Managing multiple email accounts

General Questions
#1

I have recently set up a couple of web-based service businesses for friends and family.

[hijack]HUUUUUUGE Thanks to everyone on the Dope that has helped me out. [/hijack]

Since I am the webmaster for the sites and on at least one I’m the business office/CEO/COO/CFO (basically I’m the one that knows what an LLC is and how to use Excel), I need to have one way to access all of the accounts, preferably both POP3 and SMTP so I can receive and send all from my desktop without remote logging into the server. For example, I go into the program and pull up the account webmaster@stcad.com and there is all of my saved emails from that account, it downloads the mail off the server and I send mail with the return address of “webmaster@stcad.com” and points to the remote server. Then I do the same for “contact@saintcad.net”, etc.

I know there are a few different ways to do this, but what is the best and for best, ease of use may be a major consideration. (don’t ask :rolleyes: ) I know Outlook can do it but I don’t know if it is the best (easiest/cheapest) way to go.

#2

I would like to ask: do you plan on leaving the mail on the server, downloading it to your computer, or both?

Personally, I’d use Gmail to check all the accounts by POP (you can set the accounts to forward as well). If you’re very confident it works, you can delete mail after it’s been fetched.

#3

Good question. I think downloading it is the way to go. I saw that Gmail does it but I don’t like it so I would like to avoid it if I can. I’m really thinking of a software package and not an online site that collects everything.

#4

If you have a Windows machine you can use Windows Live Mail (free) and set it up for multiple email accounts.

#5

Yes I believe that’s their new name for outlook express. People will recommend outlook or thunderbird, but I don’t use either so I’ll leave it to them

#6

I have Cox Communications emails, Gmail, a Live account and others all working nicely using Opera.

Opera is a web browser similar to Internet Explorer but it has email built in.

It’s the main reason I use Opera plus it has a built in RSS feed system and is easy to work with. Also it is free.

#7

I don’t want it webbased but software based. Maybe I’ll try Mozilla Thunderbird

#8

I guess I don’t understand the question.
Don’t all email clients support multiple accounts? I know that I manage 5 different accounts (in completely different domains) with OS X Mail.

#9

Windows Live Mail is not a web based email client. It’s a program that either comes standard in a PC or you can download it for free from MS. I like it because I have about 10 email accounts I monitor and it keeps them all separate.

Also, I tried Thunderbird a few years ago and wasn’t completely happy with it but ymmv.

#10

Yeah I tried Thunderbird too and wasn’t completely happy with it. I remember it was awkward to use to check to 10 or so accounts I check. I had to get an add-on of some sort to make it work how I wanted it to work and I still didn’t dig it.

I use Eudora for my multiple-account checking and have yet to find something that suits me better (best feature - everything opens inside the app, no new window for anything). But that’s sort of like extolling the virtues of a 1972 Impala as your daily driver :slight_smile:

#11

Most email clients can do this to some degree or another. you will also want to set up a separate folder and create rules to sort your mail from respective addresses to its own subfolder to achieve your desired outcome. Outlook has good tools for doing this, I am about 95% sure Thunderbird and Eudora do as well but I am not as fluent in their use.

There is one good reason to let everything pass through a gmail account, gmails spam filters are fucking fabulous. IF you are running anything web based you are going to get bombarded.

#12

Yes but there are different ways of handling mail. I tried Outlook 2003 and it dumped all of the emails from all of the different accounts into one folder and you had to be careful what account you picked when sending emails. I’m trying Thunderbird and it does exactly what I need in keeping the accounts separate for both send & receive. Also it seems pretty intuitive and the people that need this client need simple.