Looking for a Webmail provider? Webopedia explains how an online email service works and lists 10 free Webmail services you can try.
Email Service Definition: What is Webmail?
The phrase email service (also called Webmail) is used to describe access and storage of email messages for users who are not connected to the Internet from their usual location. There are a number of online email service providers that offer easy access to email. All you need is an Internet connection and a Web browser to use the service.
An email service will offer many of the same features and functionality for managing email as desktop email software (email client) counterparts like Microsoft Outlook and Mozilla Thunderbird (email clients). Some of the more popular online email service providers include Yahoo! Mail, Gmail, Hotmail and AOL Mail.
How to Use an Online Email Service
When logging into an email service, you simply enter the Webmail website URL in the address or location field in the Web browser (e.g. Firefox or Internet Explorer). To access a Webmail account users need to type in your username and password (or subscribe to the email service and choose a new username and password).
Instead of the email being downloaded to the computer being used, the messages will stay on the email service provider’s server, allowing the user to access all their email messages regardless of what system or ISP is being used.
When looking for a new email service provider here are some standard features that you will want to ensure the provider offers:
- Contact Management: the ability to store data about contacts
- Inbox Files: the ability to create folder to sort your email
- Storage: the amount of space the email provider offers to store your email
- Spam Filter: An automated service that will filter spam email to a junk folder
- Files: the ability to send and receive file attachments in email messages
- Interface: look for an easy-to-use graphical interface through which you access your webmail service
- Email Forwarding: allows you to forward your Webmail to an ISP mail account and vise versa.
10 Free Email Services To Try
Using an online email service will provide you with a unique email address, storage space and access to your email from any Internet connected device. The following list of email services are free services you can try.
- AIM Mail http://mail.aim.com/
- Excite Mail http://www.excite.com/
- FastMail.FM http://fastmail.fm/
- Gawab http://www.gawab.com/
- Gmail http://www.gmail.com/
- Inbox.com https://www.inbox.com/
- Mail.com http://www.mail.com/int/
- Windows Live Hotmail http://explore.live.com/windows-live-hotmail
- Yahoo! Mail http://mail.yahoo.com
- Zoho Mail http://www.zoho.com/mail/
Based in Nova Scotia, Canada, Vangie Beal is a freelance writer, covering business and Internet technology for more than a decade. She is also managing editor of Webopedia.com.
This article was originally published on January 21, 2011
