In short, “hosts” are companies that sell space on a server they own or lease, for use by their clients in addition to providing Internet connectivity to that server. They run these servers 24/7 to ensure that your website is always accessible and your e-mail is always directed to your Inbox.  Some charge by the type of service, others by space, and others by the amount of bandwidth you and your site use up over a certain period of time.

Your Internet service provider (otherwise known as an ISP) is probably not your “host”; they provide your connection to the Internet.  In many cases they also provide other services like cable TV and telephone (some example being Time Warner, Shaw, or Cox).  That being said, many ISPs do provide a free e-mail account—which they do host for you.  This is usually an address ending with their domain, however, not yours.  If you use an e-mail address that ends in @AOL.com or @Cox.net or @?.rr.com, you are using an account hosted by your provider.  The upside is that it is usually free.  The downside is that if you change ISPs for one reason or another, move to another area or you decide on another type of service, you will likely lose your e-mail address and all e-mails sent to that account, after you’ve changed providers.

By itself, a domain name has almost nothing to do with hosting

So you own IAmTheVeryBestAgentEver.com. But what does that really mean?  Without any services attached, you own just the domain, just the name, just the title.  You have secured this domain and no one other than you is able to use it without your permission (and probably help).  You own the right to add e-mail services or a website to the domain, but you don’t necessarily have these services already.  Think of it as buying an empty lot. You don’t have a house or a mailbox, but you now have an address and a place to build a home.

E-mail hosting can be attached to your domain name, providing branding opportunities

Once you own a domain, you can add an e-mail hosting service.  This can be a forwarding service which simply takes any e-mail sent to You@IAmTheVeryBestAgentEver.com (You@YourDomain.com) and redirects it to an Inbox you already use like your ISP Inbox or your broker Inbox.  This allows you to brand yourself and own that brand.  If you change ISPs or Brokers, they probably won’t let you take that Inbox with you, but you can take your domain and redirect that e-mail address to another Inbox. For example, a free Web based account like Gmail or Yahoo!, or even your new ISP or Broker address.

There are other types of e-mail hosting.  Some e-mail hosts provide POP or IMAP accounts which stand on their own and don’t require you to have another Inbox in order to access your e-mail.  With this type of hosting, your e-mail is stored directly on your web host’s server.  They offer you a set amount of space, and you can access your e-mail either by logging into a Web mail interface, or using a third party e-mail client to connect to their server and download your e-mail onto your hard drive.

Website Hosting is for… you guessed it, your website

You can have someone build you a custom website from scratch and give you the files.  You can then put these files on the server of a Web host, and attach that website to your domain.  This method will usually require you to pay two different fees. One to the person who created the website, and another, usually recurring fee to the host, so they can make your website accessible to the world.  If you ever need to make changes to a custom website, you will likely need to pay someone an hourly fee to make the updates (unless you know how to make them yourself).

The more common route is getting both services through one provider.  More often than not, this type of website is given to you in “template form,” where you can make the text/image/color updates on your own via an easy to use interface that the provider offers.

They will usually charge you monthly or annually for the website and include the hosting.  This type of website is generally easier and cheaper to manage, however you usually can’t take the website with you to another hosting provider.

Note that it is possible to have a domain with one provider, e-mail hosting from another, and a website through a third provider.  Most people don’t like to separate their services so they only have one host to call on and remember. But it is good to know that the flexibility is there in case you need it.

Having a domain is a great start to branding and marketing yourself on the web, but on its own, it doesn’t help you much.  Once you own your own domain, start using it.  Direct that domain to pull up your website or listings.  Acquire an e-mail account with the domain, and let people get to know your brand.

One of the many features that make Smart phones indispensable is their ability to check your email wherever you are. We know it is important to be able to check your leads and respond to them as quickly as possible. As a member of the Customer Care team, I speak with many real estate professionals on a daily basis hear firsthand the importance of accessing emails right from your phone. Being able to respond to someone quickly is a surefire to make a great impression.

Setting your Smart phone up to receive your emails can be tricky. Ensure that you aren’t missing anything important by checking with your email provider to obtain the correct settings. If your email is hosted by Point2 you can give our awesome Customer Care Team a call and we can walk you through setting up your email on your phone. 1-866-977-1777.

Jessica Kettner
Customer Care Representative

Starting today, and until October 9, all current Point2 Agent accounts are being migrated to new Rackspace email accounts, which provide extensive spam filtering, organizational tools, and email messaging options.

Current members’ migration dates will be different, due to the volume of email addresses and emails that must be migrated.  The day prior to the migration, you will receive a migration notification email.  You will still be able to access your old email account at any time to review prior email messages, although after your migration date, all new emails will be delivered to your new Rackspace email account.

If you have not already done so, you will want to export the contacts in your old account and import them into the new Rackspace email account, so that you can generate prospect contact lists, add additional information to contact records, and still keep in touch with your key clients.

If you have any questions regarding the new email accounts, you can reveiw the email migration FAQ’s and some key information about Rackspace.

Once again, the migration to the new Rackspace email accounts has commenced for current Point2 Agent members. We know that you’ll love them as much as we do!

* New members to Point2 Agent will automatically have access to Rackspace email accounts with their membership.

It’s almost here.  Next week marks the start of the migration to the new Point2 Agent Rackspace email accounts!

Between the weeks of September 15-October 9, current email accounts through Point2 will switch over to Rackspace email accounts.  Due to the volume of emails within Point2 Agent, this migration will be done in stages.  Users will receive a migration notification email indicating when your specific email address(es) will be migrating over to Rackspace.

Email addresses will remain the same, but all new emails will be delivered to the new Rackspace email account(s).

Here are a few answers to commonly asked questions:

What happens to all the emails in my current email account?
In the weeks following September 15, they will be migrated over to a new email account.  During the migration time-frame, you will still be able to access previous emails in the old account.  Once migration is complete, all older email will be reunited and accessible in your Rackspace account, which provides users with further spam filtering, task management, time organization, and email messaging options.

What do I need to do prior to my migration date?
Exporting contacts from current accounts, so that they can be imported into your new Rackspace account.  This will allow users to retain all of the current prospect information, as well as provide opportunities to add further information, add prospects to mailing groups, and having a Frequent Contacts list of those who are emailed the most.

I need more information or assistance.
To help the transition between email providers, we have created email migration FAQ’s (which includes information regarding downloading email to Outlook) and pulled together key information about Rackspace.

If you are a Point2 Agent user keep an eye out for your migration notification email!

You asked for it.  We listened.  You wanted an email system that’s fast, that blocks spam, and that’s flexible.  That’s just what we’re giving you!

Very soon Point2 Agent will providing email accounts through Rackspace, one of the world’s most reliable hosting companies!  Between September 15-October 9, 2009, all existing email addresses through Point2 will be moved over to new Rackspace email accounts.

We’ve selected Rackspace as the new provider for all our email accounts because we want to provide you with the flexibility, speed, and additional features you need for your business. 

Features like:

• Enhanced spam filtering options, which allow you to not only block email addresses, but also IP addresses.
• Increased email account sizes, providing further options for storing messages from prospects.
• Outgoing servers with Point2, so you don’t have to use your ISP’s outgoing servers.
• An updated look and feel to your email account and email messages makes it easier to keep in contact with prospects.

We’re excited about the changeover to Rackspace email, and we know you will be too!

And to help you transition between the old email service and our new and improved email service, we’ve created email migration FAQ’sand pulled together key information about Rackspace.

Rackspace email.  Fast.  Flexible.  Feature-rich.  Look for further details in the coming weeks as we approach the September launch date.