Horde webmail is ending

So Horde Webmail is being shut down. Let's talk about it and what it means for your emails.

Horde was a popular webmail platform for a long time! However, it’s going to be depreciated at the end of November. 

Hannah Raeside

Office Manager, Pod Creative

After many years of satisfactory performance Horde Webmail will be shut down. Unfortunately, this is necessary for security purposes, Horde has not been updated in more than five years and relies upon an outdated version of PHP, 7.4, that is prone to infiltration.

The end of Horde Webmail

PHP 7.4 reaches end-of-life on November 28th, 2022. Each release branch of PHP gets support for two years from its initial stable release. During that period, bugs and security issues are fixed and released in regular point releases.

Once a branch reaches the End of Life, no further support is provided, This includes updates for critical security issues.

Thus using an End of Life PHP means there may be known bugs at the PHP level that will never be fixed and may leave your site vulnerable.

NB: Once deprecated, all data currently in Horde, such as contact lists or calendars, will be automatically converted and imported into the Roundcube Webmail client. This is automatic, so, no action is necessary on your part!

Wrapping this up

At the end of the month, Horde Webmail will be shut down. Don’t worry though! All data in Horde, such as contacts, calendars, emails etc will automatically be imported into RoundCube webmail.

PodCreative-PieterandMichaelsittingweb

Horde webmail is ending

So Horde Webmail is being shut down. Let's talk about it and what it means for your emails.

Do you send Mailchimp newsletters regularly? Have you had subscribers mention they have been unsubscribed without their doing? We might have the answer!

Hannah Raeside

Office Manager, Pod Creative

How unsubscribes work in Mailchimp

Here are a few things to keep in mind when you manage unsubscribes in Mailchimp.

  • You must include an unsubscribe link in all of your email campaigns.
  • You can’t use third-party unsubscribe processes. Mailchimp will provide an unsubscribe link in your email template.
  • Beware! Having high unsubscribe rates can lead to your Mailchimp account being suspended. If you find yourself in this situation we recommend contacting Mailchimp as soon as possible. 
  • For security reasons, when someone unsubscribes from your email marketing, Mailchimp automatically hides their full email address in the unsubscribe confirmation page and URL. 

Important!

By law, you must include an unsubscribe link in every single Mailchimp email you send out. It doesn’t matter if you are in Canada, the US, or another country, if you use Mailchimp for your email campaigns you must comply with the U.S. CAN-SPAM Act.

Accidental Unsubscribes

There are a few reasons a subscribed contact may show as unsubscribed when they didn’t request it.

  • They forwarded the email from their inbox, and the secondary recipient clicked the unsubscribe link. Unsubscribe links are tied to the original recipient. Encourage contacts to use the Forward to a Friend link instead.
  • Did you post your version of the campaign on a website? If someone clicks the unsubscribe link on a shared campaign, it will unsubscribe the original recipient. 
  • Another account admin may have accidentally unsubscribed them.

However, if the recipient did not forward the email, the campaign wasn’t posted on a website, and they weren’t unsubscribed by an admin then the recipient may have been an unfortunate victim of their inbox filter. Filters on your email inbox may click each link in your email, including the unsubscribe link, to check for spam links and malware to ensure the message is safe. While it’s a useful feature for keep you safe, it has some unfortunate unintended consequences! 

If any of your subscribers find themselves accidentally unsubscribed fear not! They can be added back manually by an account admin or can join back through a sign-up form/link.

Wrapping this up

Despite your absolute best efforts, people will still unsubscribe from your email campaigns. Make sure you understand how unsubscribes work in Mailchimp, and the laws you need to follow. Accidental unsubscribes can happen but it isn’t the end of the world! The recipient can always re-subscribe. 

PodCreative-PieterandMichaelsittingweb

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