Brian, look absolutely no further and do not expend any further effort. Go to http://internetcrusade.com/Products/EmailhostingServices.asp

and let the guys HERE at Internet Crusade host your mail. While it may not be the cheapest, it is hands down the best, and they are there when you need them. They answer the phone directly and will walk you thru any problems... I've had problems ON HOLIDAYS (that were my own stupid operator error) and had Saul or Mike help me resolve it personally. The guys and gals at IC are the best. And worth every single penny.

They also have IMAP? which I know nothing about except I can access my mail online anywhere and best yet, when I got my palm pre, it was magic and with my user name/password it started bringing me my mail without any hassle or phone calls to tech support. I was shocked how easy it was.

Hey Brian

Your delimma's understandeable and easy to take care of. The problem with a lot of online service providers is they make something sound so difficult and cumbersome when it is really easy. EVERYTHING that you have said you can get with GOdaddy.com for less than 10$ which is EVERYTHING that you also receive from InternetCrusade.com

Heck I'll be happy to even talk to you over the phone for free and get you educated in 10minutes about all the questions that you had. They all have very simple answers.

Warm wishes

@ListingMoves

Thanks for the support Catherine ;)


Brian - You've got lots of questions so I am going to try and take this step by step ;)

I'm ashamed to say I completed the e pro course some time back and yet, I am at a total loss as to how to resolve my e mail hosting.

Don't be ashamed, you are not alone ;)

To begin, I am in the process of learning all of the features of Outlook 2007.

There are tons of features to learn, but most people find it is easiest to learn while you are actually using the software in a real-world scenario. Don't get caught up trying to learn every bell and whistle, you'll learn as you go along.

The next thing I have to do is decide who I want to host my e mail. There is just so much info out there. I have spent hours online trying to figure it out.

First I learned that e mail aliases were free. For instance in my case my domain name is HeffernanRealty.com. Now based on what I learned in e pro, my e mail address should be, and is (INACTIVE) BrianH@HeffernanRealty.com. Now I have discovered that while aliases are free they really only point to my e mail address above, and therefore when I respond to their e mail, Outlook 2007 will automaticity use my e mail address not the alias. This may not work for me. Is my only other option to purchase additional e mail boxes?

With many providers, extra aliases are free, but do keep in mind that many providers will give you only a certain number for free-- others will allow you to use unlimited aliases.

You can setup multiple mailboxes and setup Outlook to get mail from all of them, and reply with any specific outbound address you want, but this will probably cost you a little extra. You don't need to setup multiple mailboxes unless you want to give accounts to other people.

If you are going to be the only one getting mail from @YourDomain.com then you can get around purchasing extra mailboxes, however, sending back replies using specific addresses can be a little tricky. The option would be to setup "dummy" accounts within Outlook that will allow you to display other addresses when you send e-mail, but do keep in mind that this isn't ideal, because it isn't automatic. You will need to setup a new account in Outlook for each of these sending addresses that you want to use. The good part about this is that you can setup Outlook to do this for free, but I'd only recommend this setup if you only need a few different sending addresses-not if you are planning on having 25 sending addresses.

How do I decide as a novice, which hosting service to use?. I know the quick answer is to decide on what features you want and look for that product. I don't know exactly what services I need, as I'm unaware of all of the bells and whistles available. I will want to receive my e mail on both my Outlook and handheld and I am led to understand that I should use, imap as opposed to pop3. There are so many nuances to each server/hosting service.

I usually recommend that you first make a list of things you know you need. It sounds like you know you want an IMAP account, so make sure whichever provider you choose does offer that capability. Other than that, ask your peers… What e-mail service do they have, do they like it, do they get good Customer Service when they need help? You are right, there are TONS of choices out there, and tons of different features. As long as all your REQUIREMENTS are met, then all the bells and whistles are just extra. Most "extra" features that are offered by e-mail hosts are rarely used, so I tell people to start small. You can always upgrade and/or switch hosts later when you have a better idea of what features you would like. This way you don't waste money on features you aren't using while you are figuring out how to use your e-mail account.

I feel totally lost in this whole process. Is there any reasonably priced, good service, real estate oriented hosting services out there? It seems the less you understand the more it's likely to cost.

Like I said above, start small, it's always easier to add features (as your webhost will be glad to take more money from you) than it is to downgrade (not everyone likes handing out refunds ;)) Talk to your peers, anyone you know with a branded e-mail address, chances are they either hate or love their service, and either hate or love the level of help they get from their host. A good e-mail host will take the time to explain things and walk you through things.

I am also interested in implementing third level domains such as, 123MainStreet.com. Does this mean you have to buy a different domain for each .com.

A domain would be www.DomainName.com. A third level domain is just a tool that allows you to put a different word in place of the www, so you could setup 123MainSt.MyDomain.com. The third level is just the text that goes before the dot-YourDomain-com. This service is usually free, or at least cheaper than getting a whole new domain. If you want a specific .com (like 123MainSt.com) then you do need to purchase a new domain.

I was also hoping to utilize Outlook Mobile Service which is a feature of Outlook that enables you to send and receive text and picture messages between Office Outlook 2007 and any mobile. I want to use this because I am going to start using a service that gives anyone with a text enabled hand held, a code # on my real estate sign, the option of a voice recorded msg re the prop details, text details, or the option to contact the agent. In any event I am going to need to manage, file, and save this info through Outlook. This may not be relevant to the hosting service I choose. I don't know. I used to have Top Producer 8I but never used it. I feel I will have more control through Outlook. Once I am up and running I will start looking at real estate related add on software for Outlook, content etc. So I would appreciate any suggestions in this area also.

Sorry I am not very familiar with this product, but if you call the providers of the product, I am sure they can fill you in on how it works or if you need a specific host-although my guess is that this is a product that should work with any host.

I'm sorry, I'm starting to ramble. My main question was where to find a competent and reasonably priced, real estate hosting service. The second part of the question was relating to the necessity for multiple e mail accounts and weather I need them or not. I guess you could say understanding my options. Your assistance would be greatly appreciated. My e mail address above is inactive. My current e mail is: BrianBuru@aol.com. Thank you in advance for your time.

Keep in mind that most people who use multiple aliases just use them for the receipt of e-mail to make sorting easier, and to setup auto-responders or rules where necessary. Your needs may be different, but most people don't mind sending out e-mail from their main address.

I hope this helps, at least a little ;)

Quoting Brian:

I'm ashamed to say I completed the e pro course some time back and yet, I am at a total loss as to how to resolve my e mail hosting.

To begin, I am in the process of learning all of the features of Outlook 2007. The next thing I have to do is decide who I want to host my e mail. There is just so much info out there. I have spent hours online trying to figure it out. First I learned that e mail aliases were free. For instance in my case my domain name is HeffernanRealty.com. Now based on what I learned in e pro, my e mail address should be, and is (INACTIVE) BrianH@HeffernanRealty.com. Now I have discovered that while aliases are free they really only point to my e mail address above, and therefore when I respond to their e mail, Outlook 2007 will automaticity use my e mail address not the alias. This may not work for me. Is my only other option to purchase additional e mail boxes?

· BrianBuru@aol.com. Thank you in advance for your time.

Why not use RealTown? That's who I use and they are inexpensive and always there for you if you need help. Support those that help YOU! Judy

Judy, when you say use RealTown, are you talking about Internet Crusade? Thanks, Gary

Brian -- Great questions

Group -- Great Responses