HOW TO CREATE YOUR OWN EMAIL ADDRESSES
It is recommended that you print this page so you will have a printed copy to follow and you can check off the steps as they are completed. Leave this page displayed as you will need to click on an included link during the procedure.
The best way to have your own personal email addresses is to purchase the services of an Internet hosting company and host your own domain. This can cost you less than $50 yearly. When you use your ISP's domain or that of one of the free email domains you are at their mercy. Internet hosting companies have computers that are connected to the Internet all the time and provide the resources that allow you to have your own domain email addresses - and a website if you want it. If you are not familiar with what a domain is and how the Internet works, It is recommend that you click here to view information that will show you how the Internet works and why you need the services of a hosting company.
I have used IX Web Hosting for years and they provide inexpensive reliable service. The reason I have gone to the trouble of providing this procedure is because I get a commission for each person I refer to IX Web Hosting. I do not have any other interest in them and your cost for using them is no more because I referred you. I truly believe they have one of the best hosting services and you will not be disappointed. Click here to be directed to the IX Web Hosting home page. Don't click on anything in their web page yet, just minimize their page by clicking on the "-" box at the upper right corner of the window. You will not be obligated to purchase their services until later in this procedure and you can back out at anytime up to the entry of your credit card information.
Step 1. Pick a Domain Name
You need to pick a domain name which is also referred to as a website name. You can, but you do not have to create a website. Every website has a unique domain name (cnn.com, irs.gov, havard.edu, charter.net, etc.) Before you can create your email addresses you must decide on a domain name that nobody else has used or reserved. You also have to decide on an extension (.biz, .com, .info, .net, .org, or .us). There are other extensions but they can not be registered for free. The domain name is actually the combination of the basic name and the extension and is called a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) and is what makes it possible for the Internet to know where to route emails. Sometimes a person/company will register/purchase a basic name and multiple extensions to prevent someone else from using them. For example; joesfactory.com and joesfactory.net could be owned by different individuals/companies.
Before you can use a domain name you must determine if anyone else has already registered (owns) that name. This can be done by doing a name search at a domain name search website. I use a website that allows you to enter multiple names and shows if they are available and what extensions are available. You may have to try several domain names to find one that is available.
NOTE - DO NOT use the domain name search website to register the name. If you follow the remaining steps of this procedure your domain registration will be free and you will get a better hosting deal. Click here to see if your desired name is available.
CAUTION - It is important that you perform the next step right after finding an available domain name or someone else may register your desired domain name before you get it registered for free in the next step.
Step 2. Rent Domain Hosting Space
NOTE: IX Web Hosting will refund all your money within the first 30 days if you are not happy and will refund your money any time after that for unused time that you have paid for. I don't know anyone who has every been unhappy with their service.
2.1. After the IX Hosting website appears, click on the "Yes! Tell Me More" under the "New to Hosting" words.
2.2. After the next page appears, click on the "Show This Plan" button for the one you are interested in. The lowest price plan (Expert) is very adequate for many emails and for up to two domains/websites. Select one of the other plans if you would like to have more than two domains/websites.
2.3. Click on the "Sign Up Now" button for your desired plan.
2.4. After the next page appears, enter your desired domain name under the "REGISTER THE NEW DOMAIN WITH YOUR ORDER" words. NOTE; this needs to be a domain that you have determined was available in step 1.
2.5. Use the pick list to select the correct domain extension. Then click on the
"Continue" button.
2.6. After the next page appears, you are given a choice of hosting system types (Product). If you selected the least expensive plan (Expert), select "Expert...." under the Linux heading.
2.7. Select your desired Billing Cycle.
2.8. Fill in the required information under the "New Customer" tab. In the "Access Information" section you need to enter a FTP Login name (user ID) and password. FTP means File Transfer Protocol" and is only needed if you create and upload website pages but you need to do this even if you are not going to create a website. Make a note of your FTP ID and password in case you later want to create a website.
2.9. Check the "I have read and accept..." box and click on the "Submit Your Order" button. You will get an email with information about your domain. Be sure to save this as you may later need some of the information to manage your domain.
Step 3. Create Your Personal Email Addresses
You can manage your domain and add/change/delete email addresses at any time. The following procedure assumes that you selected IX Web Hosting as your domain host. It is recommended that you create a "Favorites" book mark for the IX Web Hosting control panel. Click on the following link to log into the control panel.
3.1. After the control panel appears, use your IX Web Hosting email and password to log into the control panel.
3.2. Click on the "Manage" button for your plan.
3.3. After the next window appears, click on the "E-Mail" icon.
3.4. After the next window appears, use the "Mail domains" pick list to select the desired domain if you have more than one domain and then click on the "Go" button.
3.5. Click on the "Add new mail resource" words in the bottom of the "Mail control" box.
3.6. After the "Add new resource" box appears the pick list should say "Mail box". Do not change the selection. Click on the "Next" button.
3.7. After the "Add new Mailbox" box appears, enter the desired email prefix in the "Email address box". NOTE; do not enter the complete email address, just the prefix (the characters prior to the "@" sign).
3.8. Enter a password in the "Password" box. This can be the same password you used to log into the control panel. You will need to use this password when you configure your email software to receive mail for the new email address.
3.9. The "Comment" box is optional. It can be used to enter descriptive words for the email address; for example, "Jims email".
3.10. Click on the "Submit" button. The "Mail control" box should reappear with the words "Mail Box has been added successfully" above the box.
3.11. Repeat these steps 3.5 through 3.10 for any other email addresses you want to add. You can use the same, or different, password for each one.
