Flex Quick Tip
October 29, 2009
E-mail Services: Premium vs. Free

More of our members are making the decision to turn away from premium service-based e-mail accounts, such as the ones that are included with internet service providers; such as Road Runner, AT&T, Verizon, and Charter, to name a few. Many of you are drawn towards web-based e-mail services like Yahoo! Mail, Google's Gmail, and Microsoft's Hotmail. Some sign onto free e-mail services just for their personal accounts and access software-based e-mail at the office, yet others rely upon these websites for professional use as well.

While these free services offer many benefits, people trust them to handle very important e-mail without realizing any possible security, reliability, and privacy ramifications. If you are considering migrating from a premium service-based e-mail account to one of these free web-based providers, or even if you currently use these services, be sure to consider the following carefully.

When you receive an e-mail from someone, it arrives at the e-mail server responsible for accepting and storing e-mail addressed to your domain (or your e-mail address). If you signed up with Gmail for example, Google is responsible for accepting e-mail addressed to your account. If e-mail sent to you is not received, you would have to contact Google regarding this issue. You may or may not get a resolution in a timely manner. Based on your provider’s policy, it’s very possible that you may be using their program at your own risk. If you decide to continue using a free e-mail service, it is advisable you follow up with your Contacts to verify they have received your sent e-mail.

If you have a website hosted somewhere and have a related e-mail address, the hosting service is responsible for accepting e-mail addressed to your account; thus accountable to you, the paying subscriber. Your paid subscription offers you more services and protection.

With either type of e-mail account, please be aware that e-mail is not 100% reliable and that there can be delays when sending and receiving e-mail messages.

Any questions, please call the Help Desk at 414.778.5450 or e-mail support@metromls.com