There are three ways available to access your email on our servers: POP, IMAP, and Webmail.  Here’s how each works and some tips on which might work best for you.

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POP:  POP stands for Post Office Protocol and it’s easiest to understand if you think of the server as your post office.  Mail is sent, the post office (server) receives it, and then your mail program (Outlook, Eudora, etc) connects to the post offices and picks up your mail.  The mail is then saved on your computer and is no longer on the server.  Just like when you receive a letter in the mail, you end up with the only copy of that letter, and you don’t need to go back to the post office any time you’d like to read your letter.  If your mail is critically important I recommend running regular backups of your mail program if you use POP.

POP works well if:

• You use one computer to access your email.
• You are the only one who needs access to the email account.
• You have a dialup connection or sometimes work offline and want access to your email without being connected to the internet.  (Not required, POP works great with always on connections like DSL or cable as well.)
• You want to keep your mail stored on your computer so you can easily back it up to an external drive or online service like Mozy.

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IMAP:  IMAP stands for Internet Message Access Protocol.  IMAP works in an “online” type mode where you connect to the server for your mail and all mail remains on the server, instead of being transferred to your computer*.  You can create folders on the server and move mail around, delete mail, etc. and it’s all being done on the server.  With IMAP you can then access that mail from multiple computers.  Depending on your connection speed and how much mail is stored in your account IMAP can be slow to access.  All mail is backed up nightly since it’s stored on the server and we do nightly backups.  However, we recommend also keeping a local backup of your hosting accoung if your mail is critically important and not depending on the server backups (a server backup can be run to restore an account but only the entire account, not one single email account, and occassionally we have to go back a few days or a week to run a complete restore).* There are some IMAP programs which can be set to allow you to save a copy of the email on your local computer.  You’d need to contact support for your email program to find out if your program supports this.

IMAP works well if:

• You need to access your email regularly from multiple computers.
• You are on a fast, always on type of internet connection (DSL, Cable, or similar).
• You regularly clear out old email and are able to keep the email in your box under the limit for your account (never deleting email that’s stored in an IMAP account can cause you to hit your account limit and make mail bounce back to senders until the limit it changes or old mail is deleted).

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Webmail:  We offer three choices of webmail programs you can use (Horde, SquirrelMail and RoundCube).  With webmail all mail stays on the server and you can access it from any computer that has an internet connection and browser.  You login to webmail through your browser and can read and send messages through it.

Webmail works well if:

• You want to be able to access your email online from multiple computers.
• You would rather check your mail in a web browser and not deal with configuring a program on your computer to handle mail via IMAP or POP.
• You regularly clear out old email and are able to keep the email in your box under the limit for your account (never deleting email that’s stored in an webmail account can cause you to hit your account limit and make mail bounce back to senders until the limit it changes or old mail is deleted).

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Are you capturing visitor information so you can stay in touch with them? It’s easier than you might think! And more important than you may realize.

Often a visitor will find your website as they surf, or search, but they aren’t quite ready to purchase your products or hire you for your services. It can take multiple exposures to your business before a potential buyer feels comfortable enough to buy. But if you don’t have an easy way to stay in front of them, they may end up purchasing the same product or service elsewhere. This is where a newsletter can help your business.

If you invite visitors to subscribe to a free newsletter, you’ll be able to regularly stay in touch with them and help them come to know, like, and trust you by providing quality information and resources.

Here’s what you need to know to use a newsletter effectively:

1) You MUST have a system that allows users to subscribe and confirm their subscription (this is called double opt in) and easily unsubscribe, as well as one that includes your postal contact information in every issue. This ensures that you will be in compliance with the CAN-SPAM Act. You do not want to accidentally violate this law and end up fined. All reputable newsletter services can help you stay compliant. By reputable newsletter services, I do not mean sending a mass email through Outlook Express — that’s a good way to get yourself in trouble with blacklists. You must use a legitimate mailing service if you want to run a professional newsletter. There are budget friendly options for small businesses. Here are some that I’ve personally used, or worked with for client projects, and can recommend:

• Aweber — www.aweber.com (I personally use Aweber and am a very happy customer)
• Mailer Mailer — www.mailermailer.com
• YMLP — www.ymlp.com (includes a free option)

2) You need to add a subscribe box to your website that includes three things:

• The form for collecting the information — this code will be provided by your mailing service
• A privacy statement so visitors feel safe sharing their information with you — for example “We will not share or sell your information.”
• An incentive to sign up — no one wants more useless junk mail, so offer your customers a coupon or special deal, a free report, or other helpful resource in exchange for allowing you to contact them

If you aren’t familiar with editing your website, I strongly recommend having your designer add this code for you. It only has to be done once and should only take a few minutes of their time so the bill won’t be too painful. The code will only collect the information properly if it’s added properly though.

