I really wonder how I lived those days when I used to live in hostel about 2000 km away from my parents. Think of my mom, not able to communicate with her only child. In those days, only mode of emergency communication was Telegram that invariably used to reach after everything is over. Telephone was not in the reach of common people and STD facility was not available. A letter a week from both sides was the ruling of my mom but it used to reach (if at all) after a week.
Now things have changed. Email & Cell phone have changed the standard of communication even in this country. Fortunately spreading very fast and dependency on P&T is reducing day by day. Email is the most economical and one of the preferred and dependable ways to send message in today’s urban life even in India. Before choosing an Email service provider let me share whatever I know about it. There are mainly two different types of mail services – POP mail and Web-based Email. We have to look at the advantage & disadvantage of these services because there are multiple options. However, before doing so let me share my opinion on the third variant Mail Forwarding Services.
1. Mail Forwarding Services - Mail forwarding services will forward your messages to an existing email address if you are having an Email address.
Advantage: Could never understand the utility of such services. May be useful to people who do not want to hide identity.
Disadvantages:
Email Instead of directly coming to us it is forwarded by some one else. One more layer surly delay the whole process.
You do not get your mail if the forwarding service is down. Some people earn money by providing such services nothing else.
2. POP Mail – For example, VSNL or Sancharnet are in this category. POP mail services store incoming messages on a server. We may download mails using an email software package like Outlook Express, Microsoft Outlook Express or may be by any other similar package. Messages are deleted from the server once we download mail in our PC. Most ISPs offer POP mail service. One can access POP mails by directly going to ISP but of not much of use because of very limited options.
Advantage:
We can download messages by any Email software like outlook express. We can compose and read message offline.
We can connect to Internet only when we want to send messages and download new mail by using an Email software package.
We can also use advanced option of Email software like spell checking, filters and other features of software package.
We can keep unlimited number of messages because messages are stored on our PC. Size of my *pst file is 150+ MB.
One can re-read old messages without connecting to the Internet. One may make archives of old messages.
Disadvantage:
Big drawback of POP mail is we cannot access our email when not at home or office because we need PC and Email software configured for the service. However, many companies like Yahoo! or Rediffmail offers simple web-based solutions for reading POP mail. Yes, you may access from a cyber café.
We will normally receive lot of Spam / bulk mail in case of free POP mail service. This is how free POP mail providers earn revenue.
One more big disadvantage is all stored messages are lost if PC crashes if we use Email client. I have face this several times.
All messages will remain in the server of ISP if we do not use Email Client. In case of a Free POP mail service space allotted to users is very less typically 5 MB. So, one has to continuously delete old mails to keep space for new incoming mail. This is a big disadvantage.
3. Web-based Email – In case of Web-based email we have to use our Internet Browser to go to the email provider’s site and logon with a user name and password. The email provider stores all messages in their server. Large free Email service providers are in the web-based email business. This service is easy to implement and this service brings more visitors to the site. Many services like Yahoo have functions like online spell-checkers, personal address books, and distribution lists etc. One may use mobile phone to access Email.
Advantage:
We can easily login and access email from any web browser from even a Cyber Café.
We need not configure an Email client to read email. We have to just login to read or write messages.
Mails are secured at the server of service provider. Big one like Yahoo or Rediffmail has anti-virus checks.
Disadvantages:
We spend more time and money because we read and write messages On-Line. We cannot work Off-Line.
We need current web browser to use advanced functions such as Java in order to get advantage of attractive features. Netscape Navigator 4.x or Internet Explorer 4.x is sufficient to use such attractive features.
We are limited to a relatively very small amount of storage space typically a few megabytes. So that will not be in a position to keep old messages for very long due to space constrain.
Most of the free Web-based Email services show banners of several advertisements. This is the source of revenue. But we pay for downloading such banners by spending more time on Internet.
My Options:
I use free POP mail service and Free Web Based mail service. For example, I use mail service of Sancharnet (free POP service) for mails from Mouthshut. Whenever I open Outlook Express, mail is downloaded from the server and stored in my PC. I read these mail during free time. Mail service of VSNL I use for personal mail. My mailbox in their server is always empty and I need not bother about space and going inline to delete mail to make space. Norton checks the downloaded mail. For getting such free services, I have to maintain ISP accounts. Maintaining ISP accounts in India is not that costly.
I have also a mail account with Rediffmail. I have paid a nominal discounted fee of Rs.342 PA to get advanced options. Advantages are
a. I can access mail using my mobile. I can send SMS to a mobile user.
b. I can download mail to my PC using Email clients and read mail when I am free. Mails, after downloading on my PC remains in the server of Rediffmail. So, I am not in problem if I don’t have my own PC with me or if it crashes. I can access Rediffmail from any other machine with Internet connection.
d. Size of my Rediffmail mailbox is 10 MB. I need not go online very often to delete mails. Important messages I store there.
e. They have mail forwarding facility but I have not used it.
I have a Yahoo account (6MB) also because I feel this is the most secured one. Important mails like having a Password I store here. Net banking and Share market related mails are stored here.
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I use all four options to get all the benefit of Email services.
So, friends take wise decision (if not done so far) to take advantages of new technologies. Please share your opinion if you have better option.