Using Email A presentation of the Elmhurst Public

Using E-mail A presentation of the Elmhurst Public Library

What is Electronic Mail? • E-mail is a way of using the Internet to send messages to other people. • Faster than “snail mail”. • Freely available.

How Can You Access E-mail? • Internet access • E-mail service provider

What do E-mail Service Providers do? • Give you an e-mail address. • Maintain space for you where your messages are stored. • Send your messages across the Internet to other e-mail users.

What is an E-mail Address? • The address you give people so that they can write to you. • Two parts: username and domain name

Difference between E-mail and Internet Addresses @ Internet Addresses: Yahoo! Mail: http: //mail. yahoo. com Hotmail: http: //www. hotmail. com Gmail: http: //mail. google. com The ‘at’ sign E-mail Addresses:

Different Kinds of E-mail Service Providers • Work • Internet Service Provider • WWW (free or for a fee) We will focus on free providers on the World Wide Web.

Finding an E-mail Provider on the World Wide Web • Word of mouth • Advertisement, news and media • Online directories

Directory of Free E-mail Providers • Go to http: //www. yahoo. com/ and type “Free E-mail Providers”

Choosing a Provider • Look and feel • Features (spell check, virus protection, attachments) • Amount of storage space • Fee versus free We will use Yahoo! Mail: http: //mail. yahoo. com

Registering for an Account To get an account with an e-mail provider, you must register by filling out a form. You can access this form through the main page of any e-mail provider.

Choosing a Username • Yahoo uses the term “Yahoo ID” instead of username. • What-you-choose@yahoo. com • Not caps-sensitive • May already be taken (you’ll find out later)

Choosing a Password • Caps-sensitive • Letters and numbers • At least 6 characters • Something you can remember • Type twice

Just in Case You Forget If you forget your Yahoo! ID or password then this information will help you to get access to your account.

Demographic Information & Interests This information is collected mainly for the purpose of marketing.

Human or Automaton By typing the letters that appear distorted in the box you prove that you aren’t a computer. Hackers design computer programs to automatically register fake accounts. This helps Yahoo! avoid registering people who aren’t real.

Submit the Registration Form Note that there are links to a “Terms of Service” agreement and a “Privacy Policy”. When you click submit you are accepting these. When ready, click “Submit This Form”.