One of the great outcomes of the internet is the easy of communication. This new media lets you connect to others through a variety of ways – text messages, chat, telephonic calls, video conferencing and, of course, email. Email was, and probably still is, the most used feature of the internet. It is inexpensive, easy to use and almost instantaneous -refer the advantages of email article for further details.
If you too want to use the “internet channel” to get in touch with friends and family, you need to create your first email address and in this article I will be explaining just to go about it. But before that, let me answer some of the questions posed by beginners in my classes.
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Beginners email questions and answers
Will my first email address going to cost me?
No! Not unless you are loaded and want to spend money. There are tons of online services that let you make a free email address and maintain it as long as you like.
I have just started to learn how to use a computer. Can I still use email?
Hmmm! This is difficult to answer because it depends how much you know your way around a computer. For instance, if you can surf the web (visit web sites) and can operate basic programs like the web browser, you should be able to use email without any problems.
What do I need to know in order to create my first email address?
The only requirement is a basic knowledge of the computer; you should know how to type and use simple programs. Besides that, loads of commonsense is all that is required to create your first email address.
Do I need to have an email address to use the internet?
No! Email is just a feature of the internet. You can still surf web sites (what you are doing right now) without having an email address. Having said that, a few sites may require you to create an account for which you need to have an email address. For example, you can browse the auctions listed on www.ebay.com but to purchase, you do need to have an account on the web site and that is possible only if you own an email address (you can use someone else’s email address but that might lead to problems later on).
Do I need an internet connection to use email?
Yes. Email messages are transferred over the internet. Without an active connection, you cannot send or receive email. Nowadays, you can use other electronic devices like the cell phone to send email but these too connect to the internet (wirelessly, of course).
Do I need a web site for an email account?
No! You can create email accounts on your web site if you have one, but using email has nothing to do with owning a web site – the two are exclusive. For details, please read web sites and email account.
Your first email address should come to you free – YES!
When you are just starting out on creating your first email address, I strongly recommend that you choose a free service and here are hundreds of these. The three top most free email account providers are Google (Gmail), Microsoft (Hotmail) and Yahoo! (Yahoo! Mail). Unless you’ve been living on the moon for the past 10 years, you would know at least one of the companies, right? By the way, all these services also offer paid email accounts but we shall be looking only at the free option. The paid email accounts from these companies come with additional features which you most definitely do not need – not when you are embarking on the journey towards your first email account.
Here are the links to pages that provide step by step instructions along with screenshots on how to create your first email address on the top three services:
Using your email address and sending the first email message
Creating an email address is the first step, the next is understanding how to use your account by composing, sending and receiving email messages. This is a great experience and I envy you because you are going to have so much fun – for instance, emailing photographs from your digital camera to friends and family… cool! And on this web site you’ll find a lot of help if you ever get stuck. I have separate sections with loads of articles on Gmail, Hotmail and Yahoo – links below:
The search function located at the top of the page is what you should employ if you get confused… and do not hesitate to send me your comments or questions. Lastly, make a note of this web site – bookmark it in your browser.
