virgin mail are getting a bit censorious

[devonwoody]

If it's not yet clear people, stop using your isp for email. :roll:

OK mum, you can stop nagging me now...
I've just created my new gmail account, with the same name as my ntlworld one
So that should be reasonably easy for people.

And will that last for ever even if you change your ISP?

 

[cambournepete]

Yes, unless Google do something dramatic.

 

[RogerS]

I was curious to know what a new customer would expect when joining Virgin and so took a look at their website.

No reference that I could see to blocking attachments so that would really be great if you migrated over from another ISP and weren't aware of this.

Nor is there anyway to contact them by email if you are not already a customer.

 

[wizer]

it is always possible (but highly unlikely) that google or hotmail will cease to be, which is why i have the ultimate layer of protection in the domain name. That belongs to me and if/when i change my email provider, the changeover to my family friends, banks, retailers, etc etc is completely seemless. ok, the domain costs about a tenner a year, but thats money well spent IMO. In my case my surname is my domain name, so giving my email address is as easy as giving my name. Plus every other member of my family have thier own email address, regardless of who they use to recieve email.

Don't forget also, you can pickup your email from anywhere in the world on any connection with cloud based web mail and no setup or software is needed at all.

 

[peter99]

Think registering your own domain is better, is for me anyway.

I own my own surname (got in early )
So I have, as an example [email protected] and [email protected]
These are mine independently of any isp,company etc, so for life. (If I wanted smith.co.uk now I would have to buy, lets say smith225.co.uk etc)

I also have what I call a trash email I give out if I think spam might result (lets say thats [email protected]).

So smith225.co.uk and
[email protected]

I then registered with gmail and set up an account.

All mail sent to the above 2 addresses utomatically go to gmail. outlook on my computer pulls them down automatically from gmail, I read them and reply from outlook (automatically then sent back via gmail).
I simply open outlook, read, reply. all as normal. each account comes in and goes out with the respective name it arrived with (not a gmail address). I can send from either name.

The clever bits are I can switch isp, switch from gmail, it doesn't affect the email addresses which are for life. Also the gmail account and outlook (in my case the mac version) sync constantly so if I'm away without a laptop I simply log into gmail and see exactly what I see on my lap top anywhere in the world on any computer and when i return all work done is mirrored in real time in outlook on my home pc / laptop. Takes a couple of hours to set up, no hosting fees to speak of, all mail spam checked by gmail and works a treat.

Just don't ask me how I did it
:shock:

 

[devonwoody]

Peter,
but virgin are still my ISP if I create a gmail address?

 

[cambournepete]

yes

 

[devonwoody]

Thanks campete

I have created a google mail account but it only picks up mail coming into me that has my google mail address, so I have to go to OE to see my existing posters to me.

Is that correct?

 

[peter99]

Virgin et al are the motorway network moving your on line activities to and fro. you pay them for this.
If you have a [email protected] or whatever email address you are 'renting' that address from virgin like renting a flat address at the side of the motorway that they both own. What we are saying is if you buy a domain name (see ukdomains.com) you buy the flat at the side if the motorway. it's yours whether or not you use that motorway. Sso you can change from using virgin M1 motorway access (to the net) to using bt M25 motorway (to the net) but still keep the flat address permanently as it's yours rather than hand the rented flat address back to virgin M1 as part of the package when you stop using the M1.

Now you can permanently keep your home address and shop around to find the nicest / cheapest motorway tolls and change those whenever you want. Home address stays the same.

When that's done you can forward your new permanent home address on to a net based email provider eg Gmail, hotmail etc and sync outlook to pull down /push up (pull/push email) your messages.

If thats all you need job done. Or get more sophisticated as we all are in Yorkshire darling and do what I have done or similar.

Phew, Pete

 

[devonwoody]

OK. any free domain names. I'm a pensioner on OAP and I dont want to part with amymore dosh.

 

[peter99]

'Fraid you'll have to pay 'ownership rights' for your permanent name Devon, but unless you go for .com you should be able to pick something up for around £5 year, not much extra when added to isp (virgin etc) costs for the year considering the hassle of address changes etc it avoids.

Bet you'll get devonwoody.co.uk without a problem. Now there's a christmas present to yourself

 

[Chris Knight]

Think registering your own domain is better, is for me anyway.

I own my own surname (got in early )
So I have, as an example [email protected] and [email protected]
These are mine independently of any isp,company etc, so for life. (If I wanted smith.co.uk now I would have to buy, lets say smith225.co.uk etc)

I also have what I call a trash email I give out if I think spam might result (lets say thats [email protected]).

So smith225.co.uk and
[email protected]

I then registered with gmail and set up an account.

All mail sent to the above 2 addresses utomatically go to gmail. outlook on my computer pulls them down automatically from gmail, I read them and reply from outlook (automatically then sent back via gmail).
I simply open outlook, read, reply. all as normal. each account comes in and goes out with the respective name it arrived with (not a gmail address). I can send from either name.

The clever bits are I can switch isp, switch from gmail, it doesn't affect the email addresses which are for life. Also the gmail account and outlook (in my case the mac version) sync constantly so if I'm away without a laptop I simply log into gmail and see exactly what I see on my lap top anywhere in the world on any computer and when i return all work done is mirrored in real time in outlook on my home pc / laptop. Takes a couple of hours to set up, no hosting fees to speak of, all mail spam checked by gmail and works a treat.

Just don't ask me how I did it
:shock:

I bet without gmail acting as a spam trap, that a domain name like that can attract a lot! I had a couple of vanity domains in the early years a knight.net and a cjk.com IIRC. The cjk.com was the worst, I got zilliions of things to or from Korea and I never did find a spam trap that worked for me so I gave it up. Same story with knight.net almost as bad so I stopped that too. If gmail had been around then perhaps they might have been worth keeping.

 

[matt]

One & One tend to be cheap when it comes to domain names.

Also, for technichally challenged... A web based email account is handy when you want a helping hand. Just let the person helping you out log in to your account from their PC.

 

[wizer]

its funny, i always hear people saying they get high amounts of spam, my Dad gets inundated. My spam trap on gmail picks up maybe ten a week, none in the inbox at all. Dunno what the difference is

 

[Smudger]

Maybe you've got an international reputation for being tight?

Or for not needing any of the treatments, drugs and mechanical devices usually on offer...

 

[wizer]

maybe my surname means something negative in Nigerian :wink:

 

[devonwoody]

Honest, I never get them these days. I dont use the virgin virus set up but a program called Bullguard, and Spyware Nuker that one is a nuisance because it does slow the boot up considerably so I suppose it does stop me from being seduced.

 

[misterfish]

I also get very little spam as my ISP have spam filters that remove most from my account. I can select whether or not I want the filter active. I'm not aware of losing any email I want to be delivered.

Misterfish