E-Mail Applications
Introduction
Now that just about everyone you would want to talk to has the ability to use the internet on a regular basis, Email has become an ideal method of communication. It is able to quickly carry any information and most data (Some don't allow exe's for security reasons) to any corner of the globe for free, almost instantly, and can run passively in the background while you're surfing the web or playing a game.
Must know information (maybe some good to know)
There are two parts to most email addresses, a username and a domain name, in the format Username@Domainn.ame, where you would normally be the one to choose the username, and the domainname would be the basic address of your provider.
The internet is full of usable free Email accounts, while the majority of internet users use either Gmail, Yahoo!mail, AOL or Hotmail. An Email address is just about required if you plan on taking full advantage of the internet, since many websites require you to make an account before you can access all of their website. Unfortunately addresses provided by the big web based email providers are blocked by sites such as Ebay in order to keep the number of fake accounts down. To get access to sites like Ebay you either need to make an account with a lesser known provider, or use an account provided by your ISP.
Many people prefer to use applications such as Outlook, or Thunderbird to access their ISP email, since you'd normally access it while at home. Some web based email providers allow you to use applications to either access the mail server directly, or at least forward all Email to your ISP's account (the free Yahoo!mail accounts don't, Gmail has a step-by-step guide with pictures). With Yahoo!mail and Gmail, I'd say you're safe in trusting them to store your Email, but if you don't have confidence in the security or longevity of your provider, storing you Emails locally on your computer is a good decision. Be carefull when using both web based Emails clients and Thunderbird with the same account, since if improperly configured you could end up with Emails only being either online or on your hard drive.
As you might expect, if you use a web based service, your address book/contact list will be stored on a server (by default) and they will be stored locally if you are using an application. Under the address book section of your web based Email, or in a drop down list in Outlook/thunderbird you'll easily find an option to import/export your contact list, in several different formats. It is a good idea to keep your address book in as many secure places as possible, and to try to update them fairly often.
| Important! | You should have multiple accounts or inboxes, such as one for work and one for home use, to help with organization, and security. |
When signing up for sites that you don't have complete faith in(such as websites linked to in banner adds), it is a good idea to have a way to avoid getting your main inbox spammed. Yahoo!mail allows the use of two different usernames under one account, one of which can be filtered. Gmail allows you to add a +text after your username (username+CouldThisSiteCauseMeToBeSpammed@gmail.com) which allows for easy filtering. If your provider doesn't offer any services of this type you should create a second account(or be a chicken).
| Security! | Just about all Email you will ever send or receive will be sent in a publicly readable format, so assume your teachers and anyone else can read your Emails. |
When sending Email, you have to include at least one recipients Email address, can include a subject(which is seen in Email lists, to let the recipient know what the message is about), a main body of text, and attachments(files such as picture or spreadsheets.) When sending one message to multiple people, you have three places to put their address: a place usually following a "To:", Cc, or Bcc. Generally you put who you would expect to reply in the To section, people you wouldn't expect to reply in Cc, and people who shouldn't know who else was sent the message in Bcc.
Yahoo Gmail comparison
While Yahoo!mail and Gmail both offer a comparable service, there are several functional (and economic) differences in their service.
The free Yahoo!mail accouts have a few weaknesses: They don't allow you to use applications like Thunderbird, loads considerably slower than Gmail, limited automated spam filtering, and larger animated ads, and don't allow automated forwarding. Yahoo is trying to get people to sign up or upgrade to their premium services, so they slightly cripple their free service.
Yahoo!mail and Gmail both allow you to send a maximum of 10 megabytes per message, but Gmail won't allow you to send or recieve exe's to help prevent the spread of viruses, while Yahoo will automatically scan your attachments with Norton Antivirus without filtering out any of your messages.
To help reduce the amount of joke accounts, Gmail made getting an account a small hassle. You either have to get invited by someone with an account, or have an activation code send to your cell phone. Yahoo!mail puts up do difficulty in letting you get an account, with an easy to find sign up page.