Internet Tip

Email

Email is the most popular method of interacting with family and friends on the web. This is especially true for senior members of the family. The components of an email message are: Recipient's email address, sender's email address, subject, main body of the message, and optional attachments. The great advantage of email is that it normally arrives at its destination in a few seconds regardless of where the recipient lives in the world.

Client-based or web-based email?

Client-based email is email sent to your email provider, such as your ISP or Yahoo, and resides there until you download (get mail) it into your computer using an email client such as Outlook Express. Once you have downloaded your email, it is deleted from your email provider's server. Your downloaded messages are now available to you on your computer and you no longer need to be online to read your messages. If you reply or write new email while offline, the email is stored on your computer and sent the next time you log onto the Internet. It is only practical to have your email client account residing on one computer.

Web-based email allows you to read and send email via a web browser, such as, Microsoft Internet Explorer. Email isn't downloaded to your computer but instead is left on your provider's email server until you delete it. Common web-based email providers are, Yahoo, Hotmail, and MSN. You can only read and write email when you are online and logged into your web email account.

If you are using client-based email, normally your email provider has the capability for you to access your email web-based. This means that you can get to your email both ways. There are advantages and disadvantages to both methods of email handling.

Client-based email:

You can store as much email as you want and save it for as long as you would like. Your only size limit is the capacity of your hard drive.

If you have dial-up access to the Internet, you can significantly reduce the time online. You can read, write and reply to email while you are offline.

If you have multiple email accounts, it is easier to manage them. For instance, Outlook Express can direct email to be placed in different folders for each of your email accounts.

Managing of your email is faster since you are operating at local processor speed and not having to wait for a web page response.

Your email address book resides on your computer and will not be available to you if you are accessing your email via the web on another computer.

Most people fail to backup their email folders, settings, and address book. It is your responsibility to do this when using client-based email.

Web-based email:

The biggest advantage to consistently using Web-based email is that you can access it from any computer that has an Internet connection and you will be familiar with the interface. Your address book will be available to you and some providers have calendar and scheduling capabilities as well.

I see a big advantage in not having to concern yourself with backing up your email, settings, and address book since the email provider does that for you.

Web-based email providers usually limit the amount of storage you have for your messages and you need to watch for this.

The managing of your email will be somewhat slower than client-based since you have to wait for your web pages to return.

Yahoo launched a new web-based email so that it more nearly resembles client-based email and improves on the refresh time. More...

Check out this site for advice on using effective email.