Setting up email services – what you need to understand
When you register a domain name you become the registrant. They are registered through various registries depending on the extension (the last bit of the domain after the ‘.’) of the domain, for example, anything that ends in a ‘uk’ is registered through Nominet based here in the UK and ICANN look after domain extensions such as .NET, .COM, .ORG, and .INFO. The domain name registration will need your email address and other contact details
When you register a domain you will need to pick who has the administrative control over it. This is normally done automatically through your domain name provider, for example, if you register your domain through GoDaddy, they will have administrative control of your domain.
The domain administration will often be managed by your web developer
Once you have registered your domain, you can transfer the administrative control to another provider. This can usually be done directly through the current administrator. The most common domains are the NOMINET and ICANN ones and are transferred as follows:
Nominet domains – change the TAG
ICANN domains – unlock the domain before initiating a transfer from the new administrator
There will usually be a small charge made for transfers
Alternatively, you can simply change the NAMESERVERS which will not change the company providing the domain registration services and renewals but will pass control over all other associated services to a new provider. The NAMESERVERS is a bit of information added to the domain that says where the domain is being administered.
Now you’ve registered a domain and the administrative control is set up name you can split the services i.e. web services and email services. You don’t have to use both of these, you can use one or the other, or you can use both
The most common web service is the standard website which is what happens when you type your domain name into a web browser. Other web services include sub-domains and FTP access.
Web hosting is simply a computer that is connected to the internet and has an IP address (Internet Protocol.) This IP address is the unique location for the connection. When you request a website, such as BBC.CO.UK, your browser looks up the corresponding IP address for your request and downloads the corresponding website to your browser.
Email services are primarily receiving email i.e. if someone sends an email to your domain name, how is it handled and where does it go?
These changes are specified in the DNS registry (Dynamic Name System) that is controlled through your domain administrative provider
Note: Other DNS settings can be, for example, to prove administrative control of a domain (this is a quite common request with Google & Bing)
The only other service you’ll need in relation to email is the SMTP service (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol.) This is the service that takes the email you want to send and relays on the road towards it’s recipient. This is a completely separate service to the web and email services connected with your domain but is often provided alongside these.
An email client is the software used to send and receive emails. This can be a web-based client or can be a locally based client (local email client) such as Outlook. Web based email clients will generally also provide SMTP services but if you want to use a local email client such as Outlook, you’ll need SMTP services. SMTP is sometimes provided as part of a hosting package but sometimes it must be purchased separately
In summary
To register a domain name you’ll need a domain name registrar to register it on your behalf (such as GoDaddy or 123 Reg) or an agency such as Seven Creative
When you register the domain you become the domain name registrant
You need to specify who has administrative control of the domain using the NAMESERVERS
You need to specify where the web services and email services are administered (these don’t have to both be used and can be with separate providers if you wish.) This is done using the DNS via your domain name administrator
If you’re going to have a website, you’ll need website hosting.
Email sending services and webmail are often bundled with website hosting
If you are going to be using email services using a local email client (such as Outlook, Thunderbird, , email on your mobile phone, Apple Mail, etc.) you’ll need an SMTP server which may be bundled with your hosting or may be purchased separately
It’s a very common problem to, out of the blue, start to get lots and lots of ‘mail delivery failure’ type emails but unfortunately there’s not a lot we can do to stop this.
Short explanation
The ‘Undeliverable Email’ Notifications Problem
When spammers send out their spam emails they need to pretend these emails are from a legitimate source otherwise they won’t be successfully delivered. Every email has certain information extra attached to it such as a sender address so you know who it’s from. Spammers will fake this information to make sure the emails get through spam filters so if you’re suddenly receiving a lot of ‘mail delivery failure’ messages, there’s a very good chance someone is sending out spam emails pretending to come from your email address.
The good news is it’s probably nothing personal, it’s unlikely to affect your domain adversely in the long-term, and the problem normally tails off after a week or two
Longer explanation
From my experience, the problem usually spikes within the first week and only lasts about 2 or 3 weeks in total.
The best way to understand why this happens, in my opinion, is to think about it like this:
Imagine if Jim didn’t want to receive a letter in the post from Bob but Bob wanted to send a letter to Jim anyway. If, when Bob puts his letter to Jim in the post, he puts the ‘sender’ address on the back of the envelope as someone else other than himself, Jim wouldn’t know the letter was from Bob until he actually received it and opened it.
Just like a letter you receive in the post, emails also have a ‘sender’ address that can be ‘faked’ or ‘spoofed.’
