E - M A I L E-mail is Electronic mail and is widely available on online services and BBSs. The actual workings of the e- mail operation vary from system to system. Private e-mail systems are very similar to some message bases. In fact, the differences become blurry on some BBSs. Many BBSs use the QWK off-line mail handling standard. If the BBS you are calling uses this standard, you can obtain QWK off-line mail reader software that will automate the task of mail handling. It will automatically upload and download your mail. Then, you can read and compose new mail off-line on your own time. There are many QWK-compatible mail-reader programs offered as shareware. Ask the sysop (system operator) of a BBS for recommendations. Most of the online services and many BBSs now offer Internet e-mail. This means you can send and receive Internet mail from almost any commercial online service and a growing number of BBSs. Such e-mail offers an instant and inexpensive way to communicate with others anywhere in the world. Try pricing an overnight letter to a foreign country. You can send e-mail twenty-four hours a day seven days a week. It provides a cheap substitute for long-distance phone calls. INTERNET E-MAIL When you address mail to an Internet address, it consists of two parts: 1. The name of the person to whom you are sending the mail (or ID number) followed by the "@" symbol. 2. The Internet host name of the system which your destination mail recipient is using. To send mail to a CompuServe user, you would use their CompuServe number followed by the "@" symbol and compuserve.com which is the Internet host (domain) name given to CompuServe. Note that you substitute a period for the comma in the CompuServe member's ID number. So, if the mail recipient's CompuServe ID number is 12233,4455, their Internet address would be: 12233.4455@compuserve.com Note that NO SPACES APPEAR IN AN INTERNET ADDRESS. This is very important. The .com suffix that appears after CompuServe describes the organization. Here, the .com means commercial. Other Internet host suffixes are .edu for educational institutions, .gov for government offices, .mil for military sites, and .org for organizations. Suppose someone went by the user name of JohnBee on Delphi. To send him Internet mail you would address it like so: johnbee@delphi.com Note that delphi.com is the Internet host (domain) name of Delphi. If you send Internet mail on Delphi, you will need to place quotes around the Internet address. Because of such differences, it is essential that you read the instructions that come with your online service or, better yet, get a good third-party book about the particular online service you are using. When you send Internet Mail once, make a note of how you did it. The next time it will be much easier. To send Internet mail to an America Online member, you might use an address like: stevennpr@aol.com The aol.com is the Internet host name of America Online. Other Internet host (domain) names are as follows: AT&T Easylink attmail.com FidoNet fidonet.org GEnie genie.geis.com MCI MAIL mcimail.com Prodigy prodigy.com DIFFERENCES IN INTERNET MAIL ADDRESSING Each online service has its own way of addressing mail. For example, suppose you were on Delphi and wanted to send Internet mail to Mary Moneypenny on Compuserve. Suppose Miss Moneypenny had a CompuServe ID number of 11223,4455. On Delphi, when you get the TO: prompt, you would type: internet"11223.4455@compuserve.com" Then press Z to send the mail. Note that there are no spaces in the above Internet address. Also, note that Delphi requires quotes to be placed at the beginning and at the end of the Internet address. Addressing Internet mail on CompuServe is a little different. Suppose you were on CompuServe and wanted to send Internet mail to Jack Horner at Delphi. You would send CompuServe Internet mail like so: >internet:jackhorner@delphi.com Note that a CompuServe Internet address required a greater than sign before the word internet, a colon after the word internet, and did not use quotes like were required on Delphi. Because of such subtle differences, it is essential that you read the instructions that come with your online service or get a good third-party book about the particular online service you are using. You can usually ask for help and most online services will respond quickly. The Studio PC BBS has a FidoNet address of 1:3619/1. The first 1 is the zone, 3619 the network, and the last 1 the node. To send Internet mail to a FidoNet address, you need to reverse the Fidonet address numbers and add the letters f, n, and z and place periods to separate these items. Yes, it is a bit peculiar, but keep reading! These letters will be explained below. Note that a period separates the first and last name. To send me Internet mail, my FidoNet Internet address is: steven.woas@f1.n3619.z1.fidonet.org In the example above the: f signifies the node number n signifies the network number z signifies the zone number Some BBSs assign individuals a point number for their FidoNet address. If an individual has a point number, it is at the end of the fidoNet address. Suppose John Doe had a point number of 9 in his FidoNet address at the Studio PC BBS. His FidoNet address would be 1:3619/1.9. However, to send him Internet mail at his FidoNet address, you would address it like so: John.Doe@p9.f1.n3619.z1.fidonet.org Note that in the above example there is an extra p number. This is only for FidoNet addresses that use a point number. The p signifies the individual's point number, and it goes right after the @ character in this Internet Fidonet address. It can take a couple of days to move FidoNet mail because it is often transferred to a number of BBSs along the way. You should realize that others may read your messages. However, most sysops have better things to do. You can also send Internet mail from a FidoNet BBS. With so many FidoNet BBSs around the world, chances are there is a FidoNet BBS near you. Since BBSs run many different BBS software packages, it is best to ask the sysop (system operator) how to send Internet mail on his FidoNet BBS. Most BBS sysops are eager to help members. ======================================================= This section is finished. Copyright (c) 1995 by Steven Woas. All rights reserved. Registered users of MODEM WORKSHOP receive "Steve's Essential Internet Tips" as a bonus. See OTHER PRODUCTS at the main menu for a description and pricing on these exciting products: Steve's Essential Internet Tips Detective Databases, 1995 edition Online Medical! 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