Email
Webmail Links
Internet service providers offer email accounts to subscribers. If you're considering switching providers, or need an ISP along with an email account, see our separate report on
Web hosts usually include webmail in their hosting packages. We have a separate report on
IMAP.org has an older but still useful article explaining differences between online and offline email access, as well as IMAP's advantages over 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.
Office-Watch.com provides tips on how to save backup copies of webmail, with specific instructions for the Gmail, Windows Live Hotmail and Yahoo! Mail. The article also covers how to access Office-Watch.com.
The i'm Initiative is a program through which Microsoft donates a portion of the advertising revenue earned through Windows Live Hotmail and Windows Live Messenger to UNICEF each time a message is sent using those services.
Rob Freeman's article at the BBC, "Webmail Worries," tells a hair-raising story about what can happen if you make your password so easy to guess that your webmail account can be hijacked. (Then your password stops working, you lose access to all your email, and your account can be used to send viruses to everyone in your address book.) The article includes good advice on creating good passwords.
SecurityStats.com has an interactive tool to help you choose a secure password.
Jessica E. Vascellaro's March 18, 2009 article in The Wall Street Journal, "Google Inquiry Sought Over Privacy Concerns," discusses a complaint filed with the FCC by the Electronic Privacy Information Center, alleging that Google isn't doing enough to protect data in Gmail and Google Docs.
The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) is a good place to keep up with the latest information and concerns about online privacy.
ComputerWorld.com discusses webmail privacy issues in a long article entitled "The Darker Side of Webmail" that explains how email and contact information can be invaded, stolen or just plain lost. The article includes tips on how to protect yourself -- for example, using a secure HTTPS connection.
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 Thinkpost. The chart is a great tool, but Wikipedia warns that it may not be up to date, so it's still important to check webmail providers' sites for the latest features.
Webmail providers: