Blog Tech Guy

I love using email to communicate. It makes things instantaneous without being intrusive. It keeps a written record of what has been said, and is easily organized.

I especially love using Gmail, it’s archiving, labeling and search features make it easy to use and easy to find anything that has every been discussed. It even allows you to manage multiple accounts within the same interface.

However a couple of recent “incidents” have led me to question whether it’s always best at times.

Firstly someone contacted me, and I replied promptly as always. Then, after a couple of days I a got another message, the same as the first - always a sign the recipient hasn’t received my email. Checking my reply was sent, and I resent it from a different email address in case my domain was being blocked. Then, again a couple of days later, I received a comment on my blog complaining about my lack of replies. Having no other way to contact the sender other than email, I was actually happy they had left the message! It was quickly sorted out, the emails had been filtered into the recipients spam/junk folder automatically, and they hadn’t checked. All was fine in the end, but things had been delayed a week.

Secondly another client sent me an email for some further work. And then sent me another, and yet didn’t receive a reply. She then sent me an email from my contact form which alarmed me, as she had been worried about why I hadn’t replied. Of course I hadn’t received the emails, but why? The answer rests in Gmail’s virus scanner. All the emails that had been sent had contained a .php attachment. Gmail does not allow executable files or scripts to be sent in email, however the details are a little sketchy. .exe’s are blocked and so are password protected zip files. .php files are not mentioned though seem to be blocked, but not when they’re zipped. There is obviously no notification when an email is blocked (otherwise you would get lots and lots of notifications from spam bots), so I hadn’t known anything is wrong.

Gmail launched in 2004 and is still classed as a BETA - i.e not complete software. Perhaps this shows why?

ACTIONS: My contact form now includes a telephone number / Skype box in case someone wants to provide an alternative contact method. I also check my own spam folder regularly.

So, if I don’t reply to you, send me an email from my contact form with a phone number and explain the problem. I look forward to speaking to you soon!

Just in case you haven’t noticed I now have some testimonials on the site from satisfied clients. Hopefully I’ll be getting plenty more soon, I just have to get around to asking for them.

Please take a look on the testimonials page, and contact me if you would like to leave one too

I’m currently working on a client’s blog. They are pretty sure of what they want the blog for, what they want it to say, and how they want it to look. Great. However I’m having trouble with their web host.

It’s not expensive to get a good web host and it doesn’t cost much to get one with great support, however this particular host isn’t one of these. Everything seems too much trouble, like the client’s needs that are seemingly no concern of theirs. The client has got a pretty basic package, but more than enough for what they need to start out. The host should realise that these type of customers are likely soon enough to want to upgrade to a better deal, with more bandwidth, web space and features.

Taking care of my client now can provide valuable future income that would otherwise cost a considerable amount more to acquire via advertising.

48 hours to respond to a simple online support ticket? Time to advise them to change host before they really get started…..