2. E-mail at a Glance: How E-mail Works

Like a postal address, an e-mail address specifies the destination of an electronic message.

• An Internet e-mail address looks like this: user name@domain name


• The user name is a unique name that identifies the recipient.


• The domain name is the address. Many people can share the same domain name.


• E-mail is sent and received through electronic "post offices" known as mail servers.


• To read your e-mail, you download it from the mail server. For Web-based e-mail services, like Hotmail or Gmail, you can read your messages directly on a web page.


• Once you enter the address of the recipient, compose your message, and click Send, your e-mail software handles the delivery.


• If the message can't be delivered, for example because of an incorrect address, you typically receive a message explaining why.