General Questions About Email

Flash Walkthroughs:

How to setup your mail using Microsoft Outlook
How to disable leaving a copy of email on server from Outlook

How to change your port number from 25 to 587 using:

Outlook Express

This FAQ guides you in setting up the Outlook Express email client to be able to send email using port 587.

  1. Open Outlook Express and select the Tools menu and click Accounts
  2. Click the Mail tab to make it the active window. Select the E-mail account name from the list and click the Properties button.
  3. Select your account and click the Change button (in Outlook 2000, click the Properties button).
  4. Select the Servers tab and verify that you have mail.yourdomain.com in the Outgoing mail (SMTP) field. Click to put a check in the My server requires authentication option and then click the Settings button. Ensure that the Use same settings as my incoming mail server is selected and click OK.
  5. Select the Advanced tab. In the Server Port Numbers section at the top, delete the value inside the Outgoing server (SMTP) field (the second text field from the top) and type the value 587 in this field. Now press the OK button at the bottom of the page to close.
  6. Click Apply and then OK. You should now be configured to use port 587 to send email.

Thunderbird

This FAQ guides you in setting up the Thunderbird email client to be able to send email using port 587.

  1. Open Thunderbird, click on Tools from the top menu and then click on Account Settings... from the dropdown list.
  2. In the Account Settings window, select the Outgoing Server (SMTP) option from the menu list on the left and click Edit.
  3. In the Port field, delete the current value and type 587 to replace the deleted port number. Place a check in the Use name and password option and type your email user name in the field provided (your email user name is your email address).
  4. Click OK when you have finished making these changes. You are now configured touse port 587 to send email with Thunderbird.

Outlook 2007

This FAQ guides you in setting up the Outlook 2007 email client to be able to send email using port 587.

  1. From the Tools menu, click on Account Settings
  2. Highlight the E-mail account and click Change
  3. Verify that your mail settings are correct and click More Settings
  4. In the Internet E-Mail Settings window, click the Outgoing Server tab and check the My outgoing server (SMTP) requires authentication box.
    The     Use same settings as my incoming mail server radio button should be selected as well.
  5. Click the Advanced tab and change the Outgoing server (SMTP) from 25 to 587. Click OK.
  6. On the Change E-mail Account screen, click Next
  7. Click Finish

Outlook 2003

This FAQ guides you in setting up the Outlook 2003 email client to be able to send email using port 587.

  1. Open Outlook 2003, select Tools from the top menu, and then E-mail Accounts... from the pull down list.
  2. In the E-mail category, select View or change existing e-mail accounts and click the Next button to continue.
  3. Select your email account, and then click the Change button.
  4. On the Internet E-mail Settings page, click the More Settings... button located in the bottom right corner of the window.
  5. Select the Outgoing Server tab, and put a check in the box labelled My outgoing server (SMTP) requires authentication. Also, select Use same settings as my incoming mail server.
  6. Click on the Advanced tab and in the Outgoing server (SMTP) field, delete the current value in this field and type in the value 587.
  7. Press the OK button to return to the previous menu. At this point, you can test your settings by clicking the Test Account Settings... button. If everything is configured properly, each of the tests will have a green check mark next to them. If any of the tests fail, go back and make sure that each setting is configured correctly.
  8. After you close the Test Account Settings window, click Next and then Finish. You are now configured to use port 587 to send email with Outlook 2003.

Outlook 2000 and 2002

This FAQ guides you in setting up the Outlook 2000 and 2002 email client to be able to send email using port 587.

  1. Open Outlook. In the menu, choose Tools -> E-mail Accounts.
  2. Choose "View or change existing e-mail accounts" (in Outlook 2000, choose Accounts) and click Next.
  3. Select your account and click the Change button (in Outlook 2000, click the Properties button).
  4. Click the More Settings button (in Outlook 2000, skip this step).
  5. In the window that appears, click the Advanced tab. Change the "Outgoing server (SMTP)" to 587 then click OK.
  6. Click Next, then click the Finish button (in Outlook 2000, skip the Finish button), and then click Close.

 

Setup Email for your iPad

 

Setup Email for your iPhone 3G

 

Deleting Mail Off the Server in Outlook


Website Content and Font Use

In most cases people scan Web pages and don't stay very long on any given page. They skim content, especially if it is more informative than interactive. This has been proven though eye tracking technology and site analytics. Digital Hill's use of layout, color and typography to guide your audience around your pages is very intentional, strategic and goal oriented.

The great thing about modern Web sites is that you can edit them through a CMS (content management system) without having to be a Web developer. However, many Web content managers who don't have Web development experience are unaware that the decisions they make with text and other page elements can help or hurt the user experience and achieving company goals.

