Electronic mail

An ordinary letter arrives in days or weeks, while an email reaches any place in the world in seconds or minutes and carries not only text but also pictures, documents, audio and video files. Every user has a unique email address of the form name@server, for example ali.valiyev@misol.uz. The “@” sign is called “at” and separates the user name from the name of the mail service’s server. A mailbox is a place reserved for you on the server; messages stay there until you read them. You get to the box in two ways: through a mail program on a computer, or in a browser through a website (webmail). When opening a new mailbox you enter your name, a chosen name (login) and a password; if the name is taken you choose another. Many services have an age limit for signing up or need a parent’s consent, so open a mailbox together with an adult. A password should be long (at least 12 characters), made of letters, digits and signs, not based on easily guessed things such as a birthday or your name, different for every service, and never told to anyone. To write a message, fill in “To” (the receiver’s address), “Subject” (a short title) and the text, and attach a file if needed. Do not open links or files in a message from an unknown sender; messages such as “you won a prize” or “send your password” are signs of fraud (phishing) – delete them and tell an adult. After working on someone else’s computer, remember to sign out of the mailbox. Be polite in writing: address people respectfully and make the subject clear.