Webmail

Webmail is a great way to get your e-mails when you are away from your own computer.

It's very similar to the e-mail program on your computer, but instead of being at home, you can access your webmail in a library, an internet café, on holiday or at work.

All you need to use webmail is internet access and a web browser.

Your e-mail program

When you use a normal e-mail program you bring the e-mails from your internet service provider (ISP) server onto your computer.

The messages are then stored on your hard disk for you to read using the e-mail program on your computer.

Once you've downloaded your e-mail messages from your ISP onto your hard drive, you do not need to be online to read them.

Webmail is different

As you've probably guessed, Webmail is different to the e-mail on your computer.

With webmail your e-mails stay on your ISP's computer and you use a browser to read them from there.

This means you can read your e-mail messages from any computer with a browser.

You do need to be online to read your e-mails with webmail as you are reading them directly from your ISP's server.

Getting your webmail

To get your webmail you need internet access, a webmail account and a browser.

Internet access

The first thing you need to use webmail is access to the internet.

You can use your internet access at home or work, but if you are happy to pay then you can also look out for internet cafés and street terminals.

Your local council can also tell you about places that offer free access to the internet, such as some libraries and learning centres.

Webmail account

Internet access is useless unless you have a webmail account to have your e-mail sent and received from.

Your ISP may have a webmail service, but if not, ask a friend or work colleague to recommend one.

There are thousands of free basic webmail services. Most also have premium versions with extra features like bigger mailboxes, but you have to pay for these add ons.

To sign up for a webmail account, you need to register and submit your personal details. It's as easy as that!

There is no complicated technical set-up with webmail, just enter your name, postal address, then pick a user name and password, and you're away.

Browser

You've got internet access and you've signed up to a webmail account, but you need the third and final ingredient to really enjoy your webmail - the browser.

Unlike your e-mail program, webmail shows your e-mail as a web page inside your regular internet browser. The great thing about webmail is that any browser will do to use it.

However, the downside of looking at e-mail on the internet is that every time you click on a button or link, the server needs to send you a new web page.

This can make using webmail very slow - especially if there are attachments in the e-mail message.

Using webmail

Webmail works with web pages so you cannot drag or drop messages or attachments from one folder to another.

When you open your webmail account up, the web page will look very much like the inbox in your e-mail program.

Most webmail accounts have the same inbox, outbox, sent mail folders as normal e-mail programs. However, instead of drag and drop functions, webmail programs use check boxes.

Check boxes

To do something to an e-mail message, such as delete it or move it to another folder, you must click on the check box next to it (a small blank box in which a cross will appear).

By checking the box, the webmail program knows which e-mail you want to do something to. You can check the boxes of more than one e-mail at a time.

However, unless you click on the 'Delete' or 'Move to folder' button, the webmail program still won't know what to do with the message. It will be left untouched like all the e-mails whose boxes were not checked.

Other webmail functions

Webmail programs do have most of the same functions as ordinary e-mail programs such as 'Send / Receive', 'Forward', 'Reply' and 'Reply All'.

They also include functions such as 'Print' which allow you to print off the e-mail that appears on a separate web page when you are inside your webmail account.

You must remember to 'Log-out' of your webmail account when you have finished reading your e-mails, because if you are using it on a public computer, anyone could gain access to your messages.