The Advantages of Email

Electronic mail, or e-mail, is your personal connection to the world of the Net.

All of the millions of people around the world who use the Net have their own e-mail addresses. A growing number of "gateways" tie more and more people to the Net every day. When you logged onto the host system you are now using, it automatically generated an address for you, as well.

The basic concepts behind e-mail parallel those of regular mail. You send mail to people at their particular addresses. In turn, they write to you at your e-mail address. You can subscribe to the electronic equivalent of magazines and newspapers. You might even get electronic junk mail

E-mail has two distinct advantages over regular mail. The most obvious is speed. Instead of several days, your message can reach the other side of the world in hours, minutes or even seconds (depending on where you drop off your mail and the state of the connections between there and your recipient). The other advantage is that once you master the basics, you'll be able to use e-mail to access databases and file libraries. You'll see how to do this later, along with learning how to transfer program and data files through e-mail.

E-mail also has advantages over the telephone. You send your message when it's convenient for you. Your recipients respond at their convenience. No more telephone tag. And while a phone call across the country or around the world can quickly result in huge phone bills, e-mail lets you exchange vast amounts of mail for only a few pennies -- even if the other person is in New Zealand.

E-mail is your connection to help -- your Net lifeline. The Net can sometimes seem a frustrating place! No matter how hard you try, no matter where you look, you just might not be able to find the answer to whatever is causing you problems. But when you know how to use e-mail, help is often just a few keystrokes away: you can ask your Network Administrator : Susie Feero, or your instructor: The Facilitator, for help in an e-mail message.

The quickest way to start learning e-mail is to send yourself a message. To find more information about your particular email program go to the Finding Email Help document.

Portions of this document were reprinted in part from:

EFFs Extended Guide To The Internet , The Electronic Frontier Foundation , Version 2.3, September 1994

EFFs Guide was produced from the Texinfo edition of a book entitled EFF's (Extended) Guide to the Internet (formerly known as "Big Dummy's Guide to the Internet") written by Adam Gaffin for a joint project of Apple Computer, Inc. and The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF).

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