Need to Know Blog

First things first: Get an Email Address, or two!

When it comes to surfing the Internet very soon you will realize that you need an email address for most on-line services. Here’s what you need to know and do in order to be happy and secure in the long run:

1. While most Internet Service Providers (ISPs) offer you one or more email addresses, it’s not advisable to use those. At some point in the future you will most likely switch the providers and your email will be gone. Rule #1 - do not use ISPs email account for anything other than communicating with your ISP, even if that.
2. Have at least two email addresses! Most smart people have one personal email address they give to friends and family, business associates, etc. and another one which is for everything else. As I mentioned, most on-line services for which you want to sign up will ask you for your email address. While some are trustworthy sources (like your Bank), other might send you all kinds of stuff you really do not need. While not all of these emails will be spam, it’s better to use the secondary email address for this. Here’s an example which I follow:
   • Use personal email address for:
     • Accessing your bank account on-line
     • Communicating with friends
     • Communicating with business partners
   • Use the other email address for:
     • Signing up for on-line services (Forums, blogs and other)
     • Signing up for newsletters
     • Anything else on line which asks you for an email address and it is not your bank, investment service, etc.

   Following the above suggestion will make it easier for you to access the emails that matter and separate them from the other emails which may or may not be spam. Keeping your personal email address safe and secure will guarantee you wont receive unsolicited emails. If you do not use it to sign up to blogs and forums - no one other than the people you give it to will ever know it even exists.

3. When getting an email address, it also a smart thing to make your personal email address more-less formal. While KitKat99@provider.com sounds cute, a time will come when it would sound better telling your email to someone as KittyJohnson@provider.com (say when you need to submit a resume for example). You can set your secondary email address to KitKat99 easily
4. So much talk about email, but if you are not going to use your own ISPs email - what should you use?
   There are many free email providers on line. The most famous ones, you might’ve already heard of: Hotmail, Yahoo and Google; but which one is the best?

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