The problem with the Mail Server we run here is that mail considered to be junk is put into the Junk Mail folder and stays there until you delete it. The issue I have with that method is that it requires clients to log in to their Web Mail to verify and remove the junk. It’s a real pain to do and it’s something I’ve never been happy with, but now there is a solution.

I have discovered, quite by accident, that there is a way to have the Junk Mail sent to your E-Mail Client Software (such as Outlook, Outlook Express, etc.) clearly marked as potential junk. Then you can set up your Mail Filtering Rules to do what ever you’d like to do with it. I have mine placed into a Junk Mail folder where I can look at it and decide if it really is junk or not – 9 times out of 10 it is junk.

Identifying Junk Mail isn’t an exact science and some times legitimate messages get flagged as Junk. Overall the Junk Mail Filter is around 95% accurate which isn’t a bad batting average.

How to set it up

If you want to receive your Junk Mail using your E-Mail Client – visit your web site and add ‘/webmail’ (without the quotes) to the web address.  For example: www.naroomaonline.com/webmail will bring up the Web Mail log in window.  Enter your username (full E-Mail Address) and password.  Once the page has loaded up click on the small down arrow next-to the button in the top left corner called ‘Settings’ and select ‘Mail Filters’.  The box that appears will have a rule defined called ‘SPAM’ which you click on once to highlight it.  Then click the ‘Remove’ button followed by ‘Save and Close’.

Now all your messages flagged as SPAM will be sent to your E-Mail client rather than being dropped into your Junk Mail folder.  Any Junk Mail currently on the server will stay there until you remove it, any new ones will be sent to you.

Hope this makes sense to you all.

We try very hard to fight against spam and other junk E-mail, unfortunately some of this crap will always get through or legitimate E-mail will get caught up in the trap we have set.

There are a number of online Black Lists available, in fact there are a few hundred of the, we use only two of the larger more reliable lists.

Black Listing means that either a Mail Server has been used to broadcast junk mail or an individuals IP address has been used for the same purpose.

Every E-mail messages that comes into our mail servers is checked against both the Black Lists and is rejected if it is found on the list.  We believe that this method is about 80% successful, which means that for every 10,000 junk mails that come in 8,000 are rejected.  The other 20% we attempt to filter on the fly as it is being dropped into your mailbox by doing automated checks for key words in the title and the actual message body.  When a key word is discovered a score is associated with the message - once that score is high enough the message is delivered to your Junk Mail folder (which you can access via your web mail).

False positives do happen from time to time, which is a small price to pay really.  We're not sure of the percentage of false positives but we believe it is in the order of 2 - 4%.  We are constantly refining our filters.

Sometimes big providers, such as Bigpond and Optus, get caught in the net.  In May 2008 both Bigpond and Optus had at least one mail server each listed - the listing was a result of spammers using their mail servers to broadcast junk and it caused some problems for our own customers who use those services.  It meant that E-mail from their customers to our customers was often blocked as soon as it hit the server.  It isn't our problem, it's a problem with Bigpond and Optus and it's their responsibility to get themselves de-listed.  We can't turn off the filters just so a few messages can get through.

Ok, this is an easy one to answer.  When you signed up with us we created a mail server for you - normally that would be mail.example.com.au (where example is your domain name).  You should be using that mail server to send and receive E-mails relating to your domain and not the bigpond servers, or any server belonging to another provider.

Bigpond, in there big brother wisdom, decided that nobody on the bigpond network can send any E-mail unless it's through the bigpond mail server.  Down side of this is that eventually the bigpond mail server will block you if your return E-mail is anything other than Bigpond E-mail Address.

So, bigpond block the standard outgoing SMTP Port of 25.  In an effort to get around that problem we have told your mail server to listen on ports 25 and 2525.  You should set your outbound mail server to port 2525 and your messages will get through.

If you want to have a web site you must have a web host!

A domain name needs to be registered with the appropriate Domain Name Authorities.  .com domains are easy and can be called anything you like, as long as nobody else has already registered it, but a .com.au domain requires that you to have an Australian Business Number and the domain name you choose must be related to your business.

For example, if your business is "Narooma Fishing Supplies" you can't register an Australian Domain Name called "www.livinginnarooma.com.au".

Web Host

Once you own a domain name you need somewhere to house your web site.  Without a web host your domain name would be considered "Parked" and would not be accessible by anyone.  Your chosen web host can register your domain name, make the required Domain Name Server entries and host your web site.

What's a Domain Name Server?