In the example above, Bob is the email spammer – he wants to send emails to Jim (and millions more) about things like fake watches and pharmaceuticals – but his emails would be easily caught by spam filters because Bob is a known spammer. Jim, on the other hand, is just one of millions of random recipients. And the sender address on the back of the ‘envelope’ is yours because you’re not a known spammer so emails from you pass easily through the spam filter… although it could actually be anybody’s address used as the ‘sender’
So, here is why you’re getting so many ‘Undeliverable Email’ Notifications:
Bob sends his millions of emails out to random recipients,
Bob puts the ‘sender’ address as yours,
the spam filters see that these emails are from, they know you’re not a spammer, so they let these emails through the filter,
Jim, on the other hand, opens the email from Bob and sees it’s spam so marks it accordingly
after a while, the spam filters begins to suspect you are a spammer
the spam filters begin to reject emails from you they now think you’re a spammer
you start getting ‘undeliverable email’ notifications as these emails are rejected and sent back to what they believe are the ‘sender’ i.e. you
now his email’s are getting rejected, Bob starts to use a different ‘sender’ address
your ‘undeliverable email’ notifications begin to tail off as Bob is now using someone else’s address as the ‘sender’ address
So, the bad news is that there is no way we can talk to Bob directly to ask him nicely to not use your email address as the ‘sender’ address
The good news is that it’s nothing personal, there shouldn’t be any long-term damage to your domain name, and the problem should naturally stop after a few weeks all by itself
October 2015 – Seven Creative turned 10 years old!
Happy Birthday to Seven Creative
10 years ago Seven Creative was established, and since then, we’ve helped over 300 local, national, and international business grow
To celebrate our birthday, we’d like to tell you a little about some of the services you can use to grow your business, show you a little market insight, and give you a little something for free
Email Marketing
Email Marketing from Seven Creative
Email marketing continues to be, for most businesses, by far one of the most cost-effective ways of generating leads… and it’s oh, so simple!
Not only can we provide you with a super-simple email marketing system, we can also support you with the email content, the email template, the images, and even supply you with a marketing list of targeted prospects. We can even do the whole thing for you if you’d prefer!
WordPress updating and maintenance by Seven Creative
Mobile search continues to become increasingly important following Google’s ongoing algorithm updates. Many business now reporting over 60% of their site visits come via mobile devices!
Why not find out how mobile-friendly your site is and if it’s being penalised within the rankings by Google for poor mobile-support.
It’s here and it’s not going away, but can you afford to ignore social media? Did you know that around 64% of adults aged 50 to 64 use Facebook with 70% of them logging in daily – and they’re a lot less cynical than younger demographics.
Also, 44% of online women use Pinterest, 28% of adults use Instagram, and 20% of the entire population use Twitter.
How much is your CPA? I’d put money on that potentially being a whole lot cheaper with a good, solid, consistent and efficient social media strategy in place – and that’s where we can help
Pick your channels well, create a solid strategy, and post good quality content and you can’t go wrong.
We can coach you through the setup, show you how to use the channels effectively, and help you put together a solid social media strategy to raise your profile and generate leads
WordPress updating and maintenance by Seven Creative
WordPress is huge – accounting for over an estimated 58% of all content-managed websites online at the moment… and into 2016 this figure continues to grow!
What many web developers don’t tell you, however, is that WordPress requires a lot of ongoing maintenance. As the biggest CMS it naturally becomes a target for hackers, but do you know if your site is safe and up-to-date?
We’ll be able to tell you very quickly if your site is likely secure and show you steps you may need to take to secure it further.
We’re also very experienced in developing and maintaining WordPress sites so we can also provide updates and maintenance if required. Get your free audit today
New content and articles
Content creation services from Seven Creative
We now have to cater for a generation of internet consumers who have an increasingly short attention span due to having been bombarded with mediocre content – they expect quick fixes and instant gratification. According to a recent study by AOP, the attention span of many of your site visitors is often as short as 8 seconds it’s getting shorter!
It’s therefore vital that you create and present fresh, concise, well written, and engaging content for your audience through all your communication channels including email marketing, your website, and social media to increase your ROI and avoid simply becoming part of the ‘noise.’
Of course, the services listed above are just a few of things we can offer – after all we’re a full-service agency – so please don’t hesitate to get in touch if there is anything we may be able to help you with.
From Chris and the team, thanks for being part of our first 10 years and here’s to the next 10
This month, one of our projects, here at Image Sign Studiosignage Sheffield, has been to do the signs at the highly esteemed Thyme Café, in Broomhill, Sheffield. Thyme Café had decided that it was time for a change and so they enlisted us to do just that especially for them!
