You Need a Back-Up ISP
I experienced a mini-disaster two weeks ago. My high speed internet connection went down on Monday morning. I could not access my e-mail or the Web.
I called for service on Monday. I had to wait until Wednesday afternoon for a technician to arrive.
My income is dependent on the internet. My Reality Check newsletters go out twice a week. I send them to the central mailing system by e-mail. My Web site requires daily activity on my part: posting new articles and answering questions that are posted on the forums.
For me, access to the internet is mandatory for my businesses. Interruptions are major crises. The longer they persist, the worse my situation gets.
I have an insurance policy against such disruptions: a back-up internet service. It's dial-up. It's painfully slow, now that I have gotten used to cable internet speed. But it works.
I always have all of my e-mail forwarded from my Web site to the back-up ISP. The reason is simple: The ISP provides a Webmail box. A Webmail box lets me log in, read my mail, and send mail. The interface works the same way that Hotmail or Yahoo mail does. The Webmail box holds all my mail until I download it from my high speed internet service into Outlook Express. If I lose cable service, I can still access my e-mail.
I use an inexpensive ISP, Poetworld. It costs $7.95/month, and I get 200 hours. I don't ever use 200 hours. It has toll-free local lines in most major cities. I regard the fee as emergency internet insurance. It's cheap. You can sign up here.
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