Kitz Forum

Internet => Web Browsing & Email => Topic started by: tickmike on September 18, 2007, 11:12:30 PM

Title: Mailbox on a domain
Post by: tickmike on September 18, 2007, 11:12:30 PM
My wife runs the bookings for our village hall and we have been offered a 'Mailbox' on the village domain.

If I remember right, the mail goes to the domain server then it forwarded on to the person who needs it .

Am I on the right track ?

What is the advantage over a normal email address that we have  now ?.

Is it better to guard against spam with this ?.

Can the messages be read by the person who runs the server ?.

Title: Re: Mailbox on a domain
Post by: mr_chris on September 19, 2007, 12:49:49 AM
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If I remember right, the mail goes to the domain server then it forwarded on to the person who needs it .

Am I on the right track ?

Pretty much, yes. A mailbox will be a separate login and password that your wife can set up in her favourite POP3 client, much like she probably does now. Outlook Express, and I'd expect all other mail clients, allows you to select which email address you want to send from if you set up multiple accounts.

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What is the advantage over a normal email address that we have  now ?.
The only real advantage is that it looks more professional I suppose, if you have bookings@myvillage.co.uk or mikeswife@myvillage.co.uk, rather than mikes.wife143@isp.co.uk!

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Is it better to guard against spam with this ?.

It all depends on who she gives the email address to, tbh. Spam is inevitable on any email address, as you know. So if the email is advertised on the website etc, then chances are spambots will harvest it.

The only way to prevent spam on that email address would be (a) never to give it out to anybody and (b) have a webpage that sends the booking email, (using a form-to-mail script), rather than the customers emailing her directly.

And if she sends out an email from that address, then you immediately run the risk of it getting caught by a trojan-ridden PC which then allows it to be harvested by spambots.

Basically, the only way to keep an address spam-free is not to use it, or only use it for incoming mail in the way I described earlier, through the website generating the email. Sad but true, unfortunately.

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Can the messages be read by the person who runs the server ?.

Depends. I wouldn't like to say either way. If the person in the village is in sole charge of the server that the website is on, then they probably can, yes.

What is more likely is that the village domain is hosted on a normal webhosting server, where the person in your village who runs it just sets up the mailbox. If your wife is then able to change the password of the mailbox (whether that's possible or not I don't know) then the person won't be able to read her mail.

I wouldn't let that put you off - if it's not particularly personal stuff, then the advantage is that it is a better email address to use, purely from a 'cosmetic' point of view. She can then keep her personal email for non-village hall related matters. :)