Updates:
I will post regular updates regarding all timing, news and events concerning the email service.
3-25-2024
Dues:
The next quarterly billing is out. Please look for the email and act appropriately.
Cancellations:
Please remember that we are under a term agreement as presented to you under the terms you signed up for the continuation of the email account or accounts. I am under a term agreement to Microsoft through the end of the year. If you no longer need your bayou email address you can send a check for the remaining months and I will terminate the account. However, I can not pay this for you.
Guidelines:
Remember, this plan was put together so everyone could keep their bayou.com email address. It's not a business that maintains it's self. I keep up with it the best I am able. If I have to take on loses and hire labor pricing will need to be increased for all to cover the costs. It's an email address. There really shouldn't be any maintenance after everything is up and running. Thank you for your understanding.
3-13-2024
Things are setting down into normalcy with Bayou and WorldNet email accounts. There are still some that are having trouble with their configurations. I am down to making them appointments to come in with their phones, laptops and tablets.
2nd Quarter Billing:
We will begin billing for the second quarter of service shortly. Remember that this is an annual service. If you signed up you are still responsible for the bill. Microsoft wants their money!
Forwarding:
I had a few complaints that forwarding was no longer working. Microsoft implemented a new spam security rule and now calls the behavior default. I opened a ticket with Microsoft and had them edit that rule out. Forwarding should again be working.
My working hours:
I work 8 to 9 hours a day and off nights, holidays and weekends. I have 2 businesses to take care of (both small.) If folks want tech support for the configurations we can see about getting a contract going. Prices will need to be increased to be able to provide for the services.
That is all for today. Enjoy the warmer weather.
3-1-2024 Part 2
Well the 25 or 50 accounts hit 250 today. 251 to be exact.
3-1-2024
Welcome to March!
I have been out for the past two days. I had some long proposals that took some time to properly take care of the prospective client's business.
However I have been keeping up well with the requests for the email service. I've done good to have all emails answered and finished within 24 hours. Voicemails not so good. Calling over and over back to back does not inspire me to work with you. Please remember, I am not your free computer tech support. All of these that I have helped with have been a courtesy. I know that after all the setups the email accounts just keep going and going with very little maintenance. Well that is my expectation.
Going forward do you want me to grow bayou to something more than just an email service for the long standing email address holders? Do I separate it and running it as a different business, hire employees and grow it? If so, what products would you like to see developed? You can email jerry@bayou.com with your suggestions.
And to all of those that have sent me words of thanks and encouragement I thank you too.
Out for the weekend at 3.
Later!
2-24-2024 - again
- Go into the Mail Program on your iPhone:
- Click add new account - warning - you can not have the same email address in there twice.
- Click on Microsoft Exchange
- Put your bayou.com email address in
- Put a description in so that you know which account this is
- hit next
- hit sign in
- you should see the Scroggin Networks logo
- put your temp password in
- hit sign in or next
- put in your two factor authentication code (you set this up when you did this on the web browser first)
- hit verify
- Permission requested - check off consent
- hit next
- It will say verifying then put green check mark
- it will then show you what it will sync to your phone.
- slide on or off ant of them you wish other than mail.
- Hit Save
- Answer the apple protection page as you wish.
- for mail notifications either allow or don't allow.
- If it says no mail do the pull down from the top as it just has not synced up yet.
- For me I hit the mailboxes with the left arrow button at the top left
- then i clicked Inbox and my email was there.
- That is all.
2-24-2024
Happy Saturday!
I have answered all requests for assistance via email. I have returned all calls and voicemails from today going back to Tuesday. Anyone that has paid has an account made on the new system and instructions sent to them. It seems we are just down to a few people at a time needed help now to get started.
Here are some of the questions or troubles I have seen lately and some tips:
- Please read the email fully. The one with the temp password.
- When prompted for Work or School or Personal please answer Work or School. It is asking which system to use not what the account is to you personally.
- If you have things saved and it is auto filling in for the first time (on the web - first time) you can use a private browsing or incognito browsing tab in your web browser.
