My new toy: Email Tracking System. But how to do it?

[chrisssss]

Hello,

I'd like to build a website that does email tracking for the consumers, similar to readnotify dot com. It basically lets you know if the email you sent out has been read by the recipient. Nothing illegal or violates any privacy law.

The way it works is that the sender would add my domain name as an "extension" to the recipient's email address. For example, if you wanted to send an email to john@aol.com, you would write john@aol.com.mydomain.com instead. So the email would go to mydomain.com first and my program would then inject the tracking code into the email before sending it out to the recipient. When the recipient opens the email, my program would know and send the notice to the sender.

It seems the readnotify system works on plain-text email also, not just html.

I don't know how to program all this yet, but is it possible to do this kind of things on FQ?

How can I receive all emails addressed to *@*.mydomain.com? The Catch-All doesn't seem to do it.

Can anyone tell me where to start to learn all this email tracking stuff? What do I need exactly to build the system?

Thanks.

[Randall]

As I recall, FQ's system doesn't support subdomains for email. So you'd have to encode the recipient address into the username somehow, like maybe john_at_aol.com@mydomain.com. That would be compatible with the catch-all, but perhaps more mistake-prone at the user end.

The hard part would be writing the custom email processing filter. Sounds doable to me, but then I've never tried something like that.

As far as the advisability of running such a service here goes, I'll leave that to the FQ folks. :wink: Any kind of email relay service is a prime target for abuse.

Randall

[sheila]

As I recall, FQ's system doesn't support subdomains for email. So you'd have to encode the recipient address into the username somehow, like maybe john_at_aol.com@mydomain.com. That would be compatible with the catch-all, but perhaps more mistake-prone at the user end.Just to confirm: Randall is correct.
As far as the advisability of running such a service here goes, I'll leave that to the FQ folks. :wink: Any kind of email relay service is a prime target for abuse.
If your service actually starts attracting a large number of clients, or is subjected to abuse, it would be possible that it could begin to affect the FutureQuest server performance. If there were to happen...well...we would have to step in.

Generally running a service of this type, that attracts much attention at all, would indicate a dedicated server, rather than a hosting package on a shared server.

How can I receive all emails addressed to *@*.mydomain.com? The Catch-All doesn't seem to do it.As Randall noted...FutureQuest doesn't provide email services for subdomains. You could manage your own DNS and have a mail server external to the FutureQuest network that provides the mail services for you, and you would be able to order a DNS record with FutureQuest to point your subdomain to that external mail server.

[chrisssss]

Hi,

Thanks for the responses. Sorry I'm so new on this and I have to ask you a lot of dumb questions:

1) Can you explain to me how I can manage my own DNS and have an external mail server? Do you have any suggestions as to which companies/websites I can look into to do these?

2) Can my domain name registrar set the setting such that all subdomain emails addressed to *@*.mydomain.com will go to a regular mailbox on my FQ account? This way, I wouldn't need to have an external mail server, right? Who has control over this setting? My domain registrar or my hosting company?

I emailed GoDaddy, my domain name registrar, about the catch-all subdomain email and they said they couldn't do it. Maybe I asked the wrong question?

3) Assuming I did all these (changing DNS and having an externail mail server), would people still be able to go to www.mydomain.com through their browser as usual?

Thanks.

[chrisssss]

Okay.. I just did a little research and found this website called no-ip.com. It seems like this is what you were talking about, but I cannot figure out which one(s) of their products that I need to get. It's just beyond my expertise.

So can you please check this page and tell me which product(s) I need to sign up for to accomplish what I need to do?

http://www.no-ip.com/

Would I still need the FQ hosting?

Thanks.

[sheila]

1) Can you explain to me how I can manage my own DNS and have an external mail server? Do you have any suggestions as to which companies/websites I can look into to do these?
For DNS providers, here is a list:
http://dmoz.org/Computers/Internet/Protocols/DNS/DNS_Providers/
I see in your later post, you have found no-ip. I use easyDNS for one of my domains. There are lots of other such providers, as you can see in the list. I don't have any suggestions for mail server providers, but here is a list:
http://dmoz.org/Business/Telecommunications/Services/Messaging/E-mail/

I think the main problem you will have with quite a number of the mail hosting providers, is that they won't provide custom scripting opportunities.