Here is a compilation of best practices regarding editing CMS content:

Font faces
Limit the number of different fonts. One of the best ways to make your Web site look amateurish is to change the font over and over. Sure, it's possible to do, but limiting your page and site to 2 or possibly 3 standard font families is easier to read and looks more professional. Professionalism affects credibility and that often affects relationship and sales.

Font sizes
Font sizes are also a great differentiator. They work as signs that say "Here is something important" or "Here is a new section – This big bit tells you what the section is about, the small stuff below is the actual content". Just like any other means of visually differentiating elements, there needs to be a sufficient level of visual difference for text size to work. For this reason, it is not recommended to use more than 3 different main font sizes to render your main content (i.e. main header, sub-header, body).

Font types
Use sans serif fonts like Arial for body copy because it is easier to read on screen. Serif fonts like Times New Roman are harder on the eyes to read.

Font alignment
Left aligned text is easier to read than centered or right-aligned. It is because the eye naturally tracks left to right.

Font styles (contrast, color, bold, italics, capitalization)
Styles are also used strategically for screen text. By using too many styles it forces visitors to look all around the page instead of focusing on your 1-3 call to action items. Avoid capitalizing text in the body because it creates more distracting "noise" on the page.

Sources and more reading


Email Newsletter Guidlines

Do's and don'ts for designing email newsletters
Do's and Don'ts of Electronic (Email) Newsletters
Do's and Don'ts of Online Newsletter Marketing

Simple, perhaps one promotion, offer
Clear call to action
Personalized if possible

RELEVANT, URGENT, EXCLUSIVE, SIMPLE!

At each stage, subscribers will consider these factors: brand, urgency, value, and interest. The clincher? This decision making process will happen in a matter of seconds, so it's vital to ensure the following elements are designed effectively.

Use a good From email address!
73% of subscribers click "Report Spam" or "Report Junk" based on the
content of the from field. Make sure your subscribers recognize your
from name. (http://blog.airstrip.com/blog/airwaysexpress/email-design-make-sure-your-subscribers-recognize-your-from-name)

Subject line must show immediate value.
Might be better if personalized. The ESPC notes that 69% of subscribers base the decision to send your message to the spam folder on the subject line (http://www.nonprofitmarketingblog.com/).

Call to action.
Make sure it's clear and is visible in the preview pane. ExactTarget's Design team recommends placing brandingand the main call-to-action in the top left 4-5 inch square (between 288-360 pixels) of the email. (http://www.slideshare.net/techdude/email-marketing-design-and-rendering)

No scrolling.
So, your subscriber clicks on your email and it opens in a new window. But how many of those subscribers view the entire email including the content "below the fold?" The answer is surprisingly few. The Nielsen Norman Group published a July 2006 study that noted only 11% of subscribers read the full email message.

What does that mean for marketers? Include plenty of high-powered content "above the fold," such as a table of contents or other cues for the reader to scroll down to view the full content (Figure 4). Consider using bullets, borders, or background colors to engage subscribers to scroll down. The content above the fold should create enough interest to encourage a subscriber to scroll down and ultimately convert. (http://blog.airstrip.com/blog/design-for-email)

TECHNICAL
600 px wide
No background images
No embedded or external style sheets, use inline

Test, test, test.

Design with Image Blocking in Mind.
Plan how to best use graphics in your design. Images should act as a supplement rather than the main focus of your design. Even with images blocked or disabled, your design should be readable and the call to action clear. In cases where an image must be used, don't forget to include "alt" tags in the <img> tag. Additionally, it's best to use HTML text and web-safe fonts wherever possible. (http://www.revenewblog.com/2011/07/the-essentials-of-email-marketing-and-design-5-tips-for-marketers-and-designers/)

Links.
Because of Hotmail, set the "text-decoration" property to underline with inline CSS in the <a> tag of every individual link. (http://blog.exacttarget.com/blog/email-design-5/design-tip-of-the-week-emailnbsprenderingnbspinnbsphotmail)

Images. Try this before implementing...
Avoid this problem by using a workaround that places a "display: block" style in image tags: <img src="image.jpg" style="display: block;">. This workaround could potentially cause rendering issues with other email clients, so be certain to test. (http://blog.exacttarget.com/blog/email-design-5/design-tip-of-the-week-emailnbsprenderingnbspinnbsphotmail)

Fonts.
Don't rely on default font color. Specify each time.
Non-Black Default Font Color. Hotmail will set any text without a specific font color to dark gray. To ensure colors maintain brand standards and display as intended, assign a specific color (even if it's black) to all text in your message.(http://blog.exacttarget.com/blog/email-design-5/design-tip-of-the-week-emailnbsprenderingnbspinnbsphotmail)

Cellpadding" and "Cellspacing" not supported by Gmail so try to avoid using them.

Avoid forms, animated gifs, rich media, and image maps (for Gmail).