- When you put in the web address and it fills in for you even though it may be correctly filling in the address the saved info attached to it may be incorrect. In this situation put a space after the address and it should not used the attached info. You should get prompted to fill in the info.
- If are in need of assistance configuring your computer or phone or tablet check with your local computer store. They can probably come out to you and they would be more familiar with the first time processes than you may be.
Let's talk about rudeness
Must I actually have to say this? Well my patients has reached the end of the rope with a couple of people. Bayou Email is not my full time job. I am providing a service that otherwise you and I would have lost our legacy email addresses. I have put the emails on a premium service where problems should be very limited hardware and software wise.
I carry a full load of customers that I have committed to. While I am known for quality service I can not always be available exactly when someone needs me. Answering your questions and helping you with first time configurations is a courtesy from me. $9 a month does not include free technical support for every computer, tablet, phone and email app in existence. If things grow and there are enough funds I will consider hiring a full time support person but I suspect after the email is set up there will not be much maintenance with it.
Links
I have changed the link to https://webmail.bayou.com to point to the new service. The old service is available at http://oldwebmail.bayou.com until Uniti decides it is time to flip the switch. I have no knowledge or control over that timing.
I'm going to enjoy my weekend by cleaning me house and going to the grocery store so I can fill my gullet for next week. On that note you enjoy your weekend.
Best wishes!
2-21-2024
I have moved the bayou.com and wnonline.net domains in to my domain registrar account. So all is on the new service. I am currently having trouble getting webmail.bayou.com to point back to the old service. The server can still be found by putting 207.29.219.108 into your web browser and logging in. I have no idea how long Uniti will keep the old server up. It could go away tomorrow so if you need something off of it let's not wait.
I have answered all the support emails and text messages that I had. I have answered several calls as they came in. Returning voicemail is very difficult at this time. Please email your requests in to info@scroggin.com or jerry@bayou.com.
I will be out of the office at a client location 2-22-24 - 2-23-24. I will not be able to answer emails and texts.
2-18-2024
I spend a few hours this weekend going through all the emails. I have answered all of them as of Sunday at 1145am.
I provided an incorrect link to a few account holders to get to the new email service. I thought I had corrected this but apparently a few went out without correction. I have added branding with a direct url of https://outlook.office.com/bayou.com/ . I'll create a bayou link after all the technical behinds the scenes stuff is complete.
Monday I am going to start the process to finalize the bayou.com and wnonline.net domain to move to my hosted domain service. I will do my best to not interrupt services. Just a note in case we get a blip or burp.
Calls and email requests for support have slowed down. Yesterday I had someone insist I talk to them via text. I provided my phone number freely as I am as always on call for emergencies. Please note that sending me 4 to 6 texts in a back to back insisting I talk to you right then is considered rude and bordering on harassment. This is how you get blocked. The same goes for throwing money at me and then demanding I do your account right then. Well you get the idea.
One last time I will say it then I will stop whining as I feel I am a broken record.
My role is to provide you with a good working email account for $9 a month. That is the responsibility I took on when I set this service up. I wanted to keep bayou.com just as you did. Your responsibility is to pay $27 a quarter for a year. You have that service working now. enjoy. Please respect I can not spend 45 minutes on the phone with every account holder that is having trouble getting their configurations straight on their computer, phone or tablet. It is physically not possible. Thank you for understanding.
2-16-2024
A busy week it was. Requests have slowed down so I was able to catch up on most all account support requests.
As such, Microsoft has has stopped me from purchasing more licenses. Credit card is on file. They've been charging it for 3 months. No flags at the card. Ticket opened with Microsoft. Until Microsoft fixes their problem I can not add any licenses (yes a license for every account) which means I can not add any new users. Let's hope they get it together, although I think I have gotten through most all. Total as of today is 233. That's a bit more than the 25 or 50 that I thought would move over to the new service.
If you have items on the old service such as contacts, calendars, etc please go there and export them out. It's past time for us to be off of there. Uniti has been great keeping things going and helping out. We need to be respectful and move on. Everyone needs to be 100% on the new service. Thank you.
