Email messages may be collected from your website’s email account directly either through your web browser (https://YourDomain.whatever/webmail) or by use of an email client software or app on your desktop, laptop, or mobile device. The server we use is not set up to “bounce” or “relay” messages to another server. If we were to allow messages to be sent by bounce or relay, the “sender reputation” of the SiteCrafters client accounts could very easily be compromised. With a poor reputation, emails don’t get to their destination because somewhere along the line an organization or service blocks the message because it may be junk email. This block can be placed on an account, a domain, or an entire server at any time without notice – Guilty until proven innocent.
The only defense a sender, organization, or hosting company has against these unannounced blocks is to maintain an absolutely pristine sender reputation. Not something easy to do for a single business – which is why most enterprise IT departments and hosting companies rely on a service that handles outbound messages and defends us against unjustified blocking. That’s exactly what we have implemented for all SiteCrafters clients.
While it may be wonderfully convenient to go to Gmail and have your chat, calendar, email, and access to docs all on one screen, Google does not provide a true email client that accesses your website’s email account in the same way as an email client would from your device. In fact, Google tries to “bounce” or “relay” messages from our server to the Gmail server – causing our sender reputation to be compromised. So using Gmail to handle your domain’s email simply won’t work on this server.
OK – so now the explanation and the bad news are out of the way. Here’s the good news and actionable info:
You don’t have to lose all the features which made Gmail the most wonderful experience ever to be realized. In fact, a good email client can give you just about everything you had at Gmail and will do so by adhering to the standards that will maintain a good sender reputation for the organization. There are several options available – everyone will find some things they like and some things they don’t in any given package. It’s personal and you may have to try more than one to find something that fits your routine. The purpose of this page is to give you options to explore.
The software which most closely integrates with Gmail is eM Client. The free version will handle two accounts (your Guiding Star Project account and your Gmail or “other” account) in the free version. There is also a paid version which gives you the ability to combine an unlimited number of email accounts from virtually any email server out there. Documentation on the website is excellent for this software and it ties in nicely with your Calendar, Chat, Task List, Contacts, and more! This software also features “Auto Discovery” so when you add your Guiding Star Project account to the software, all you need is your email address and password. The software figures out the rest!
See step by step instructions for eM Client here: http://www.emclient.com/em-client-with-gmail
If you use an IOS (Apple) driven device, you should be fine using Mac Mail or the iOS Mail app. These both have Auto-Detect / Auto-Configure features which will make “hooking up” with your email account on the Guiding Star Project server.
If you use an Android device, you should check out BlueMail in the Google App store.
Let’s say you use a Windows device and eM Client isn’t your cup of tea. There is a freeware email client out there which handles multiple accounts and has Auto-Detect / Auto-Configure … but it’s pretty much focused on email and some basic calendar functions. If you don’t use all the bells & whistles at Google, then Thunderbird could be the answer for you. It’s complete free and you can manage as many email accounts as you like. I personally can’t use this software after seeing the way the fascists on the board of the Mozilla Foundation treated their C.E.O. for making a charitable donation to a cause he believed in, but technically the product works,
One final option, it you only have ONE email account to manage … you could find MailBird to be an ideal solution. The software is quite convenient but the free version only supports ONE account. If you upgrade to the paid version, you can manage multiple email accounts quite nicely with an attractive and intuitive screen layout. Well worth the download, particularly if you are willing to go for the paid version.