Without Domain Name Servers nobody would be able to find your web site.  When you type a domain name into your web browser, for example www.naroomawebhosting.com, your browser doesn't understand what that is or where to find it.  The web browser then contacts your internet service providers "Name Server" to ask where to find it.  Their "Name Server" then asks a "Domain Name Server" upstream of your provider where to find www.naroomawebhosting.com.  Eventually an IP address of 58.108.167.143 is returned to you, which is something your browser can understand.  There are only 13 Root Name Servers at the top of the tree for the entire internet.  Below them there are probably millions of them.  We have 5 in total, 2 masters and 4 slaves.  Only 1 of them is here in Narooma, the others are in Europe, U.S.A., and the U. K.

Bottom line

If you don't have a web host you don't have a web site!

Almost all of the domains we host have their own set of log files.  These logs record every hit to your web site, where the hit came from and how long they visited your site for.

In your domain folders there is a folder called "logs" which contains two files.  1) access_log, and 2) error_log.

They are in standard Apache format and you can download and number of free log viewers.

Log Files are great for recording statistics and for forward planning of your advertising budget. Via the logs you can determine where most of your web visitors are coming from and what search words they used in search engines. Based on that information you can determine where you spend money advertising your site.

The short answer is "Yes" if you have the Premium Online Business Plan.  All you have to do is let us know what you want it called and we will set up the appropriate DNS records.

A sub-domain is not another branch of your existing web site, it is a web site all of its own.  You might find a sub-domain useful to you if, for example, you wanted your members to have access to a special web site, or you might create a separate shop.

Let's assume you had a web site called www.myownwebsite.com and you wanted a shop and a members only site.  We can create for you shop.myownwebsite.com and members.myownwebsite.com at no extra cost.

You must remember that the sub-domains are separate and when created they are effectively empty web sites.  So, you will have to build your new sites just like you did with your original one - or get someone to do it for you.

We often get asked who to use as an Internet Service Provider and while there is no right or wrong answer our experience has shown the following.

If you plan to use Broadband consider Netspeed  as their rates are reasonable and the reliability of the service seems to be ok - their dial up service is rubbish but ADSL is ok.  Another good choice for Broadband is TPG as their service speed is really very good when compared to others, however their backup support is crap.  You have a lot of choices, West Net, Bigpond (not recommended because of reliability and limitations as well as being the most expensive provider in the country).  I would like to recommend Optus but we have been told that Optus are no longer servicing regional Australia because Telstra have made the wholesale prices for lines to expensive - typical.

There is no point contacting Optus because in their wisdom they have decided that they no long support regional Australia and as such you cannot get an Optus Service in the Narooma Region - even if you are an existing Optus Customer. They blame Telstra for making it to expensive in the area, which is probably right - once Telstra have a monopoly again services in the area will begin to suffer. Bigpond will not be offering ADSL2 in the area because they say there is no competition, but the competition have been pushed out by Bigpond. Bigpond claim to own the lines in the area, which I think if very wrong - the tax payers own the lines and every provider should be given equal access to them.

For Dial-Up services try DoDo or ISPDr.

In this day and age there is no right or wrong choice when it comes to choosing a service provider.  What you should do, however before signing up with anyone, is ask people who use them what they think.  Some providers offer a great service but lousy support when it all goes wrong while others offer great support but a terrible service.  It really is a balancing act that few people get right.

When considering an ADSL provider think about the download limits applied.  Bigpond have a 200MB download limit per month, but with ADSL you can go over your limit in 3 hours.  Downloads are made up of all data into and out of your computer.

Setting up E-mail is easy once you know how. We have put together a quick tutorial, using Outlook Express as an example. We've used Outlook Express because most people with Windows use it - although you are better off replacing it.

If you are familiar with setting up E-mail then all you will need are the server names for POP3 and SMTP. Make sure you replace the xxx with your domain name;

POP3 - mail.xxx - Port 110

SMTP - mail.xxx - Ports 25 and 2525 (if you're ISP blocks 25)

Click here to see the Tutorial Page.

FTP is quite simply an acronym for "File Transfer Protocol".  The internet gurus love to have acronyms for things, which makes sense in most cased because FTP is easier to say that "File Transfer Protocol".

There are many FTP clients applications out there, a client is a bit of software at your end that allows you to connect to an FTP Server and Transfer Files.

When you use an FTP Client Application you navigate yourself around the folder structure of your web site much as you do with Windows Explorer.  You can create and delete folders, upload files and delete files.

Got to google and search for "FTP Client" and you will be amazed at how many you find.

One thing you might need to be careful of is the ASCII / Binary transfer.  Most FTP Clients can determine if a file is ASCII Text or Binary Data, but if it gets it wrong then your uploaded file might not function as you might expect.

To access your site via FTP just enter your domain name as the FTP host in what ever FTP Client software you use.