Webmail Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Signing In and Out of Webmail

Using Webmail

What is my username?

For most Shouting Ground customers your username is the text before the @shout.net of your E-mail address (e.g. username@shout.net).

I forgot my password, what should I do?

If you have forgotten your password the first place to look is on the inside cover of the Easy Internet disc you may have received upon activation of your services (only dial-up users receive these discs.) If you don't have a CD, or have since changed your password, you may call us to have your password reset.

Why did an error message display after clicking the Login button?

An error page displaying the message, "You must be logged in to access this page" will result if your web browser does not allow cookies. Check your browser settings to verify that cookies are allowed from the originating server, at the very least.

If the error message displays the text, "Unknown username or invalid password" then you should check to make sure you have entered both your username and password in correctly. Always be sure your CAPS LOCK key is not on when typing in your username or password!

How and why should I log in securely?

Webmail may be accessed with a secure SSL connection at https://webmail.shout.net, or optionally at http://webmail.shout.net, which is an unsecured version. While it is recommended that you use the secured site whenever possible, we offer the unsecured version for when a user must access their E-mail through a browser that does not support SSL connections.  To ensure that you are using the secured version, check that the URL of the site begins with the https:// prefix and not the http:// prefix (note the 's' in 'https://').  Also, if you are viewing the unsecured site you will notice a link reading, "Secured Login: Click Here." Clicking on that link will direct you to the secure site, and the link will disappear.

Do I have to sign out of Webmail?

It is very important to sign out of Webmail when using it on a public or shared computer. Failure to sign yourself out could result in a stranger accessing your Inbox by viewing the history of the sites you  have browsed, or by clicking on the "Back" button of your browser.

How do I send E-mail attachments with Webmail?

Sending attachments from your local computer is a snap with Webmail. Follow these instructions to attach a file to an E-mail message:
  1. Click the Compose link to begin writing a new message.
  2. Fill out the message like you would for a normal E-mail, including the TO: and SUBJECT: fields.
  3. Scroll to the bottom of the compose message page where you will see the Attach option next to a text box.
  4. Click the Browse button (or the Change button in some browsers) and select the file on your computer that you wish to send.
  5. Once the path to the file is listed in the text box, you can click the Add button to attach it to the message.
  6. Confirm all the information is entered in correctly and click the Send button to send the E-mail with its attached file.

What do the numbers in parenthesis next to the folders list mean?

The folder list on the left frame will display a number in parenthesis next to it when unread messages are present in that corresponding folder. If you have just finished viewing some newly arrived messages, click on the refresh folders list link to reload that frame only, thus updating the quantity of unread messages you may have waiting in one of your folders.

How do I prevent my Sent and Trash folders from filling up?

Each time you send a message with Webmail it is copied into your Sent folder for future reference. Also, any time you delete a message from a folder other than the Trash, it is moved into the Trash. Deleting a message from the Trash folder will remove the message completely. You may remove all messages stored in the Trash folder by clicking the Purge link next to the Trash folder on the left frame. While this can be convenient, it can also take up lots of disk space over time. Cleaning these folders out periodically will save disk space, but Webmail also offers the option of excluding these folders from use entirely. By disabling these folders, sent messages won't be saved in the Sent folder, and deleted messages will really be deleted, without being put into the Trash first. (Careful, they won't be recoverable!) If you desire to disable these folders, follow these instructions from any page after logging in:
  1. Click the Options link.
  2. Click on Folder Preferences.
  3. From the drop down menu next to the Trash Folder, select Do not use Trash.
  4. Repeat the above step for the Sent Folder and Draft Folder if you wish to stop using those folders.
  5. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click the Submit button.

How can I view the size of my messages?

The size of an E-mail message can be a very handy thing to know! Anyone who has ever experienced trouble with a large E-mail, or one with a malformed header knows that deleting that message from the server will allow their POP E-mail reader (Eudora, Outlook, Netscape Mail, etc.) to download messages properly. To show message sizes, follow these steps from any page after you have logged in to Webmail:
  1. Click the Options link.
  2. Click the Index Order link.
  3. Select Size from the drop down menu.
  4. Click the Add button to add message file sizes to your message index.

What are Themes and Style Sheets?

Webmail's display is highly configurable with a large assortment of color Themes, and the ability to apply a Style Sheet to the text it displays. Some Themes will change colors each time the page refreshes, so be careful if you use these in addition to Message Highlighting. The Style Sheets simply apply a styled font to the text Webmail displays. Each style is listed in the format sans-# or serif-#, where sans refers to a sans-serif font like Arial, and serif means the font will have serifs (a small line, curve, etc. projecting from the mainstroke a letter) such as the Times New Roman font. The number refers to the point size of the font. If the text displayed by Webmail is too small/large you should increase/decrease it here. Follow these steps to select a Theme and Style Sheet from any page after logging in:
  1. Click the Options link.
  2. Click the Display Preferences link.
  3. Select a Theme, if it displays the text 'Changes' next to it, colors will change each time the page is refreshed.
  4. Choose a Custom Style Sheet from the drop down menu.
  5. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click the Submit button.
  6. Refresh the page for the new settings to take effect.

Why are the links and message subjects invisible or difficult to read?

Since Webmail allows the user to change display colors with Message Highlighting and its many Themes,  it is possible for the user to select a color that is the same or similar color as the text or links of the page. This can result in the text blending in with the background color making it hard, or impossible to view. This is especially common when a user has enabled Message Highlighting and has selected one of the themes that changes with each page refresh. Try to avoid using this potentially frustrating combination of features when possible!

Webmail login page.