ok this is a poll more than anything
I want to know how valuable it will be to premium members to have a real email address. i.e username@bikermatch.co.uk
I might have the option to set something like this up, with no real running costs other than the server storage space. ok there's an initial setup cost which is quite high, but if it's something that would keep members on-board and paying then it would work out ok in the long run.
So... if you had a bikermatch email address, with webmail, mobile webmail and normal access (including Outlook) would you use it in place of your ISP's email account?
Accounts would be created/enabled when upgrading, and would become disabled when your premium access expires. After 1 year of inactivity it will be removed.
All my email accounts are web-based, for ease of access. I couldn't even begin to remember my ISP email details
Could be a useful tool - e.g. keep all bike-related contacts on the BM email. I've started filtering my contacts and using different email addresses for different types of contact, so as to avoid losing business stuff among the personal.
If the set-up cost is prohibitively high for you though, I'd personally be inclined to sit on the idea for a while and maybe roll it out later in the year - see how the membership take-up goes?
If, like me, the majority of members get e-mail bundled in from their ISP I cannot see it being of much interest especially when the PM function already provided does the job admirably
Another BIG plus for the existing BM members internal mail (PM) is the fact that it benefits from enhanced security by virtue of the fact that it is contained within the BM servers and so does not have to travel out into the web and all that is entailed therein
hmmm ....
Dont see a use for it for me sorry Matt, I already use a web based email ... well a couple one thats just for junk one thats for personal & I have folders within so that I can sort my emails when they come in.
Scorpio54 - I think you need to become my personal spokesman! lol. It's great having another techy/developer around here who understands me. :-)
Anne - You wouldn't need another password... it'll all be linked in with your BikerMatch account. If I have it my way there will be an extra button in the menu: "Email". If you go there it will bump you straight into your webmail (Which, btw, is WELL fast! I've been tinkering all night with it).
Bill - The security on it will be extremely high, probably higher than you've got with current email providers. The spam filtering would be set very high by default (though customisable individually). There will be lots of background checks going on and email wont be accepted from untrusted sources.
WB - yes the setup costs are high (financially and time-wise), but I need to get the staff emails moved from the old American server anyhow. The shiney new web servers I've built are just sat idling at around 1-3% of processing power (maybe 5-6% if the site's busy), so I need to make use of the servers here anyhow. Plus, for myself and the staff, it would be nice to have our emails in Europe for faster and more efficient access. Hell, it will even have an Outlook integration possible.
I'm probably going to go ahead with it, the only thing I'm trying to decide on is which version to get. For a little extra cost I'll be able to have software that automatically creates/deletes/disables/enables mailboxes when members subscribe/unsubscribe (To save me lots of admin time).
Obviously you wouldn't have to use it just cos it's there, but I think for some people it might be a nice added extra. Maybe people will use the email address so much that they don't wanna give up their subscription to BM so easily cos they'd loose their email address (and emails!)
One advantage I can see is that it would enable file attachments such as piccys to be sent which cant be done via pm. I know they can be put on your profile but not everyone wants to do that.
But then on the downside you might not want to recieve them.
Would it not also allow visitors the ability to email members direct thus circumvent the need to join ??? or could something be done to prevent this ??
On the whole though i think the idea has potential......
so I give it a provisional
Anne- you're a premium member. I normally say subscribed member, but we don't have subscriptions anymore (only top-ups). The word I used depends on whether i can be bothered typing "Subscription" or not, it's more characters than "Premium" lol.
Paul, it wouldn't allow you to email standard members because you wouldn't know their email address. It would enable you to email other full members and send attachments etc (The web interface is fantastic!). It would also enable standard members to email you, bypassing the PM system, cos they'll know you're username@bm email, but I'm not bothered about that because at least one person will have to maintain a full account to access the email - and so will continue supporting the site.
I might test it with staff first to see how we get on, then upgrade at a later date if necessary to enable it for all full members.
Paul, it wouldn't allow you to email standard members because you wouldn't know their email address.
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Sorry, I read it as the email addy would be username/@bikermatch etc so mine would be vfr400paul@...... so i take it then we would choose a different username for the email.
If that was the case its a big
no, the email address has to be your username. But you wouldn't be able to email standard members because they wont have an email account on our system.
Im 80% complete with the programming... my only problem is with those who have usernames with spaces and full-stops in. If I simply remove them characters it might leave us with 2 possible usernames needing the same email address (for example, user "John Smith" and user "JohnSmith" will both need the same email address of johnsmith@bikermatch.co.uk). What's the solution? Don't know, i cant figure it out lol
![Real email for premium members - Forums [Biker Match]](/images/backgrounds/strips/8mobileLQ.jpg)
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