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Reasons to not use your own domain for email

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Re: Reasons to not use your own domain for email

#221

DO use a your own domain. Advantages far outweigh the disadvantages. Instead of being at the mercy of whatever email provider you choose, you're free to move your domain where ever you want, without updating "a million" senders. DO NOT host your own email server though. A couple of decades ago it made perfect sense to do so, but these days it's simply not worth the trouble. Instead use Google/Outlook/Apple/Whatever t…

Yes, I agree with this, and it is my pattern too. One can replace MXRoute with other providers you are comfortable with. Google is still an acceptable candidate for your custom domain email. I do have Migadu[1] as a throw-everything-in for all new and other domains that are not that important. The idea is, “Can I walk out of this provider and move to another in minutes?” I have experimented and walked in and out of G…

> just to run Thunderbird (daily, weekly) and set it to download a local copy via POP

I considered this option, but instead just setup a local imapserver (Dovecot), i then simply do a one way imapsync, including deletions, from my provider to my local imap server, into each users Maildir.

The reason for imap over Thunderbird is that the machine backs up email for everybody in the household, and with imap and dovecot, i can keep each users email in their homedirectory, and simply run my normal backup to include mail data.

When i eventually migrate to another email provider, the option for automated scripted backups will be a factor.

I also considered simply using Office365 along with a Synology and their HyperBackup package for imap, but what i have now provides the same benefits, with less hardware costs.

Re: Reasons to not use your own domain for email

#222

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> use /Outlook/ to host your custom domain and use their offerings with your custom domain Well, unless you’re willing to pay for a business Office 365 license, it won’t happen on Outlook anymore. Outlook only supported Godaddy, of all registrars, anyway, but now next in November they will remove custom domain support altogether. I’ve now migrated to iCloud, which supports any registrar (certainly not what I expected…

How is iCloud working out for you ? I've been thinking about moving our mails there. Not because i'm unhappy with mxroute, but because it's "one more service", and everybody in the household already uses iCloud. I'm not too worried about "vendor lock-in" as i have the "exit strategy" already in the form of backups and custom mail domain, so it simply comes down to ease of use.

Well I only had it so I could have the family's devices backupped (excluding Photos because those I backup on OneDrive). But it turned out e-mail, including wildcard-catch-all, is included in iCloud+.

It works well, and I use it through the IMAP protocol.

Re: Reasons to not use your own domain for email

#223
post #110

I strongly disagree. - Google has on multiple occasions terminated accounts for no reason with no recourse. You loose access you can't do anything. If you have your own domain you can at least set it up somewhere else. How many website would you need to update with your new email and how would you get thay extra factor mail? - If I die I don't care if someone else reads my mail, I'm dead. Also you can add a dead man'…

As evidenced here the impact of account terminations can have a profound impact on a persons life. Email providers like Google should be treated as utilities and regulated as such, they should be legally obligated to communicate with their users, ideally working towards a resolution. Until then you really should be treating said accounts in the same way you would a hotel rental phone.

It's such a good idea, it needs to be implemented by force!

If it is such a good idea, instead of commandeering the infrastructure of others, why couldn't the gov't just set up its own email service to compete?

Re: Reasons to not use your own domain for email

#224
post #124

I have both my own non-identifiable domain which I use for email - and a domain of my own name which I picked up when the original owner let it expire. I had to bid to get it from a broker who squatted it but it didn't cost much. My namesake was a famous (in some circles) wealthy person and I did start getting his emails. Quite a lot initially, and I replied to let the senders know. That was probably twenty years ago…

> my own non-identifiable domain I have one too, but realized that it’s kinda pointless. If it’s only you receiving emails at your domain, it’s clear that if you sign up for a Facebook account and a Google account and a shopping website, that it’s always the same person. The advantage of big email providers is that it could be anyone. I just wouldn’t use Google. Fastmail offers email redirects like the iCloud anonymi…

I agree that's a possibility, but I'd rather the chance some of those accounts get linked than give my data to Google.

The reason I did that wasn't privacy in the first place, so any privacy benefits are a bonus.

I did it so I can easily block spam from a business, easily 'unsubscribe' to any list without jumping through hoops, and can also see which businesses are not playing nice by sharing my data.

Re: Reasons to not use your own domain for email

#225

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How is iCloud working out for you ? I've been thinking about moving our mails there. Not because i'm unhappy with mxroute, but because it's "one more service", and everybody in the household already uses iCloud. I'm not too worried about "vendor lock-in" as i have the "exit strategy" already in the form of backups and custom mail domain, so it simply comes down to ease of use.

Well I only had it so I could have the family's devices backupped (excluding Photos because those I backup on OneDrive). But it turned out e-mail, including wildcard-catch-all, is included in iCloud+. It works well, and I use it through the IMAP protocol.

iCloud limits the number of aliases you can use and it's impossible to reply from those "catch-all" email addresses you create. So iCloud falls short of that.

Also not only there's a payment thing that needs to keep going on (which is with any provider really) but you also have to essentially be on Apple ecosystem. But this can also be excused - at least there is no real lock in here.

But lack of ability to reply from custom catch-call addresses is the real bummer.

Re: Reasons to not use your own domain for email

#226
post #100

> Reasons to not use your own domain for email Aside from the fact that the author of the blog doesn't really provide any "reasons" in their blog ... There are ZERO reasons not to use your own domain name for email. The biggest reason TO use your own domain name is that you are not subject to the corporate whims of your ISP, cloud-email provider or whatever. You get to choose, and you get to choose when to switch. Th…

> The only thing you should NOT do is attempt to host your own email server on a home internet connection. You can tunnel the relevant ports through a VPS though. There are quite a few more things that you shouldn't do.

Any VPS that is capable of tunneling SMTP/IMAP ports to your home machine is also capable of simply being your mail server.

Source: Me running mail servers on VPS since they've existed.

Re: Reasons to not use your own domain for email

#227
post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The only thing you should NOT do is attempt to host your own email server on a home internet connection. You can tunnel the relevant ports through a VPS though. There are quite a few more things that you shouldn't do.

Any VPS that is capable of tunneling SMTP/IMAP ports to your home machine is also capable of simply being your mail server. Source: Me running mail servers on VPS since they've existed.

Absolutely. Grandparent comment was about running a server at home.

(Among other capabilities, a VPS is capable of being read by your hosting provider or whoever can get them to give access)

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