Using Electronic mail (Email)

Most people use the Internet for its Electronic Mail functionality. Email allows you to communicate with people around the world without any postage fees, and unlike postal mail, email gets delivered almost instantly. The following section will explain the basics of using email.

A. Email Basics

You've probably heard this before, but here's a recap: An email address tells the world where to send all your electronic mail. You can usually spot an email address because it begins with a username, has an @ sign in the center, and ends with a domain name, like webmaster@netzero.com.

Don't confuse an email address with a URL, which is a Web address that always begins with http:// (or has a www at the beginning).

Email is the most popular feature of the Internet, and certainly worth understanding. NetZero supports the following email options:

• Message Center
• Outlook Express
• Outlook
• Netscape Messenger
• Netscape Mail
• Eudora

For support pages that explain how to use Message Center, click here.

For an interactive walkthrough on how to use a dedicated email program such as Outlook Express, click here.

B. Differences between NetZero email and other email services

Typical email services work by having you set up a special email program like Outlook, Outlook Express, or Eudora to send and receive mail. Other services might have you visit special Web pages that also allow you to do the same.

With NetZero, you can choose to access your email through either of these methods. You can use a dedicated email program like Outlook Express to get your mail, or you can take advantage of our easy-to-use Message Center service.

C. Email accounts

All NetZero members get a single email account they can use to send and receive email.

If you would like to create a new NetZero email account, or if you would like multiple email accounts for different members of your household, you will need to sign up for a new NetZero Member ID.

You can sign up for more than one free email account, but if you use a free account to log into the NetZero software, it will not have the benefits of Platinum or NetZero HiSpeed. Only the primary account holder that signed up for Premium service will get these benefits.

If you would like another account in your household to have the benefits of Platinum or NetZero HiSpeed, that account will need to sign up for Premium service separately.

Click here to sign up for a new free email account.

D. What is Message Center?

When you access your Message Center, you are actually visiting a special Web page on the Internet, accessible from anywhere around the world, that links to your NetZero email account. The system is already set up for you to quickly send and receive email, and has the added benefits of enhanced security features such as Junk Mail Filters and Sort & Delete Settings to help you weed through unwanted mail.

For more information on the features and usage of Message Center, click here.

E. What is a dedicated email program?

With a dedicated email program such as Outlook Express, you can use your personal computer to send and receive email. Programs like Outlook Express allow you to read or write email while you are offline and download messages to your computer. Once messages are downloaded from the server, they are no longer available online and cannot be viewed from another location.

For an interactive walkthrough on how to use a dedicated email program such as Outlook Express, click here.

F. What are the differences between Message Center and a dedicated email program?