Finding a good, Web-based e-mail client can be difficult. Of course, you want a service that will allow you to check your e-mail wherever you can find an Internet connection because that’s darn convenient.
Fortunately, Yahoo! makes the search for a Web-based e-mail client simple. Sure, there are a lot of them out there, and I’ve tried several. I’ve been with Yahoo! for years, and that’s the one I use to augment the e-mail service that comes through my local Internet service provider. And, the best thing about Yahoo! is that it’s free (you can pay for some extras, of course, but the basic product will serve most of your needs).
There are a lot of features Yahoo! offers that simply beat the socks off competitors such as Hotmail and those things. First of all, Web-based e-mail sites have a reputation for going ’’down’’ often, thus blocking users from getting their mail. Yahoo! is solid as a rock, and that’s the way it should be.
Also, Yahoo! provides some tools that help users in the constant battle against SPAM. I absolutely hate SPAM, and anyone who’s been on the Internet for a few years knows how often those blasted ads for porn, credit cards and other junk show up in your mailbox. Yahoo! combats that problem in two ways -- a bulk mail filter that keeps you in box free of unsolicited junk and the ability to block receiving mail from certain addresses.
Yahoo! Also offers users the options of scanning attachments for viruses. In this day and age, that’s essential. Some other fine features include an address book, spell checker, quick access to a Yahoo! calendar for jotting down important events to remember and integration with the Yahoo! Messenger. The Messenger is a portable little desktop device which users can have open to chat with friends, navigate through news and sports information and, indeed, notify the user when new mail is received.
And, another handy feature is the ability to use Yahoo! Mail to check other e-mail accounts.
There are some drawbacks to Yahoo! Mail, of course. First of all, you’re limited to 6.0 megabytes worth of storage unless you pay for more space. That’s plenty of space for me, but a person who receives a lot of files and graphics through e-mail could run out of room fast. When sending attachments, you are limited to 1.5 megabytes per e-mail, so there’s another drawback.
Also, a lot of sites won’t accept a Yahoo! e-mail account as a valid address. So, if you’re registering to become a member at some site or another, your Yahoo! e-mail address may not be accepted. That’s not a problem if you have another address through a local or national ISP, but you’re out of luck if (for some reason) Yahoo! is your only e-mail address.
On the whole, Yahoo! Mail is a great little address that’s very handy. While your ISP might change over the years, your address at Yahoo! Mail is permanent. It might be your most permanent address on the Internet, in fact.