Alternatives to IDNet email.

[stan]

Understood, ta.

(I just looked at a company recommended by nowster .... gandi)

I never knew there were so many companies all hosting stuff. I suppose there are lots of companies that need it.

[Postal]

I did look at a couple and I believe I could see that I might have an email address comprising (for example) myinitialsandsurname@myinitialsandname.co.uk     --- is this the sort of thing wer're talking about?

Indeed so (as per my original posting in this topic!).  We have a domain based in our family name (if I were called John Smith my e-mail address would be john@thesmiths.uk) and we can add up to 100 names to thesmiths.uk address so all the family can take advantage.

I use IONOS (formerly 1and1) and have previously used LCN (Low Cost Names).  I originally got my domain through LCN in 2008 and the transfer to 1and1 was painless when we decided that the offering from IONOS was better value for us.  IONOS also host our web-site and were at that time more economical for us than LCN.  We have had very little reason to contact IONOS but when we have had to contact them the phone or e-mail service has been good (and 24/7) - like when I stupidly clicked on a dodgy link and wanted to check that our web-site had not been compromised.  I expect that most of the companies which would host a domain name for you would offer similar sort of service levels so this is not an advert just for IONOS.

Don't get confused between having a domain and having a web-site.  Having a domain just means that the internet world knows that www.thesmiths.uk belongs to you.  IIRC if you just take the domain but don't pay extra to host a website then anyone looking at http://www.thesmiths.uk would just get a blank page.  Using that space incurs a charge from your hosting company but is not compulsory.  Whether you are paying for the web-site hosting as well does not interfere with your e-mail presence.  You can access your e-mails either through a client program like Outlook or Thunderbird so that you can bring all of your e-mail under one roof or by going direct to the web-mail pages of your domain host for that one account.

[stan]

Much obliged - I'm looking and learning.  In fact spending far too much looking and learning ... but it keeps me off the streets