Taking another look at Microsoft’s Outlook.com

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	BEST SOFTWARE Taking another look at Microsoft’s Outlook.com
	By Katherine Murray Hotmail’s replacement, Outlook.com, has slowly improved since its release in mid-2012. Microsoft’s webmail viewer now provides a good selection of filtering tools for organizing your mail and protecting yourself from spam and other potentially dangerous mail.

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The full text of this column is posted at http://windowssecrets-com/best-software/taking-another-look-at-microsofts-outlook-com/ (paid content, opens in a new window/tab).

Columnists typically cannot reply to comments here, but do incorporate the best tips into future columns.[/td]

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I use Outlook 2013, but in retirement, it is somewhat overkill. OUTLOOK.COM is tempting, but the one feature missing from the migration tool is the ability to import rules (150+) from the desktop version. I suspect that if I moved everything else I could readily recreate the rules I really need in a few hours spread over a week or so, but I am wondering if there is a way or utility to automate the process?

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My issue with Outlook.com is how often I can access the mail server. I decided against using Outlook.com as my primary email source due to a poorly publicized policy of blocking access to the server more than once every 10-20 minutes. If this has changed, I would happily reconsider.

I am and intend to continue being a desktop client user – currently Outlook 2010. I have one of those grandfathered hotmail accounts that I can freely access via a POP connection. However, my practice has been to have email come to my personal domain and immediately forward it to accounts (carefully guarded personal plus a catch-all) at my ISP where I would access them via POP. Personally I despise IMAP and would rather clear my messages off the remote server as soon as possible.

When Yahoo (AT&T) started having issues with the reliability of their servers and POP access, I tried using Outlook.com. The timing restrictions quickly drove me to another direction. And as I have left AT&T as an over priced, under performing ISP, I wasn’t going back to Yahoo. I am using my domain’s POP services at this point – and I’d like to give Outlook.com another crack, but not with the timing restrictions for POP access.

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	BEST SOFTWARE Taking another look at Microsoft’s Outlook.com
	By Katherine Murray Hotmail’s replacement, Outlook.com, has slowly improved since its release in mid-2012. Microsoft’s webmail viewer now provides a good selection of filtering tools for organizing your mail and protecting yourself from spam and other potentially dangerous mail.

---

The full text of this column is posted at http://windowssecrets-com/best-software/taking-another-look-at-microsofts-outlook-com/ (paid content, opens in a new window/tab).

Columnists typically cannot reply to comments here, but do incorporate the best tips into future columns.[/td]

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To me using the feature to “winnow” out possible spammers/junk emailers by replying to their messages has a negative in that it tells the sender to “know” that your email address is a valid one (i.e. – keep me on your list of suckers!). Feature OK to ask safe senders for sending me the junk!

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I don’t believe she mentioned that for a yearly fee, they also don’t subject you to advertising. I think that’s a great option.

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About one year ago I switched over to webmail also. I primarily use Gmail, but I do have an Outlook.com account. Just this week (prior to reading this article) I started using Outlook.com a little bit. I’m not convinced yet, but have been favorably impressed. I now use Thunderbird almost exclusively for an intranet email with our SME Server.

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Wow – I didn’t know people were still doing all that junk mail filter stuff. I let that go years ago when I migrated to Gmail. They have excellent spam filters. After you add people and newsletters to your address book they rarely end up in spam.

I empty my Inbox almost every day. How can you run a business when you leave all that junk mail piled up in your inbox?? Imagine if that was physical.

I still use a local email client, migrating from Eudora some time ago to Thunderbird with the Lightening Calendar Add-on. I still prefer to manage my email off-line and use folders and such. No ads either. Webmail remains an option when I’m travelling.

I know several people who have Gmail pick up their non-Gmail mail to run it through their spam filters then send it on to their other accounts.

If Outlook has fewer features than GMail and requires importing a bunch of filter rules, why would you bother choosing it?

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I’ve been using Gmail since its inception, but the spam filters aren’t foolproof.

I have to regularly wade through the spam folders and often find something incorrectly designated.

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The nice thing about GMail is the ability to archive things you want to access quickly in Web Mail, but don’t necessarily want to download for future retention. I have set up my Yahoo Web and Client accounts to have a similar folder, but there is still greater convenience in the way GMail does things. Archived messages are not gone, but can be kept out of the way while important messages get my attention. For someone receiving thousands of email messages a week archiving won’t do much, but for mere mortals, it seems to work just fine.

-- rc primak

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The nice thing about GMail is the ability to archive things you want to access quickly in Web Mail, but don’t necessarily want to download for future retention. I have set up my Yahoo Web and Client accounts to have a similar folder, but there is still greater convenience in the way GMail does things. Archived messages are not gone, but can be kept out of the way while important messages get my attention. For someone receiving thousands of email messages a week archiving won’t do much, but for mere mortals, it seems to work just fine.

Outlook.com can do the same:

Microsoft formally supports a Gmail-like archive feature in Outlook.com
Outlook.com Tip: Archive Your Email, Take 2

Bruce

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Outlook.com can do the same:

Microsoft formally supports a Gmail-like archive feature in Outlook.com
Outlook.com Tip: Archive Your Email, Take 2

Bruce

That’s a good thing to know. Maybe a how-to could be included by one of the Windows Secrets Newsletter contributors in a future column. In the meantime, your reference looks good.

-- rc primak

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There are other ways to stop spam in Outlook.com. The SWEEP utility gives you choices, one of which is to delete the item and block the sender. Unfortunately the spammers constantly change their addresses, but it will discourage some. Another is to use the RULES to direct certain Emails directly to folders. Then you can check to see if there is any mail that you want, and then delete the rest. I also used to feel that I had to retain my Emails on my hard drive, but more recently I realize that 98% of Email is either crap or only of temporary importance. When a message is really worth retaining, I can always print it to PDF and store it on the computer. If you need to register with a site for some reason but are afraid it will flood you with mail, just use an alias. When you no longer need that site, just delete the alias.
What does bother me is the confusion created by having two very different Email programs with almost the same name, i.e Outlook and Outlook.com. This is ridiculously confusing. When I try to find information about Outlook.com, I am often given advice that pertains only to Outlook which is very different. I still use Hotmail as my Email address and I don’t see why Microsoft had to mess that up.

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What does bother me is the confusion created by having two very different Email programs with almost the same name, i.e Outlook and Outlook.com. This is ridiculously confusing. When I try to find information about Outlook.com, I am often given advice that pertains only to Outlook which is very different. I still use Hotmail as my Email address and I don’t see why Microsoft had to mess that up.

Yeah, Microsoft is well-known for creating confusion by changing names of their products and features every time the wind blows. I blame this all on the Sinofsky and Windows 8 era. I hope the new regime in Redmond will put a stop to such madness.

-- rc primak

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Microsoft’s naming conventions go way back, at least to Windows 98, maybe 95, when there was Works and Works Suite, Outlook Express and Outlook.

Before you wonder "Am I doing things right," ask "Am I doing the right things?"

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