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Email: What do all those terms mean?

Email can be a very nasty word to some... when it doesn't work right! I have experienced email woes and it sure is frustrating! This article explains some of the basic mechanics of email. This is just a simplistic view for those that may be technically challenged in this area.

• Email Client: An email client is the term used for how you check your email. For many, Outlook or Outlook Express is their email client. Others use AOL, Eudora, or Thunderbird (among many). An email client is software that is installed on your computer where emails are downloaded from the server and viewed through this software.
  
  
• Webmail: Similar to an Email Client, this is still a means to check your email, but it isn't installed on your computer per se. Here, you check your email by opening up a browser (Internet Explorer for instance) and going to a specific site where you need to log in and check your email. You all have a WebMail account that comes with your web server and email address.
  
  The benefit to using Webmail is that you can check your email from wherever you are (you don't have to be at home) as long as you have an Internet connection. Using WebMail as your only means of checking emails can be limiting and frustrating though due to space and functionality limitations.
  
  
• 3rd Party Email Providers: This again is another way of checking email and works the same as WebMail; however, you don't have the benefit of using your own domain name in your email address. Here, services such as Hotmail, Yahoo! or Google offer free email accounts and you create an email address using their domain name (ex: susan@hotmail.com).
  
  It is not recommended to ever use these services for your normal and professional email correspondence - it looks amateurish and you could be perceived as untrustworthy (hiding behind a Hotmail email address) and you don't want that! The only time to use these service providers is when you are registering for something on-line and you don't want to get extra spam for you efforts!
  
  
• POP3 (or IMAP): This stands for "Post Office Protocol". This is a server that allows us to check for in-coming emails to our client email software (Outlook etc). In a nutshell - it is a means to receive emails that have been sent to you. Here's the longer definition for those interested: Post Office Protocol From Wikipedia
  
  
• SMTP: This stands for "Simple Mail Transfer Protocol" and it enables exactly the opposite to POP3 - you can send emails out to other people (email addresses) by using this protocol. Here's the more technical explanation: Simple Mail Transfer Protocol From Wikipedia
  
  
• Email Server: An email server is what makes all of the above happen. A server is where all of the emails "pass through" either coming or going. It's the "post office" of cyberspace email communications if you will.
  
  Here's what happens... when I send an email to a friend, that email first goes through a SMTP email server. That server then decides where to route the email to (I won't bore you with the techno mumbo jumbo here) and it then sends the email on its way to my friend's POP3 server. It might run into a few other servers along the way, but you get the idea. Once it arrives at her POP3 server, she can then check her email and the email is removed from the server and is now sitting on her own PC (If she is using a local email client).
  

Email is a primary tool of communication and it's important to understand a bit on how it works so that we don't get too frustrated when it doesn't work and more importantly, don't depend on it to be 100% effective. I hope this brief lesson on email was helpful for you!

Kind regards,

Susan Friesen, B.B.A.
eVision Media ~ Definitive eBusiness Solutions
www.evisionmedia.ca

About the Author: Susan is a professional website developer with over eight year's experience in the industry. With a bachelor's degree in Business Administration, concentration in Computer Information Systems, she is able to provide a unique and caring service to her clients not only as a website designer, but also an eBusiness Advisor; assisting individuals, businesses and organizations establish and brand product or service effectively on the World Wide Web. Contact Susan today for your free consultation on building your website presence to the effective marketing tool is can be. susan@evisionmedia.ca or visit www.evisionmedia.ca.