Internet E-Mail is the most widely used Internet service. As a result, BBS-LA has invested significant time and resources in developing a comprehensive E-mail system to meet our users varied needs. Unlike many Internet Service Providers [ISPs], we provide the IMAP4 and HTTP mail protocols in addition to the standard POP3 protocol. We also provide screening to reduce unsolicited commercial E-mail [UCE or SPAM]. Most importantly, we provide virus screening both for virus/trojan exploits in the body of e-mails and in attachments, both text and mime encoded.
BBS-LA does not restrict the size of your mailbox or number of messages that your mailbox can contain, so you and/or people sending you mail will never get those annoying "Your mailbox is full" messages. There is also no particular fixed limit to the number of E-Mail messages you can send or receive each month as part of your subscription to BBS-LA. We do, however, strictly prohibit the sending of unsolicited commercial E-Mail [UCE or SPAM]. We do however limit the size of files attached to any given e-mail to 10MB. That’s still a lot more than the usual 1-2MB limit on most systems. In addition, we can provide you with other options to transfer files over 10MB.
BBS-LA Mail Servers are accessible from any Internet connection, anywhere in the world. Most ISPs require that you connect to their service to send [and sometimes even to receive] your mail. BBS-LA uses SMTP authentication to allow you to send and receive E-Mail from any Internet connection. If you have a valid E-Mail account on our Mail Server, you can configure your e-mail client [Outlook, Outlook Express, Pegasus, Eudora, etc.] to send and receive E-Mail from any Internet connection anywhere in the world. In addition, you can use your browser [Internet Explorer, Netscape, etc.] to access our WEB Based [HTTP] e-mail from any Internet connection, anywhere in the world, without having to configure an e-mail client. Just use your browser to go to http://mail.bbs-la.com , enter your e-mail address and password and you’re in a full IMAP4 WEB based e-mail client, ready to send and receive mail. Our WEB based e-mail system is particularly advantageous as it can be used to send and receive e-mail from behind corporate firewalls and networks that do not allow you to configure an e-mail client for off network mail systems.
All BBS-LA Internet Service dial up subscribers receive one e-mail account per userid/access account with the address userid@bbs-la.com. Additional E-Mail accounts are available for an additional charge of $5.00/month. There is generally no set up fee for additional E-Mail accounts. Domain E-Mail accounts receive five e-mail accounts per domain with the address accountname@yourdomainame.com. Additional E-Mail accounts are available for an additional charge of $5.00/month with discounts and bulk rates available for domains requiring more than 10 e-mail accounts.
BASIC MAIL SERVICES:
Subscribers may use any or all of the following three E-Mail protocols:
POP3: This is the most common and widely used E-mail protocol and is supported by almost all E-mail client applications. Mail is downloaded from the mail server and stored on the user's computer. The user may then read, organize or delete the E-Mail while online [connected to the Internet] or offline [disconnected from the Internet]. The copy of the E-Mail on the Mail Server may be automatically deleted once it is downloaded, or a copy may be left on the Mail Server. Either way, once E-Mail is downloaded using the POP3 mail protocol, it is generally no longer available to be downloaded again using the POP3 protocol, as it has been marked as read. [Some mail clients, like Pegasus, do allow access to mail that has been read by allowing a download only unread mail setting, but if set to download all mail, all mail on the server is downloaded each time the client is opened.] As a consequence, this protocol is not satisfactory for users who need to access their mail from more than one computer or for users who need multiple users to access the same E-Mail account. The wide popularity of the POP3 protocol is largely due to its appeal to ISPs, not to users. Using the POP3 protocol, ISPs can elect to not allow the user to leave a copy of the mail on the Mail Server, thus minimizing hard drive storage space. BBS-LA leaves this choice up to you. POP3 puts the responsibility on the user to back up his or her e-mail. As a consequence, many users elect to leave a copy of their mail on the mail server in case the copy on their system is lost. [BBS-LA support staff can access the copy stored on the server and forward it to the user if necessary.]