The type of project you are describing really sounds like something that is suited to a dedicated server, which would mean you would have to run your own mail server, or else hire someone else to run it for you, since it doesn't sound like you have the necessary expertise in that area.

2) Can my domain name registrar set the setting such that all subdomain emails addressed to *@*.mydomain.com will go to a regular mailbox on my FQ account? This way, I wouldn't need to have an external mail server, right? Who has control over this setting? My domain registrar or my hosting company?
You will not be able to send email to FutureQuest for an email addressed to *@*.mydomain.com.

Even though you could find a registrar or DNS provider who could point the host name *.mydomain.com to the FutureQuest network, any emails sent to that subdomain would not be accepted by the FutureQuest mail servers.

3) Assuming I did all these (changing DNS and having an externail mail server), would people still be able to go to www.mydomain.com through their browser as usual?
If you manage your own DNS, and keep all the necessary host entries pointing to your FutureQuest web site, it is possible to host the email for a subdomain externally and still use the web site at FutureQuest for your domain.

Okay.. I just did a little research and found this website called no-ip.com.
....

Would I still need the FQ hosting?no-ip.com doesn't appear to provide hosting. Only DNS services and backup (secondary) MX services. Hmm, well, and domain registration services.

You would need a host, however. So either FutureQuest or someone else.

[chrisssss]

Hi Sheila,

Thanks for the detailed response.

I just needed to clarify my Question #2. What I meant was that... can my domain name registrar or DNS management company - whatever you call it - forward or redirect all emails addressed to *@*.mydomain.com to my regular, not subdomain, mailbox at FQ such as chris@example.com? This way, FQ wouldn't need to do anything special to accomodate the subdomain emails.

You also mentioned that if I used a (external) mail service, I would need custom scripting on my mail hosting provider which most don't provide. Would it be possible if I just did all the programming/scripting in PHP at FQ? I mean... I could use the POP mail retrieving program written in PHP to check and download the emails from my mail host for every X minutes. When I got the emails, I would just process them like regular text, add my tracking code and send them out with regular PHP command. Would this be possible?

Thanks.

chris

[Snarpy]

Oh chris- I hope that isn't a real email address. You don't want robots finding it and sending you tons of spam. If it is real, I suggest you edit your post to mung it up or put in a fake one right away.

Snarpy

[chrisssss]

Oh here is the response I got from easyDNS. Apparently, I would not need any of their services because FQ can handle it all? Is that right? So all I need is to get an external mail service, correct?

Thanks.

chris


-----------------------------------------------------

Hi Chris,

easyDNS does not provide mail server services.

You can find a mail service provider online, or run your own if you like.

From the email you have provided from Futurequest, it looks like they can handle the MX record for you, in which case you would not need to use us for DNS.

Thank you,

Les
easyDNS Support

-------------


> Hi Les,
>
> Is the mail server something seperate from the DNS ONLY Plan? Where can
> I get it?
>
> Let me email futurequest with your question. In the meantime, here is
> their response to the same question I originally asked you:
>
> ----
> FutureQuest doesn't provide email services for subdomains. You could
> manage your own DNS and have a mail server external to the FutureQuest
> network that provides the mail services for you, and you would be able
> to order a DNS record with FutureQuest to point your subdomain to that
> external mail server.
>
>
> You will not be able to send email to FutureQuest for an email addressed
> to *@*.mydomain.com.
>
> Even though you could find a registrar or DNS provider who could point
> the host name *.mydomain.com to the FutureQuest network, any emails sent
> to that subdomain would not be accepted by the FutureQuest mail servers.
> ----
>
> Would this affect the DNS ONLY plan?
>
> Thanks,
>
> chris
>
>
> easyDNS Support wrote on 08/26/2005, 2:29 PM:
>
> > Hi Chris,
> >
> > It sounds like you need to set up your mail server, or program running
> > this service on your server, to handle any email at your domain name,
> > including
> > *@*.*.mydomain.com.
> >
> > In this case, DNS ONLY service would be the way to go.
> >
> > It's $19.95 a year.
> >
> > If you decide to use our DNS, you wold need to specify our name
> > servers at the current registrar.
> >
> > You can check with futurequest if they allow use of outside name
> > servers, or if they use their own name servers as authoritative for
> > the domain name.
> >
> > Thank you,
> >
> > Les
> > easyDNS Support

