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AT&T BI Becomes Comcast.NetHow To Deal With The Changeover(Part 2) David Radin June 2003
Let's start with your email subscriptions and online accounts. Make a list of all of them - because you're going to need to do changes of address for each one. I'll get back to that later.
What to Expect
Each user who has an email account ending in @attbi.com will need to make a change. Your new email address will end in @comcast.net - but it might not have the same user name on the left of the @ sign. If nobody has the same left side as you do that is already using comcast.net, you will get the same one that you currently have. However, since there are 2 million Comcast users before you, there's a good chance that the name you had been using is aready taken with the @comcast.net domain. You'll have to select another user name, because two people can't have the same email address. (Actually, this may be a good time to think about a permanent portable email address, which I will address below.)
Most of you see the ATT home page when you start up your web browser. Once the transition happens, that page will disappear. Instead, you'll start up with the Comcast home page, which will be somewhat different.
If you had previously set up your browser to start with a different page instead of the ATT page, expect that setting to disappear on Monday. So save that page as a favorite. After Comcast resets your browser to their home page, you'll be able to manually change it back to the one you want.
David's Unofficial Step One
Back up your system. Although problems are not likely to occur, whenever there is a major change to parts of your system, problems can arise. Backing up your system is a wise move to alleviate any concerns if something goes awry.
It's also wise to back up your email folders. Again, you probably won't have problems. But anytime a foreign software program changes things automatically, you can run into unforeseen consequences.
David's Unofficial Step Two
Go through your email folders to make a list of all the newsletters and subscriptions that you want to keep receiving. List the name of the publication, the email address from which it is sent, and the web address (or instructions) needed to change your subscription information. Place it in a word processing document so you can copy and paste from it later. Print it out as a backup.
Comcast's Official Step One - Do It Before Monday
If you haven't already done so (after you finish reading this article), go to connect.comcast.net to download the Comcast transition wizard. Do it before Monday. The company provides the wizard to ATTBI/Comcast users for free to ease your transition. To use the wizard, you need to be using Windows 98, 98SE, Me, NT, 2000, or XP on a PC; or if you're a Mac user, you need OS 9 or OS X. If you have earlier versions of either operating system, or if you have unix, linux or other types of systems, you will have to manually change all your settings.
Comcast's Official Step 2 - Run The Wizard
Running the wizard will get your system ready for the official transition which happens on Monday. So run it before Monday. According to my contacts at Comcast, the wizard will store the appropriate settings on your computer and wait for Monday to activate them. If you use Outlook Express, it will change your email settings. If you use Internet Explorer, it will change your start page. It should leave other settings as is to allow you to use your other Internet applications as you always had.
What To Do Monday
On Monday, June 30, 2003 , reboot your system. This will take all the settings that were changed by the wizard and activate them.
What will happen if I don't use the wizard?
According to my Comcast contacts, if you don't use the wizard by Monday, you will have to make your changes manually. Until you make the changes, you will not receive your email, nor will you be able to send it. Similarly, if you use a different operating system than those that I have listed, you will need to make your changes manually. If you use any email software other than Outlook Express, you'll need to change the email settings yourself.
Potential Problems?
With any endeavor this big, there is likely to be problems. They are converting almost 2 million users on the same day! So here are some tips to make it go easier:
When you change your email address, the people with whom you normally correspond will no longer have your true address, although Comcast will forward messages until the end of 2004. Neither will the businesses with whom you maintain relationships: your subscriptions, your online bank accounts, the merchants with whom you trade email. If you're in business, this may also affect your customers, staff, and vendors who sell you items. If you have posted your email address on the web, in newsgroups, or at auction sites, your email address will be out of date there too.
This is the perfect opportunity to use a permanent, portable email address (like Spam Slicer) to save yourself problems near and far term, and to help reduce your likelihood of getting spammed. Plus it helps you guard against email fraud by helping you better identify which email is from a scammer and which is real.
