E-mail Basics
By Jane Maringer-Cantu
What is E-mail?

E-mail is electronic mail.
 You can exchange electronic mail
(e-mail) with people around the
world.
 E-mail provides a fast, economical
and convenient way to send
messages to family, friends and
colleagues.
What is an E-mail Address?
You can send a message to anyone
around the world if you know the
person’s e-mail address.
 An e-mail address defines the location
of an individual’s mailbox on the
Internet.

jmaringer@gavilan.edu
Parts of an E-mail Address
An e-mail address consists of two
parts separated by the @ (“at”)
symbol.
 An email address cannot contain
spaces.

jmaringer@gavilan.edu
Parts of an E-mail Address
Username@domain name
jlmcantu@yahoo.com
The user name is the name of the person’s
account. This can be a real name or a nickname.
The @ symbol (“at”) separates the username
from the server name.
The domain name is the location of the person’s
account on the Internet. Periods (.) separate the
various parts of the domain name.
E-mail Addresses

The domain identifies the kind of
organization that hosts the mail server. The
most common are:

.com for companies or commercial

.edu for educational institutions
.net for networking companies
.mil for military organizations
.gov for government departments and groups
.org for non-profit organizations or other groups




E-mail Addresses

E-mail addresses outside the U.S. typically
have a two-letter suffix designating the
country.

.ca for Canada

.au for Australia
.uk for United Kingdom

E-mail Addresses

Here are some addresses of some famous
people:
President
president@whitehouse.gov
 Brad Pitt
CIAOBOX@MSN.com
 Tom Brokaw nightly@nbc.com
 James Woods jameswoods@aol.com
 Bill Gates
askbill@microsoft.com

Smileys
You can use special characters called
smileys or emoticons, to express
emotions in e-mail messages.
 These characters resemble human
faces if you turn them sideways.
Smile :-)
Laugh :-D
Cry :’-(
Frown :-(

E-mail Netiquette
Manners on the Internet
Electronic mail is not protected
and not private.
 Write with clarity and courtesy.
 Be careful when replying to a
message.
 Keep messages concise or brief.

Netiquette Continued
Never send chain letters over the
Internet or forward emails unless you
take the time to comment to the
specific person.
 Angry or heated messages are called
“flames”.
 Use the subject or RE: line to clearly
state the topic of your message.

Netiquette Continued
Using all CAPS gives a word very
strong emphasis. It can also have the
effect of SHOUTING! It is also a strain
on your eyes.
 Always use upper and lower case
letters when typing e-mail messages.
 Spell-check your message before you
send it.

Netiquette Continued
Using the cc. and bcc. fields when
writing your email message respects
your contact’s privacy.
 Before sending very large
attachments, make sure you
compress your files.
 Don’t act like a spammer, if you want
your business to be credible.

Let’s go to your email account
or www.yahoo.com

In your location field or textbox, type in
www.yahoo.com and click Enter.
E-mail Login

You must log in with your ID and password.

If you want to give your address to your friends
so they may write you, you need to use the
whole Yahoo Mail address.
Composing a Message

Always type in the complete address in the TO: section.
Composing a Message

Don’t forget to type in the SUBJECT in the
Subject text box.
Sending Attachments

You can attach files such as documents,
pictures, programs, sounds and videos to
a message.
Sending Attachments

The computer receiving the message
must have the necessary hardware and
software to display or play the file.
Contacts

You can add your favorite addresses to
your address book (Contacts tab).
Any Questions?