Email as it is commonly known stands for electronic mail, and this is a means of sending messages, text, computer files etc between computers via the internet. To be able to take advantage of this facility you need to have access to a computer, an internet connection, and account with an Internet Service Provider (ISP) and email software such as Outlook. ISPs give their clients an email account, password and a mailbox where their mail is sent. In addition you can set up email accounts from non-ISPs such as Hotmail and Google.
Email has a number of features which can be used by its users, these include the ability to instantly reply to messages the facility to forward or redirect your messages, being able to send copies to as many people as you wish and the capability to retrieve and file your messages and add addresses to an address book. In addition you are notified if your message fails, you can see the time and date which the message was sent and by whom. Lastly, files, graphics or sound can be sent as attachments in compressed formats.
There are a number of benefits to using email as a method of communication such as fast delivery of your messages, the service is available 365 days, 24 hours per day and you can send and receive your messages from anywhere in the world (providing you have access to the internet). It is cheap when you have broadband and it could be said that sending messages this way are free. Today you can now use webmail and mobile devices to send and receive messages.
However, there are some disadvantages to using email. Firstly you can only send messages to people who have access to the internet. There is the threat of viruses being attached to messages and hoax messages can be sent falsely claiming to be a legitimate company and scam the user into providing them with personal information. Lastly there is no guarantee that the message will be read and spam messages are also sent in this medium.
When you send an email message to someone your email software sends the message through port 25 of your internet connection, and then it is sent to the recipient’s ISP’s SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) server, it is here where the email finds its destination, it is then sent to the recipients POP3 (Post Office Protocol Version 3) server where the message waits for them to download the message. The following diagram shows how you send and receive emails:
Email has a number of features which can be used by its users, these include the ability to instantly reply to messages the facility to forward or redirect your messages, being able to send copies to as many people as you wish and the capability to retrieve and file your messages and add addresses to an address book. In addition you are notified if your message fails, you can see the time and date which the message was sent and by whom. Lastly, files, graphics or sound can be sent as attachments in compressed formats.
There are a number of benefits to using email as a method of communication such as fast delivery of your messages, the service is available 365 days, 24 hours per day and you can send and receive your messages from anywhere in the world (providing you have access to the internet). It is cheap when you have broadband and it could be said that sending messages this way are free. Today you can now use webmail and mobile devices to send and receive messages.
However, there are some disadvantages to using email. Firstly you can only send messages to people who have access to the internet. There is the threat of viruses being attached to messages and hoax messages can be sent falsely claiming to be a legitimate company and scam the user into providing them with personal information. Lastly there is no guarantee that the message will be read and spam messages are also sent in this medium.
When you send an email message to someone your email software sends the message through port 25 of your internet connection, and then it is sent to the recipient’s ISP’s SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) server, it is here where the email finds its destination, it is then sent to the recipients POP3 (Post Office Protocol Version 3) server where the message waits for them to download the message. The following diagram shows how you send and receive emails:
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