Email How-to
First you compose a message with your email program:
Composing an e-mail message is much like composing any other kind of document, except email messages have two parts: the header and the body.
The header is more-or-less like the envelope of a posted letter. It tells where it is going to, where it came from, when it was send, and who sent it. The header includes things like To:, Subject:, CC:, and Date:. Your email program will ask you to supply some of these (such as To), will fill in some by itself (e.g. From and Date), and will allow you to add others (like CC).
The body is the main part of your message and is more-or-less like the paper you put inside the envelope of a posted letter. This is where you type your message which will be read by the recipient of the email.
While in the midst of composing, you may decide to stop and do something else. Most email programs provide a Drafts folder into which you can place partly-composed mail, which you can resume later.
Sometimes you need to send a file with your email. You can attach files to your email and these are known as an attachments. Almost all email programs have an easy Attachment button which lets you choose which file on your computer you wish to attach. Select this file and it will be attached.
If the file you attach is big, it may take a while to send. Also, the recipient of the email attachment will need to have the same program on their computer that you use to view the file on your computer. If they do not have the same program, they may not be able to view the attachment.
At some point when you are ready you tell your email program to send the message you have just composed. You do this by clicking on the Send button.
If you are not connected to the Internet then your email program will usually store it in an Outbox or an Unsent Messages folder. Here it will queue the items until the next time you connect to the Internet.
If you are connected to the Internet then your message will go out immediately. Depending on the path it takes to get to the recipient, it make take only a few seconds to get around the world.
Once the email leaves your computer it goes out through the Outgoing Mail Server, known as the SMTP server. SMTP stands for Send Mail Transfer Protocol which means that this is the system used to send out the mail. In the settings of your email program you need to have entered the correct Outgoing Mail Server, or you will have trouble sending email.
During the time your computer is not connected to the Internet, email that comes for you is stored on the Incoming Mail Server, known as the POP mail server. POP stands for Post Office Protocol, which is the system used to retrieve and hold your email for you until you are ready to collect it.
When you start your email program it usually checks with the Incoming Mail Server to see if any new email has arrived for you and then downloads it into your computer, usually into the Inbox.
Some programs provide ways to filter incoming email into certain folders for you. Based on patterns in the header or text body, the program can file messages in special folders, or delete them entirely.
To read the email you merely need click on the message and you will be able to read it. That can vary with your email program, so if cannot read the email consult the Help section of your email program.
When an email comes with a file attached your email program will let you know with a certain symbol - many use a paper clip symbol to let you know a file is attached. Great caution must be used before opening an attached file as email viruses are spread via email attachments. (Click here for more information on how to detect email viruses).
When you are convinced the attachment is free from viruses you usually need only open the file (in Windows you double click on it) and you will be presented with the option to Open it now or Save it to your computer. Choose whichever option you prefer.
If you choose to Open it then the file will be opened, provided you have the right program on your computer to view it. If you do not then you will not be able to view the attached file.
If you choose to Save it then you will be asked to find when you want it saved on your computer. To view the file you will need to find where you saved it and then open it.
What is the difference? If you only need the file once, click Open. If you want to keep the file on your computer, then click Save.
After reading your email you may want to reply back to the sender, to reply to all the recipients, or forward it on to someone else. This is very easy to do with all email programs as there are buttons you can click on to do so.
After selecting what you want to do - Reply, Reply All, or Forward - simply type in your response. If you are forwarding this to a third party, you will need to enter in their email address before you click Send.
