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An e-mail ("E"
for electronic) is a letter sent electronically. Whereas
regular mail is sent through the postal system, e-mail is sent to
a
computer via the telephone line. You can send and receive e-mail
from
anywhere in the world. All you need is a computer, a regular telephone
line,
and a software program used for sending and receiving e-mail.
Although there's a wide variety of programs used to send and receive
e-mail,
these software programs have some features in common. E-mail programs
work
by helping you compose your letter and then sending it to your recipient.
An electronic mail is generally made up
of two parts: (1) Recipient(s) List,
which identifies the addressee and destination where your e-mail
is going;
and (2) the Message, which contains the actual text of your letter.
An e-mail can have one or multiple recipients,
and because your messages are
sent at a speed of 2400 to 14400 bits per second, it is possible
to send
a one-page letter (the size of a regular bond paper) in less than
ONE second.
This makes it possible for marketers to send e-mail to tens of thousands
of
potential customers practically overnight.
HOW E-MAIL WORKS
One way of sending e-mail is by using an on-line service like Prodigy,
CompuServe, or America On-Line. However, a more effective way of
establishing
an e-mail system is by going on the Internet. Through the Internet,
you can
send and receive e-mail from any person who on-line, regardless
of the
on-line service they are using.
HOW TO GET STARTED
Contact an Internet Service Provider (ISP) in your area. Your ISP
will likely
charge you a flat fee of $30 to $40 a month to give you a dial-up
Internet
access. This means, anytime you want to get on the Internet all
you have to do
is dial the access phone number which your ISP gives you.
Once you're on the Internet, you can send
e-mail anywhere in the world, and
it won't cost you a penny. Remember, all you're doing is accessing
your
ISP's computer which is a local call away. However, through your
ISP's
system, you are able to send e-mail to anywhere in the USA and to
147
countries around the world.
MULTIPLE E-MAIL
By sending multiple copies of the same e-mail to a number of people,
you
are able to do direct selling without any cost. There are a number
of mailing
lists available on the internet itself, giving you the e-mail addresses
of groups and individuals to whom you can send your information.
