Communicating through e-mails

Subject : English Comprehension

Instruction : Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow

Communicating through e-mails

E-mail is the acronym for electronic mail. It is a way of sending messages in digital form from one person to one or more recipients. E-mails operate through the Internet. Today’s e-mail systems are based on the store-and-forward model. E-mail servers accept, forward, deliver, and store messages. Users’ computers need not be online simultaneously. They only need to be connected briefly to a mail server (a computer that provides other computers with access to mail files) for as long as it takes to send and receive messages.

An Internet e-mail message comprises three components – the message envelope, the message header, and the message body. The message header contains. the originator’s email address and one or more recipient’s addresses. There are many software platforms available to send and receive e-mails.

Examples of free email providers

Popular e-mail platforms include

• Gmail
• Outlook
• Hotmail
• ProtonMail
• AOL
• iCloud Mail
• Yahoo! Mail

Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo mail, and Outlook. The e-mail is a highly effective and widely used form of business communication.

Business organisations can reach a lot of people and give them information in a short time. It is inexpensive, requiring only an Internet connection.

Storing and retrieving e-mail communication is easy to do as it is readily available in soft copy online.

E-mails are a convenient and fast way of sending or sharing information, for example, to an entire workforce in an organisation, with just the click of a mouse.

This can save money for the company. Furthermore, emails do not require paper. Hence they are environment-friendly because they save a lot of trees from being cut down for paper production.

E-mails can also have pictures in them. You can send your birthday cards or newsletters as e-mail.

You can also advertise your products on e-mail. E-mails have their own shortcomings. They may carry viruses. These are small programmes that can harm your computer system. Also, some people send unwanted e-mails, known as spams, to others.

Evaluation

Answer the following questions.

1. What is an e-mail?

2. How does e-mail work?

3. What name does the passage give the system that delivers and stores e-mails?

4. Name the three components of an Internet e-mail message.

5. Mention four e-mail platforms.

6. Mention three benefits of e-mail as a means of business communication.

7. Why are e-mails said to be environment-friendly?

8. How does the use of e-mails save money for a company?

9. Why is e-mail a fast means of communication?

10. What are viruses?