In order to expedite requests for account settings, checking passwords, general account questions at this time I would like to have those requests come to me only from email to info@scroggin.com . I've been trying to keep up with the voicemails but due to multiple requests from voice and email I need to limit the phone. I can work much faster with things written down in an email. I can respond with the details you need and make changes you request.
Please make sure when you email me it is from a working email account. If you need a copy of your password and request it from that account but you can not receive the reply, then I have no way of helping you. I know it seems like a circle .. use an email account to verify another email account but I need to be able to reply.
While I know how important everyone's email is to them I am over worked. With the explosion all at one time (I still have people requesting configuration details from the account being made in early January) well, I'm exhausted. I'm taking the weekend off.
Remember, this is just an email service for the left over bayou.com people to have a way to keep going. It is not my full time job. I have other customers that I must attend to also. However, we all know that after everything gets set up email just goes and goes without too much trouble. That's what we are working towards.
Have a great weekend!
2-14-2024
Happy V-Day. No one sent me flowers. Awe!
I worked on voicemails and emails today. I'm on the phone with 1 customer and 5 more call. Please remember I am here to make sure your new account works. I can not configure everyone's computer. I understand the importance of your email. I want to help all my long standing bayou friends. Remember, if the account works then it's just a computer issue, not an account issue. Thank you for your understanding.
I had my 2 day build out this week rescheduled so I will be in the office.
2-13-2024 part 2
I have managed to get thru all the email requests for tech support as well as the 2 new accounts. After 9.5 hr day I am going home. 22 voicemails still waiting on me for tomorrow. Again, I urge you to be patient, be kind (being rude to me gets us no where) and please do not call over and over and over. If I am at a customer location or on the phone I can not take your call. Please leave a 1 voicemail and I will call back in order that I received.
Tips:
If you are able to send email but not get email then you do not have your configuration correct. That is a sign you are still using the old system, instead of the new system.
Please look in your past emails for the email that has your temporary password on it. If you have paid I would have emailed you this info when I added you to the new system.
Configure on the web first at https://outlook.office.com This is a must before you set the account up in an email app.
If you already have a Microsoft 365 account or have in any way configured your email address in there with the old system you will need to remote that before you can add in the account with the new configuration.
If you have not paid for the new service then you would not have an account on the new service. This should be a given but ...
I will be out of the office at a client project on Thursday and Friday (15 - 16) I have to build out a whole office network , new everything, etc. I will not be able to help on those 2 days.
More tips as I think of them. Thank you.
2-13-2024
Volume of calls and emails requesting help is high today. A lot of people waited to reconfigure and some are having trouble putting in the new settings. I am trying to catch as many support emails as I can in-between customer visits. Please be kind. I'm going as fast as I can.
2-12-2024
2:00PM
Cut-Over:
The mail flow has been updated. Bayou.com and WNonline.net new emails are now set to flow only to the new service. It may take up to 24 hours to propagate fully.
Contacts:
The Microsoft 365 sync will not grab the contacts or calendar. You will need to do this if needed. Here are the steps.
Contacts from WebMail to Outlook
- log in to webmail.bayou.com
- click on contacts
- more actions
- Export
- csv file
- save to your computer
Now let's put them in
- log into outlook.office.com
- go to contacts / people section
- click on manage contacts
- import
Today is the cut over day for bayou and wnonline email to go 100% on the new service. I have processed all requests as of 1pm on Sunday the 11th. Please keep an eye on this page for details as they progress.
2-4-2024
Those that sent in their payment have now been added to the new service. There are some tech things that have to happen then I will release your temporary password.
9 accounts paid but did not provide their current password so I was unable to sync up those account's old emails to the new service.
With today's additions we are up to 201 accounts on the new bayou.com email service.
