User Guide - Setting Up Your Email
Manage Your Mail
MailCentral, located in the "Email" section of your control panel, allows you to create and manage your email mailboxes.
Your first option is to create a new mailbox, or create a mail forward. Both options allow you to create an email address with your domain name -- for example, sales@CakesByMolly.biz.
A mailbox stores your email messages. You access your mailbox using the mailbox name and password, and a client of your choice (we'll discuss clients a bit later). Once logged in, you can read your mail, reply, delete, organize into folders, and basically manage your email any way you like.
A forward does not store messages sent to it, but simply relays them to a specified address, or multiple addresses. An example of a forward is a group list - customers@MyCompanyDomain.com - which would contain a forwarding email address for every customer you wish to include. If you wish to notify your regular customers about a promotion, or a sale, you don't have to send it to individual email addresses of every customer; if you sent it to customers@MyCompanyDomain.com instead, everyone receives a copy of your email.
Here are instructions and video tutorials on how to create a mailbox or a forward.
Article: Email Basics
Access Your Mail
You (or a designated user) can access a specific mailbox by using the mailbox name and password to log in, without having to log into your control panel. It's like giving a key to your P.O. Box to someone you trust.
If you designate an email administrator, they can manage ALL email addresses associated with your hosting account, again, without having to log into your hosting account. An administrator can:
- Create new mailboxes or forwards,
- Change SPAM options,
- Reconfigure existing addresses (for example, add more addresses to a Forward),
- And perform all other tasks available in MailCentral.
To find step by step instructions for all the options described:
Article: Email Administrator/Mailbox Owner access
Use a Mail Client
When you access a specific mailbox, a mail client retrieves your mailbox contents from the server, and displays them via folders, images, etc. A mail client allows you to manage your mail - read messages, reply to messages, delete, organize into folders, etc. - and syncs with the server to make sure that everything is stored and retrieved properly. Examples of mail clients include Microsoft Outlook, MacMail, Gmail, Hotmail, and even your iPhone!
Webmail vs. Email Clients
There are two basic types of mail clients: webmail and email. A webmail client (such as AtMail, Gmail, Yahoo!, etc.) allows you to access your email from any web browser, on any computer. An email client (Microsoft Outlook, iPhone) is stored on the device (for example, only your iPhone connects to your mailbox), allows you to access messages offline, and typically offers a wider range of mail management features.
Which one should you choose? It's completely up to you! You can even have both - an email client for your iPhone, and a webmail client to use when traveling or away from home.
Article: The difference between an email client and webmail client
Configure an Email Client
To access your hosting account mailboxes with an email client like Outlook, iPhone, MacMail, or another client of your choice (either POP or IMAP), you have to configure it. You'll find the required configuration settings and step-by-step instructions here:
Article: Configure an Email Client for your ReadyHosting POP/IMAP mailbox
Access Email with a Webmail Client
A webmail client allows you to access your email via the web, from any computer and any browser. This is very useful if different users "own" different email addresses in your hosting account - each user can log in to webmail with just the mailbox address and mailbox password, without logging into your hosting control panel.
A webmail client is also useful for an email administrator, who essentially has access to MailCentral without having to log into your control panel.
Article: Check your email over the web
