Our New Mascot and Educational Series, “James Explains”

By: Melonie Mottice
Marketing Specialist

Introducing….James, the most interesting animal in transactional email.

“I don't always have SMTP questions, but when I do, James Explains.”

Meet James, our new JangoSMTP mascot. James the Jangolope is Jack, the JangoMail mascot's, eccentric cousin. Not only is he extremely good looking, but he is also knowledgeable about all things JangoSMTP.

Each month, look for our new “James Explains” emails and blog posts on transactional email advice, trends, and quick tips. James will offer insight on how to improve your SMTP plan and how to use your JangoSMTP account to the fullest.

Subscribe to James Explains.

What is a jangolope?
To start, a jackalope is a mythical creature known as a jackrabbit with antelope horns. Over time the jackalope continued to change into what we, at JangoSMTP and JangoMail, call the jangolope.

Long, long, long ago a curious jackrabbit stumbled upon an old computer. He grew tired of receiving and sending plain, ineffective emails. The jackrabbit thought long and hard. He knew there had to be a way to incorporate tracking capabilities into transactional messages. As his idea grew, so did his antlers.

Through the wild countryside of North America, the jackalope soon became known as the jangolope because of his savvy computer skills. James is a direct descendant of the original jangolope. Half jackrabbit, half antelope, 100% email professional.

We want to hear from you. 
Have a topic you would like James to cover? Email us at marketing@us.jangomail.com with the subject line: James Explains.

Are You a Safe Sender?

By: Melonie Mottice
Marketing Specialist

It's important to make sure you are following the best practices for deliverability. Encourage your customers to create a Safe Sender, or White List.

To start, I would recommend sending an email with step-by-step instructions on how to create a Safe Sender List, and remove emails from spam.   Step-by-step guides with screenshots work best.  If you're concerned that your customers never check their Spam Folder, post a guide on your website and social media networks.  They work well near your opt-in form and confirmation page.

In JangoSMTP, you can determine which email client your subscribers use most and shape your instructions around those providers.

In our case, Outlook ranks high and Gmail is king.  Here are the steps we suggest:

Microsoft Outlook 2010 / 2013

To remove from the Junk Folder:
1.  Check your Junk Folder
2.  Click on the email message to highlight it
3.  Go to the Home tab
4.  Select the arrow on the Junk drop-down menu
5.  Choose Never Block Sender's Domain

To create a Safe Sender List:
1.  Under the Home tab go to the Junk drop-down menu and click on Junk Email Options
2.  In the new window click the Safe Senders tab
3.  Click the Add button and enter in the desired email address
4.  Click OK

Gmail

To remove from the Spam Folder:
1.  Go to the Spam Folder
2.  Locate message from us
3.  Select the message
4.  Click the "Not Spam" button

To create a Safe Sender List:
1.  Enter JangoMail in the search bar
2.  Click arrow in the right of the search bar to filter
3.  Click Create filter link at the bottom right
4.  Select Never send it to Spam
5.  Click the “Also apply…” box to apply to similar messages
6.  Choose the blue Create button

Happy New Year

By: Melonie Mottice
Marketing Specialist

Today is New Year's Eve, which means 2013 is almost over. It's also a good time to sit back and reflect on the year.

In 2013, JangoSMTP has continued to grow. We have a lot to celebrate as we look back at our many accomplishments.

Here is a list of our top five blog posts of the year:

Top 5 JangoSMTP Blogs of 2013

5. Hey Griswold, The Little Lights Aren't Twinkling

4. For Maximum Visibility, Push Events To Your Own Server

3. This message opened by ... Anonymous

2. 2 Cool New Features You Should Know About

1. Upgrade your emails with vBulletin

JangoSMTP is getting better every day, and 2014 will be no different. Our team is not only bright, but driven to provide you with the best transactional email service out there.

Don't see what you need? Just ask. Contact us at: 1-855-709-4099, or submit a ticket at jangosmtp.com/support.We're always open to new ways to stay ahead.

Thank you for your business in 2013 and Happy New Year!


-The JangoSMTP Team

Gmail Now Displays Images by Default

By: Chris Reibold
Senior Email Analyst

You may have heard this week that Google made some changes to the way Gmail displays images in their emails. Previously, Gmail would make a request for an image every time an email was opened, but now they temporarily store those images, including the one we use for open tracking.

What does this mean for our users?

To facilitate open tracking in emails, we embed a transparent image (1x1 pixel) in each email, hosted on our servers. When you open the email, JangoSMTP knows that unique image has been accessed, and can then tell the sender their email has been opened. While using cached images is great idea for Gmail, it does create a problem for any Email Service Provider (ESP). Mainly that, with this new image caching system in place, location tracking won't be available for Gmail addresses.

