Electronic mail refers to the sending and receiving of electronic letters and documents on the internet. One of the most common topics asked in different competitive exams is this topic. In this post, we are providing students with a complete note on Electronic Mail (E-Mail). This post is a part of our Free and Complete Computer Notes important for most of the competitive exams such as UPSC CSE, State PCS, SSC CGL, CHSL, MTS, FSSAI, ASRB, Railways, DMRC, CDS, NDA, and others. You can also check out Our Courses.
E-MAIL SOFTWARE
E-mail software falls under communication software that is designed to help the user to read and send individual text documents on the internet so long as the sender and receiver have an e-mail address. Examples of e-mail software include Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, outlook express, thunderbird, etc.
E-MAIL FACILITIES
1. MAILS
a) Checking Mail
In order to check mail, the user has to open the e-mail account by providing the correct username and password. In an e-mail account, click the Inbox command to view a link list of all received emails.
b) Compose a Mail
Composing implies writing. To compose a message, click the Compose command.
c) Send Mail
To send mail, type the correct e-mail address of the recipient, and then click Send command.
d) Forward Mail
A received mail can be forwarded to another recipient. After reading, click the Forward command and then provide the address of the recipient.
2. FILE ATTACHMENT
E-mail software enables a person to attach other files like pictures, music, movie clips, etc to an e-mail for sharing with others before sending. The source of attached files can be from the hard disk or other storage devices.
3. ON-LINE MEETING
It is possible to hold an online meeting with people by sending emails to them e.g., online interviews may involve a person sending electronic mail composed of interview questions to a recipient who can read and answer back.
4. TELEPHONE MESSAGES
Wireless Access Protocol (WAP) makes it possible to send e-mail to a mobile handset and a mobile message to an e-mail account.
5. CONTACT MANAGEMENT
Most mail programs allow the user to develop an address book that holds contact information like the e-mail address of different people.
E-MAIL ADDRESS FORMAT
A typical e-mail address would look like this: NishanteAcademy@gmail.com
NishanteAcademy is the username and is usually created by the user during e-mail account registration.
@ is the symbol for “at” which separates the user name from the rest of the address.
gmail.com is the name of the host computer in the network i.e. the computer on which the e-mail account is hosted.
Com identifies the type of organization offering a particular service(s) and is called the domain, meaning it is a commercial institution.
OTHER COMMONLY USED DOMAINS INCLUDE
| DOMAIN | TYPE |
| .edu | Educational Institution |
| .gov | Government Institution |
| .org | Non-profit-making organization |
| .mil | Military organization |
| .co | Commercial Institution |
| .net | An institution or organization providing networking services |
| .ac | An academic institution |
E-MAIL COMPOSE WINDOW
A typical e-mail compose window has three basic elements:
- HEADER: The e-mail header is made up of the following parts:
- Addresses of the Recipients: The e-mail recipients can be more than one.
- Subject: Presents the topic of the message.
- Attachment: Files attached from other programs such as word processors and spreadsheets.
- MESSAGE: This is the content of the email. It is typically short and to the point. It may include text and graphics.
- SIGNATURE: The signature provides additional information about the sender such as full name, address and telephone number.
ATTACHING FILES TO AN E-MAIL
- Click the Attachment button on the toolbar.
- In the Dialog box that appears, select the file/ files to attach.
- Click Attach button to attach the files.
Carbon Copy in Gmail
The CC field in an email allows the sender to send a “carbon copy” of the email to someone apart from the recipient in the To: field of the email. The CC field in email lets you keep recipients in the loop.
Blind Carbon Copy in Gmail
BCC stands for Blind Carbon Copy. Just like how CC works in an email, BCC is used to send a carbon copy of the email to someone. However, unlike CC, there is a major difference in the way BCC works.
When you CC an email to someone, the recipients in both the To field and the CC field are able to see the email addresses of each other. In the above example, the prospective client can see that your manager has been CC’d in the email. To avoid this, i.e. if you want to keep the carbon copy recipients private, you need to use the BCC field.
All email addresses that are mentioned in the BCC field are kept hidden, so recipients in the To and CC field are unable to see them.