1-31-2024
I have received more requests for those that wish to move to the new service. With duplicates I have 92 more to process. However, we have until February 12th to get everyone moved over. The old service will continue until the 12th. Please do not send in over and over or call 5 or 6 or 7 times. This just slows me down by having to look up to even find out it is a duplicate. Please leave a voicemail and I will return the calls or emails as they were received. As much as I want to help I can not stay on the phone for half an hour for each person. Once we get past these I expect a much slower pace and able to get to everyone as needed. For now, please be patient. I'm doing my best to get everyone taken care of without their email going down.
Please remember if it is a configuration issue or help with Outlook on the web or the Outlook desktop app you have Microsoft Support that you can reach out to. Search for Microsoft support for Outlook 365 and send them a query. That is one of the advantages of using the Microsoft 365 system. Thank you.
1-29-2024
I have received a few questions on Microsoft two factor authentication and the Authenticate app. Here is Microsoft's support page on this.
Remember, I have put bayou.com on Microsoft 365 which means you can request help from Microsoft at no cost.
1-26-2024
MIA:
I've been out of the office for 2 days. I was booked at a customer location plus I because a grandfather for the first time. I'm going to be playing catch-up for a bit now. If you have sent an email or left a voicemail I have saved them and will reply in the order that I received them. Please be patient.
End Date:
While the end date is 1-31-24 we have about a week or so after that to make sure all is done and everyone that needs to be moved over is moved over. The old server is being decommissioned in mid-February.
Free Technical Support:
I'm sorry but I can not supply free technical support BUT one of the reasons I put the new service on Microsoft 365 is because I knew I could not get to everyone timely. Microsoft provides free support of their 365 products. If I have sent you details but you need technical assistance regarding Outlook and / or the new Microsoft 365 account login procedures regarding Multi Factor Authentication and the use of Outlook on your phone or the web you can reach out to them. I will need to take care of first time issues such as password changes and syncing of email, payment of account, and new accounts. If you wish for me to provide support beyond the administrative part of maintaining a good quality email service you may still reach out. However with the amount of requests I am getting to set up iPhone, etc I must charge my hourly rate.
1-19-2024
Stats:
Revision - As of today there are 131 bayou.com email address active on the new system. We are getting a large amount of duplicates in the submission form. Please only send one time. My estimates are about 50 accounts unpaid at this time. Also sending in the form over and over will not work for non payment.
Timeline:
As we grow closer to the end of the month please do not wait until the last minute to get your info to me and pay. I don't want you to have any lapse in email service.
New Accounts:
If you need a new or additional bayou.com email account please use the continuation form. Notate if this account is to be billed with any others please. If no notation I will bill out as the form says.
Tech Support:
I can not provide free tech support at this time. I am trying my best to keep up but the end of the month is growing near as well as I have 2 other active businesses to attend to. Please lean on your I T support professional of choice for assistance. If you wish to wait for me you can send me an email but I can not promise immediate response. As you can see by the date I am working even on Sunday. We will eventually get this smoothed out. First time setups take a bit with all their pieces. Afterwards it should be quite a bit slower leaving me time to help out as needed. Thank you for your understanding.
1-19-2024
Stats:
To Date we have close to 150 that have paid. That's a lot of loyal bayou.com email customers. Remember, I started bayou as a bbs in 1990, added internet email service in 1994 and incorporated in 1995. I sold bayou in
Wrong or No Password Provided:
In order to keep the process going I am going to release the new service accounts to those that have send in the wrong password or no password at all. Please do not send me the same password over and over. It will not work if it is incorrect. Service will only be partial until the final service transition when the old server goes down and the technical behind the scenes stuff is done. I will send a detailed email how you can configure the old webmail account to talk to the new account.
Checks:
While I was happy to throw up the email service for bayou.com I did not anticipate the amount of manual labor would need to be done. My business is not set up to handle a large accounting load such as 100 or so checks and manually matching them to accounts that do not have account name or invoice number on them. This has greatly slowed progress down. You may still pay by check but please use the Review and Pay button that is on the invoice email. You can enter in the details of your check and the system will automatically match your payment with your account and let me know to proceed. Remember, I don't have an accounting department.
Password Changes:
If you do not know your password but have access to the account at webmail.bayou.com simply change your password there to what you think it should be. Log off of the account then log back on to test. I can not change or control your old account in any way. All I can do is log in and forward your email to the new system in preparation for transition.
