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You will love using e-mail. You can get in touch with old friends -- and stay in touch with new ones. And for America Online users, there's nothing like that delightful phrase, "You've got mail!" WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH E-MAIL? Send mail to anyone, anywhere in the world (as long as they have an e-mail address). Get mail from anyone, anywhere in the world (as long as he or she has an e-mail address). Forward e-mail directly on to others. Attach and download documents, photos, and even links to Web sites. File and organize your e-mail. Keep a digital Address Book for easy access. GET STARTED 1. Sign up with an Internet Service Provider (ISP). They're the ones who will hook you up to the Internet. You can use America Online, or a local service provider. Ask around and see what your friends use. Once you decide, your ISP will probably send you disks to load onto your computer. (Very often your computer is already set up with Internet-ready software.) 2. You might have to fill in some boxes. Expect to decide what your user name will be, your password, the phone number your computer will dial, and a few other basics. 3. Choose a User Name. You can come up with some clever names but remember, avoid choosing a name that will embarrass you. You might have to give your e-mail address to your boss or your Aunt Gertie one of these days. 4. Once you are set up with your provider, you will get an e-mail address. The first half of the address will be your user name. The second half will be the name of your ISP. 5. Choose an e-mail program. SEND MAIL 1. Click on New Mail. You'll see a box on the screen. First, in the box that says "TO:" put the person's name to whom you're writing. In this case enter "janedoe@oxygen.com" 2. Fill in a Subject. Be informative, or make it fun. 3. Now is the time to write your message. 4. Click Send. Pretty easy, isn't it? Your message will arrive quickly. If you want to send your message later, click Send Later. 5. Reply to Mail is another option. After reading someone's message to you, simply click on "Reply" and you'll see that your response is automatically set up to go to that person. You'll also see their message is still there. You can keep or erase it. You can even respond to it line by line. GET MAIL 1. Click on Get Mail. 2. You'll see a list of mail you've received. Click on it and it'll open. 3. You can save an e-mail address so you don't have to memorize or look it up each time. Depending on your e-mail program, it could be in "Favorites," or "Contacts" or "Address Book." FORWARD MAIL 1. Let's say you received an e-mail with a funny joke that you think your cousin Trudy would enjoy. You don't have to retype the whole thing. Before closing the e-mail, just click Forward. A new box will appear with the e-mail -- and that joke -- already in it. Just type in Trudy's e-mail address and click Send. Done. (Heck, send it to 30 people while you're at it!) ATTACH FILES 1. You can attach a file that is stored on your computer. It's a good idea to know where the file is so you can find it quickly. 2. If someone sends you an attached file, you can retrieve it just by clicking on it. You can save the file on your computer, too. For more information on this, go to the downloading tutorial. FILING Even those with very messy desks can easily organize their e-mail. You can create any folder you want for storing messages. Try creating a folder for work, one for personal correspondence, and one folder just for things to read "someday." SPAM - It's Not Just For Breakfast Anymore Spam on the Internet means junk mail. It can be an e-mail from some company you never heard of offering you millions of dollars. It can be a company doing a bulk mailing announcing great prices on barrels of bologna. Whatever it is...you don't want to get it...and you certainly don't want to send it. (If you're an America Online subscriber, go to AOL's HELP section for information on how to help block unwanted "mail.") E-MAIL ETIQUETTE One thing to remember about the content of your e-mail: Sometimes it gets in the wrong hands, so don't write anything you wouldn't want scrolled across Times Square. There are also some plain and simple guidelines for online and e-mail etiquette - also known as netiquette that makes e-mailing just a bit more pleasant. print this lesson | back to lesson main page Send an Oprah Goes Online e-postcard to a friend and let that person know you are officially online!