to the account anymore! It's worth a shot anyway.

 

[Jules711]

Hmmm...good to know Jennifer. I wasn't planning to forward them since I am happy to possibly be getting rid of a lot of junk. However, that is a great idea since I can probably just set up a folder for all of it to dump to.

Thank you everyone for the ideas. I'll just be happy when this is set up. DH wanted satellite so everything is changing.

 

[pckelly]

That's a great idea Tina, I need to start doing that!

 

[genburk]

Tina,

Anytime I make a flyer I always put my PWS url on it and purposely do NOT put my email on it. I want to drive people to my site.

That is what I was thinking, plus I am a tightwad, so to save space and not cost more, I had to pick between e-mail and website. Not hard when I figured what COULD mean more business. Just not sure if it would aggravate people, but I go to website's all the time for contact info, and I am used to it.

That's a great idea Tina, I need to start doing that!

Thanks. by the way I sent you PM the other day, did you get it?

 

[ivykeep]

That's what I'm thinking. I WANT people to go to my website so that's probably good, but is it annoying? I guess as a customer, I wouldn't be too annoyed as long as it was easy to see on the website. I think that may be what I do too.

I just realized that I have my beautiful stamp with my address, EMAIL address and website. Grrr!! Like it really matters. Oh well. There are a ton of things out there with my email address, but unless someone else chooses the same one, I'm fine. They can call or go to my website.

I have quite a few customers who email me with questions from their blackberry or cell phone so they can't easily access my PWS. It was a discussion at one of my recent shows (I had several people from the same company there, I'd listed the recipe on my PWS to get the customers there and several of them don't have personal computers and their work computers are monitored and/or the firewall won't let them get to my PWS -- it was an issue for us with closing because several co workers wanted to place outside orders and couldn't do it through the site).

As for the stamp, you might try cutting you email address out of the stamp with an x-acto knife. Worse case scenario you ruin the stamp, but you can't use it with old info anyway.

 

[Jules711]

Very good points, Laura. Don't think that's much of an issue around here. In fact, it's surprising how many people don't even have email at all!Thanks for the "duh, why didn't I think of that" idea regarding the stamp.