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Tips on using webmail
Internet service providers offer email accounts to subscribers. If you're considering switching providers, or are setting up new service, see our separate report on ISPs. Most ISPs also offer free web access to users' email accounts.
Web hosts usually include webmail in their hosting packages. We have a separate report on web hosts.
Matt Hamblem of Computer World reports on a comScore study that found that mobile phone email usage skyrocketed by 36 percent in the three-month period ending in November 2010 compared to the same period in 2009.
In "Gmail Tips: 10 features to try now" by Macworld's Kristin Burnham, you'll find helpful, time-saving tips, including how to opt-out of a conversation thread.
In "Email and website statistics," Mark Brownlow at Email Marketing Reports explores the rise and fall of several webmail providers through projected and suspected user numbers, as well as statistics for general email usage.
Upperhost.com provides a quick overview of the differences between IMAP and POP3.
HowStuffWorks.com provides well-illustrated guides to using email, plus specific guides to Gmail, Yahoo! Mail and Windows Live Hotmail.
GoogleTutor.com provides tips on how to make the most of Gmail and other Google services.
PC World New Zealand provides tips on how to save backup copies of webmail, with specific instructions for the Gmail, Windows Live Hotmail and Yahoo! Mail.
Heinz Tschabitscher, About.com's email guide, has a thorough treatise on creating strong, "hack-proof" passwords.
Tschabitscher also provides a breakdown of the 2011 Reader's Choice Awards for best in email:
PC Tools has an interactive tool to help you choose a secure password.
The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) is a good place to keep up with the latest information and concerns about online privacy.
In "How Safe Is Your Webmail Account?," Kim Boatman from the Earthlink Security Center discusses webmail privacy issues and some of the risks for invasion of privacy online. The article includes tips on how to protect yourself -- for example, using strong passwords and backing up email.
In "Gmail Has Won Me Over," Brad Feld of Technology Review shares the results of his Gmail trial run. The experience was a positive one, which Feld said decreased the need for Microsoft products.
Tony Bradley of PC World provides tips for using Gmail as part of his 30-day trial using Google products in "Day 5: Gmail Tips from the Trenches." The article explores shortcuts and account settings to get the most out of your webmail account.
"Day 4: Setting Up Pop3 Email Accounts in Gmail" is from the same series by Bradley, and he offers helpful hints for email set-up.
Wikipedia.org provides a comprehensive chart comparing various webmail services ranging from the leaders in the field, such as Yahoo! Mail and Gmail, to smaller companies such as Hushmail and Lavabit. The chart is a great tool, but with information about webmail service providers changing all the time, it's important to check providers' sites for the latest features.