Get The Most Out of E-Mail with IMAP
June 8, 2008 · Print This Article
One of the best kept secrets to efficient email management lies in the protocol (how’s that for a $10 word!) that the email system uses. Aside from free email accounts, if you have domain email (you@yourdomain.com) - you’re more than likely using the emailboxes included with your web hosting service.
What most don’t realize is that web hosting email is based on POP (Post Office Protocol). POP is great - but it does have one very important limitation… your messages are never fully synchronized across all the places where you read mail… your desktop computer, your laptop.. your mobile phone.
That’s where IMAP saves the day! With IMAP (Internet Mail Access Protocol), your message folders are synchronized and identical across all devices. So, a message you send with your mobile phone is accessible on your desktop, etc.. In this age of mobile messaging, that’s a real advantage.
So, if your hosting service only offers POP mail, how can you get IMAP?
There’s a growing number of email-only service providers that do nothing but email. Besides being better able to offer much larger mailboxes and better support, a separate email provider will offer IMAP. Some of the best providers are nominal in cost (and in the case of Google Apps - free):
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Mailtrust (Varable rates - outstanding support and reliability
Fastmail ($39.95/year)
Google Apps (Free or $50/yr; free service offers up to 100 6.7GB mailboxes!)
To switch your email while keeping your web hosting, you need to make a “MX” update to your domain’s DNS (something that ProVirtual Solutions can help you with!).
Here’s a recently posted article on the GMail blog that will help describe the difference between POP and IMAP.
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