Introduction to E-Mail
* Lesson 3 - USING E-MAIL 3.1 - INTRODUCTION TO E-MAIL
[1] Introduction to E-Mail [Introduction to E-Mail]
Electronic mail is an electronic form of the traditional postal mail.
Instead of using a pen and paper to write a postal message, you use a
software program to create e-mail messages called the e-mail client. Unlike
postal mail, which can take several days to reach the recipient, an e-mail
message can reach the recipient's e-mail account within a few seconds. You
can also send pictures, data files, audio, and even video clips with your
e-mail messages. For example, you can send a family photograph or a small
home video to your friends with your e-mail messages.
After you create and send an e-mail message by using an e-mail client, it
connects to an _e-mail server_. The message then travels from your e-mail
server to the destination e-mail server over the Internet. This e-mail
server then sends the e-mail message to the recipient's e-mail account.
There are two types of e-mail clients, local and Web-based. Local e-mail
clients are installed on your computer, and you can use them to save e-mail
messages to your hard disk. Microsoft Windows Mail is an example of a local
e-mail client. You connect to Web-based e-mail clients by using a Web
browser. You can send and open e-mail messages by using the Web-based
e-mail client, but unless you specifically download a message to your local
computer, all messages remain on the service provider's system. Windows
Live Hotmail is an example of a Web-based e-mail client.
To send e-mail messages, you need to ensure that your computer is
connected to the Internet. You also need to have an e-mail client on your
computer to send and receive the e-mail messages. To exchange e-mail
messages with other people, you need to have an e-mail address for
yourself. You can obtain an e-mail address by opening an account with an
e-mail service provider. Then, you need to know the e-mail address of the
person to whom you want to send the e-mail message.
An e-mail address has two parts separated by the @ symbol. The following
table explains the different parts of the e-mail address,
someone@example.com.
someone
This is the name you use to create your e-mail address. People recognize
the e-mail address with the help of the user name. When you open an account
with an e-mail service provider, you can specify your user name. The user
name that you specify should be unique. The e-mail service provider checks
if the user name you provide already exists. If it exists, you need to
provide another user name.
@
The @ symbol separates the user name from the remaining part of the e-mail
address.
example.com
This represents the domain name of the mail server, where all your e-mail
messages are stored.
Click to view and print the steps to open a Hotmail account. [2]
