Email or electronic mail has changed the way we send and receive mail worldwide. Once a message has been composed on the screen, it can be sent with the click of a button. This allows important news and information to be shared instantaneously with others. Not only can messages be sent, but also attachments such as video, pictures and files can be attached to the message as well.
When an email message is sent from the sender’s computer, it is first received by the sender’s server. Once the server receives the message, it is sent to the receiver’s server. The receiver may retrieve the message and file attachments from the server when they log into their web based email program or email website. If the sender uses an email program such as Microsoft Outlook to send their message, the received message may be downloaded from the server. If the sender uses an email website such as Yahoo, the message may not be permanately removed from the receiver’s or sender’s server when downloaded.
There are also other features that are offered through email such as forwarding mail, catch-all accounts and filters. These options make it easier for the user to receive their mail and attachments. When mail is forwarded, all of the messages that are received are collected temporarily on a virtual server and then sent to a specified forwarder email address. Catch-all accounts forward mail received on any website domain to a specific email address; this makes receiving mail from multiple addresses easier. Finally a filter such as a junk filter will analyze incoming mail and decline the mail if it is found to be spam.
All of the many features behind the scenes of email allow users to send and receive messages and attachments in a variation of ways that are ideal for the user in multiple situations.
