by Erik Van Tongerloo

Created on: January 01, 2007   Last Updated: October 07, 2009

Getting an email address is really easy but you often need more than one because it is possible you prefer to receive your emails online instead of on your hard disk. When you sign in by a provider for Internet access you get immediately one or more free email addresses. Most everyone has a broadband or ADSL connection and they pay monthly a fee for getting online Internet access all day.

Several years ago you lost your email address if you switched to another provider and you got a new one. Nowadays it is possible in most countries to keep your email address and you don't have to warn all your contact persons that your email address has changed. An advantage of using an email address of your Internet Service Provider is the better customer service. Providers want to keep their clients because they receive money from you for your Internet access and they want to give you the best service. Online accounts, for example Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo are less concerned because their service is free and it is not a big problem if they lose one client.

Another advantage of an email address from your Internet Service Provider is that they work with a POP protocol which you can use in Windows Live Mail or Outlook. A disadvantage is that the emails will be downloaded on your hard disk and you need some extra space. If you don't save your emails on a DVD or CD, you can also lose your emails if you have problems with your computer, for example a crash of your hard disk. Another problem of emails addresses from an Internet Service Provider is that you possible may not have access if you move to a location where no service of your provider is available.

Another possibility for getting an email account is choosing for an online email account. Most everyone has such email address and these can be used worldwide, for example Windows Live Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo, AOL etc. It is easy to get such online account. You only need to sign up for an online account and fill out the registration document. The required fields are your name, gender, birthday, country and a password. Some online accounts may need a little bit more information but these fields are certainly necessary for getting an online account. After you have filled in the verification code you will receive immediately an email and you need to confirm your registration. Once this is done you have an online email account.

Online email accounts have the advantage that you can consult your emails on every computer where you have

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