A few days ago I was sending an email from my Simply-Basic administrative email account and it got sent back with the following cryptic error message:

host mx4.hotmail.com [65.54.244.104]: 550 SC-001 Mail rejected by Windows Live Hotmail for policy reasons. Reasons for rejection may be related to content with spam-like characteristics or IP/domain reputation problems. If you are not an email/network admin please contact your E-mail/Internet Service Provider for help. Email/network admins, please visit http://postmaster.live.com for email delivery information and support.

Apparently Windows Live (aka Hotmail) blocked my entire mail server permanently as spam. I contacted by web hosting company and they said that since I’m on a shared server it only takes a few people sending or forwarding spam messages for Hotmail’s strict spam server to block it.

So what were my options? According to my hosting provider I’d have to purchase a static IP for $50/year that would allow them to give me a mailing server all to myself. Ok, I suppose that doesn’t sound too bad. Then I remembered reading about something called Google Apps that allows you to host your emails on their servers. Better yet, you get to use the Gmail interface to access them. Well, last night I sat down and got it working. It was quick to set up, and works excellently!

Here’s a screenshot from my new Google hosted email account:

Those who aren’t comfortable adjusting their mail MX records or aren’t FTP savvy (for domain verification) may feel a little overwhelmed by the process, but Google has a plethora of help information available. I must say, it’s been great bringing my emails back to the Gmail interface. If you aren’t using Google Apps to host your email accounts, you’re missing out. Oh, and the version I’m using is absolutely free (6.5 gigs is enough storage for me).