E-Mail

The easiest and most inexpensive form of asynchronous communication is electronic mail or e-mail for short. Internet Service Providers usually provide an e-mail service with dial-up service, but free services abound.

Web-based e-mail is usually the best choice for most people. To send and receive messages, you access a website using browser software and a computer connected to the Internet. This type of e-mail provides the convenience of being able to read and respond to your messages from any computer in the world as long is it is connected to the Internet.

To access your mail, enter the url for the website. For example, North Carolina State University's webmail system's url is: https://webmail.ncsu.edu/login.pl. On this page, you login with your user name and password and your mail messages are displayed. This service provides an online address book and also allows you to develop your own personal folder system to file your e-mail in an orderly fashion. For more information on this service go to "Webmail: getting started with NC State Webmail" at http://www.ncsu.edu:80/IMAP/webmail/logging_on.html.

Numerous free webmail services are available and can be accessed from any computer which is connected to the Internet. Two of the most popular are:

For a lengthy list, in alphabetical order, which provides user comments, visit EmailAddresses.com at http://www.emailaddresses.com/e-mail_web.htm.

If you are still unsure about exactly how to go about sending an e-mail message or what to do with one when you get it, here is a tutorial site from LearntheNet.com that will walk you through the process step by step.

Step-by-Step: Sending an E-Mail Message

Another of the advantages of e-mail is the ability to send attached files. A paper you want your older sister to proofread by tomorrow, but she's in Los Angeles and you are in Raleigh? Not a problem, if you both have e-mail. Send the paper as an attached file to an e-mail message! Pictures of your new puppy? Send a few to your friends as an e-mail attachment!

Remember, not only text files can be sent, but graphics and sound as well. But choose carefully, because most e-mail providers often have a limit on the size file you can send as an attachment.

Follow along again with LearntheNet.com and they will walk you through the process of attaching a file to an e-mail message.

Step-by-Step: Sending E-Mail Attachments

Not all e-mail services are the same and to attach a file may be a slightly different process for you depending on the type of e-mail you are using.

Remember: there is a difference between e-mail and mail which is sent through the U.S. Postal Service. When you mail a letter, chances are the only person who will see that letter is the one to whom you have addressed it. But e-mail, especially e-mail sent within a company or educational facility, may be viewed by a third party. Feeling the need to complain about your boss or one of your professors? Think again, if you are doing so in an e-mail message. LearntheNet.com once again provides information about this topic.

How Private Is Your E-Mail?

Additional Information About E-mail:

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