SMTP Changes April 27, 2007
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Some customers have recently experienced a few e-mails being blocked by other providers. We’ve been working hard to find the issue and prepare a permanent solution. Many options were reviewed and we decided on the best fix to maintain service integrity going forward.
Starting Tuesday May 1st, all SMTP traffic will be required to go through our mail server for successful delivery. All other outbound SMTP traffic that does not go through our mail server will be blocked to stop undesired email activity such as spam or worms being sent from our network systems to the Internet.
For most of you, this will have NO affect on your e-mail service as your settings should already be configured to send through our mail server. If you use the web mail client, you’ll see no difference at all.
How will you know if you are affected?
When you open your MS Outlook Express or any other external e-mail client on Tuesday morning and you can’t send mail, then you know you’re affected.
How do I fix it?
It’s really simple. Open your e-mail client, select your account preferences (usually the TOOLS pull down menu and then OPTIONS) and change the outgoing SMTP server to mail.webband.com. Instructions, with screen shots can be found at http://support.webband.com. That’s it – please do not hesitate to call if you want us to help with this modification.
Who do we expect will be affected?
Very few of you will have an issue on Tuesday morning. If we helped you setup your mail client and you haven’t adjusted the settings, then you shouldn’t be affected at all.
It should be noted that this will have no affect on receiving email, it is a sending solution and will NOT go into effect until Tuesday May 1st.
Our goal has been to provide the best and safest service available. This small change will help us to continue to provide that type of service. Thanks for your understanding and support!
Thunderbird 2 Available Today April 19, 2007
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Mozilla’s free e-mail client, Thunderbird, was released in version 2.0 today. Thunderbird has been a popular alternative to MS Outlook Express and a program that we here at WebBand believe in. Here are some of the new/enhanced features in version 2:
Advanced Folder Views
Keep your messages organized in a way that fits your personality. Thunderbird 2 also allows for you to view your mail as an RSS feed.
Message Tagging
This new version allows you to tag your messages – as many tags as you need. Tagging will allow you to organize without folders and has become a very popular item in blogs (see our category list).
Message History
Navigate between messages using the Forward and Back button – very similar to the navigation in a web browser.
Alerts
A built in alert system will tell you when a new message has been received.
Phishing Protection
Don’t get caught on the wrong side of a scam – phishing protection keeps you aware of messages that might be digging for your personal information.
Automated Update
Keep your software update with this automatic update feature.
Thunderbird 2 can be downloaded for FREE at www.mozilla.com/en-US/thunderbird/.
Online Pedometer April 17, 2007
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I found a useful tool today. I get my exercise by walking – usually at lunch or right after dinner. I never really know how far I go; I have ideas based on car trips, but never really knew the exact distances. Until today!
Gmaps Pedometer
This great site works just like Google Maps. The map is interactive and allows you to search for an address, scroll in and out, see the map in satellite view, etc. But it has a “pedometer” feature. Here’s how it works.
Find the area you are walking in by typing in a beginning point. On the left, there is a button called “Start Recording” – hit it and then double click the beginning point. A marker will appear. Now using a straight line, mark out your path, double clicking points along your path. The distance will tally in the box on the left. You can even see how many calories you burned during your walk or save the route to view later.
It’s now a part of my bookmarks – I plan to use it a lot; hope you find it useful too!
Get a FREE Ice Cream April 11, 2007
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One day of every year, Ben & Jerry’s offers customers a free ice cream cone – no strings attached and no limits! This year, that day is this Saturday (April 14th). Spokane has one store. It’s located in the Riverpark Square on the third floor (just next to the AMC Theatres). The fun kicks off at noon and runs until 8pm. Enjoy!
Periodic Network Maintenance April 9, 2007
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In order to keep our network running smoothly and efficiently, we plan scheduled network outages to do upgrades and/or improvements.
Our next scheduled outage is on Saturday April 14th. The scheduled maintenance is from 2am to 4am, you may experience intermittent service outages during this time. We will make our upgrades and improvements as quickly as we can and get things back to normal.
Thanks for your patience and we apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you.
MIT Online for FREE April 4, 2007
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Ever dreamed of attending MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)? Now you can!
MIT offers a comprehensive selection of free online courses; both undergraduate and graduate curriculum. The classes require a small download. Find your favorites, from Thermal Energy to Principles of Macroeconomics; AIDS and Poverty in Africa to Moral Psychology; Modern Poetry to Advanced Calculus for Engineers; Popular Music of the World to Physics of Rock Climbing. There are hundreds to choose from.
What’s the catch? You can take the full class, but can’t enroll, take classes on campus or earn degrees. Oh well, there goes that MIT diploma!
For more information, check out www.ocw.mit.edu.
