Email (electronic mail) is now one of the most popular forms of communication. In fact, there are now more emails sent worldwide than actual post.
Emails have many advantages:
- Instant communication - worldwide
- Ability to send files (pictures, text documents, etc) to another email box.
- Save money on postage
- You don't have to run around trying to find that box of stamps you just bought!
How does email work?
Email works a lot like traditional postal mail. However the email is sent via a computer network. The email message is broken down into packets, and each of these packets is sent to various computers along the way until it reaches its destination, where the packets are re-assembled. This process happens in a matter of seconds.
To send and receive email you need to be connected to the Internet, and you need to be using mailbox software.
Some mailbox software can be completely web based where you access them through your browser, such as when you use iiNet's Webmail facility, or using Hotmail. In this case you simply need to log in to your mailbox, and you can send and receive emails directly off the mail server.
Other mailbox software comes as programs that are installed on your own computer. Popular email programs include Outlook Express, Microsoft Outlook, Incredimail, etc. These programs work by establishing a connection to the appropriate mail server, and then downloading the email to your computer (if you are receiving email) or uploading emails to the server (if you are sending email).
For example, if you wanted to use Outlook Express to receive your iiNet email you would need to specify your email account details before attempting to connect to the iiNet mail server. You would specify:
- Your email address, in the form: username@iinet.net.au
- The Incoming mail server (used to receive email) which is: mail.iinet.net.au
- The Outgoing mail server (used to send email) which is: mail.iinet.net.au
- Your iiNet username
- Your iiNet password
Given that information, Outlook Express can connect to the iiNet mail servers and send and receive your email for you.
Email addresses and Mailboxes
When you create an email address, you are creating the name for your email box. This works just like your normal letterbox at home. The number of the letterbox combined with the street name stipulates where the letter goes, and the physical letterbox holds the letter until you empty it. E-mail works just the same way, you are simply using a computer. Your email address stipulates where the email goes, and the email box holds the email for you until you download it to your computer.
For example, the email address bob@iinet.net.au stipulates that the email is addressed to the user bob on the iiNet server. That email will stay on the iiNet mail server inside the bob mailbox until that email is downloaded to the person.s computer.
