Web-Based E-mail

Do you share an e-mail account with other people? Do you use public access such as a library or an Internet cafe to get on the Web? Do you have Web access from work but no e-mail account? Do you travel and need easy access to the e-mail account you have through an Internet provider? Web-based e-mail is the solution.

Web-based E-mail (or Webmail) is e-mail over the Web. You do everything through your browser: read incoming mail, send out mail and attachments, organize mail into folders. Some Web Mail services will filter out spam, the e-mail equivalent of junk mail. Many also screen out viruses.

Webmail is usually free, and there is no software to download and install. You just register with the service and login online - oh yes, and you put up with flashing advertisements on the Web page. Many Webmail services offer a basic version for free, and a premium with more storage and features for a modest yearly fee.

Selecting a Service

Most portals offer a Web-based email system. Microsoft owns Hotmail, Netscape Netcenter has its own Netscape Mail, Yahoo developed Yahoo mail, Google created Gmail.

There is also the independant and excellent Mail2Web service where you can just plug your email address and password to pick up mail from your ISP account, or set up a more permanent Mail2Web Live service.

As well, many ISPs - Sympatico, Rogers, Comcast, Earthlink - provide their subscribers web-based access to their e-mail accounts.

Features to Consider

1. Preferred portal. If you're going on the Web you might as well pick up news headlines at the same time. Which portal (Yahoo, Netscape, MSN, Google, ... ) do you like to use?
2. Space on the server. You'll want to save messages to your hard drive from time to time, and be rigorous in deleting unneeded messages.
3. Inactive days. Many Web mail services will close inactive accounts at 30 to 90 days unless you subscribe to their premium package.
4. Filters for directing incoming mail to particular folders (and junk mail to trash). Some are better than others for blocking spam.
5. Auto reply or Vacation reply.
6. POP accounts. If you have a POP account with an Internet service provider (Point of Presence - a store and forward system used by many mail systems), it is handy to connect to it to pick up your mail. This is important when travelling.
7. Forward Web Mail to your regular e-mail account. Forwarding mail is good if you are using the Web Mail account as a long-term address.
8. Virus Checking. Critical
9. Response Time: Is the service up and fast?

Webmail is being re-designed to feel and look more like a desktop program. Yahoo and MSN have webmail applications in beta testing that will make use easier and faster. These may be available to the public by mid-2006. (See sidebar.)

Inactive Accounts

Inactive accounts are closed. Hotmail will mark an account inactive if not accessed for 30 days and will delete it entirely at 90 days. (This restriction does not apply to paying account holders.) Google's GMail requires that users sign in at least once every nine months; Yahoo.com will close accounts whose owners have not logged in after 4 months. MyWay is one of the few that don't have a restriction.

Selected Services

There are hundreds of Web mail services. Yahoo lists them under Free Email Providers.

The table below compares a small set for the features and prices in March 2006.

Where to next?

You can get more tips about how to find addresses, netiquette, and the workings of e-mail from this Further Reading list.