Web-based or ‘webmail’ options
Most email requires you to use email software. This requires you or your organisation’s IT person to get it working on your office PC.
There is an alternative. You can use web-based email or ‘webmail’ which makes it easy to access your email via the web from anywhere in the world.
Rather than downloading mail to your PC, a webmail service allows you to access your inbox from any internet-connected computer without needing to make adjustments to the settings on the computer you are using. Emails are accessed online rather than held on a specific PC.
Benefits of webmail
· Mobility – you can log on at any internet connection anywhere in the world. Particularly useful if you move around a lot in your work.
· Most webmail services allow you to access your office email through the webmail account (check out the settings of the account to do this).
· The basic service is usually free.
Downsides of webmail
· Limited functionality, e.g. sending emails to more than a couple of people is harder; sorting is more cumbersome.
· They are often slower because everything you do has to go back through a remote server. If you are on a slow dialup connection this can be quite a pain.
· Less storage for a large number of emails. Usually you will have to clean out your inbox even more regularly especially if your emails contain attachments. However, you can usually pay to get more storage.