IMAP4: The IMAP4 protocol is not supported by most ISPs. The IMAP4 protocol stores your mail on the BBS-LA Mail Server. When you access your mail, you are actually reading it from the BBS-LA Mail Server. You can read, organize and/or delete your mail stored on the Mail Server, and then access it again from a different computer and see the same mail exactly as you left it the last time you accessed it. This is the preferred protocol for users accessing their mail from more than one computer or for users who need more than one person to access the E-Mail from a single account. While this protocol puts the responsibility for backing up mail on the ISP, users may wish to copy mail they intend to keep permanently into local folders on their system as an additional backup.
WEB BASED E-MAIL or HTTP MAIL: BBS-LA also provides WEB BASED or HTTP E-Mail that can be accessed from any Internet connection with any Java enabled Web Browser at http://mail.bbs-la.com . Users log in by entering their E-Mail address and password. This protocol is particularly useful for users to access their mail from behind firewalls at work or from other people's computers without having to configure E-Mail client software. This protocol is similar to IMAP4 in that E-Mail is read from the server and is not downloaded to the accessing computer. If you use IMAP4 as your primary e-mail protocol, you’ll see the same e-mail organized in the same folder structure whether you’re using an e-mail client like Outlook Express or Web Based E-mail with your browser.
USING MULTIPLE PROTOCOLS: Users are not limited to using any one of the protocols described above. As long as the user elects to use POP3 with a copy of the E-Mail left on the server any combination of two or all three of the protocols can be used at the users discretion. There is no additional charge for using multiple protocols.
SUPPLEMENTAL SERVICES:
BBS-LA also supports a wide variety of supplemental E-Mail services such as encrypted E-Mail, Mailing Lists, user maintained mailing lists, List Servers, automated mail forwarding, automated reply, etc. These supplemental services are generally free or available for a nominal one-time setup fee.
DOMAIN E-MAIL: Subscribers with domains hosted by BBS-LA receive E-Mail hosting for five e-mail addresses as part of the standard hosting subscription. These E-Mail account addresses take the form accountname@yourdomainname.com . Additional domain E-Mail accounts are generally available for an additional charge of $5.00/month each with no setup fee. Discounts are available to subscribers requiring 10 or more domain E-Mail accounts. Pricing for Domain E-Mail hosting starts at approximately $25-$50.00/month depending on the number of mailboxes involved and the type of hosting required. Domain E-Mail hosted by BBS-LA can also be administered by the subscriber, using a WEB Site interface to add, delete or modify E-Mail accounts.
BBS-LA can host the E-Mail for your domain regardless of whether or not we host your domain and regardless of whether or not you have a WEB Site for your domain.
Domain E-Mail hosting can be provided in a variety of ways-BBS-LA can host your E-mail directly on our Mail Server; we can deliver all mail for your domain to your mail server at your location; we can integrate Internet E-Mail with your local LAN E-Mail server at your location, or virtually any other combination that you require, depending on your needs and the type of Internet connection you have. Because of the variety of E-mail solutions available, pricing is generally determined on a per case basis depending on the users requirements and number of E-Mail accounts required.
All Domain E-Mail accounts receive the same anti-virus and anti-SPAM scanning as described above.
YOU CONTROL YOUR MAILBOX: Unlike many ISPs we don’t think a “one size fits all” approach to your mailbox is the best approach. We think your mailbox should be your mailbox. BBS-LA gives you a wide variety of choices in how you manage your mail. In addition to offering all three e-mail protocols, we also let you decide to use or not use our virus scanning and SPAM screening systems. You can also fine tune your SPAM screening on a variety of parameters to meet your needs to make sure your legitimate mail doesn’t get screened incorrectly. But most important, all screened e-mail is always accessible to you in the Quarantine mailbox. You can always release it for delivery, or ignore it and let it expire. You can also set your own “vacation” responses when you’re going to be away from your e-mail for awhile, change your password, set up mail forwarding, and control other features in the e-mail system to tailor your e-mail experience to meet your personal needs and preferences. Domain E-Mail managers can administer their own domain e-mail accounts, add and delete mailboxes, change passwords, create and modify mailing lists, etc. Domain e-mail users can control their own mailboxes as described above.
