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Answer from Brett Krkosska:How Email Works
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| Let's begin with a definition of Catch-all email. This comes
from WebHosts4Free.com: Catch-all Email Account: An email account
which allows any email of the form, any@domain.com, to be forwarded or placed into a
single email address. For example, webmaster@you.com, info@you.com and anything@you.com,
will all be sent to the same email address. Often hosts allow you to also specify
particular email addresses to be forwarded to different email |
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| addresses, in addition to the catch-all email
which sends any other email address to one designated email address. |
Whoa. Confused? Yes, it's not enough of an explanation without some
further exploration.
Let's look at email as it relates to ISP's and Web Hosts, and then we will look more
closely at definitions.
ISP (Internet Service Provider)
An ISP is generally thought of as the company that provides you with dial up access to the
Internet. An ISP may or may not also provide hosting services, i.e. space on their server
allowing users access to information you make available to the Web.
Most ISP's do provide web space, and all provide email services, but the level of service
and prices vary from company to company. An ISP is not usually the entity you will seek
out to provide complex email solutions.
Web Hosting Company
A Web Hosting company can be distinguished from an ISP for purposes of our discussion. Web
Hosts are generally regarded as the suppliers of solutions to the email needs of their
customers. So, obviously you will look to your Web Host for email solutions instead of
your dial up provider. After all, a good Host is in the business of solving the needs you
have - so that you may meet your customer's needs.
Okay, let's look at some email definitions...
SMTP is the protocol for sending outgoing mail. This is done through your
dial up provider (ISP). Your website hosting company does not route your outgoing mail
unless they also provide a dial up service to the Internet.
POP3 accounts are simply your email addresses (yourname@you.com) that are
resident on your host's or ISP's server. Incoming email that is sent to one of your email
addresses is stored on your host's server, but your email software (Outlook, Eudora, etc.)
must be configured to retrieve the email messages from the server. POP3 is a method of
retrieving your email from the host using your own email program - a convenience service.
FORWARDING is when received email is redirected to an address you
specify, such as your local dial up address. Incoming email is not stored at the original
email address it was sent to, it is redirected and stored where you specify through
forwarding.
ALIASES allow you to route and store incoming email with different
addresses automatically to a specified email address.
Think of it this way...
... let's say your first name is "Bob" and your surname is "Singapore"
but people also know you as Silly Bob Singapore, Slim Singapore, and some just call you
Singapore. No matter what aliases people call you by, you will still hear what they say
because all those names are a way of referring to you... Bob Singapore.
Aliases come in handy when you receive email at addresses such as support@mywebsite.com,
contact@mywebsite.com, help@mywebsite.com and so on, and you want to catch them all at a
one email address. You can think of this central email location as a "catch-all"
for anything arriving to @mywebsite.com.
That's the basic outlay.
Want to know more? Visit these sites:
>> http://www.howstuffworks.com/email.htm/printable
>> http://www.findanisp.com/
Search for more information about Email
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| Real-world, common sense strategies
for small and home based business success. Your issues... real answers. |
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