[chrisssss]

Hi Snarpy,

Thanks for the headsup. Don't worry, chris@example.com is not my real email address. I hope it's not anyone's either! :)

chris

[sheila]

Thanks for the headsup. Don't worry, chris@<REMOVED> is not my real email address. I hope it's not anyone's either! :)
You should edit that and change it to chris@example.com

The email address you posted could well be someone else's email address.
You shouldn't post email addresses in public forums that do not belong to yourself, since they could be harvested by spambots and end up sending lots of spam to some innocent third party whom you do not know.

On the other hand, example.com is a domain that belongs to no one and is intended by ICANN to be used as just that: an example.

So you can safely use it to post example email addresses with confidence that you are not inconveniencing any innocent third party.

[sheila]

I just needed to clarify my Question #2. What I meant was that... can my domain name registrar or DNS management company - whatever you call it - forward or redirect all emails addressed to *@*.mydomain.com to my regular, not subdomain, mailbox at FQ such as chris@mydomain.com? This way, FQ wouldn't need to do anything special to accomodate the subdomain emails
How do you intend to handle BCC emails?

The problem with forwarding or redirecting, is that the RECIPIENT on the mail envelope will be changed to your email address, and then you won't be able to determine, in the case that the email was sent BCC, to whom the email was originally sent.

You also mentioned that if I used a (external) mail service, I would need custom scripting on my mail hosting provider which most don't provide. Would it be possible if I just did all the programming/scripting in PHP at FQ? I mean... I could use the POP mail retrieving program written in PHP to check and download the emails from my mail host for every X minutes. When I got the emails, I would just process them like regular text, add my tracking code and send them out with regular PHP command. Would this be possible?
I suppose it would be possible--except for the complications mentioned above regarding BCC and other similar issues. Even if you could this...again, the concern comes up that doing this on a shared hosting package is very likely to be inappropriate and cause server issues, if your service attracts many clients or much abuse, as it has the potential to impact all other clients sharing the same server as yourself.

I'm afraid I'm running out of advice for you in this area. Really, you need a dedicated server to do this correctly. There do not seem to be any other reasonable options that we could confidently recommend to you.

Oh here is the response I got from easyDNS. Apparently, I would not need any of their services because FQ can handle it all? Is that right? So all I need is to get an external mail service, correct?
From the email you have provided from Futurequest, it looks like they can handle the MX record for you, in which case you would not need to use us for DNS.
If you are asking purely if you require DNS provider in order to point an external MX record for a subdomain to some outside mail server...no, you would not need a DNS provider to do this. But you would need an outside mail server.

Overall, it seems that in order to understand the issues involved here, you need to do a lot more research into how email, DNS, and Internet servers work.

Here are some starter links:
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/internet-infrastructure.htm
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/dns.htm
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/email.htm

[Don]

You should edit that and change it to chris@example.comThe old email address is still referenced in the above two posts - once in each post in the quoted sections.

--
Don

[Slim]

You should edit that and change it to chris@example.com

The email address you posted could well be someone else's email address.


So shouldn't somebody edit it out of the backquote? The spammers can find it there, just as well, can't they?

[sheila]

So shouldn't somebody edit it out of the backquote? The spammers can find it there, just as well, can't they?
Done.

Thanks for the heads up, Slim.