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Using Email

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Email

Electronic mail, or email as it has become known, is one of the most popular services on the Internet. Email is a quick, reliable and free way to send messages to and from anyone online in the world. Plus you can attach files to your message, enabling you to send photographs and even short video files to relatives or business associates wherever in the world they may be.

How does it work?

The first thing to understand is that e-mail does not come directly to your computer. Your Internet Service Provider (or ISP) - the company that provides you with a connection to the Internet and an e-mail address - has many computers known as servers that accept and direct incoming and outgoing e-mail.

So when someone sends you an e-mail message, it is sent to a server at your ISP where it will be stored until you connect to the Internet. Then you can download all your messages to your computer at home to read at your leisure. Similarly, when you send an e-mail, the message you have written is first sent to a server at your ISP and then automatically forwarded to a server at the ISP of the person you sent the message to. That person then downloads your message from his ISP when he connects to the Internet.

How do I get an e-mail account?

There are two ways. If you sign up with an Internet Service Provider (ISP) they will supply you with an e-mail account and usually some Web space to host your own Web site. There are many companies that provide this service, the most popular being Wanadoo. The easiest way to sign up with Wanadoo is to pick up one of their free CDs which can usually be picked up in stores like PC World or Dixons.

Another way to obtain an e-mail account is to use web-based e-mail like Hotmail. Both types of e-mail account have their advantages and disadvantages, so we'll take a look at both - starting with a web-based e-mail account like Hotmail.

Next (Hotmail) >>

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