A Starting Point: Getting E-Mail
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A Starting Point: Getting E-Mail |
Access Providers: For the person who needs Internet access AND an E-mail account, most access providers supply the e-mail address along with the access. For example, America Online and AT & T provide multiple e-mail accounts with each subscription (these are called client-based access). One advantage to a nationwide service is that travelers can probably get online without long distance charges almost anywhere in the country. Access providers which provide Internet access charge anywhere from $5 to $25 per month and sometimes charge additional amounts if a maximum use (in hours) occurs in the month. A typical charge, though, is $20 for unlimited access. For a person with Internet access (such as through the computers at school or work), free e-mail accounts are available using the World Wide Web instead of e-mail software (web-based access).
Below are four of the most popular "free" places to get e-mail software. Each requires some personal information be submitted and an acknowledgement of accepting a user agreement.
How can they provide these e-mail accounts free? It is easy - they place many ads on their web pages so that every time one checks for messages, those commercials get viewed. The more e-mail users, the more people who see the commercials. So advertising is paying the cost. This is exactly how newspapers (such as the Kansas City Star) can afford to place their publication online free, too.
Locating other e-mail users: Here are a few locations which provide "directory assistance" for the Internet or possibly for typical telephone directory white and yellow pages.
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Contents of this site are copyrighted (1999) by Dr. Blake West, Blue Valley Schools