3) You will need to contact your subscribers regularly. Your newsletter won’t be helpful if you don’t use it. So set a regular schedule and send out that newsletter on time. It can be monthly, bi-weekly, or weekly and that’s a decision you need to make depending on your own market.

Would you like to learn more about newsletters and how you can use them to help build your business?

Investment: $9.99 “Super easy to read, navigate and understand… helpful info, helpful ideas, great links.” –Danielle, Doodles Jewels

The Muses Guide to Creating & Managing Your Own Sales Newsletter This Guide covers the basics to help you get started with a sales newsletter for your small business. You’ll find answers to these questions: What is a Newsletter? What is a List? Why Do I Need a Newsletter? How Do I Create a Newsletter? Should I Send in HTML or Text Format? How Can I Save Time on My Newsletter? How Do I Get Subscribers? How Do I Promote My Newsletter?

In this Guide I’ve started with square one and cover what a newsletter is and why you need one, then I explain the four different options you have for creating and managing your newsletter including the benefits and drawbacks of each option. You’ll also find “Beyond the News: Ideas to Add Interest and Personality” which offers you 12 unique, creative ways to add a little content to your sales newsletter and help your subscribers get to know you.You can read about 8 easy ways to promote your newsletter both online and offline. And there’s a 2 1/2 page section on how to keep from being blacklisted as a spammer (it happens to newsletters more often than you might think in the world of todays aggressive spam filtering), with the two tools you must use before you send your newsletter. I also share what to do if you are blacklisted and provide the information and links you need to get de-listed. Created especially for small business owners who want to create and manage their own sales newsletters, it’s 22 pages (8 1/2″ x 11″ size) full of great information, tips, and advice to help you succeed.

Now that you’ve got your newsletter up and running, are you ready to make it distinctive? Using a custom template can help your newsletter catch the eye of the subscriber as they sort through their email. It can also reinforce your brand and professional status.  A custom template will put your logo, photo, etc and colors into the email that you send out.

Three things you need to know about newsletter templates:

1) Unless you are very good with HTML and willing to study email clients and test extensively, it’s best to hire a professional to design your template.

They’ll likely be able to use your existing website graphics to create something lovely. Expect to pay a fair price for the template and keep in mind that it’s something you’ll be using over and over to promote your business and sending out hundreds, maybe thousands, of times, so the costs won’t seem as expensive if you think about the long-term value. Pricing will vary depending on the designer and your needs. A basic graphic header and graphic headings coded for a coach or infoprenuer’s newsletter will generally be less expensive than a fancy template for a product seller that includes bordered product photo displays and other graphics work.

2) You need to be very specific with your designer in terms of what features you want.

If you want to have 5 sections all with different titles and image headers, be sure you let them know before they begin work. If you want expandable areas for content, or specific fonts, or links, mention it. After a template is complete is not a good time to say, “Instead, I really wanted…” or “But this image needed to…” Be as descriptive as possible and forward samples if you have them so that your designer has as much information to work with as you can provide. You’ll like the end result better and your original price quote will be more accurate.

3) Using a custom template will require you to either know a bit of HTML code yourself, or have your content added into it for each newsletter by someone who does know HTML code.

A custom template is not going to work like choosing a pre-loaded template in Aweber or Constant Contact.  Those allow you to just “fill in the box” to add your content into their pre-designed stock template.  With a custom template, the newsletter coding has been created exclusively for you, and you will likely need to edit your source code, then copy and paste the entire thing into a code box at the mailing services website. If you’re changing images and other graphics it’ll get a bit more complicated yet and you’ll need to be familiar with image editing, uploading, and how to link to images to update that part of a template/newsletter layout.

Each time you send out a newsletter you’ll have two options:

• If you’re on a limited budget, plan to spend some time becoming familiar with your template and HTML code.  It’s not extremely difficult but it does require some time and effort. Discuss your plans and needs with your designer if you’ll be updating yourself so he or she can make this process easier for you.

• If you’re limited on time, plan to have your designer or virtual assistant handle your content for you each issue.  Be sure to find out how much advance notice your designer needs to add your content so you can schedule it in advance of your sending date.  You’ll also want to proofread your content before you send it to your designer.  You might also request that he/she login and send out your newsletter for you, just to be sure the code ends up properly entered in your mailing service so it displays properly for your subscribers.