3.12. Click on the "Logout" link at the lower left of window when you are done. Your new email address/addresses are ready to be used. You can log back into the control panel anytime you want to add, change, or delete email addresses.
Step 4. Configure Your Email Software
You can log directly into your email domain and receive/send email from any Internet connected computer anywhere in the world. You can also use the convenience of an email software program on your home computer. The following two procedures tell you how to do it both ways.
Step 4a. Log Directly Into Your Email Domain
Emails sent to one of your email addresses remain on the hosting company computer until you log in directly and delete them or use an email software program like Outlook Express to receive/download your email.
4a.1. Open you web browser.
4a.2. Enter "mail.ddddddd.eee" (where ddddddd is your domain name and eee is your domain extension) into the address box at the top of your browser window. For example, mail.suesmail.net or mail.joesfactory.com. NOTE; do not include "www" prior to "mail".
4a.3. After the "Welcome to Horde" window appears, enter the full email address in the "Username" box and enter the password you used when you created the email address. NOTE; "Horde" is the name of the email software used by the domain host computer.
4a.4. Use the pick list if you want to select a different language and then click on the "Log in" button.
4a.5. After the next window appears you can perform all the usual email functions; read any emails in the Inbox, use the compose function to create and send emails, delete email, etc. Click on the "Help" if you have any question about using the email features.
4a.6. Log out and repeat these steps for any other email addresses you want to check.
NOTE: You can use this direct method for all of your email operations. Received and read emails will remain on the host computer as long as you continue to rent the domain space. Unless you store huge amounts of email with attached picture or video files it is unlikely that you will ever run out of storage space or that any emails will be rejected because of space limitations. When you use computer based email software any emails in the "In box" (read or un-read) will be downloaded to the computer being used and will no longer be on the domain hosting computer. If you use the direct method while away from your regular computer and then do a send/receive with your regular computer when you get back, all of the email in the hosting computer in-box that has not been previously downloaded will be downloaded to your regular computer. If you want a copy of an email to remain on the hosting computer your need to create a new folder and move or copy the email to the new folder. Read the help topic to learn how these functions.
Step 4b. Configure Your Email Software
If you want to use your email software (e.g., Outlook Express) you will need to configure it so it will know to look at your new domain on the hosting computer to see if anyone has sent email to your email address. Emails sent to your new address will remain on the domain computer until you do a Send/Receive with your email software. The following procedure is for Outlook Express but the procedure should be similar for other email programs.
4b.1. Open Outlook Express and click on "Tools" in the menu bar and then click on the "Accounts..." choice.
4b.2. After the "Internet Accounts" pop-up appears, click on the "Add" button and then the "Mail..." choice.
4b.3. After the "Your Name" pop-up appears, enter your desired display name (e.g., your first and last name) and click on the "Next" button.
4b.4. After the "Internet E-mail Address" pop-up appears, enter the new email address and click on the "Next" button. Be very careful to get it exactly the same as when you created the email address on the domain host computer.
4b.5. After the "E-mail Server Names" pop-up appears, enter mail.dddddd.eee in both boxes where dddddd is the new domain name and eee is the domain extension. For example; if you used "joescompany.net" for your domain and extension, enter "mail.joescompany.net". This tells the Internet where the hosting computer is for your new email address. The "POP3, IMAP, or HTTP" abbreviations are for different protocols used by email systems. Do not change the "server" pick list selection. Click on the "Next" button.
4b.6. After the "Internet Mail Logon" pop-up appears, enter the new email address in the "Account name" box. Be sure it is the complete address and exactly as it was created on the hosting computer.
4b.7. Enter the password you used when you created the email on the hosting computer. If you leave the "Remember password" box checked you will not have to enter the password each time you do a Send/Receive. Click on the "Next" button.
4b.8. After the "Congratulations" pop-up appears, click on the "Finish" button.
4b.9. Repeat these steps for any other email addresses you created.
4b.10. Use Outlook Express to send a test email to the new address. Wait a few minutes and then do a Send/Receive to see if you get the test email. If you don't; go back into "Tools" > "Accounts", click on the new email account so it is highlighted, and then click on the "Properties" button. Verify that everything is correct in the "General" and "Servers" tabs. The other tabs do not normally require changing. If you still don't get the email, send another one being very sure you use the new email address exactly as you created it on the hosting computer. If that still doesn't work, go to step 4a and do a direct login to see if the sent email(s) are on the domain host computer. If they are not there, the new email address you are using is not exactly the same as the way it was created or the creation process on the domain hosting computer was not successful and you may have to login to the host computer control panel and make corrections or recreate the email address. Also, the passwords may not match. If the email(s) are on the hosting computer, there is a problem with how you configured your email software and you may need to correct the problems or "Remove" the original configuration attempt and try again.
NOTE: When you notify people about your new email address ask them to put your new address in their list of contacts and to identify the new email address as a "Friend" or "Not Spam" if they use anti-spam software. If they don't do this your email to them may be rejected or identified as spam or junk mail. This is because Internet Service Providers have complex email filters that may flag or reject email that is not from a known ISP. If you still have a problem with one of you email recipients, you may have to email the support people for the recipients ISP and ask them to "whitelist" your email domain. Don't let this scare you about setting up your own email domain as this problem is rare and a minor inconvenience compared with all the advantages of having your own email domain.
SPAM CAUTION: DO NOT include your new email address in a webpage unless it is properly encoded so spammers can not harvest your email address.
Have Your Own Private Email Addresses
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