E-mail travels from computer to computer almost instantly.

Who isn't excited about the prospect of sending or getting mail just by going to the computer?

Electronic mail, or e-mail as it has become known, is the Internet's "killer" application. E-mail is a quick, reliable, and free way to send messages to and from anyone online in the world. Benjamin Franklin, an early post office pioneer, would be astounded.

How Does It Work?

Sending an e-mail is a breeze — just type it out and hit the "send" button. But what happens then? How is it that your message can magically appear on someone else's computer halfway around the world?

The answer is both simple and complicated at the same time. Unless you have a firm grasp of computer science, understanding much of the Internet can require a leap of faith. But a basic understanding of e-mail isn't hard to achieve.

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

"So how does the mail get to my computer if it isn't sent directly to my computer?" Good question! The answer lies in the way you connect to the Internet. However you are connected — whether it be through the phone line or through a cable connection — the computer you are using accesses the computer that is storing your e-mail and then commands that computer to send the mail directly to your machine. It's the same as going to a mailbox at the post office to get your mail.

Addresses, Setup, and Software

When you sign up for Internet service at home through an ISP, you are either assigned an e-mail address or asked to choose one (like YourName@ServiceProvider.com). If you'd like another e-mail address, you can enroll for a free e-mail account from a service like Hotmail or one of the major portals like Yahoo!

E-mail addresses contain two important pieces of information, which are separated by @. Before @ is the user name. After @ is the name of the service that does the sending and receiving of the e-mail. And the @ itself? It stands for the word "at." When sharing your e-mail address with friends, tell them "My address is MyUserName at MyServiceProvider dot com."

Where Can I Pick Up My E-mail?

Yahoo! and any of the other Web-based e-mail services, enable you to access your e-mail using a browser. A great advantage of Web-based e-mail is that you can access it anywhere, any time — whether you're online at home, at a friend's house, or at a track meet in another state. As long as you are near a computer with Internet access, you can get your e-mail.

E-mail is becoming an increasingly popular way to keep in touch. Be sure to pay attention to the "netiquette" of online communication.

Attachments

Want to share a file from your computer with a pal in Istanbul? Easy! Just attach it — or, in other words, send it along with an e-mail. First, create the document or picture that you want to send. Then, compose a new message in your e-mail program and write a brief explanation of what you're sending. Finally, click the attachment button (usually a paperclip symbol), identify the location of the document or picture on your computer, and, like magic, send that file to your friend. You can send any kind of file as an attachment: pictures, text documents, music — whatever! The only hitch is that some ISPs have a size limitation. You may not be able to attach, for example, an entire song file, just a sample of it.

Caution!

Some folks out there on the Web may send you what is known as a virus. Essentially, a virus is a program that infects your computer, like the flu infects a person. A virus plants a program on your computer that at the least can be annoying and at the most can destroy huge amounts of data.

So the question now is, Can you get a computer virus by reading e-mail? The short answer: Yes.

Some e-mail programs (such as Eudora) come with antivirus software preinstalled and are safer than others. You're also safe with Web-enabled e-mail (such as Hotmail) because most Web e-mail providers scan attachments for viruses before opening them.

But some programs (such as Microsoft's Outlook) automatically open certain attachments. You'll want to get to know your e-mail options before you choose a method of receiving e-mail. And a note of common-sense caution: when you were a little kid, did you take candy from strangers? Of course not! So don't open files from strangers, either. Be completely sure what it is and who it comes from!

Who's Protecting You?

Let friends know that they're on your mind with free electronic greetings.

If you receive e-mail that makes you feel uncomfortable, inform your ISP, your parents, or someone at your school. The police and the e-mail companies have started to take e-mail harassment very seriously, and anyone suspected of sending threatening or illegal e-mails can be charged with a felony.

Your Privacy

E-mail is not always as private as we like to think it is. A general rule of thumb is don't put anything in an e-mail that you wouldn't be otherwise willing to share.

Just bear in mind that, although it may never happen, it is possible to read anyone's e-mail. Even if you've deleted it from your computer, your e-mail may be stored by the person who receives it for a long, long time.

Etiquette

Guidelines for good e-mail behavior are evolving. It is generally understood that using emoticons, slang, SHOUTING (typing in all capital letters), and grammar and spelling shortcuts may be acceptable in an e-mail written to a friend. Otherwise, consider the person to whom you are composing an e-mail. In some cases, e-mail has replaced snail mail (regular, paper mail delivered by the post office) as an acceptable method of professional or personal communication. But the rules that apply to proper letter writing still apply to e-mail.

An e-mail account and some basic browser know-how are all it takes to start surfing the World Wide Web with finesse. But the best surfers consider the other users they encounter along the way. You have to balance courtesy with caution and learn how to handle yourself in choppy waters. As you continue to explore the vast expanse that is the World Wide Web, use this as your guiding principle.

Now that you have all this newfound knowledge about sending e-mail, why not send us some? Scroll down a bit farther to the "Talk to us!" box and leave your name, your e-mail address, and some comments on Beyond Books — we'd love to hear from you.

BACK | LINKS | NEXT