e-Mail

How does E-mail work?

E-mail is an asynchronous form of communication, meaning that the person whom you want to read your message doesn't have to be available at the precise moment you send your message. This is a great convenience for both you and the recipient.

On the other hand, the telephone, which is a synchronous communication medium, requires that both you and your listener be on the line at the same time in order for you to communicate (unless you leave a voice message).

It will be impossible to discuss all the details of the many e-mail packages available to Internet users. Fortunately, however, most of these programs share basic functionality which allow you to:

*send and receive mail messages *save your messages in a file *print mail messages *reply to mail messages *attach a file to a mail message

In order for messages to be sent from one computer to another, your message needs to be converted into a digital form and forwarded to a computer that acts as a mail server or post office.

This mail server sorts and directs your mail for you. The only way this mail server can direct mail though, to all users is by being connected to a network that all the users are also connected to.

This network can be internal (a stand-alone network) which means you can only send email to other users on that network. If your mail server is connected to the Internet you can also send your email messages to any other computer user that is connected to the internet anywhere in the world because the internet is a network of all the little networks of organisations around the world.

This mail server can be within your organisation or with an Internet Service Provider, so you would connect to it by logging into your email account.

When you send your email message, the mail server decides whether the message is to be passed on to a user on its immediate network or it will pass it onto another mail server on another network closest to it through these combination of networks and each mail server keeps passing it on until it reaches its intended destination.

This is known as the 'store' and 'forward' system, storing your message at various points on the path to its receiver waiting for the link to be free for it to forward your message on the next part of its journey.

The digital data can be broken up and follow different paths (go through different mail servers) to gets to its destination but always meets up when it gets to the post office or mail server of the recipient. The mail will stay at the post office until the recipient decide to collect it which is done by logging into their email account.

Email Software

In order to read or send any electronic mail you will need special software. Eudora is one of the most commonly used software packages and comes in two versions. Eudora Lite can be downloaded from the Eudora website and used without charge.

Eudora Pro - a more advanced version of the software can be purchased for approximately $89 from most leading software suppliers. The Eudora website can help you locate a supplier closest to you. Eudora can be used on both IBM compatible and Macintosh computers.

Web browsers like Netscape and Explorer now have an email function also but they are not as sophisticated and reliable as Eudora.

One benefit of this type of email package is that where addresses of World Wide Web pages are given in the body of the message you can click on the address and the browser will automatically display the page. Eudora also has this ability.

If your school is connected to to the statewide VicOne network you can to the Edumail site to obtain information relating to email software available to Victorian schools. You will need your school username and password to access this site.

Email Account

To become an email user you need to have an email account set up for you by an Internet Service Provider or your organisation. This would normally occur automatically when you get your internet connection if you're setting up your account privately.

With a school or business you would normally gain access to email by talking to your technical advisor where a user account will be set up for you. When you get your account you will be given an email address, a Username and a password which you would use to access your email.

You can obtain free email accounts through certain web sites on the internet. You check your mail through your web browser by looking at a web page, typing in your name and password.

These types of services are nowhere near as secure as having your own email software on your own computer and can be slow with delays. They are free though and provide additional services such as receiving regular news from various sites of your choosing. One such site is the Hotmail Site.

Email Address

Each email user is given an email address which distinguishes them from each other like your name and street address distinguish your house from your neighbors. Your email address is usually your Username or User ID, plus the domain name of the computer through which you normally gain access to the internet with an @ symbol in-between.. - (sofweb@edumail.vic.gov.au)

As you can see here my Username is 'sofweb' and the domain name for the Department of Education, Employment and Training (where I work) is edumail.vic.gov.au . Your Username doesn't necessarily have to be your real name it can be a variation or any name of your choosing - eg. (wizard@edumail.vic.gov.au)

Setting Up Your Email Account

After Downloading your Email Software and setting up your email account with your Internet Service Provider, you need to set the software up with details like your Username, password, email address and mail server. The Internet Service Provider will normally give you all of this information which you will need to include in the set up.

With Mac or Windows 95 you follow the prompts and include the details the provider has given you. If you are not setting your account up privately your technician should do all of this for you. With free email accounts like Hotmail you do not need to download any software and the instructions are usually simple to follow, and provided on the website.