E-mail 101
Parts of an E-mail Address
E-mail addresses -- for example, name@lighthouse.org -- have three main parts: a user name, a domain name and a top-level domain.
User Name
The user name is the first part of the address and comes before the axon sign "@." It identifies the recipient's mailbox.
Domain Name
The domain name comes right after the axon sign "@" and before the dot operator ".". It refers to the mail server where the recipient's mailbox resides. It is typically the name of a company or organization.
Top-Level Domain
The top-level domain follows the domain name, after the dot operator ".", and consists of a two or three letter suffix (.us, .org, .com, .gov, etc) indicating the geographical region or type of the host server. For example, .us refers to the United States region; .ca refers to Canada; .com indicates a commercial site; .gov indicates a government site; .org indicates a non-profit organization site, etc.
Electronic Mail (E-mail)
An e-mail is an electronic document that can be sent over local and wide area networks and provides means of communication between people. When used as a verb, e-mail represents the action of sending an electronic document over a network.
Some examples of E-mail applications available in the market are: Microsoft Outlook, Outlook Express, Lotus Notes, and Eudora.
Sending E-mails with Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Express
- Launch your e-mail application and select "Mail Message" in the "New" option under the "File" menu, or simply press "Ctrl+N", for a new e-mail message window.
- In the "To:" box, type in the e-mail address of the recipient. Make sure the address is correct or the message will be returned to you with an error message saying that the recipient was not found.
- You can send a message to more than one person by entering multiple addresses in the "To:" box, separated by a semi-colon ";".
- You can add a title to your e-mail by typing it in the "Subject:" box. Although optional, it is good practice to enter a subject. This gives the recipient an idea of what the E-mail is about without actually having to open it.
- Type in (or copy and paste) your message in the "Message" area provided.
- You can spell check your message by selecting the "Spelling" option under the "Tools" menu or by simply pressing the "F7" key.
- When you are ready to transmit, select the "Send" option under the "File" menu or simply press "Ctrl+Enter."
Sending File Attachments
- Launch your e-mail application, open a new message window, and compose your message as outlined above.
- Select the "File" option under the "Insert" menu.
- Enter the file name in the "File Name:" box or browse your hard drive or removable disks to find the file you would like to attach.
- Click on the "Insert" button.
- Select the "Send" option under the "File" menu or simply press "Ctrl+Enter."