1-11-2024
The transition for bayou.com and wnonline.net email accounts to the new server is going well.
Some Stats:
To Date 147 have submitted their information to be transferred over. They have all been invoiced. 64 of those have paid their invoice. 64 are on the new service working. We continue to have more come in daily.
Payments:
Please pay electronically. The invoice you receive by email has options to pay by credit card or ACH. The amount of checks that are coming in are a bit overwhelming. My business structure is not set up to talk that amount of checks. Electronically everything is matched up your payment to your invoice which is where I take the ball and create the service for you.
Correct Information:
If you can not / do not provide me with accurate information but have paid I am going to create the new service and email you the info you need to log in. You will not be getting inbound email or have your email synced until we have accurate information. This means that you will not have inbound email service until the transition is finalized 2/1/2024 to 2/12/2024. Technical info below:
Technical Info:
We are working to keep email flowing during this transition without lost emails or service. To do this we have to run two email services, the older webmail, and the new Microsoft 365 email service. A hard cut can not be done as we are trying to coordinate with 150 different people. Quite a different migration from 1 business with 1 decision maker and 1 payment.
Links:
I have posted all the relevant links down the right side of all the pages on my website. So answers on this page and links to the services on the right.
More details as I have them.
JS
12-31-2023:
Service Ready?
I have created the new service. Testing has gone well and is ready to start. Service on the new system will begin when you pay the invoice and I provision. Mail will work at both places until the end of January then only at the new service.
Payment:
I have imported most all email customers into the Scroggin Networks QuickBooks invoicing system. You will receive an email shortly from Scroggin Networks / Intuit with a link to pay for the new service. Please pay using the link provided. Price is $9 a month, with a 1-year agreement. You will be billed quarterly. Annual billing and upgrades will be available after the first invoicing.
Service Agreement: https://scroggin.com/email-terms-of-service/
There is a service agreement that you will have to agree to for us to provide you the service. You will receive a copy by email and you paying for the service constitutes your agreement. I will post a copy here shortly.
How to log in to the new service?
https://outlook.office.com/mail/ is the address where email service will be available. I will redirect https://webmail.bayou.com after service move over is complete.
Passwords and Info:
If you provided me with your current password, I would attempt to use that for the new service. For those that did not provide me with the information, or the password is unacceptable for security purposes I will create a new password and email that to you. I will not be able to get to your previous mailbox to import your old mail into the new service. If you will log in and change your current password to the new password, then let me know you have done so I can then import your old mail.
Questions?
Please contact me by email for questions, comments or concerns. jerry@bayou.com is my email address, as it has been for since 1994.
Here's the fast read:
- Bayou.com email is moving here. Keep your email address.
- WNonline.net is also moving here.
- Price is $9 per month with an annual agreement.
- Info needed to start the process: https://scroggin.com/bayou-form/
Here are the details:
You may have received notice that your bayou.com and wnonline.net email addresses are ending.
Nope. Nadda!
It's going to keep going.
As the founder and former owner of Bayou Internet and bayou.com, I asked if I could purchase the domain from the present owner, Uniti Fiber, and continue the email service. They graciously accepted and presented me with a deal so you would not lose your email address. Your bayou.com email address or wnonline.net address will live here safely for you to continue to use for as long as you wish to pay for the service.
The service (for existing and new) will be $9 per month with annual subscription. Discounts may be available for those that have multiple accounts. If I can get better pricing I will lower the cost. In my opinion bayou.com is the best email address that anyone around here could have and worth the money.
Please fill out this short information form to get started: https://scroggin.com/bayou-form/
As the service goes up I'll charge your credit card and turn up your email. My goal is to keep the same web address, https://webmail.bayou.com for your ease of use. The interface will be a bit different but will have everything you would expect. It is secure email, 10 GB of mailbox storage along with contacts and calendar, spam and malware filtering. I think you'll like it. Outlook and other email program settings to come.
I'll communicate here as the progress moves along.
JS