About Email

Email (Electronic Mail), consists of messages which are sent and received using the Internet.

There are many different email services available that allow you to create an email account and send and receive email and attachments, many of which are free.

Email Writing:

Emails are of three types:

• Semi-Formal email
• Formal email
• Informal email

Email Writing Format:

The email writing format is the same for each of the categories. Though the choice of words and language differ depending upon the type of email.

One can use friendly and casual language in informal emails. The language used in formal emails should be professional, clear, and formal.

The email writing format is:

A Sample of Informal Email Writing Format:

An email written for any friends, family members or relatives comes under this category. Use of polite, friendly and casual words along with proper greetings and closings are some of the rules of the informal emails.

Sample: Suppose you have to write an email to your friend inviting him or her to your birthday party.

E-mail Working:

E-mail system comprises of the following three components:

Email working follows the client server approach. In this client is the mailer i.e. the mail application or mail program and server is a device that manages emails.

Following example will take you through the basic steps involved in sending and receiving emails and will give you a better understanding of working of email system:

The following diagram gives pictorial representation of the steps discussed above:

Types of email servers:

Types of email servers	Description
Web-based email	1. Many email providers have a web-based email client (e.g. Gmail, Yahoo! Mail). 2. This allows users to log into the email account by using any compatible web browser to send and receive their email.
POP3 email servers	1. The Post Office Protocol 3 is a mail access protocol used by a client application to read messages from the mail server. 2. Received messages are often deleted from the server.
IMAP email servers	1. The Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) provides features to manage a mailbox from multiple devices. 2. Small portable devices like smartphones are increasingly used to check email while travelling, and to make brief replies.
MAPI email servers	1. Messaging Application Programming Interface (MAPI) is used by Microsoft Outlook to communicate to Microsoft Exchange Server.

Uses of Email:

• It is one of the key parts of an ‘e-revolution’ in workplace communication.
• Email allows individuals and groups to Communicate with one another.
• Information Interchange, Brain Storming and Problem Solving.
• Record Keeping.
• Staying in Touch Socially Transmitting Documents.
• Email marketing via “opt-in” is often successfully used to send special sales offerings and new product information.
• Email has become used on smartphones and on all types of computers. Mobile “apps” for email increase accessibility to the medium for users who are out of their home.

Interesting Facts:

• Almost 2.7 million emails are sent per second. Over 200 billion every day.
• Bill Clinton claims to have only sent 2 emails as President.
• After 24 hours, the chance of an email being opened is 1%.
• Emails apparently have the best chance of being opened within the first hour of arriving in your inbox. After that, the open rate drops to 5 percent after four hours and only 1 percent after 24 hours.
• 60 percent of email is spam.
• Many email marketers are finding that using emoji in their subject lines increases open rates.