Chapter Eight E-Mail

8-1 What is the Electronic Mail
Electronic mail (e-mail) has been a key factor in the increased popularity of networks. E-mail essentially follows the same process as for postal mail (commonly referred to as snail mail). You still need to have the name and address of the recipient in order to have the post office deliver your letter.
8-2 Advantages of Using E-mail
Advantages of using e-mail include:
1- Speed
This is most likely the biggest advantage of using e-mail due to the relatively fast method of communicating with others.
2- Paper Trail
Although people speak about a “paperless society”, there are many occasions when it is prudent to print the message as a permanent record of the communication. This can be very advantageous when you need a timeline for the communications. At the same time, every e-mail program gives you the option to create folders to file or store the messages, giving you a history and storage of older messages.
3- Sharing Information
E-mail is one of the fastest ways of being able to share documents with others.
4- Easy Access
As e-mail can also be included as a service on handheld devices, people outside the office (or home) can continue to send or receive messages from remote locations. As well, wireless devices allow multiple users who share an Internet connection to send and receive messages from any computer sharing that connection.