Everyone.net's New Email Interface

[jdtaylor]

I do agree that is one of Everyone's down sides low storage space.

[King Of Email]

The new interface is fine, but not a significant overhaul of the current interface which suffers from a proliferation of banner ads which occupy too much of the inbox page view. Some Everyone.net email boxes even have ads above, below, and at the bottom of the page, and when added to the menu sidebar, make the read/compose window tiny and cramped. I had to leave behind an Everyone.net email box that had that kind of layout. I can barely just tolerate ads above and to the right, (I remember Everyone.net boxes before the right hand ads), but when they occupy the bottom as well, I will not use them.

One of the things I like the most about an email interface is the ability to do basic customization myself by choosing layout, background colors/themes, and placement or icons, etc. I think Goowy is a good example of this kind of user freedom that I wish Everyone.net would emulate. I also used to have another Everyone.net email account with a pleasant orange background which the owner decided for some reason to change to a boring default white. Because I could not choose the background color or keep the one I had, I left that email box behind.

[mf1941]

Everyone.net's new interface is pretty good, very functional & as a free account on the high side of the Irritation meter.

Maybe only Outblaze powered sites rival them for the amount of crap that one must click thru/ignore in order to actually use the service.

I find the MSN Live Mail layout much more palatable, The ads much less intrusive & I'm much more likely to use a free service that doesn't insult my intelligence.

[theog]

Originally Posted by lgnki

No doubt, I was referring more to playing catch up, such as with storage space

Nothing much I can say about the storage space… I made a deal with the devil several years ago that if they raised the personal mail to at least 100 to 250 mb I would shut up complaining about storage… well, they increased to 100 mb last year… lol…

I do agree that they definitely are not “leaders” in the email space. Seems to me they keep the free email solution so “crappy” in order for people to join and then think, “This is crappy, I should upgrade.” Instead, people join, and then think, “This is crappy, I’m outta here.”

Then some owners think they have 1000’s of users, but in reality only have a couple of hundred. In my case, I had 1000’s of users… but when I requested they purge the accounts of people who had not logged in for 90 days or more, I only had a couple of hundred. lol

Even in their own systems they may note a higher number of users than what actually exists.

Unfortunately, they had the chance of winning the hearts and minds of many domainers, but instead put them off by everyone.net’s arrogance (as a company). Now, bigmailbox is dead, but they face competition from Microsoft, google, aol, yahoo, and possibly webmail.us. I told them this would happen in maybe 2002 or 2003, but the guy I spoke to kinda laughed it off.

Domainers don’t care about that $10 per customer fee they receive from everyone.net… they want a service they can be proud of… something people will use. Microsoft is getting my hosted domain business now… even though I’d rather stay with everyone.net.

[btn]

Originally Posted by theog

Anyway, login is fairly fast, but when you click on “inbox” it does take a second or two for it to load all the messages.

The new interface can take several seconds to download the very first time you load it. In general, the new Web Mail's performance depends more on the speed of your CPU versus your Internet connection.

Originally Posted by theog

My suggestions:

1. Dump one of the ads… I’d go the MS route and dump the side advert… and then allow for people to view messages on either the side or bottom…. When viewed on the side, they will be able to see the entire message and more unopened emails.

Frankly, I don't see us dropping the skyscraper for Publisher Mail any time soon.

Originally Posted by theog

2. Make the email menu bar smaller. Right now it is very large and takes up precious space.

Please use the Feedback link above the toolbar in Web Mail if you liked the old, smaller one better. Thanks.

Originally Posted by theog

3. Goes with #1, but allow people to view messages on the side.

Are you referring to a 3-pane layout | | | | versus a 1-by-2 layout | |—| ?

Originally Posted by theog

4. Dump all the flashy ads… my headache comes from having that account open too long… the ads are flashing all over the place… wonder if anyone ever had a seizure from them?

They're supposed to go away...

Originally Posted by jeffpan

Where can I take a look for?

Pretty much any Publisher Mail service has it. For example: EmailAccount.com

Originally Posted by astro

http://www.everyone.net/graphics/rich-web-mail.gif

This image depicts the old, smaller toolbar I was referring to above.

Originally Posted by Trip

Everyone.net's interface looks ok. The layout could be better and the icons are kind of poor...

Trip, are you referring to the old toolbar (colors, text labels to right of icons), or the new toolbar (taller, gray)? Thanks.

Originally Posted by Ignki

Considering everyone.net's usual pace of innovation, I'd say it's pretty impressive

Thanks. The trick is to make everything reliable, scalable, and work in 3 different browsers.

Originally Posted by jdtaylor

I do agree that is one of Everyone's down sides low storage space.

Our Business Mail accounts feature 1 GB of reliable storage per mailbox. The sky's the limit with our Private-Label service. EMDers can contact me; search this forum for details.

Originally Posted by King Of Email

Some Everyone.net email boxes even have ads above, below, and at the bottom of the page, and when added to the menu sidebar, make the read/compose window tiny and cramped.

