Using email

Email is a fast and efficient way to communicate. It is very useful for sending messages to which you need a timely reply, it's a great way to keep people informed about developments and it also makes it easy for people in different geographical locations and time zones to discuss topics and issues. It can be used as a tool for planning, and for content creation. However, email is not ideal for more nuanced discussions, and because it is text-based it can be easy for the tone of comments to be misunderstood.
You can access an email account in two ways, either using an application dedicated to receiving, sending and managing your messages, such as Outlook Express or Thunderbird, or via your web-browser, using online services like Gmail, Yahoo Mail, or Hotmail. Before doing anything, you will need to open an account with an email provider (see below).
The main thing to remember about email is that all data travels on the internet in a readable format, so if someone intercepts your email along the way, they can read the content easily. You would be surprised by just how many people could view this content if they wanted to. The internet is a huge, worldwide network of computers, all directing traffic among themselves, so there are very many different people who have the opportunity to intercept a message in this way.