TURN
YOUR PC INTO YOUR OWN EMAIL SERVER!
EXPRESS
MAIL SERVER
Tips For Effective Use
The Express Mail Server is designed to effectively deliver your email in quantity while using the resources of your own computer. The program has many features to help you accomplish your goals in sending your message to internet users, this file is intended to detail these features for your maximum benefit in using the program.
CLOSE ALL OTHER APPLICATIONS BEFORE YOU BEGIN TO SEND!
Your Computers ID:
Go to the "CONTROL PANEL" (Start,
Settings, Control Panel, Network) click on the identification
tab. Under Computer name place a VALID domain name. If you have
no identification tab, ADD "CLIENT" select "Client
for Microsoft Networks" and it will appear.
Speed :
Generally speaking, on most average systems (Pentium 166 - 200,
32 Megs Ram) you should be able to deliver 40,000 to 60,000
emails per hour with a short message using no personalization
features. Performance will vary at times due to network
conditions and the speed of your system. As you incorporate more
of the personalizing, randomizing, and FROM: address features
your delivery speed will be affected. Considering the value of
using some of these features, a loss in raw speed may often be
well worth the use. If possible sort your
list by domain name (VERY IMPORTANT).
Personalization :
On the set-up screen and from the message menu you will see that
you can select [PERSONALIZE] the message body. With this
feature you can place the recipients name at any point in the
message body as many times as you like by entering $Name wherever
you want the recipients name to appear.
While using this feature will slow down delivery as the
program generates a custom message for each recipient on your
list, the result is an obviously individual message being sent.
Also, if you leave
the To: field blank, Express Mail Server will place each
recipients address in the To: field. This adds
up to a message that does not really qualify as bulk, or spam.
Dis-arming the otherwise accurate claims of bulk and spam. It is
also difficult for a recipient to holler "spam" when
you've taken so much trouble to send such a personalized message.
Using some personalization may also increase your positive
response rate to a good message.
Randomize :
Also on the set-up screen and from the message menu you will see
that you can select (RANDOMIZE) this will allow you to add random
characters to the (To:), (From:), and (Subject:) fields. This
helps make each message appear unique should a server mistake it
for spam. You may want to experiment here, putting the recipient
$Name on the subject line will most often
accomplish both randomization, and personalization while
sacrificing little speed performance.
Database Screen - Address
Verification :
On the Database screen you can either add to an already loaded
list or replace that list by loading a new one. As a new list is
loaded, Express Mail Server will verify each domain and address
and reduce the list to its deliverable number. This feature
virtually eliminates undeliverables as you do not send to
unverified domains and addresses. Although the undeliverable
addresses will remain on your
list, they are not a bother as you are not mailing to them. This
feature saves the time of mailing to and collecting
undeliverables on the bounce back, a valuable feature of Express
Mail Server.
Message Screen :
Here is where you can put it all together for an effective
message. Use your imagination and consider all of the features at
your disposal to make your message work for you. Since you are
able to send it as an individual message, you might want to write
it as you would write to your best friend. It will work if it
communicates what you want it to.
Send Mail :
On this screen you will see Express Mail Server communicate and
exchange with the servers of the
recipient system. Watch as your message flows from your desktop
to the recipient system and know that your message is getting
delivered easily, and effectively, without using anyone's
resources but your own. How could they call it Spam?
Do NOT read your addresses from a CDROM. Copy the addresses
from the CDROM to your
hard drive, and change the file attributes from READ ONLY to
ARCHIVE (Do this by right clicking on the file name and select
PROPERTIES).
Saving your project :
This feature will allow you to save your entire set-up for a
particular mailing as a project. Save your set-up, list, and
message and retain all the details of your session. With this you
can re-mail a session at a later date, or open a previous
session, make some changes, send and save as a separate project
for response comparison.
Your ISP :
Should love you again, but remember, there are some people that
you just can't satisfy. If your ISP is of this type, you may want
to cheerfully say farewell and find one who may treat you like a
customer.
ISP TIP : You will need an ISP whose dial-up servers are not behind a firewall. If the machine you connect to is behind a firewall, the firewall will keep you from making a direct connection with another computer, which is what Express Mail Server needs to do. For the most part smaller ISP's are unlikely to be firewalled and larger national ISP's are.
Express Mail Server will enable you to send your mail without the use of someones SMTP server, if you use it responsibly and in moderation for the straight-forward promotion of you business, you should generate few complaints and be able to keep most ISP's and internet users happy. Satisfied in the knowledge that you just want to communicate like everyone else, without causing anyone problems.