You’ll have to choose one approach or the other. Your designer can’t update your newsletter for free and you won’t be able to do it without knowing a bit about the inner workings of your template (code and/or images, as needed).

These three tips will help you get a template that works well for you, and learn to work with your template. Good luck!

All sites were back up and running smoothly last night as of about 5pm. We’ve been checking over accounts since then to look for any errors or issues. Here are some common ones. We’re happy to help you resolve these if you’d like to open a support ticket, or you can fix them on your own if you’re comfortable doing that.

Images Not Showing
If you are on Melete, and some of your images aren’t showing, it’s a file permissions issue. Just login with FTP and change the permissions on your images to 755 and you’ll be all set again.

Pages/Images Won’t Upload
If you are on Iris, running Iris Market Builder, and your pages or images give you an error when you try to add them it’s an issue with php. You want to set your website to use PHP5. To do that, login to the cPanel, click the File Manager (be sure to tell it you want to view hidden files by clicking that box), and find the .htaccess file. Add these two lines to the very top:
AddType application/x-httpd-php5 .php
AddHandler application/x-httpd-php5 .php .htm .html

And, if you have a line like this, delete only that line:
AddHandler application/x-httpd-php .php .htm .html

Do not change anything else in your .htaccess file (important!!). Then save.

Mail Problems
If you’re having trouble logging into webmail or sending/receiving mail, it’s most likely an issue with the DNS cache on your computer. You can flush that by following the directions here: http://elementalmuse.com/blog/?p=52

Other Errors
If you’re getting an error that mentions PHP or mySQL, please let us know by opening a support ticket and we’ll get right on it.

Thanks!

If you’re having difficulty logging into webmail or sending/receiving mail please try flushing your DNS cache.

On Windows XP:

• Click Start
• Click Run
• Type in:   cmd
• A command prompt will open, type:   ipconfig/flushdns
• Done!

On Mac OS X / OS X Leopard:

• Open Applications
• Open Utilities
• Open Terminal
• If you’re in Leopard, type in:   lookupd -flushcache
• If you’re in OS X, type in:  dscacheutil -flushcache
• Done!

Updates on Melete are nearly complete.  We were a bit behind schedule and started at 4am this morning.  95% of the changes went smoothly, but unfortunately the IP changes and php/mySQL upgrades affected a handful of the accounts on the server more than expected and we had to run restores for those accounts.  No files were lost and restores are from within the last hour or two.  This has resulted in downtime for the affected accounts (about 7 hours at this point).  ETA for all accounts to be back up and running smoothly is within the next hour or two and we’ll do our best to keep you updated.  Please open a support ticket if you have questions or concerns or any problems with your account.  I apologize for the difficultly for those affected and truly appreciate your patience as we work to resolve this as quickly as we can.

This month we’ve added a new person to our staff here at Elemental Muse. Melissa Barham is joining us to help out with website updates, administrative tasks, and at the support desk. She lives near York, Pennsylvania with her husband and son. Beginning this month you may see her replying to help you with support issues, or helping with projects like migrating our support system into Kayako (more news on that soon).

We’ve been notified that Verisign, Afilias, and PIR are raising their prices on domain name registrations, effective September 30th.  This means that our pricing for registrations and renewals will be adjusted on that date.

New Pricing Effective September 30th wil be $10.99/year for .com, .net, .org, and .info domains.

If you register or renew your domain prior to September 30th you can still get the current pricing of $8.99/year and you can renew for up to 5 years.

Are you participating in the Great Cloth Diaper Hunt in November? We understand the extra traffic this can generate. So you don’t have to worry, we’re offering a special bandwidth deal exclusively for this event. Just open a support ticket and let us know you’re participating, and we’ll invoice you a one time $10 fee then make sure you don’t have to worry about your bandwidth for the month. At the end of the month we’ll put your bandwidth back at it’s regular limit for your package. Please be sure to get in touch with us before the start on November 1st, so we can make sure you’re ready to go.

We’ll be making some updates to Melete on 9/14/2008.

As part of a server upgrade your IPs will be changing. You can find your new IP in your control panel after the upgrade is complete.

PHP4 and PHP5 will both be available on Iris. PHP4 (mod_php) is the current default. If you’d like to use PHP5 (phpsuexec), just add these two lines to your .htaccess file:

AddType application/x-httpd-php5 .php
AddHandler application/x-httpd-php5 .php

mySQL will be upgraded to version 5.

New Shared SSL URL:

https://secure.creocommunico.com/~username

Just replace username with your cPanel username to use the shared SSL on the server.

Any questions or concerns just open a support ticket in the client area and we’ll be happy to help.