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Thread ID: 87947 2008-03-09 23:13:00 E-mail Server Deathifier (13495) Press F1
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648087 2008-03-09 23:13:00 Hello,

I run a small business that I'm looking into taking online, getting a website set up and what not. The website should be the easy bit since I have some friends who can do that. What I'm interested in finding out about though is E-mail Servers. I'd like to have a monthly newsletter or something to that effect that I can send out to opt in customers, but mailing every customer obviously isn't a viable option.

I asked my friends whether they knew anything about E-mail servers but they don't so I've come here seeking help. So I'm looking for some basic information such as what kind of server I need to mail max a thousand people a month as well as what kind of software I'd need to do that?

Thanks,
Paul
Deathifier (13495)
648088 2008-03-10 01:01:00 Here's a couple of free software email server (www.snapfiles.com) programs to review... kahawai chaser (3545)
648089 2008-03-10 11:56:00 Could I run those sorts of programs straight off of my Home Computer without the need for a dedicated server? Deathifier (13495)
648090 2008-03-11 02:33:00 It seems you can run e-mail server software direct of your pc, but it may mean that the PC might become dedicated for full functionality... kahawai chaser (3545)
648091 2008-03-11 03:43:00 If you're saying you're a business wanting to send "friendly emails once a month" and you're aiming to do this properly (and legally) then you need to supply an opt-out function too. This is what you would call email marketing and can be as simple (plain text, no stats) or advanced (HTML emails, full tracking of reads and clicks, delivery reports, unsubscribe functionality) as needed.

Unfortunately (again if you're serious about it) it's not something you can expect to get done for free. A couple of services I know of are MailChimp (www.mailchimp.com/), StreamSend (http:) and Campaign Monitor (http://www.campaignmonitor.com/). Costings based on your 1000 emails for starters float around $30 (there are probably cheaper options out there).

I would definitely advise against using some sort of email marketing software you install on your computer, this has too much of a spammer ring to it.
sal (67)
648092 2008-03-11 15:18:00 Unless business suddenly booms 1,000 emails a month should be more than enough. E-mails at the moment are being collected by people actually filling out a form instore saying they'd like to recieve marketing promotions.

I understand that this isn't going to be free also, so long as I get something decent I'd be prepared to spend money.

I'll deffinatley check out the links you've provided so thanks for them!
Deathifier (13495)
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