Welcome to the wonderful world of…….

A Quick & Easy Guide.  What IS ?  A quick, easy and convenient way to send a letter to friends, family or employers.  It’s QUICK. Messages you send arrive almost immediately at the other end.  No waiting for the postman!  It’s FREE. No stamp required, FREE.

Why Bother?  is now the method many employers prefer you to contact them by.

Yes, but APART from employers!  Sometimes money is tight and phone calls can be expensive.  allows you to stay in touch for free plus:  You can send photos.  You can send documents.

“But It’s Probably Complicated!”  “And I HATE computers!”

Fear Not  It’s much easier than you think. Honestly!  On the next few pages we’ll see just how simple it is to set up your own account.  We’ll also look at some of the do’s and don’t’s.

“Ok Then, How Do I Start?”  There are several companies who provide services.  2 of the most well known are YAHOO and Hot MAIL.  Most providers offer similar services but some are easier to use than others.  Speak to friends and colleagues for their experiences before deciding.

STEP 1  SETTING UP YOUR NEW ACCOUNT As a new user you will need to SIGN UP

START HERE

“OK, Carry on…”  Whoever you choose you will be asked for a few details.  These are usually your name, address and postcode (bring a note of your postcode if you can’t remember it.)  You will then be asked to think of a USER name and a PASSWORD.  The USER name & PASSWORD are very important.

USER NAMES & PASSWORDS  Your USER NAME is like your street address. This isn’t secret, (if it was nobody could send you an !)  The computer will ask you to choose the address you want BUT there are millions of users and the chances are that someone else has already thought of or

Don’t Panic!  The computer will suggest some alternatives for you. They may be close enough for you to be happy with  EG: or If you don’t like the suggestions, think of something else. The computer will tell you if that name has already been taken. If you don’t like the suggestions, think of something else. The computer will tell you if that name has already been taken.

BORING BUT IMPORTANT!  When choosing an USER name, don’t make it too rude or silly.  might make your friends laugh but it probably won’t impress an employer!  There is nothing to stop you having more than 1 address and many people have a sensible name for business , and a personal one with a user name that suits their personality.

SECURITY  The computer needs to be sure the person using your account is actually you.  There will probably be information in your letters that you don’t want other people to read.  Most of us wouldn’t want strangers reading our mail or diary so……….

PASSWORDS  If your USER name is like your address,  Your PASSWORD is like the key to your front door.  You wouldn’t let a stranger have your door key so DON’T let anyone know your password.  Your password needs to be 6 or more letters long (you can include numbers if you like.)  Remember, if someone has your password, not only can they read your mail. they can send things in your name and that could cause you a lot of trouble!

 KEEP YOUR PASSWORD SECRET!

IMPORTANT!  Before charging into the world of there are some very important unwritten rules that you really should follow.  THIS IS NOT A LECTURE, JUST SOUND ADVICE!  Because is almost instant it is VERY easy to cause offence or give the wrong impression of yourself if you write before thinking.

 When you write a letter on paper it gives you time to see if you have said what you really mean.  is more like a conversation, and in conversations it’s easy to be a little more ‘frank/brutal/rude’ than you should be.  If you receive a rude or someone has annoyed you….DON’T CHARGE IN!  in haste, Regret it at your leisure!

So, You’ve Got Your Account…..What Do You Do?  Most accounts do the same thing, they have ‘rooms’ where you  COMPOSE. This is where you write a new letter.  IN BOX. This is where you read letters sent to you.  SPAM. This is the version of junk mail that we get through the letterbox. Most SPAM is of no interest but take a quick check before you DELETE it (destroy it). Every now and then a proper will arrive in your SPAM. (The reasons for this are FAR too boring to bother you with now! There will also be a ‘room’ for SENT mail. this is all the letters you have sent. And a DRAFT ‘room’ where you can save letters you haven’t finished or sent yet.

INBOX SPAM

COMPOSE.  To Compose & Send an you need to know the address of the person you’re writing to. Just like a letter in the post.  tells the computer you want to write to Mandy and that her is handled by Hot Mail.  This is the information needed on the line marked “TO”. (Told you this was easy!)

COMPOSE (continued)  You will see a couple of lines under TO.  These can be discussed later when you’re happy with the basics. They are useful tools but not vital.  You will see a line that says SUBJECT. You don’t HAVE to put anything in here but it can be useful for you or the person receiving. You can use this to say; Job Ref POR456678, or For Attention of R.Smith.

Enter Person’s Address Here Your message goes here. Job Ref: POR 56221

So.  You’ve entered the correct ADDRESS  You’re happy with your letter  Now it’s time to SEND

SEND

 You’ve got mail! So; You’ve SENT Your First ……now things get exciting!

You Know You’ve Got Mail If There’s A Number Next To INBOX 1

To Read Your Mail  CLICK ON INBOX

Click Here To Reply

So That’s The Basics  By Now You have Set Up Your  You Have Sent Your First  You Have Received & Read Your First Mail.  CONGRATULATIONS!

Can Do SO much More  The best way is to experiment.  Through regular use you will discover many useful features.  Have Fun, Stay Secure.