Electronic mail (e-mail) threatens to pervade every one's life..........it has become a necessary tool in all businesses.

Electronic mail (e-mail) threatens to pervade every one's life -- whether you are living in the western world or in a third-world country. A look at today's business cards verifies this fact. Virtually every business card nowadays sports an e-mail address. Businesses prefer to communicate by e-mail, as it is easier, quicker and cheaper. Furthermore, the message goes direct from the desk of the sender to the desk of the recipient.

All that is needed to be an e-mail user is a PC, a modem, an Internet account and of course, a phone line. Ever since the Internet has been commercialized, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have sprung up in almost all the countries in the world. Subscribers only need to pay a small yearly subscription fee to an ISP. What makes e-mail extremely popular is the negligible cost. Compared to faxes, e-mails are extremely cost effective. Sending an e-mail to the United States or Germany costs no more than sending it to your neighbor across the street.

It is also very easy to send an e-mail. When the message has been written, all one has to do is to click on the 'send' button on the screen. The mail gets transferred from the PC to the ISP, and is then automatically sent to the recipient. The sender does not have to worry about a busy line at the other end (as compared to sending a fax). The e-mail software can also be configured for the sender to receive a confirmation e-mail when the e-mail has been delivered and downloaded by the recipient. If the e-mail cannot be delivered, it is returned to the sender with a reason given.

One of the most important reasons supporting the use of e-mail is that it is eco-friendly , No papers are used which means no chopping down of trees! Another advantage of using the e-mail is that it is very fast. For example, an e-mail from Asia to the United States would normally arrive in less than two minutes and within the same country, in less than a minute. This means that e-mails and attached documents, spreadsheets and database files can be routed to friends, family members or colleagues all over the world several times in a day.

Similar to roaming facilities offered on the mobile phone, ISPs offer global roaming for Internet access. A person can dial a local access number in the foreign country (at a small surcharge) and download and upload his e-mails the same way as he does at home, in school or in the office. All that one has to do is to get access to a computer. In short, this means that you can send and receive your mails anywhere and anytime -- e-mails are mobile!

These days, e-mail software provides advanced facilities allowing one to save incoming and outgoing e-mails onto different diskettes. Along with search facilities, this acts as a repository for future reference. This feature is very handy, especially when one is traveling, as a person can now literally carry all his incoming and outgoing communication with him all over the world.

In conclusion, using the e-mail is very advantageous and it has become a necessary tool in all businesses.

Summary: Sending e-mails is easier, quicker and cheaper than sending normal mails. You need a computer, a modem, an internet account and a telephone line. The message goes directly from the sender to the recipient at negligible cost. Since e-mails move quickly, they can be exchanged all over the world several times a day. Besides that e-mails are eco- friendly. E-mails can also be sent from anywhere in the world as long as there is access to a computer and telephone line. All mails can also be saved onto diskettes and carried along wherever a person goes.