Question about websites and email addresses

fluffymuffy

If you have a website - like example.co.uk and your email addresses are like thingy@example.co.uk is it the case that the email is somehow accessed through the control panel of the website?

I ask because our local school has email addresses that are thingy@unique-name-school.co.uk

But it has a website called unique-name-school.org.uk

Which is fine, except that there is a website called unique-name-school.co.uk which has nothing to do with our school and is a business in our area.

Our school email addresses are still ending .co.uk

Does this mean that all our emails to school go through this company's website control panel? Would they have access to them? These email can contain sensitive information about children or finance.

aerostar

Firstly

Do a whois look up on both the names and see who the domains are registered to.

http://whois.domaintools.com

You need also to know how and who set up the school e-mail, and who your domain was registered with (whois should tell you) and then go from there.

fluffymuffy

Thanks aerostar - I just checked and domain name ending .co.uk is still registered with the school.

How did it get to point to someone's business?
I should add that while having nothing at all to do with the school the business is one which would benefit from the perceived association.

Do these people have access to the school's emails?

earthstorm

fluffymuffy wrote: »

If you have a website - like example.co.uk and your email addresses are like [EMAIL="thingy@example.co.uk"]thingy@example.co.uk[/EMAIL] is it the case that the email is somehow accessed through the control panel of the website?

No you can use the POP3 details to set the emails up in email clients like outlook.

Also you may have the .co.uk and .com domain and have your site on the .com domain but set up emails on the .co.uk domain without having a website for the .co.uk domain.

aerostar

fluffymuffy wrote: »

Thanks aerostar - I just checked and domain name ending .co.uk is still registered with the school.

How did it get to point to someone's business?
I should add that while having nothing at all to do with the school the business is one which would benefit from the perceived association.

Do these people have access to the school's emails?

When you buy a domain name you do not necessarily buy hosting for that name - however if your school ISP gives you free web space, then the you can re-direct requests to yourschool dot co dot uk to the ISP web space.

so www your school co uk could be re-directed to fredbloggs dot talktalk dot com.

It is possible that whoever set up your re-direct misspelt something ! consequently going to the wrong web site.

You need to find that person to get it corrected.