Outlook

Outlook is a stand-alone program that is NOT web-based. You can set up your gmail as an IMAP account so that you can access it from more than one computer. You can also set it up to sync with several flavors of smartphones.

The advantage of having your contacts in Outlook is that they reside on your computer and you do not have to access the internet to have their information available. However, you can export your gmail contacts to a file for offline use.

The advantage of having your email in Outlook (or any other email client for that matter) is that you have access to your previously received emails without having to have access to the internet.

Hope this helps.

Pat Hallesy, GRI, e-PRO
Associate Broker
Keller Williams Realty (residential)
Sperry Van Ness (commercial)
Fredericksburg VA

Licensed in Virginia

Kathleen.

Outlook is a contact mangement program (to keep u organized) with all your client info and calender-appointments.You can run all your e-mail thru it and if you have a smart phone you can sync all that info and pick up your e-mail from your phone.The good news is Outlook comes on most of our computers so it's free

Hope u find this helpfull

Lynda

LYNDA MARTIN GROUP

7 ROBBIN ROAD

CARBONDALE, IL. 62903

OFF. (618) 549-1416 FAX (888)545-9164

WWW.LYNDAMARTINGROUP.COM

Hey Kathleen

I agree with Pat & Lynda

The great thing about gmail is the fact that they allow you to set yourself up on an IMAP which means you can access your emails through outlook AND gmail.com

Technically you don't NEED outlook since Google provides calendar, email and so forth.
Best of wishes

@ListingMoves

Kathleen et al;

Time to set the record straight about Outlook...

First off, it is an email client like: Outlook Express and Thunderbird..See link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_e-mail_clients

Secondly, it is NOT free, it is part of the MS Office platform and comes as part of the Office package, or as a stand alone purchase, but trust me on this one, you will have paid for it in one way or another..

Third, it was originally designed to work in corporate environments as a CMS/CRM/Etc., app, to handle email, calendering, contacts, tasks and the like. It has built in sharing capabilities when used in said setting...

I have several agents and teams using Outlook as a replacement for TP, all have the ability to access data anytime/anywhere, and share it for the same low monthly fee of 10.00 per user....

It's original configuration was for an Exchange connection, although it can connect via POP/IMAP and HTTP...

What this means is that it can work with any ISP and "free," email service provider such as Google, etc.

Fourth, it does have a web based version, see screen shot..It is called Outlook Web Access or OWA for short. It is part of MS Exchange, which is available to you as a per user/mailbox account..

Now, Outlook can be used as a "stand alone," app, with emails arriving onto the local machine, and if configured with IMAP, emails available on the server too..

To really get the benefits and power of it, it should be used in a Hosted Exchange setting..This gives you the ability of having Outlook on multiple pc's, connected to the Exchange account, and have the exact same info on any of the pc's..A change made on one, is reflected on the others...

It can even connect to your handheld, iPhone, Palm, Crackberry and Win Mobile...Each of these will have different costs associated with having ALL of your outlook data..An appointment made on your phone, shows up on your outlook calendar on the office pc, and vice versa.....

Your email is always protected...You can use any ISP or Internet connection to access it....O focus, you need to use your own domain name, www.randallfullerton.com etc., as Exchange can only have one account associated with it..

Once set up, you can have any of you other email addresses forwarded to this account and be able have one place to check all of your email...

Now, it is not designed for Real Estate per se, but BUSINESS..So, if you feel the need to have, collect all of that extra RE data, go ahead and use an add-on app like: Active Agent from www.sonomaenterprises.com or www.realeseller.com both integrate nicely right inside of outlook and give all the stuff you need, they both work with Exchange too....

There you have it, the real skinny on Outlook....

Randall C Fullerton, Certified e-PRO Trainer & IT Consultant

www.peritusit.com

704-605-4950

Aloha Randall,

Thank you for that information, while I use TP 8i I can't seem to let go of Outlook, it just seems so much more user friendly. I have been wondering about the web based version and this answered that question. One more question how does the web base version work with bulk emails? How many emails can you send at one time?

Mahalo, Susan Fox

Reply to Susan Fox re: using a web based MS Outlook product. I was told about one that was supposed to be great. I tried it on a 30 day trial basis, and although the tech support team tried to help, I discovered the hard way that I was NOT RECEIVING all my emails, including, naturally, client emails. What a mess. The concept is great, since I use 2 desktops in 2 locations, a laptop, BlackBerry and a netbook. I was very excited about finally not having to rely on synching my Smartphone. However --- beware, it may not work and you may not even know it's not working until you have missed something important. When clients have to call you to ask you why you didn't reply --- that is just a disaster. If you try one, please let us all know if it was successful.

Susan...There are some limits to Outlook Web Access, it is mainly designed for those times when you do have access to your primary computer wiht Outlook loaded and running locally...For mass mailing, use this app from www.politemail.com this allows you send out hundreds/thousands of emails at one time, from Outlook, using the "TO" field and have the ability to track delivery, open rate, forward rate, bounce rate and if they clicked on a link...

Randall C Fullerton

www.peritusit.com

704 605 4950

D'Ann,

It sounds like you did not have the proper email forwards in place for the Exchange server...I have set up hundreds of users on this system, and it is imperative that the email forwards and aliases be set up correctly, or you will not get email..However, if done properly, in the right order, it is not an issue...

The exchange server will have but one address to work with, then you forward all of your other email addresses to it, then any/all emails hit your exchange server and are available via the web, or Outlook on the local machine..Now, you handheld should be set up for the exchange account too....Also, the "reply to" address needs to be correct, or emails will disappear into the netherworld..

Again, when configured correctly, no issues, if not..well...

I personally use and suggest www.link2exchange.com for all of my Hosted Exchange clients, no issues..US based, English speaker (Bostonese-Yankeespeak) great tech support, lots of RE clients...

Let me know if you are interested, i can get you a discount...

Randall C Fullerton

Randall, thanks for your reply. The company was MailStreet.com and they did all the setting up and tracked down all my email forwarding, and worked diligently to find the source of the problem. They did everything you suggested, using remote control of my computer when necessary. My BlackBerry was set up too, by them and by Verizon, because I had to change from Verizon Wireless to BlackBerry Exchange Service (another monthly cost...). I was very determined to make it all work because it's a fabulous solution to the issue of being in one location and needing something from the other. GoToMyPC doesn't work because you have to leave the remote computer on, and I won't do that (it's in a large office). The experience left me totally gunshy of any further attempts to do use MS Outlook Exchange. I cannot afford to be disconnected from clients and business...the inconveniences I have without it are not worth losing customers over. But thanks for the offer!