By

Michele L. Tune

I was planning on publishing a different post but something happened to change that. I’ve decided to share my GINORMOUS MISTAKE with you all, so what happened to me doesn’t happen to you. It’s embarrassing, frustrating, makes me want to cry – and it could have been prevented. So, what happened? What’s up with the above title? Why should you use free e-mail?

Here’s what happened:

Some of you might remember I started out with my very first website hosted at vistaprint.com. I was so excited to have a website for sharing my portfolio – a real website to display my freelance writing services. I chose my template, wrote the content, and published it for all the world to see. It was all I needed – until I decided to move this blog from Blogger to its own domain and self-host it with WordPress. It’s been a journey filled with ups and downs but I’m so glad I made the decision to just go for it. I’ve had a lot of support from you, my cherished readers, and I really appreciate it more than you’ll ever know.

Now, don’t get me wrong, VistaPrint was really good to me. It’s just that when I decided to move this blog to WordPress, I didn’t see any reason to keep the VistaPrint account when I could host my freelance site at the same place I chose for this blog – BlueHost.com.

The Process

There began the journey of having Goofy Girl Designs create a fresh look while I started writing all new content to reflect the creative, inspiring writer I am. It’s not easy to write great things about myself, but I don’t want to be invisible* after all! Then there was the fun of waiting (with much anticipation!) for it to all be done. It didn’t take long, though. My new website is finished and since it’s also a WordPress site, it was actually live while my first website was still live at VistaPrint.com. That was a little strange. How’d that happen, you ask? Well, it’s too long a story to get into here, but it just had to do with the fact that I own michele-tune.com and micheletune.com (without the dash).

So, what’s my point? Why should you use free e-mail?

Once the new site was ready, I hesitated on transferring the VistaPrint domain to BlueHost.com. I should have listened a little closer to that inner voice tugging at me. I started the process and waited, all the while thinking all of my e-mails within my VistaPrint account would just “transfer” right along with my domain. You’re shaking your head right now, right? Well, I didn’t realize what would happen next. I couldn’t gain access to my domain’s e-mail account! I started panicking because the editors I was waiting to hear from might respond and their e-mail would be gobbled up by the wonky situation. Oh, what to do?

I got BlueHost.com on Live Chat and VistaPrint on the phone. VistaPrint told me I didn’t even have an account with them. Er, what? Huh? BlueHost told me they were sorry, but that I surely had lost all my e-mails since the domain was close to being resolved and I couldn’t gain access to my e-mail account. This went on for a couple of days. Finally, I got a message saying that VistaPrint.com was having technical difficulties and they’d have them fixed as soon as possible.

The Happy Ending

During that time of the “technical issues” I managed to get to my e-mails (how, I don’t know because VistaPrint said I don’t even show up on their records as having an account!). I was able to save all of my important e-mails, contacts, and markets and stuff I had saved there. Sheesh, what a relief! I think it was a miracle, really.

The domain has resolved and is pointing in the right direction. And, I’m currently using free e-mail. Even though I had free e-mail for personal e-mails, I had heard negative things about using it for editors/clients. Why? Because they wouldn’t take a writer as serious if he/she were using a free e-mail service. That’s what kept me from using free e-mail. Well, I’d rather have an editor or client have a working e-mail to reach me with then to use only a domain e-mail that I might not always have access to.

What have I learned?

• to study a little more before I leap into a technical situation I don’t know anything about
• to follow Melissa Donovan’s advice and back everything up*!
• not to risk my precious correspondence with editors because of what someone thinks about free e-mail
• to always keep a printed version of all current and important contact information
• to give the guy at VistaPrint who told me I didn’t have an account with them the benefit of the doubt. Maybe it was his first day!

So, what about you? Do you use a free e-mail address for your writing business? Do you have your e-mails forwarded from one e-mail address to another so you’ll have them in another location? Do you back up often enough? Has anything like this ever happened to you? Am I doing the right thing by using free e-mail? Throw your opinion in the comments. Let us know!

And a special thanks to Goofy Girl Designs:I love my new site and have received a lot of e-mails and positive feedback about it. I couldn’t be happier. Thanks, Heather!

*linked to Sharon Hurley Hall, at Get Paid to Write Online – Are You Invisible?

and Melissa Donovan, at Writing Forward – When It All Comes Crashing Down

Here’s to safe e-mail correspondence while writing the cyber highway!

Writing the Cyber Highway Copyright 2008 Michele L. Tune All Rights Reserved