You may be in luck, King... The days of UI customization for free Publisher Mail clients are drawing to an end for the new interface moving forward. It's simply too hard to safely allow free Publisher Mail clients the level of customization they enjoy with the Classic interface.

theog, I reached your latest post, but I have to run so I hope all of my responses above suffice for tonight. Please let me know if there are any unanswered questions regarding the new Web Mail interface.

Thanks all!

[theog]

Originally Posted by btn

The new interface can take several seconds to download the very first time you load it. In general, the new Web Mail's performance depends more on the speed of your CPU versus your Internet connection.

That is interesting. I have a dual core amd 4200… can’t wait to see if the speed of download is the same with a folder that contains 70 emails vs. one that contains over 1000 emails.

Originally Posted by btn

Frankly, I don't see us dropping the skyscraper for Publisher Mail any time soon.

That is unfortunate. Since the skyscraper ad makes the interface almost useless for “free” users it seems that skyscraper ads should go. I guess everyone.net has figured out the conversion rate with skyscraper vs. no skyscraper so this was a business decision. Dunno....

It seems that people can only click on one ad anyway so I never saw the use of having two ads on a page. A better approach would be to send targeted ads to your users. For example, if my site is for pet lovers, it would make more sense to have ads that relate to pets vs. having ads that relate to receiving free software.

In addition, more and more people understand that those free software ads do nothing more but bring unwanted spammy emails into your inbox once you give them your email address.

What I'm saying is, striving for one higher quality ad vs. two of the "spammy" ads may drive a higher click through. But I'm definitely no expert on the issue. I will admit though, that I’ve clicked on some of the targeted google ads in my email box. While their format creeps me out, every now and again I’ll see something that relates….

Then again, I also suggested this to your company several times over the years…

Originally Posted by btn

Are you referring to a 3-pane layout | | | | versus a 1-by-2 layout | |—| ?

You can view the screenshot of the hotmail interface I reference in this thread. It is on the first page of this thread. It shows the interface that "I" find most useful.

But with your response above about the skyscraper ads, this would not be good for free users. For paid users, it would look great, I guess (not seen the new interface on my new accounts yet).

Originally Posted by btn

theog, I reached your latest post, but I have to run so I hope all of my responses above suffice for tonight.

My last posts was only to waste everyone's time with my general thoughts....

[btn]

Originally Posted by theog

I have a dual core amd 4200… can’t wait to see if the speed of download is the same with a folder that contains 70 emails vs. one that contains over 1000 emails.

The new interface should run well on your computer. I have a folder with over 30,000 messages that loads quickly on an Intel Core Duo.

Originally Posted by theog

Since the skyscraper ad makes the interface almost useless for “free” users it seems that skyscraper ads should go. I guess everyone.net has figured out the conversion rate with skyscraper vs. no skyscraper so this was a business decision.

IMHO, the new interface is usable even at a lower resolution if you hide the Reading Pane. A future update will automatically hide the Reading Pane if your screen resolution is lower than 1024x768.

Originally Posted by theog

It seems that people can only click on one ad anyway so I never saw the use of having two ads on a page. A better approach would be to send targeted ads to your users. For example, if my site is for pet lovers, it would make more sense to have ads that relate to pets vs. having ads that relate to receiving free software.

In the future, you'll see more "takeover" campaigns where the banner and the sky are from the same advertiser. Regarding targeting, there isn't enough targeted inventory on the market to get so specific to put it simply.

Originally Posted by theog

What I'm saying is, striving for one higher quality ad vs. two of the "spammy" ads may drive a higher click through.

Unfortunately, there aren't enough "quality" ads either.

Originally Posted by theog

You can view the screenshot of the hotmail interface I reference in this thread. It is on the first page of this thread. It shows the interface that "I" find most useful.

Got it.

Have a great weekend!

[theog]

Originally Posted by btn

IMHO, the new interface is usable even at a lower resolution if you hide the Reading Pane. A future update will automatically hide the Reading Pane if your screen resolution is lower than 1024x768.

I was getting my first vista computer ready for an elderly couple ready tonight and they use 800 x 600…. I agree the reading pane was useless. Even when I turned it off the format was useless due to the side banner and one of the top “buttons” fell to a second row, taking up precious space. Felt as if I was reading my email through a coffee mug.

MS Live kills the reading pane at that resolution, and actually looked fairly good… but again, no side banner.

Originally Posted by btn

In the future, you'll see more "takeover" campaigns where the banner and the sky are from the same advertiser.

Why on earth everyone.net would do that is beyond me… “takeover” does not even sound consumer friendly. Even bluetie.net CEO comments on banner ads in the “web 2.0” experience: http://www.smbtrendwire.com/david-an...-web-20-giants There are other ways to allow free users to find value to upgrade.

Originally Posted by btn

Regarding targeting, there isn't enough targeted inventory on the market to get so specific to put it simply. Unfortunately, there aren't enough "quality" ads either.

