CMT 04212: COMPUTER
APPLICATIONS
Session 14
Electronic Mail – E mail
By: Ramadhani Chibwana
Victor Mwambije
1
Electronic mail or e-mail
The electronic mail, or e-mail is a utility that
allows the sending or receiving of messages to
any network users around the world.
While there are many different email services
available that allow you to create an email
account and send and receive email and
attachments
Electronic mail or e-mail…
The speed of the transmission is one of them;
unlike conventional paper letter that can take
several days, and e-mail messages sent through
Internet arrives in a few minutes.
Its low cost is another of its attributes, in contrast
to the high price of long distances international
calls, an Internet user can send all the messages he
wants to any part of the world without paying extra
money for it (you only pays the Internet Access
Provider for the connection time to the Network).
How Does E-mail Work?
Think of email like the postal service.
To receive email, you must have an account on
a mail server.
This is similar to your mailing address where
you receive letters.
We will be using the Gmail/Yahoo/Hotmail
mail server.
How Does E-mail Work?...cont
Your email message is sent from your
computer to a server (it’s like the post office)
where the computer looks at the address (like
the address on a letter) and then directs the
Message on to the server associated with the
recipient’s email account.
An e-mail message is made up of the
following parts:
From
Address of the person or entity who sends the
message.
To
Address of the person to whom the e-mail is
being sent.
Subject
Subject of the message.
An e-mail message is made up of the
following parts:
Date
Date and hour of dispatch. Automatically
generated by the system.
Attachments
Allows to attach the message to a computer
file like, for example, a report, an article,
graphics, software or web page.
An email address has two main components:
1. The user name comes before the “@” sign.
When you sign up for an email account,
you’re usually asked to supply a user name
(your first initial and last name is often used).
Components cont…
2. Domain name
The domain name comes after the “@” sign.
This refers to the mail server, the computer that
stores your electronic mailbox. It’s usually the
name of a company or organization.
Examples type of domain. (.com, .edu, .net, .org,
.[Link], and so forth)
Example of email address
username@[Link]
username@[Link]
username@[Link]
Password
You will also need to select your password.
Make sure your password is something that
you can remember, but no one else can easily
figure out! Don’t ever share your password
with anyone else.
Things to avoid:
Don't use a password that contains personal
information (name, birth date, etc.)
Don't use words or acronyms that can be found in a
dictionary.
Don't use keyboard patterns (asdf) or sequential
numbers (1234).
Don't make your password all numbers, uppercase
letters or lowercase letters.
Don't use repeating characters (aa11).
Things to avoid
Do not send the bank account
Never send your password(email or bank
password) by email.
Do not save your password in your internet
browser (your browser will likely ask if you
wish to save the password) – other people who
use your computer will be able to log in!
Importance of e-mail
You can reach a lot of people at once. It is
possible to send one message to hundreds of
recipients at once.
It's fast. Most messages are delivered within
minutes – sometimes seconds – around the
world without the inconvenience
QUESTION
Explain Advantages and Disadvantages of
using email
Explain steps of using mail account
References
Cook, L.R. (2001). Computer Fundamentals-
Understanding How They Work (1st ed.).
Herniter, M.E. (2000). Personal Computer
Fundamentals for Students, Hardware
Joos, I. Whitman, N. Smith, M. Nelson, R. et al.
(2006). Introduction to Computers for
Morris M. & Charles, M. (2003). Logol Computer
Designer Fundamentals. Prentice Hall.