Emails, Newsletters, Domain Names, Ecommerce and ugh…

Maybe it’s time to ask for help?!?

So, for the last couple of weeks, I have been working on getting email accounts authenticated in Newsletter platforms. We have also been in the process of moving a site from its current ecommerce platform to a particular shopping site. Needless to say, not everything has been going as ‘smoothly’ as one might expect. Authentication codes take 24 – 48 hours to verify due to waiting on Names Servers to populate the changes to the DNS.

The original ecommerce platform is not extracting as one might think into clean spreadsheets and well, now the program I have been using for a while now for making video content is reducing the quality of the videos to the point they cannot be used.

-bangs head on desk-

So, what is one to do? True I am on the geekier side of things; however, more importantly know when to ask for help. Which is exactly what I did, I hunted down the information needed, checked out YouTube videos and ultimately submitted a couple of tickets when needed.

From what I learned not all the email platforms really needed authenticated. Oddly enough the users were not notified that it only pertained to accounts that used a Domain Name email. For those accounts that had domain name emails, the steps to complete were slightly different based on where the domain name was registered and who hosted it. Some of the newsletter platforms used to have great admin area access, which would allow me to log in using my own account and security authentication. However, many of those same platforms only now offer this option with certain paid plans. When the option to allow an admin or technical advisor to connect through a secondary account is not an option, then the ‘Time Limited Code’ kicks in.

Generally, when it comes to logging into an account from an unknown location, it requires that a security code is sent to either the main email or phone number listed. These codes almost always expire within 5 minutes. Which means that if you do not submit the code in a timely manner, you then have to wait for a new code to be sent.

Ecommerce platforms also don’t always connect like expected which means that you may get a basic list of items but then you must manually enter the information. Thankfully, we always keep a running backup of any site we work on. We also download CSV files for products, orders, clients and more as part of the backup. I am lucky that Cindy gave me a crash course in Excel a couple of years ago, which made formatting the spreadsheets using the CSV for the new shopping site easier.

So, today’s take away after this long geeky rant is … Ask for help when you need it. Don’t keep banging your head on the wall. When you get a notice about a major change to a service you are using, make sure you are ready for the change. Do not wait until you only have a couple of days to get it done or ‘gasp’ after the cutoff date. Keep a backup of everything! Look for templates when you can.

Ultimately, don’t get frustrated if you cannot get it. Just ask for help!

Do what you love, love what you do and when all else fails… Hide in your coffee! Happy Valentine’s Day!!!