Offering e-mail accounts to forum members

FredOnline · 24 Aug 2013, 06:34 PM

I've had this idea in mind since jeffpan commenced offering accounts on his mail2000.us domain.

I have a long-term domain registered (until 2020), that I have set up with Windows Live Domains.

I have a few e-mail accounts there, but of course with Windows Live Domains you can have 500 accounts registered.

Just wondering if there are any drawbacks to offering this - for example, account holders using it to spam, getting the domain blacklisted, etc.

Any one here have experience/advice on this?

Your comments welcome.

Cory · 25 Aug 2013, 12:24 PM

With Windows Live service I think you can actually set it up so people can register without you having to do it for them. However that is a good question about if its a bad or good idea, and if spammers could go crazy with it or not.

RunboxCustomer · 26 Aug 2013, 02:41 AM

I have a domain for email on Live that is used by members of a veterans organization that I belong to. I don't use it myself, but I'm the administrator. I don't have abuse issues because I know everyone that has an account, which I presume is usually the case for those who administer accounts on Live.

sflorack · 28 Aug 2013, 04:54 AM

Did they ever enable the ability to create a catch-all?

lane · 29 Aug 2013, 02:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sflorack

Did they ever enable the ability to create a catch-all?

Nope. Unfortunately. And aliases are limited to 10.

sflorack · 29 Aug 2013, 03:57 AM

I'll never understand that..

FredOnline · 30 Aug 2013, 03:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lane

Nope. Unfortunately. And aliases are limited to 10.

I'm pretty sure that the aliases would have to be hotmail/live/outlook.com ones - not your domain name.

I had another domain name with Windows Live Domains - the main account, that I wanted 2 aliases for.

The only way that I knew how to do this was to create 2 more accounts, and forward the e-mails from them to my main account.

Not very satisfactory at all.

Then I thought about the My Opera Mail account I have - Fastmail based of course, and I had 2GB space there because I had the account for a while.

What I did there was add the 3 accounts e-mail addresses into My Opera Mail, so I could then "send as" those e-mail addresses.

Then I changed the MX records for that domain back to my Google Apps (free) account - set up groups for those new addresses to all go to my same @myoperamail.com account.

That way, I don't show that myopera address to anyone.

Not perfect, especially as regards to SPF/DKIM, but nonetheless working better than with Windows Live Domains.

lane · 30 Aug 2013, 10:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FredOnline

I'm pretty sure that the aliases would have to be hotmail/live/outlook.com ones - not your domain name.

I had another domain name with Windows Live Domains - the main account, that I wanted 2 aliases for.

The only way that I knew how to do this was to create 2 more accounts, and forward the e-mails from them to my main account.

Not very satisfactory at all.

Well, it isn't very satisfactory.

However, it is possible to have aliases in your own domain, as long as you do not want more than 10 per mailbox (including the defining address for the mailbox). There is at present no web-based way to define these, but it seems Microsoft exposes the process through its API for Windows Live Domains, and someone has written a command line program to add, list and delete such aliases. I used it and it works well, though I ran into the 10 alias limit. And there is no catchall capability either. So I gave up on Windows Live Domains, at least for the time being.

popowich · 5 Sep 2013, 02:24 AM

What's the goal of the free email accounts for members?

Does it have anything to do with the recent security / privacy / anti-snooping concerns?

I think I fall in the don't care if I'm snooped category though, as long as the overall initiative is really helping to stop the bad guys.

24 Aug 2013, 06:34 PM	#1
FredOnline The "e" in e-mail Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Manchester UK Posts: 2,616	Offering e-mail accounts to forum members I've had this idea in mind since jeffpan commenced offering accounts on his mail2000.us domain. I have a long-term domain registered (until 2020), that I have set up with Windows Live Domains. I have a few e-mail accounts there, but of course with Windows Live Domains you can have 500 accounts registered. Just wondering if there are any drawbacks to offering this - for example, account holders using it to spam, getting the domain blacklisted, etc. Any one here have experience/advice on this? Your comments welcome.

25 Aug 2013, 12:24 PM	#2
Cory Essential Contributor Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 459	With Windows Live service I think you can actually set it up so people can register without you having to do it for them. However that is a good question about if its a bad or good idea, and if spammers could go crazy with it or not.

26 Aug 2013, 02:41 AM	#3
RunboxCustomer Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 29	I have a domain for email on Live that is used by members of a veterans organization that I belong to. I don't use it myself, but I'm the administrator. I don't have abuse issues because I know everyone that has an account, which I presume is usually the case for those who administer accounts on Live.

28 Aug 2013, 04:54 AM	#4
sflorack The "e" in e-mail Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 2,937	Did they ever enable the ability to create a catch-all?

29 Aug 2013, 03:57 AM	#6
sflorack The "e" in e-mail Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 2,937	I'll never understand that..

5 Sep 2013, 02:24 AM	#9
popowich Essential Contributor Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 263 Representative of: EmailQuestions.com	What's the goal of the free email accounts for members? Does it have anything to do with the recent security / privacy / anti-snooping concerns? I think I fall in the don't care if I'm snooped category though, as long as the overall initiative is really helping to stop the bad guys.