First - try not to give out your new Comcast address yet. Then, go sign up for Spam Slicer at www.SpamSlicer.com . If you have multiple addresses, you want a family pack, which covers up to five addresses. If you're in business, you can opt for the Small Business Edition which will also allow you to finally get an email address with a domain of your own.
Then when you send out your change of address notifications, do it a bit differently. Give each newsletter, online account or merchant a different email address at which they can contact you. (Spam Slicer lets you do this while receiving all the mail in the same spam protected inbox.) This helps you determine who is selling your name to spammers and makes it easier to recognize the fraud messages - not to mention makes it easier to block spam.
For your friends and family, give them a standard email address - because they are not likely to spam you. (Of course, if a particular friend likes to put you on joke lists or copies the world when he sends messages to you, give him a separate address at which to reach you. He may unwittingly be causing you to be spammed.)
Many astute tech people use their technical knowledge to do what I just told you to do. That's why they get less spam than you probably do. Spam Slicer just makes it easy and inexpensive. The full explanation of how it works is on the Spam Slicer web site. (In the name of full disclosure: I invented Spam Slicer based on input from you my readers and listeners, and have been effectively using the concepts myself.)
Sending the changes
Once you have your new Comcast.net address, you'll be able to designate that address as the place to receive all your email through Spam Slicer. If you decide not to use Spam Slicer, wait until you have your Comcast address to send out your address changes. If you sign up for Spam Slicer, you can send out the changes immediately; then change where Spam Slicer delivers your mail from your old ATTBI address to your new Comcast.net address. Your Spam Slicer address is now permanent and portable. If you move away from a Comcast coverage area, you can take your email address with you - and simply change where it sends your mail.
Do I Have The Right Type Of System For The Wizard
Comcast is supplying the wizard only for Windows and Mac.
What about software type?
Comcast's wizard works with Internet Explorer and Outlook Express. It will automatically change the parameters for you in these programs. If you use other programs, you'll have to change the parameters yourself.
My Start Page
Remember when you first started with AT&T Broadband? The first time you opened Internet Explorer, you saw a page that was presented by AT&T. Now you'll be changing over to Comcast's page of the same type. The wizard will automatically make the change for you. The offerings will differ on the Comcast page - some of which will be similar; others completely different.
If you don't like the Comcast start page, you can change it yourself to your favorite start page. Some people use Google, Yahoo!, Lycos or some other portal. Some use company home pages. I like www.megabyteminute.com myself. But I'm biased.
To change yours, start by going to the Comcast start page. Save it as a favorite by selecting [Favorites] from the top menu; then [Add to Favorites]. Now browse to the page that you want to use as your Internet Explorer start page. Then select [Tools], then [Internet Options…], then highlight the [General] tab. On the section labeled "Home page", click on the [Use Current] button. Click [OK] to save and return to browsing. Now every time you start up your browser, you'll use the home page you just chose. If you ever want access to the Comcast resources, you can find them in your favorites.
What If I Miss The Monday Deadline
If you miss the deadline, it is not the end of the world. But it may cause you more work. My contacts at Comcast tell me that the wizard will only work up until Monday, June 30, 2003 . After that, you have to change all the parameters manually. It sounds a bit harsh to me - and I hope to find out that they are wrong. But we have to expect the worst case.
Until you official transition from ATTBI to Comcast.net, your email will be held up while you can't receive it. Comcast will hold each message for up to 45 days after it is received, after which the company will delete it from disk. This process will go on until December 31, 2004 after which no more mail will be available if it had been addressed to your old ATTBI address.
Problems?
Comcast is providing help at connect.comcast.net.
You can also call Comcast customer service at 888-262-6300. Two million people are making the move at the same time - so don't be surprised if it is hard to reach a live body there. DR David provides lots more help to subscribers of his Megabyte Minute Tip Letter. Currently, you can subscribe for free at www.megabyteminute.com. Use your new Comcast.net address. Better yet, use one of your Spam Slicer flexible addresses with your Comcast or other ISP account. |
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