An email profile defines how MemberTies connects to your internet service provider's (ISP) email server to send email (you will need to know your log in credentials for your email account). It also specifies logging and limits to how mail is sent, as well as an signature to be used on email sent with the profile.
For help troubleshooting email issues, see Troubleshooting Email.
For some sample profile settings, see Email Profile Examples
Working with Email Profiles
The email profile window is accessible from the Message tab of the email window, by clicking the Edit icon next to the profile list.
This Email Profiles window provides a standard dual view of data, showing the list of existing records on the top, and the details below. See Editing Records for more information.
To create a new record, click Add; or, select an existing record and click Edit, or Delete.
The profile details are divided into three tabs:
•Server Settings - the information needed to connect and send mail through your mail server
•Misc Settings - logging, message limits, ad other per-message settings
•Signatures - optional plain text and rich-text email signatures
Server Settings Tab
The following fields are available:
•Profile Name - the name of the profile as it should appear in the Profiles list on the Send Email window
•Your Name - the name that should appear as the sender of the email. This is typically your first and last name, but it could also be something like, "Support" or "Sales Dept."
•Your Email - the email address that will display as the From address. This is typically your normal email address.
•Reply-To Email - the address to which any reply to your email should be sent. This is typically the same as Your Email, but not necessarily
•Default - controls whether this profile is automatically selected when the Send Email window opens
•Comments - general details about the profile
•Connection Settings
oServer Name - the domain name or IP address of the server through which your ISP allows you to send mail. This might be something like "mail.myisp.com" or "myisp.com" or something entirely different. Contact your ISP if you do not have this information. Most service providers have a web page that explains how to configure "3rd Party Email Clients."
oPort - the port on which the SMTP server "listens" for incoming mail. This is typically port 25 for standard transmission, or 465 for SSL encrypted transmissions.
oUse SSL - select this option if your SMTP mail server expects you to use SSL encryption. If they don't explicitly say so, assume no SSL is involved. However, if they tell you that the SMTP port is 465, that is a common SSL port, so you'll want to turn on SSL. Selecting this option automatically changes the SMTP port to the standard SSL port but you can change it if your server requires a different setting.
oStartTLS - select this option if your SMTP mail server supports SSL over standard SMTP (port 25) instead of the special SSL port.
oUser Name - the user name for the SMTP account. Typically this will be your email address. This is not the same as your MemberTies user name.
oPassword - the password for the SMTP account. This is not the same as your MemberTies password.
Testing the Connection
You don't have to attempt to send an email to see if your settings are valid. When you are finished entering connection settings, click Test Settings. The system will attempt to make a connection to your mail server and will report the results.
Note: If the Test Settings button fails, it will not be possible to send email using the profile.
Misc Settings Tab
The following fields are available:
•Logging - choose whether to use a standard log, which records limited data, or the detailed log that records every message returned by the mail server. For tracking down email errors, the Detailed Log is best, but this log may become very large.
•Message Limit - the maximum number of messages that should be sent per minute. Once the maximum is reached, the system stops sending for the rest of the minute, and then reconnects to begin the next batch.
•Control Address - a final email address to which to send the message. This instructs the system to send a final email to a specific address as a check to verify that all messages were processed. The email will be addressed to a person called, "Control Address" at the address you specify.
•Save to Sent Mail - controls whether a copy of the mail message will be saved to the Sent Mail list. Note that it is important to understand that a message will be saved to the Sent Mail list regardless of whether it is successfully delivered. All the system knows is that the message was sent to the specified mail server for delivery. It does not know whether the server ever delivered it, whether it bounced back, or whether or not it was read.
•Request Read Receipt - controls whether the email will be flagged with a read receipt request. This is a request that the receiving email program notifies you when the message is opened/viewed. Note that this is NOT fool-proof, and does NOT guarantee in any way that a message has or has not been received. Many people turn off read-receipts because automatically returning receipts is guaranteed to increase the amount of junk email you receive (because that automatic reply tells the spammer that your address is a real or "live," and therefore a good candidate for even more junk mail). But if the recipient has their email software configured to allow receipts, this option will request one.
•Global Profile - controls whether this profile is available to any logged in MemberTies user, or only the user who created it
Signature Tab
You can create a plain text and/or HTML signature. The system will use the appropriate signature based on the way you create the email message. If you never send plain text email, there is no need to create a Plain Text Signature.
