What is E-mail?
Managing Your Messaging|
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What is E-mail? Managing Your Messaging |
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E-mail is the single most popular application on the Internet because it facilitates a very simple human need: rapid communication. Sure, the phone works, but for sustained communication, it requires that both parties be available at the same time. E-mail, which is asynchronous, lets you fire off your side of the conversation without requiring your colleagues to be free at the same time. They can reply, instead, when it's convenient. 
The beauty of E-mail is that you control when you send and receive messages. The content of what is delivered in an E-mail message is usually text, although one can send images, audio, video, and program files as attachments with user-friendly E-mail programs like Eudora, Outlook, Outlook Express, and many more. When you register for an online service like America Online (AOL) or sign up with an Internet Service Provider (ISP), you'll be offered an E-mail account. This will allow you to retrieve mail by logging onto your host's computer through a modem and a local phone call. If you travel frequently and need to access your account from other cities, consider signing up with a national carrier -- such as AOL -- for easier access to E-mail. Once you arrive at your destination, you simply use the carrier's software to access a local number for that area. |
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The E-mail Address Your E-mail address is unique; no two are the same. It consists of a string of information starting with your screen or user name, which is sometimes your real name (john_smith), but more frequently an alias (fx212). That's followed by an @ (referred to as the "at" sign) that identifies the name of the organization that hosts your account -- for example @thirteen. After a period, or "dot," is a suffix that denotes the classification of your host, such as "org" for organization. All the elements are strung together. For example, john_smith@thirteen.org or fx212@thirteen.org. (Notice there are never spaces within e-mail addresses.) Additional kinds of hosts are: "com" for commercial, "edu" for educational, "org" for non-profit, "mil" for military, "net" for network organizations, and "gov" for a branch of the government. Regional domain suffixes include "us" for the United States, or "jp" for Japan. Policy changes may allow additional domain suffixes to be recognized on the Internet. |
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E-mail Headers All e-mail headers list the e-mail address that the message is FROM:, the e-mail address the message was sent TO:, the DATE: the message was sent, the SUBJECT: and any other e-mail addresses it was sent to in the CC: line. When you check your mail, you'll see a list of the e-mail addresses of senders and subject headers. These headers usually summarize what the message is about in a snappy way. When you compose your own messages, think of lively headers that will encourage people to read them right away. |
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| Other Options Instant messages are another way of communicating through the internet. With instant messages you could chat with a friend, family member, or fellow teacher online. It's just like talking on the phone, but much more simple and can get quite addictive. Many instant messaging programs now have a "buddy list," which is used to see if anyone is online that you know. If someone you know is online when you are online, this program sets up a little window that tells you so. The catch is that both parties must have the same program for this feature to work. Some of the most popular instant message programs on the internet are: AOL Instant Messenger http://www.aol.com/aim/ ICQ ("I Seek You") http://www.icq.com/download/ Yahoo! Messenger http://messenger.yahoo.com/ |
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Next: Managing Your Messaging. |
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