ELECTRONIC MAIL

Definition:
1. Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the same time, in common with instant messaging. Today's email systems are based on a store-and-forward model. Email servers accept, forward, deliver and store messages. Neither the users nor their computers are required to be online simultaneously; they need connect only briefly, typically to an email server, for as long as it takes to send or receive messages.

2. Email is Electronic Mail. Email or electronic mail means to send or receive messages electronically

HISTORY
Email was invented by Ray Tomlinson, a computer engineer in late 1971. The first message was sent between the two computers that were sitting beside each other. The first message was QWERTYUIOP. The network used for transferring the message was ARPANET. Ray Tomlinson uses @ symbol to combine the user and the host names user@host like abc@xyz.com. This is usually called address of the person to whom you want to send the message. Email, in todays age has become one of the most widely used internet application. You can send messaged to the other people who are connected with each other through a network. Most of the people in business, government and education prefer using email in comparison to conventional mail which is also known as snail mail for communicating with their colleagues. Email has contributed a lot to the growth of internet as it has brought close together families and friends that are scattered all around the world. As email has come into picture, the task of sending and receiving messages has become very easy. It also eliminates time delays and the other problem which you can face if the message will be delivered physically. It is used frequently in our day to day life now as it is very simple to use.

Components of Email:
An email message consists of three components, 1. The message envelope 2. The message header 3. The message body.

The message header contains control information, including, minimally, an originator's email address and one or more recipient addresses. Usually descriptive information is also added, such as a subject header field and a message submission date/time stamp.

The message header must include at least the following field.

From: The email address, and optionally the name of the author(s). In
many email clients not changeable except through changing account settings.

Date: The local time and date when the message was written. Like
the From: field, many email clients fill this in automatically when sending. The recipient's client may then display the time in the format and time zone local to him/her.

The message header should include at least the following fields:

Message-ID: Also an automatically generated field; used to prevent

multiple delivery and for reference in In-Reply-To: (see below).

In-Reply-To: Message-ID of the message that this is a reply to. Used

to link related messages together. This field only applies for reply messages.

To: The email address(es), and optionally name(s) of the message's

recipient(s). Indicates primary recipients (multiple allowed), for secondary recipients see Cc: and Bcc: below.

Subject: A brief summary of the topic of the message. Certain

abbreviations are commonly used in the subject.

Bcc: Blind Carbon Copy; addresses added to the SMTP delivery list
but not (usually) listed in the message data, remaining invisible to other recipients.

Cc: Carbon copy; Many email clients will mark email in your inbox
differently depending on whether you are in the To: or Cc: list.

Received: Tracking information generated by mail servers that have

previously handled a message, in reverse order (last handler first).

References: Message-ID of the message that this is a reply to, and

the message-id of the message the previous reply was a reply to, etc.

Reply-To: Address that should be used to reply to the message. Sender: Address of the actual sender acting on behalf of the author
listed in the From: field (secretary, list manager, etc.).

ADVANTAGES
1. EMail enables speedy communication 2. Email provides the receiver an option to respond immediately 3. Email saves tons of trees daily (Alternative to papers) 4. Email saves tons of fuels daily (Freight vehicle fuels) 5. User enjoys sending colorful and attractive messages using HTML 6. Businesses enjoys no or low cost communication 7. A new business opportunity for email service providers through Ads 8. A free communication media for users 9. More delightful fast and rich media presentation for receiver 10. After all, email is the first source to interact with a person personally when he is free unlike in a telephone or any real time we need the receiver to be engaged 11. e-mail is a low cost way to transmit messages

12. e-mail messages are always easy to locate 13. it is always a secure means of sending messages 14. it eliminates the need for conventional surface mail 15. you can choose priority (high which is fast or low which is slow)

Disadvantages
1. Lack of computer knowledge among people, so not sure all receiving parties use email system 2. Unwanted SPAM emails 3. Illegal contents including VIRUS damages end user systems, data & reputation 4. Email might not send due to loss of connection to the internet.