Why are we all here anyway?

Today, while companies polish up their Websites and try to convince you to simply watch push programs, email is still the biggest use of the Internet. People love to get mail--particularly when it is almost instant, is just about 100% reliable, and is bascially free. This is the fastest-growing form of communication, and is what is creating the demand for newer, faster networks.

The Web has a long way to go before it is as useful as email, and this is why people spend the majority of their time online checking their messages.

How does this all work

Many users access their space by "remotely" logging into the computer. In this method, the computer is generally a UNIX host, where the user issues short text commands, similiar to a PC's DOS prompt. Other users utilize "mail readers," such as Eudora, Mail Drop, and the email portion of Netscape Communicator. These programs often download the user's mail from the mail server computer to the local PC, where the user reads the mail, composes new mail, and deletes or saves the old mail. When this is finished, the program asks the mail server computer to carry out the user's wishes. This is different from "remotely" logging into a mail server, because you often don't see mail as soon as it arrives in your virtual mailbox, but using mail readers prevents typing "lag" which occurs when the mail server is so busy that your words are slow to appear as you type them on the screen.

Hold up; go back to that "virtual mailbox" stuff.

The mail spool is a special place in the hard disks of UNIX computers where incoming email is saved. Each user has their own place in this spool, called their "inbox." For example, as "echernof" on the Isis computer at UNC, I have a special place where my incoming email comes and waits for me to log onto the computer and read it (like a bus station, where visiting friends would be dropped off and then would wait to be picked up.). If I decide to "save" any of this mail, then it would be placed into my other files, which are a lot less temporary. The mail spool is usually a place where you want to only keep your email long enough to read it and reply to it. It is best to then erase the mail or save, but not to simply leave it in your inbox, as that will make it slower for you to retrieve your mail.

How does email travel?

But it is never that simple, is it?

For one thing, many people have multiple email address, and for many people with communication-intense jobs, their inbox can have hundreds of new messages everyday, many of which require a response. On top of this, it is easy to write things which can be misintrepreted (text has no facial expressions), and a late response may draw ire from your email buddies. In fact, it is quite easy to get people angry at your over the email, so here are some good ideas to keep in mind when checking your email:

• Try to be brief. Huge dissertations are hard to get through on screen, and nobody prints out email to read.
• Avoid writing in ALL CAPS. People intrepret this as shouting, and often get angry if you do it. For emphasis, use exclamation marks or indented lines. Only use all caps when you mean to come off as yelling and never write an entire message in all caps.
• Use "emoticons" to substitute for facial expressions. These include: :-) for smiling, ;-) for winking, :-< for sadness :-E for laughing, and several thousand more. In fact, these "smileys" can get so complex, people may not know what you mean by them, so be care about that.
• Don't believe everything you read, and getting junk mail is part of the deal.
• The worst thing you can do to a person is not respond to their email

Also, there are "listserv" programs which, when installed on a mail server, will allow sending mail to one email address to actually send mail to scores or hundreds or thousands of other email addresses. This is useful for online discussions by organizations, college course members and others It is also used by companies to advertise their products via maass email.