 | Crash course in Email.How email works and how to use it. |
I love my cellphone. If I want to get in touch with somebody, I like pressing a few buttons and having them at my full attention. However, I don't want to be anybody else's soldier, and stand to them at attention at their will. That is why I need a medium that allows people to leave me a message that I can reply to at my own leisure. SMS text messaging is nice, but not very efficient for long or complex messages. It also costs money (albeit less than a phone call). Letters are nice, but they take a long time to get from place to place. That is why I rely so heavily on email. It's there when I want it, gone when I don't. Of course, email has it's own set of problems and limitations. Lets look at them.
Email is dependant on an active Internet connection.
The same features that make email so comfortable, make it so easy to send mass messages anonymously. This is usually called spam.
There are two main types of email services available today. The more familiar of them to web-newbies is web-based email, such as Gmail, Hotmail or Yahoo.
Web based email advantages/ limitations. Storage (not anymore).
Downloaded email advantages/ limitations. Storage (not anymore).
How email gets from place to place.
Practices for preventing spam.
What to do (or not to do) when you get spam.
The future of email.