It's amazing that in such a high-speed environment as the internet, a simple thing like finding an email program that works and has all the features I need is taking forever. I've been moving at a snail's pace, thanks to this decidedly crucial bit of software. I guess I'm spoiled. It's so easy to come to expect things when you've had them for a short time.
Yet there are several programs that have the features I need (filters, html sig file and folder system, plus decent storage), but none of them really work, if you know what I mean. That is, none of them actually filter those email addresses into various files, notify me that I have new mail in that file, etc. All of them seem to dump the emails anywhere handy and move on. At this rate, my friends at the USPS will be glad to know their jobs are secure.
Until recently I used one major email server that shall remain nameless since it's behavior has become both unreliable and its customer service has been abhorrent. (Contacting them is a joke since I send emails to them and, without any response whatsoever, get an invitation to fill out a survey about their customer service. I even held the last survey for 7 days waiting for their response.)
But, after finding an email in my web server that was never delivered to my email address (it was bounced by the email server) that was VERY important AND, most of all TIME SENSITIVE (not to mention from some one I exchange emails with on a regular basis), I decided I had no choice but to replace the email server. Who knows? Maybe they're trying out some new spam-filter. I have my spam filters turned off but, apparently, that makes no difference.
And I cannot put this off until my re-organization is finished. In fact, just the opposite is the case because, having no email mean having no communication with the outside world. And I am still in business, after all.
The guys at my hosting company poo-poo'ed online servers and said I should be using a program like Eudora or MS Outlook. I dislike these kind of programs since, being designed by engineers, they make each and every simple operation a complex, life-altering experience. I am convinced engineers live to complicate things. But, having some respect for my hosting company, I decided to try them out.
Well, it so happens that Eudora has a free version of its software so I downloaded it today. Do you think I could get it configured properly? It would have been fine if it were for the normal end user that operates straight from his ISP. But I am trying to capture email from a POP account, one with alias' and re-directs. (This is nothing shady, mind you. They all say, @trackermo.com and are configured mostly so I can filter them into their own folders in my email server... if that worked, that is. Or my future email server offered these features...)
But Eudora will only allow one email address and just trying to set it up was a nightmare. After an hour, I finally gave up and deleted the free download.
I've also tried gmail, which doesn't allow html in the sig file and has their own cutesy little naming system: Folders are "labels" and priority msgs are "starred". Ugh. I am still testing it. Until just a moment ago, I thought it did not display the number of unread messages in a "label" (what product of a broken home, college intern came up with that little gem, I'd like to know), but I just saw it does... now, if only it would accept my emails.
I've also looked into three other programs today... none of which suffice.
So, you see, this is an ongoing mess. Because of it, I am not sure how behind my newsletter will be. As it is, that is another bear of a problem I'm having: I've discovered in the last few days that my auto-responder is not "accurately reporting deliveries," according to its CS. Hmph. Oh, really? They went on to say that I should "assume" the emails are going out. Really. I find that incredibly hard to believe. Because, if what they say is true, I am sending out over 125,000 emails and NO ONE is interested. That's got to be mathematically impossible, no? Either that or their leads are complete garbage. And I pay good money for those leads.
Somethings smells very rotten in the state of NJ-- and it's not me, cause I bathe!
More later...
|