However, there are always two sides to the coin – we have done some tests here at the office and actually are happy to see that open tracking appears to be more accurate with Gmail addresses now. Additionally, this should not affect POP or IMAP mail clients in anyway. For forwarded messages or multiple opens, Google will need to load the image at least that first time before they can cache it. When a customer comes back and re-opens the email, or forwards it to additional address, that’s where you’ll possibly miss some of the tracking, but that doesn't affect that first/unique open.

Image Source: Official Gmail Blog

When Gmail users open up their web interface, they are now presented with an alert regarding this new change. They now have the option to turn images on or off by default. Leaving images on enables image caching, but still lowers our ability to track repeat opens. Turning images off, however, allows users to open messages without downloading our tracking pixel.

Remember, this doesn't affect the number of subscribers actually reading your email, it simply makes the unique
opens more accurate.

If you have any questions regarding the change contact us at: 1-855-709-4099, or submit a ticket at jangosmtp.com/support.

Hey Griswold, The Little Lights Aren't Twinkling

By: Melonie Mottice
Marketing Specialist

It's that time, Christmas time is here

Everybody knows there's not a better time of year

Hear that sleigh, Santa's on his way

Hip, Hip Hooray, for Christmas Vacation

It is that time of the year! Not only is watching National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation a must, but so is decorating your home for the holidays. While the sound of “250 strands of lights, 100 individual bulbs per strand, for a grand total of 25,000 imported Italian twinkle lights,” might be overwhelming, a lot of us like to show our holiday spirit with outdoor Christmas lights, and JangoSMTP can make it easier!

Throughout the 1989 movie, the main character, Clark W. Griswold, is on a mission to host 'the most fun-filled old-fashioned family Christmas.' Clark escapes his in-laws by putting up Christmas lights on nearly every inch of his house, but can’t get them to work. When they finally turn on, his family is ecstatic to see the house...everyone but his father-in-law, Art. Art immediately notices that the little lights aren't twinkling – a minor detail in the whole elaborate display.

Fast forward to today. If Clark had the technology we have, he wouldn't have to rely on Art. Instead, he could connect all of his outdoor timers to an SMTP server like JangoSMTP. Any time the little lights weren't twinkling, he would be notified via email on his smartphone.

Nowadays, some houses and even neighborhoods decorate every inch of their lawn. There are sensors, timers, and heck, you can even program your lights to the sound of Christmas carols. Even if you aren't going all out like Clark, you can set up email notifications confirming the activity of your lights, indoor and outdoor, using JangoSMTP.

Before Aunt Bethany thinks your house is on fire, or Art informs you the little lights that aren't twinkling, connect your Christmas light timers to our SMTP server. Try a JangoSMTP 30-Day Trial and send up to 500 emails for Free.

JangoSMTP Maintenance Notification, Stage 2: Saturday, November 2nd at 10 PM EST / 7 PM PST

Thank you for your patience during our scheduled maintenance on Sunday. The first stage in prepping for our Backup Data Center was a success! We are one step closer to upgrading our system, however, we need a little more time to conduct our final tests. The JangoSMTP team is working around the clock to make sure everything is perfect before our launch.

This post is to inform you that JangoSMTP will be offline for maintenance this Saturday, November 2nd 10 PM EST / 7 PM PST. The maintenance window is very short, and is scheduled for only one hour. We anticipate being offline for at least the first 30 minutes of the one hour window. Again, all JangoSMTP services including the website and API will be inaccessible during this time period, although access to some services may be intermittent for the last 30 minutes of the maintenance period. Any previously scheduled campaigns will resume sending once maintenance has been completed.

As always please contact us by replying to this message or opening a support ticket from within your account if you have any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,


The JangoSMTP Team
Contact Support
1-855-709-4099 (TOLL FREE IN USA)
+1-937-701-7140 (OUTSIDE USA)

JangoSMTP Maintenance Notification: Sunday, October 27th at 3 AM EST / 12 AM PST

The JangoSMTP team is working hard to make our Backup Data Center a reality. There is one more critical step that must be done prior to getting the second datacenter online - another upgrade of our SQL server.

This post is to inform you that JangoSMTP will be offline for maintenance on Sunday, October 27th at 3 AM EST / 12 AM PST. The maintenance window is scheduled for two hours. We anticipate being offline for at least the first 30 minutes of the two hour window. All JangoSMTP services including the website and API will be inaccessible during this time period, although access to some services may be intermittent for the last 90 minutes of the maintenance period. Any previously scheduled campaigns will resume sending once maintenance has been completed.

As always please contact us by replying to this message or opening a support ticket from within your account if you have any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,


The JangoSMTP Team
Contact Support
1-855-709-4099 (TOLL FREE IN USA)
+1-937-701-7140 (OUTSIDE USA)