GoDaddy E-Mail Cost Me 7 Hrs on Saturday

Living simply means choosing a good deal and sticking with it - in the words of my father, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." Less daily strife that way, and of course, there's always more than enough to do on the "to do" list, anyhow.

Then again ....

On Saturday, starting at 5:07 pm and ending right before midnight, I plugged away at getting my two business emails (one for writing, one for law) back to where they would load in Outlook. Something that they had been quietly and efficiency doing for over three years without a hitch - until Saturday afternoon.

I played with the tools, etc. on Outlook, expanding the time before timing-out, etc. No dice.

I called GoDaddy, since it was their two emails that were failing. I got a human who speaks English on the line. I gave him the error messages. He said it's not them. Call the ISP.

I called the ISP. Human, English-speaking techie tells me it's not them. Call the AntiVirus folk.

(Somewhere in here, I surfed for the error messages, went to the Microsoft Support page and read all about what to do. I'm already doing it.)

I then communicate with the Norton AntiVirus folk by an online chat room with (assumedly) a human whose native language is obviously not English. There are long gaps in typed conversation, where I'm wondering if my words are being fed through an online translator, or if a manual tranlation dictionary is being used. And, by long gaps I mean: Long. Gaps.

After I can't tell you how long this all took because I've blocked this out of my mind, I'm told that Norton has corrupted files, and while I could just un-install and reinstall the software, why don't I just upgrade since the registration is expiring in 20 days anyway?

I surf sites and find options to Norton AntiVirus -- I choose a Kaspersky product.

I call the K people, talk to a human in sales, and get the upgrade. This is after I uninstall both Norton AV and the software for their chatroom with its scary "remote control" feature that I had to install in order to get to Norton tech support on a Saturday.

(Remember -- these are business emails, I have to have them up and running asap.)

I install the new antivirus software.

It doesn't work. I trying calling back, and learn that while sales has real humans, tech support has another one of those chat room thingies for the weekends.

I consider drink.



I install the newbie again. This time it works. I go through all the hoopla of choosing my options, putting it my protective info.

It's been hours.

I go to the GoDaddy website to check and see about my email there -- can I pull anything up from there, that's been held in limbo while being blocked on my computer? I'm expecting an email from a writing client, is it in here?

Well, what do you know.

GoDaddy has an email service. Complete with POP -- they want you to use GoDaddy for all your email addresses. And, they've got some fancy spam filter. And, there -- starting with my first tests around 5 pm, hours and hours ago -- are all my missing emails. They've been setting in the Approval/Disapproval Spam box all this time.

I turn off the GoDaddy spam stuff and everything -- including all 28 test messages showing time stamps spanning 7 hours -- goes frolicking over to Outlook.

Wouldn't it be nice if someone at GoDaddy had told me they were going to do this new feature? Wouldn't it have been nice if the human I called at the beginning of all this had known anything at all about this?

GoDaddy was once a good deal, but GoDaddy may have to Go.

Skype - Is It 4 U?

Skype (rhymes with "type") advertises unlimited calls to anywhere in the US and Canada for $3.00/month (calls between Skype users are free) and now that WiFi is so widely available, Skype is offering its own cellphone too. For $99.00, you can buy a Skype Phone and use it anywhere there is a WiFi connection to make calls via your Skype account without having to turn on your computer.

Yes, Virginia: that's amazingly cheap phone service (national and international) from your computer and now, from a cellphone, too. Free if you call Skype users. Yes, free. Wow.

Yep. Skype calls are free between Skype users in the US or Canada. If you buy the "Skype Unlimited" package, for $30 a year, you get unlimited Skype calls to any landline or cell phone within the US or Canada. Regardless of whether they've ever heard of Skype or not.

International calls are usually cheap, but you have to check the country. You may end up paying a little over a dollar a minute for some remote locations; then again, you can call Paris for 2 cents a minute. It all depends.

What's Skype? How can they DO this? According to the company's website:

"Skype is available in 28 languages and is used in almost every country around the world. Skype generates revenue through its premium offerings such as making and receiving calls to and from landline and mobile phones, as well as voicemail and call forwarding. Skype, based in Luxembourg, has relationships with a growing network of hardware and software providers and is an eBay company."


Is Skype for you?

1. There are expectations that Skype will face attacks similar to Vonage as the Big Phone Companies try and fight to keep their hold on the marketplace. Patent infringement suits against Vonage are threatening bankruptcy according to the sages over at Business Week, for example.

2. Internally, things are in flux at Skype. Its CEO resigned on October 1st; no new Big Kahuna has been announced. There's an interim guy at the helm right now who hails from EBay -- both Skype founders and its "technical wizard" have jumped ship. And, EBay recently has announced that its taking a hickey on its purchase of Skype back in 2005.

3. Companies are coming alongside Skype, as well.

On October 17,2007, a partnership was announced between MySpace and Skype - now MySpace friends can chat with each other. (Skype also sells WebCams as well as Headsets in addition to its new Skype phone.) In addition to the MySpace alliance, some big guns are being Skype-friendly.
For example, at Walmart, you can buy a General Electric called the "2-in-1 Internet and Standard Phone" for $149.98. The 2-in-1 connects to both your broadband connection and your home phoneline. The 2-in-1 lets you makes Skype calls or regular phone line calls, your choice. It has caller ID, a headset, and a speakerphone. The old VOIP problem with 911 service is solved here: that second line lets you access emergency services even if the Skype line is in use.

As for whether or not you should try Skype, why not read thru the Walmart GE 2-in-1 phone reviews? One guy is claiming to have saved $1000/yr in phone bills. Then, too, there are reviews over at CNET, and a good review of Skype overall at VoipReviewsOnline.com.

For info on Vonage and VOIP in general, check out my January 25, 2006 post "VoIP - What About Those $25 Vonage Ads?"

So, is it for you? Well, there's the outlay for the new phone (or phones if you buy the new cellphone, too) but that lower monthly bill each month might balance things out at the get-go, right? Quality of the calls is supposed to be good, too.

One bad thing no one has mentioned: with the use of a webcab, Skype is offering us the ability to chat with each other just like the Jetsons -- but no one's selling that Fully Made-Up and Great Hair Screen that Jane Jetson used early in the morning. I know that I, for one, am very interested in hearing about THAT product appearing in the marketplace.

Personal Post 7: Analog Clocks

Over the weekend, I put "desk-sized old-fashioned clock" on the list and thought this would be easy. I needed a clock face with the actual hour hand and minute hand, 12 and 3 and 6 and 9 (if not more) for my desk.

Yes, I have the other kind: I can ignore them too easily. In my head, 11:41 just gets noted.

When I look at a clock face with hands pointing the way, I start realizing the passage of time - perhaps this is a sign of age. Whatever.

At any rate, you cannot believe how hard it was for me to find a small, simple analog clock. Lots and lots of digitals - for everyone in the family. A good variety of wall clocks with analog faces.

Finally, at Target, on a clearance shelf: a small analog clock - quartz - with roman numerals and no second hand or alarm. Ten bucks.

I took it and ran.