I can see not enough targeted inventory. You host so many domains, that would be almost impossible… not impossible since google figured it out… but they scan emails.

Far as quality ads, I’d have to respectfully disagree. I would go so far as to say that almost any change of ads would be an improvement from the ads everyone.net uses now.

[btn]

Originally Posted by theog

I was getting my first vista computer ready for an elderly couple ready tonight and they use 800 x 600…

Vista finally has a built-in feature (similar to Mac OS X) that enables people to magnify their screen while taking advantage of higher resolutions.

I do agree that it might be worth it to remove the skyscraper at 800x600.

Originally Posted by theog

“takeover” does not even sound consumer friendly. Even bluetie.net CEO comments on banner ads in the “web 2.0” experience: http://www.smbtrendwire.com/david-an...-web-20-giants There are other ways to allow free users to find value to upgrade.

"Takeover" is simply industry lingo for coordinating all of the banners for one advertiser who is taking over all of the other available spots. Advertisers like the exclusivity. Publishers like the premium paid by advertisers. Users hopefully like the advertisers who tend to be more familiar because they usually advertise offline too.

Regarding the BlueTie interview, I will say that BlueTie is good at PR. Banner ads are alive and well in Web 2.0 (based on their CEO's definition). This is especially true in the consumer space that Publisher Mail targets. There's a huge audience who won't pay no matter how valuable the upgrade. The goal of Publisher Mail is to help our customers keep those users actively engaged.

[theog]

I now have the email that the "big" push will be in april...

I'll wait and see what changes, if any, come in regards to the ads...

Hopefully the world-class stability of everyone.net will be included in this upgrade.

[David]

Originally Posted by theog

I now have the email that the "big" push will be in april...

I'll wait and see what changes, if any, come in regards to the ads...

Hopefully the world-class stability of everyone.net will be included in this upgrade.

You get this world class stability for free theog?

WOW

[theog]

Originally Posted by David

You get this world class stability for free theog?

WOW

uhh... it was a joke...

In other words, for those who don't get it, I was saying I hope the update/upgrade does not "break" anything....

[btn]

Originally Posted by theog

I now have the email that the "big" push will be in april...
I'll wait and see what changes, if any, come in regards to the ads...

The Publisher Mail experience regarding ads will initially be the same as in the current beta period.

Here's the Flash slideshow from the email announcements going out, or you can skip straight to the guide.

Nearly all Publisher Mail accounts should have access to the updated interface at this point.

[theog]

Originally Posted by btn

Nearly all Publisher Mail accounts should have access to the updated interface at this point.

I got it on my main account. Unfortunately, it was slow with a folder with about 300 to 400 messages in it so I had to switch back. At first I thought it was my imagination and tried to get used to it, but grew tired of seeing that arrow in a circle pattern.

In addition, the way I do email, I'd like to see more of my messages and be able to read more headers. I'm often searching for emails... hence the right pane I spoke about earlier in this thread. There was also another issue, but I can't remember what it was, I did report it when I switched back... it had something to do with navigation... or maybe the way you could not see the headers in the messages without taking up so much space (or do it fast).... dunno...

It is a good first step. I complained a lot in this post, but I'd rather not list all the good things... there is more good than bad in the new email.... I'd end up with a book speaking on all the good points....

[King Of Email]

After using the new interface for a while, I have to say I prefer the older one. The reason why I like and use Everyone.net email accounts is the relatively open space and background page colors available in the inbox view instead of the smaller constricted view of the new display window wherein messages are placed on a boring default white background. For me message view and composition are much more important than message previewing or compartmentalization. I have abandoned some otherwise fine and working email services because the mailbox was either tiny, constricted, or crowded, making the emailing experience an unpleasant and unappealing one and convincing me to look elsewhere for better.

Of course uptime and reliability are number one factors, but aesthetics are just as important, as after all, email is almost exclusively a visual medium and distractions and inconveniences only convince users to look elsewhere for a service whether it is free or not. So, as a long time loyal user of Everyone.net email services, it is my sincere hope that reducing the quality of the email service through altering the basic character of the interface will not be pursued as a business model. The previous version of the Everyone.net email interface, itself a revamping of earlier versions, already shrank viewable space and included additional ad space which was once free space. I do not think viewable space needs to be shrunk even further even if it is done on the premise of upgrading performance or adding features which can be done without altering page views or removing the qualities that make a particular email box desirable.

I would prefer to keep an email box even if it has a smaller storage allowance but with more free viewable space than trade it for more constricted page views even if it comes with increased storage and additional options which have yet to materialize. When I chose an Everyone.net email account specifically for its nice page background color or texture, the last thing I want is to have is it replaced by a default white background window view or annoying split pane interface.

Keep the aspect and look of the original interface and add new abilities to it without altering it to fit the new attributes. I want an email box, not an email cubbyhole. Shrink the ads, shrink the sidebar icons, and shrink the banners and not the email zone itself. That's what users will really appreciate.