Companies using .hotmail.com .yahoo.com etc

[uk_biz]

I found a local dentist advertising a hotmail address as their contact email address.

If you are one of those companies who uses such addresses, it's cheap purchasing your own domain name and setting up an email address.

A .co.uk domain with basic hosting for email address purposes costs around £10 (or less) a year and you could have yourself an email address such as:

New email: [email protected]

Instead of: [email protected]

 

[ricky776]

I see this a lot of builders vans and plumbers etc

Always makes me laugh it screams cow boy to me but I guess it's all that people know some times

 

[Nuno]

It works.
Its free.
They don't have the ag. of renewal every year.
They don't have the ag. of set up.

It might even be a good filter: charge more to the superior so-and-so's who think its a big deal.

 

[fisicx]

Always makes me laugh it screams cow boy to me but I guess it's all that people know some times

Why does it scream cow boy (sic)? To me it looks like a sole trader doing their thing without all the hassle of setting up their own email accounts. They are tradesmen not IT people.

 

[SDLBiz]

I think it is a big deal personally. I find a hotmail email being advertised as a business email and I just laugh. Mostly because hotmail is outdated in my opinion, the better option is Gmail but also because it looks more professional using your own domain. Using a hotmail email doesn't make me think they are serious.

This is my outlook on this, no pun intended, however I am an online person so those who don't use the internet won't know or care what email service they use.

 

[fisicx]

So are you saying your wouldn't us a plumber because they have a hotmail email? That's just daft.

 

[SDLBiz]

So are you saying your wouldn't us a plumber because they have a hotmail email? That's just daft.

I am not saying I wouldn't use a plumber because they have a hotmail email, I am simply saying they look more professional if they have their own branded email. If I am comparing two different plumbers, as well as reviews, I look at the one which looks more professional as it is a natural assumption that they are more trustworthy.

 

[ethical PR]

If I am looking for a plumber I don't care whether they have an email - let alone what sort of email they have.

 

[fisicx]

If you have ever tried to get hold of a plumber (and most other trades) you will take whoever you can get regardless of their email address - just getting to answer the phone is a breakthrough.

In any case, most tradesmen work off referrals, they have no need of a 'professional' email an very few will have reviews so online comparisons are generally pointless.

 

[Nuno]

To be fair the OP was talking about a dentist. I understand that a busy tradesperson doesn't need the polish of a domain based email addy, but I think perhaps a Dentist should present a slightly more professional face to the world.
So then it is a question of where on the professional food chain you need a domain based email addy, (and website: not a [email protected]).

 

[Ian J]

In any case, most tradesmen work off referrals, they have no need of a 'professional' email an very few will have reviews so online comparisons are generally pointless.

Any tradesman that has a professional website full of reviews probably has too much time on his hands.

My plumber friend doesn't have a website at all and my builder friend uses one of your very unprofessional email addresses which I have mentioned to him but he's too busy to do anything about it

 

[SDLBiz]

I am guessing I chose the wrong example, however as I said, it was an example to show professionalism. A branded email on a business card looks better than a hotmail one. Plus, Hotmail is easy to hack etc so having your own branded one is a lot more secure.

 

[fisicx]

IPlus, Hotmail is easy to hack etc so having your own branded one is a lot more secure.

Why is a branded email more secure than hotmail? Guessing passowrds is the same for either.

 

[Mad Frog]

It does depend on your trade, as pointed out on here, but certainly the use Hotmail/Yahoo addresses can look unprofessional particularly the higher up the business ladder you go, it's all to do with branding and customer perception.

 

[SDLBiz]

Why is a branded email more secure than hotmail? Guessing passowrds is the same for either.

If you search on Google how to hack hotmail accounts*, there are tons of tutorials on how to do it. While your branded email will be more secure in the sense of being harder to hack.

*I am not encouraging anyone to follow any tutorial, hacking is very wrong and shouldn't be done.

 

[fisicx]

Nope, branded email accounts are just as insecure as hotmail. You can make them secure but most aren't.

 

[Nuno]

@SamLowe Cobblers. Hacking is great. If you have any questions you can email [email protected]

(Hacking is an activity. It can be either good or bad. The NORKs showed us what a drizzyboy Clooney really is and saved us from a feeble movie. Snowden bit the NSA's bum, a good thing.
Murdoch journalists hacked The Smugatron (Hugh Grant) and should have been rewarded.)

 

[SDLBiz]

It depends on what client and server you are using, generally though, I believe that branded emails are more secure because you aren't stuck to one platform and can easily use your own server to increase security etc. I wouldn't advise using any free email account for business, with that reason.

 

[fisicx]

I wouldn't advise using any free email account for business, with that reason.

Gmail is free and is used by a lot of businesses. You would never know it's gmail though as messages look like the come from a branded account.

In any case, one could argue all email accounts are free as they come bolted on to just about eveything these days.

 

[SDLBiz]

Gmail is free and is used by a lot of businesses. You would never know it's gmail though as messages look like the come from a branded account.

In any case, one could argue all email accounts are free as they come bolted on to just about eveything these days.

I might as well exclude Gmail as it is probably the most secure of them all. I am talking Hotmail, Yahoo etc. You can pick up a free email when using cPanel for example, however there are ways to make them more secure.

 

[adamo]

I'll be honest. This is one of the things that can actually put me off a company. I also notice hotels do this - they'll have [email protected] in big letters on their sign. Very unprofessional IMO. Well work the (small) cost of buying a domain name and basic hosting.

 

[Faevilangel]

The problem is most of these businesses don't have a clue, they get their website through wix.com, BT business etc and they don't come with email packages so they just setup a hotmail account.

 

[SwindonSteve]

I don't deal with anyone who doesn't use a domain.whatever, unless I know them personally and have had a night out with them.

I avoid the .net, .org, .biz like the plague.

I am strangely open to considering the new tld's however. Depending on whether they get colonised by the shysters and scum as, in particular, the .biz has.

 

[Faevilangel]

Not all .biz are bad, e.g. 4networking.biz is the largest UK business networking group, same as .org etc, the only reason shysters have used them as they are available while the .com, .co.uk aren't

 

[SwindonSteve]

Not all .biz are bad, e.g. 4networking.biz is the largest UK business networking group, same as .org etc, the only reason shysters have used them as they are available while the .com, .co.uk aren't

Fair point. My aversion is primarily down to habit though having seen some of the stuff that was attached to the aforementioned a few years ago. Perception is hard to change...

 

[InternetMarketingPlatinum]

I think it's a shame to see an Hotmail (or insert other free email service here email address on a company website or the side of a van (with a web address at the side of it) when the web developer could have easily setup the domain name email account. The client is after all already paying for the domain name and hosting

 

[Halcyon Yachts]

I think it all depends on the image you wish to portray. If you are a smaller company selling budget products or services then I don't see the problem. A sort of 'no frills' approach...

Pete

 

[simon field]

Personally speaking, I can't stand the word 'biz'.

Just sounds tacky and cheap, the same as txt spk.

But then, who cares what I think!

 

[Ian J]

I think it's a shame to see an Hotmail (or insert other free email service here email address on a company website or the side of a van (with a web address at the side of it) when the web developer could have easily setup the domain name email account. The client is after all already paying for the domain name and hosting

Many of these small tradesmen don't use a web developer. My local builder had his wife develop his website and it's not particularly good but he hasn't got the time to upgrade it as he's too busy working

 

[Nuno]

Personally speaking, I can't stand the word 'biz'.

Just sounds tacky and cheap, the same as txt spk.

But then, who cares what I think!

We do care Simon. You are the biz mate!