We started the project of redoing the face of their café approximately two weeks ago. They decided that Aluminium Sign Trays and Digital Print with Aluminium Lettering with CNC Cut Out would be used for their new signage. Once manufactured, it only took us a couple of hours to fit their new sign, although we did get a little distracted by a rather delicious lunch, so we were onsite for longer than expected, but we shall blame Richard, one of the owners and talented Chef, for that!
Thyme to visit the Café
In 2003, Thyme Café was established by Richard Smith and Adrian Cooling. They had been so successful with ‘Smith’s of Sheffield’, their previous venture, that they decide to start the next chapter. The focus of Thyme Café is on ‘robust, hearty dishes’ which are ‘big on flavour’ which was the key to this new chapter. Their front of house is headed by Victoria Smith, Richard’s wife, and in the hands of this capable trio, another very successful venture has been created and maintained by them all, with a vast, enticing menu and welcoming atmosphere.
Commercial Shop Signs Sheffield and Retail Signage
At Image Sign Studio, they are experienced in retail shop signs Sheffield with the skills to provide you and your business with the perfect shop signage ensuring you have the best look. They can design, manufacture and install a large array of bespoke shop signs in Sheffield and are proud that they can offer a tailored, personal service, especially for you. As part of their bespoke shop signs, they can offer you services including Digital Printing, CNC Routered signs, 3D signs and illuminated signs, just for starters. Their materials range from aluminium to stainless steel, from Perspex to wood. Not only can they offer different shop signage Sheffield and a wide range of materials but they can also offer you their expertise, advice and direction should you need it, ensuring that you make a good and lasting impression on your customers, whatever your business.
Contact Image Sign Studio
If your business is showing signs of needing a facelift, then why not give Image Sign Studio a call on 0114 261 7617, email them via their website – imagesign.co.uk – or alternatively you can click here to go directly to their website.
Sheffield based company, Swann-Morton, were founded in 1932 and since then have world leaders in the manufacturing of surgical blades, scalpels and handles. Their blades act as enabling tools for professionals in many areas, due to Swann-Morton’s consistency, reliability and combination of traditional blade making skills and latest technologies. The main professionals consistently using Swann-Morton blades are Surgeons, Chiropodists and Podiatrists, Dentists and Veterinarians.
Chiropodists, Podiatrist and Swann-Morton
Chiropodists and Podiatrists preferred products are the range of carbon or stainless steel sterile surgical blades which ideally suit them because they are both practical and hygienic. The most commonly asked for blade is the Swann-Morton‘Sabre’ is a Chiropodists favourite tool – a uniquely shaped, ‘closed’ cutting edge tool used for ‘paring’ and ‘scraping’. This facilitates close, fine work, without gouging, leaving a smooth, rounded finish on desired areas.
Surgeons and Swann-Morton
Swann-Morton have a general Surgical Blade range which consists of 34 blade shapes and 12 different handles. These blades are used throughout many types of theatres, hospitals and practices, including Cardiology, Orthopaedics and Reconstructive surgery units. Surgeons choose their own blade size and shape, thus often dependent on their expertise and what enables them to be most flexible and dexterous in their specific medical area.
Veterinarians and Swann-Morton
Vets also prefer to use carbon and stainless steel sterile surgical blades during surgery. Type and size vary drastically owing to the animal size they are operating on and the problem in hand, more so than the surgical ability of the vet themselves. Blade versatility is apparent by reading the following:
Neurosurgery on a small animal, like a Rabbit, would require a 15 or No.20 Swann-Morton surgical blade.
A skin Incision on a large animal, like a Cow, would require a 22 Swann-Morton surgical blade.
Performing specialist vaginal surgery on a Horse would require a 3L or 4L Swann-Morton Handle.
Dentists and Swann-Morton
Like Chiropodists and Podiatrists, Dentists appreciate the carbon and stainless steel sterile surgical blades usually. Dentists use them in order to perform fine surgical techniques, including: implantology, labial fraenum, incising abscesses, periodontal surgery and raising skin flaps. The most prevalent Swann-Morton blade amongst Dentists is No.15 as it has the most ideal blade shape. This enables them to make short, precise incisions needed, which, amusingly, are the same size blades used for doing rabbit neurosurgery.
Where can YOU get hold of Swann-Morton blades?
As a leading supplier of Swann-Morton blades in the Sheffield area, it is Knife-Points intention to be your number one choice of blade provider. They aim to meet and exceed your requirements whenever you purchase tools from Knife-Point, working closely with you to aid you in obtaining anything and everything you need in order to get your job done well. With 30 years experience, they stock high quality products, are competitively priced, provide excellent customer service and their deliveries are extremely fast.
