How to Offer Free E-mail and Web Space from Your Site
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by
Peter Cooper
Setting
Up a Free E-mail System
Now that we've looked at the plus
and minus points of having a free e-mail system, let's get down to practicalities.
There
are two ways to offer free e-mail using your domain name. The first is that you
can run it all from your own server. You'll have to install software on the
server or run a collection of scripts. This is ideal if you're technically adept
since all of the power rests in your hands. Two systems you can use are Alias-Mail
and At Dot, but it's of the
essence that you're skilled enough to implement them or can hire someone to do
it.
For those of us who aren't technical wizards however,
there are a number of friendly companies who offer free e-mail services which
you can integrate with your own domain name, making it seem as if you're offering
free e-mail directly. What's more, these companies offer this service for free!
Why? Put simply, you lose the chance to advertise within the free e-mail pages.
Since the system is handled remotely, the companies make their money by displaying
banners within the free e-mail system. Still, it's your choice.
Some companies who offer this remotely hosted service include Everyone.net,
BigMailBox.com and
SiteMail.co.uk. However,
you may find yourself getting into problems if you don't have any control over
your domain's 'zone file' in your domain name server. The way these remotely hosted
services work involves you changing the MX (mail exchange) entry within your domain's
DNS record to point to the free e-mail company. This then sends all e-mails to
their systems, for handling by the free e-mail system. Does this all sound like
techno-babble? It is. Luckily, these sites will provide you with simple instructions,
but if you're certain that you won't be able to have this record changed, you
may have to consider the locally hosted option.
