Let’s face it, the days of checking your inbox once a week are long gone.
Communication is a huge component of every business and emailing is a simple way to communicate efficiently. But why does it have to be so complicated?! No worries, we’ve answered some of our clients most FAQ about email for your convenience.
What is an email client and how do I set it up?
An email client is a software program that you download to your desktop, phone, or tablet. It allows you to receive, send, compose, and read emails. The most popular clients include Windows Live, Thunderbird, Gmail, and Microsoft Outlook. Your email address (example@domain.com) will look different depending on your email client. For example, domains registered with Gmail often end in @gmail.com or at @google.com.
Setting up your email client is easy! Go to the app store on your device and type in the name of the client you need. Download it and enter your information!
If you host your email with us, watch the tutorials from our Help Desk and read this blog to learn how to setup your email in a browser and on a desktop or device.
What is an alias?
With an alias email, nobody has to know what your actual email address is.
An alias email address has no username, password, or means for storage, it is only an address. Essentially, it is used to forward messages to other email addresses. These are two scenarios in which an alias is beneficial:
- If you would like a contact form to send inquiries to several addresses (also known as fanning out). This way, there are multiple people receiving that email. Like Cecile, CEO of Old City Web Services, once asked “Do you have a contact form on your website? Are you the only one that is set up to receive it? What happens when you go on vacation, are out sick, or have a family emergency?”
- If an employee is no longer working for you and you want to receive the emails they received; you can set up their email address as an alias and their emails will get sent to you.
What are phishing emails?
Phishing is a type of email scam. More specifically, its when spammers send an email appearing to be from a legitimate business like a bank, insurance company, credit card distributor etc. The phishing email asks you to validate or provide sensitive information such as your birthdate, a part of your social security number, credit card information, passwords, and account numbers. Phishing is a spin on fishing, scammers are dangling a fake lure (or email) hoping users will ‘bite’ (send sensitive information).
Warning: If you suspect you’ve received a phishing email, do not click any links in it. You could possibly download malware or ransomware to your device.
How can I identify them?
- If the email was truly from a legitimate business, the email would address you by name instead of by a variation of “Dear Customer”.
- A phishing email will have an excuse to contact you that is similar to: there have been too many attempts to log in, your account was double charged due to a system error, your account has been suspended etc. If it seems fishy, chances are its a phishing email.
- Bad grammar or misspellings are a huge clue. In an age where autocorrect is included in most email clients and software, professional emails should have no grammatical errors.
- Check the links on the page. 1) The links should lead to the business’ legitimate website. 2) Every link should have a different destination.
This example is from our last blog “Get More Clicks on Your Expanded Listing”. As you can see, if you hover over a link, the destination URL will appear in the bottom left corner of your screen.
What is a blacklist?
A blacklist is a list of email addresses that you have blocked from sending you emails. Once you mark an address as blocked you will not get any emails from that sender, so always be cautious in choosing which addresses you block. Additionally, if you accidentally add an address to your blacklist that you’d like to receive emails from, you must add them to your whitelist.
How do I create a blacklist?
If you host your email with us, the steps are simple!
- Go to mail.oldcity.com and log in.
- Click on “Mailbox Filters” at the top of the page.
- Add email addresses.
- Click on “Save”.
What do I do if I forgot my password?
For security purposes, we do not keep a file of email passwords. Instead, we can reset your password for you and provide you with the new password. If you host your email with us and forget your password, then contact us.
If you don’t host your email with us, click on “forgot password” on the login page.
What should I do if I have a problem sending or receiving emails?
Unfortunately, there is no easy answer as to what the problem could be. Possible issues include: your email client settings aren’t set up correctly, there is a block on the server hosting your email address, there is a block on the server hosting a sender’s email address, your internet connection is weak or nonexistent. The best thing to do is go to our Help Desk.
Do you want to learn about email marketing? Read these 6 quick tips!
Email Etiquette
Back in the day, it used to be that your email was only set up on your desktop. Nowadays, I can bet that your email is set up on your phone, tablets, desktop, and laptop! While it might be tempting to click “reply” and type up a quick response from your phone, your personal and professional image can suffer from a bad email. The downside to that is that writing good emails takes time. So, here are four reminders that will shorten the time you spend in your inbox.
- Answer emails as soon as you open them. If you aren’t going to respond right away, wait to open the email.
- Blacklist all spam emails, because in the time it takes you to figure out it’s a spam mail you could have read another important email.
- Don’t feel pressured to engage in small talk! That’s what texting is for.
- Be sure to set up your signature on your phone and tablets and not just on your desktop and laptop.
Mission Statement
Our mission at Old City Web Services is to navigate the world of web design, web development, and advertising for our clients so that they can focus on what they do best – running their business! Our business intentions go beyond the metrics of graphics, coding, and SEO. Located on Florida’s First Coast, we run a personable home front service and consider our relationship with our clients as a partnership in their success. If you are looking to increase your business’ visibility give us a call at (904) 829-2772 or contact us today.
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