Saturday 19th September marks the start of the London Design Festival for 2015, until the 27th. This event combines design and creative geniuses from throughout the country, showcasing an array of designs from our built environment, functional daily items and decorative luxury items. This free to attend event is going to be the biggest one yet, with around 400 events. One of the biggest exhibitions to go and see there this year at the Design Museum is the 50 years of British road signs Exhibition, designed by Calvert and Kinneir. This also free exhibition celebrates the installation of both original and new signage, as well as archived materials curated by Made North.
The Origins of The Road Sign
50 years previous, us Brits were on the move! We were building new-fangled motorways, more of us were buying more cars due to their lowered prices and greater affordability and we were on the move quicker or more frequently than we had ever been before. But, this soon became a problem, though not from the issues you may perhaps initially assume, rather due to our road signs. This resulted in a discussion at the 1931 Geneva Convention where a talk held placed titled “Concerning the Unification of Road Signals”. During this discussion it was made paramount that visual aids were needed to be made prevalent over words. This was because of the multiple things but mainly due to dim lighting, bad weather conditions and high speed all preventing signs and signals from being read properly and warnings being missed. The ministry took note of this and employed a Hyde Park graphic designer to assist them in taking new measures to protect the country and their driving safety. It was Jock Kinneir they employed to design new signs for them with the help of his young but talented pupil, Margaret Calvert, later becoming his business partner. The signs were recreated and in 1965 a leaflet was canvased through every door in the country, titled “The New Traffic Signals” and this became the modernity turning point for British signage. These signs designed by Kinneir and Calvert have remained practically unchanged sinced 1965, keeping the Kinneir and Calvert name alive 50 years on.
Image Sign Studio
Image Sign Studio are professional makers of signs Sheffield, and are pleased to show their support of the 50 Years of British Road Signs Exhibition showcasing this month. Signage Sheffield, South Yorkshire, based company, Image Sign Studio, was established by Richard and Dean, 11 years ago. This pair have previously worked together many years before in the signage industry. Between them, they are able to bring together all aspects of the signage industry and create exactly what each individual customer needs directly from their site. This enables Image Sign Studio to offer a multi-faceted array of services to their customers and they have many specialisms including:
Large retail signage
Commercial signage
School and Hospital signage
3D Signs
LED Signs
CNC Routering
How To Contact Image Sign Studio
If you need advice or assistance in relation to the manufacturing or installation of your new shop sign Sheffield, then why not call Richard and Dean at Image Sign Studio on 0114 261 7617 or alternatively, you can email them at sales@imagesign.co.uk
You’ll have to decide on a shop sign company to carry out the process of a new shop sign. To help you with your decision, here are 5 reasons to choose Image Sign Studio. When you’ve made the decision to invest in a new shop sign Sheffield for your business, there are various decisions you need to make about the design, manufacture and installation of it.
We Have an Extensive Portfolio of Work
Our portfolio includes everything from shop signage to large industrial signs, factory signage, illuminated signs, 3d signs and much, much more. We endeavour to work very closely with our clients, ensuring they get the perfect image for their business, from sign design and manufacture, right through to installation. Our commercial and business signage products include door signs, projecting signs, 3D lettering, light boxes, building wraps, and banners.
We Have Great Testimonials Under our Belt
Nothing tells you more about the quality and reliability of a company than positive testimonials from their customers. We have acquired a great many glowing testimonials from happy customers. For example, Roger Reade of Sheffield & Hallamshire County Football Association said: “We are all absolutely delighted with the signs now that they have all been erected around the building. They really look smashing! Many thanks to Image Sign Studio for all your hard work in installing them – they have been really excellent.” Allie Langham of Chrysalis Photography said: “Quick, slick and professional service.”
We are Experienced in Shop Signs Sheffield
Our partners have nearly 30 years in the sign industry under their belts collectively, making them experts in the industry. Both partners gained experience in many aspects of signage and sign making and have brought their collective skills together. This has proved mutually beneficial and has enabled the company to offer a broad range of services to an exceptionally high standard.
Shop Sign Makers in Sheffield
Here at Image Sign Studio, we have the skills and experience to design and manufacture a wide variety of shop signs in Sheffield, from illuminated shop signs to 3D shop signs. We offer a range of business and commercial signage solutions to businesses all over the city, and we can help you too. Call us on 0114 261 7617 to get in touch and chat to a member of our friendly
A growing number of businesses are reaping the benefits of Instagram marketing to promote their products and services, and drive sales. Creating a brand profile on the popular image led networking site enables you to market your business to a whole new audience.
But using Instagram effectively for business is about much more than taking a photo, applying a filter, and posting it to your news feed. To have a real impact in the world of Instagram, you need to make sure that your posts are carefully crafted, and shared with purpose and intent.
