What is an email? Easily explained
What is a letter for many is called an e-mail on the Internet: The "E-" stands for "electronic" and "mail" is the English term for "post". There is an electronic message behind the unusual term, which is transmitted via the Internet. This article tells you what else you need to know about emails.
What an email is - simply explained
- You can also use the Internet to send messages to friends, relatives, colleagues, and strangers, among other things. There is the so-called chat, which is more used for short messages. On the other hand there is the email.
- Usually, an email is used to discuss longer issues - similar to a letter. In contrast to an SMS via mobile phone, there is no maximum length for an email. You also send emails completely free of charge.
- An email usually consists of plain text only. However, you can also insert images directly into the message and send files as attachments. In this sense, e-mail acts like a package in real life: Here you can send photos, music and videos - all in digital form.
- An email is usually sent within a few seconds and reaches the recipient. It does not matter whether the recipient is currently on the computer: he can read the message as soon as he checks his emails again. They are saved in his inbox on the Internet. He can access it from anywhere in the world.
It's so easy to use email
- First you need an email address from a provider. This acts like a postal address to which you can receive emails. Gmail or Hotmail are possible providers here. We also present three secure email providers for more privacy. But there are also special email addresses for children.
- To access your e-mails and send new messages, you can access the website of the e-mail provider via a browser such as Firefox. Alternatively, use an email program like Thunderbird, which you must first set up correctly.
- And that's it: All you have to do now is click on "New Message", enter a recipient and a subject. Then write your message in the text field and under "Attachments" you can send files if necessary.
By the way, you can read and write emails on the go with a smartphone or tablet.