As experts in social media management Sheffield, we’ve compiled a list of 5 handy tips to capitalise on your business presence on Instagram.
Create a Healthy Following using Engagement and Hashtags
There are several ways that you can effectively increase your followers on Instagram, and all of them are relatively simple. Firstly, make an effort to engage with other users by following them, liking their photos and leaving comments on them.
Use hashtags for every image that you post. A quick spell of hashtag research will drum up plenty of ideas, and give you an insight into which hashtags are relevant and popular. If your brand uses their own hashtags on other social networking sites such as Twitter and Google+, use them on Instagram too – it will help to expand your following and unify the appearance of your brand across the channels in use.
Make you Photos Beautiful
For a social media platform that is image lead, it’s fairly obvious that you need to make sure that your photos are good. A filter won’t hide everything, so getting the basics in place for a great photo is an absolute must. When you’re taking a photo for Instagram, avoid using the camera in the actual app to take the shot. Use your phone camera, which can zoom and crop your frame into a square as you take it. Then import the picture into Instagram when you open the app. Finally, remember you are working in a square, keep the camera steady, and maximise the clarity of the image by adjusting the focus.
Follow Those Who Follow You
Making the most of Instagram for business is all about creating strategic relationships. Who you follow is really important to the overall appearance of your brand on Instagram. Seek out accounts that you can learn from and enjoy in your followers, and follow them back. Following other brands on Instagram is not only good practice, it’s also smart. Find, follow, and research your competitors!
Showcase Your Employees
Posting images of your staff at work gives the customer a highly valued behind-the-scenes look at your business. Not only does it serve the purpose of celebrating your staff and showing them how much they are valued, it also strengthens the ethos of your brand with a sneak-peek look at what makes your business tick.
Create a Posting Schedule
Instagram is a very relaxed, laid back social media platform. Unlike Facebook and Twitter, you don’t need to post every day, or you’ll risk saturating your followers’ news feeds with your content. Think ahead and decide what’s ready to post, then create a schedule. Leave gaps for impromptu posting too, part of the beauty of Instagram is the raw immediacy of the imagery, so it’s important that your posting schedule is flexible.
Social Media Management Company in Sheffield
For more info and advice from experts in a variety of social media channels including Instagram, why not give Seven Creative a call? Our Sheffield social media training and management services can help your business to capitalise on social media for your business. Call us today on 0114 383 0711 today for more information about how we can help you.
The speciality pork sandwich shops Béres have revamped their shop frontages recently, and asked us to help them with their shop signs. There are now 9 Béres Pork Shops scattered around the city, with shops located in Hillsborough, Firth Park, Woodseats, Crookes and Chapeltown. The latest project here at Image Sign Studio shop signs Sheffield is a series of signs for the famous chain throughout Sheffield, and we have recently installed shop signage for the Crookes and Woodseats branches, with Chapeltown in the pipeline.
Béres Pork Shops History
Béres Pork Shops were founded in 1961, after the Hungarian butcher Sandor Béres left Budapest during the 1956 uprising against the communists. As a political refugee in Britain, his aim was to establish a chain of shops and build a successful business. Sandor and his wife Eileen opened their first shop in 1961, predominantly as butchers specialising in pork and beef. After seeing an excellent opportunity in the making and selling of freshly made pork sandwiches, the couple quickly built a good reputation. Béres Pork Shops are very much a family affair, with the couple’s children Richard, Helen and Catherine joining the business. They now have 9 shops all over Sheffield and have become a household name in the city.
Face-Lit Illuminated 3D Shop Sign Sheffield
The signs themselves are 3D illuminated shop signs, made from 3D stainless steel letters which have been expertly powder coated white to consistently match the branding of the business. The 3D stainless steel letters are also face lit, and feature an opal Perspex face which the light shines through in order to illuminate it. The letters are mounted on aluminium sign trays. Béres Pork Shop’s shop signs were manufactured to be face lit. LED face illumination is created when the lights are placed on a tray inside the 3D letter, meaning that only the face of the lettering is illuminated.
Retail and Commercial Shop Signs Sheffield
Sheffield shop sign makers Image Sign Studio are experts in the design, manufacture and installation of shop signs. We can produce 3D illuminated shop signs for a variety of businesses, ensuring that your business will stand out from the crowd and project a professional image. 3D letters can be manufactured from stainless steel, aluminium or Perspex, and can be illuminated using LED lighting to give them the extra wow factor.
A growing number of businesses are reaping the benefits of Instagram marketing to promote their products and services, and drive sales. Creating a brand profile on the popular image led networking site enables you to market your business to a whole new audience.