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Using E-mail at Penrith City Library
Electronic mail (e-mail), the most widely used segment of the Internet, is a quick and cheap way to communicate with anyone else in the world who has a Web-based e-mail address. Penrith City Library provides access to the Internet via multiple public PCs at its Penrith and St. Marys branches. Any services such as e-mail, which are freely available on the Internet, can be accessed from these PCs. This service is fee-based (i.e. Library members $3.50 per hour; non-members and casual users $5 per half hour). Please contact either branch mentioned above for further details. Please read the conditions of use for this service.
E-mail Tutorials for First Time Users
If you have never used e-mail before, and don’t know where to start, why not try these quick tutorials:
- A Beginner's Guide to Effective Email - good starting point from Kaitlin Duck Sherwood.
- Electronic Mail - includes sections on 'How Email was Invented', 'How Email Works', 'How To Use Email', 'Advanced Email', 'Security Issues' and 'Help'. This site comes from LivingInternet.com.
- To and From of E-mail is a thorough tutorial on the basics of e-mail written by Tim McClellan at the University of Alberta.
E-mail Tutorials for Proficient Users
Everything E-Mail - Geared for the proficient e-mail user who wants to use their e-mail more productively. Includes e-mail software, locating e-mail addresses, anti-"spam" tools, and e-mail postcards to send.
Electronic Mail - includes a section on 'Advanced Email'.
Personalise your E-mail with emotion
Smiley Central - A listing of emoticons (smiley faces) which are extraordinarily popular in e-mail. Here you'll find dozens of creative examples: "User is a Vampire," "User shaved one of his eyebrows off this morning," "Punk Rocker with pierced lip." *<:-)
List of Free E-mail Providers
The following free e-mail providers are listed in no particular order. This is not necessarily a comprehensive list and the Library does not recommend any one e-mail provider above any others. Please note that if you are using the Internet PC’s at Penrith City Library, that the instructions for the use of these services are available at the sites themselves. Library staff have no further information, and are unable to help you sign up for, use or manage your own free email account or chat. Please also note that some of these sites are very busy so access cannot always be guaranteed.
Choosing the Right Type of Free E-mail Service
If you are unsure which free e-mail service to use and/or don’t like any of the ones listed above, you might like to view more comprehensive listings at the following sites:
- Free E-mail Providers for Australasia - this page features an extensive list of free e-mail providers for Australia, New Zealand and Samoa.
- Free E-mail Providers Guide - This site claims to be the "most detailed and expansive resource for free e-mail". Provides information on over 1,400 free e-mail providers in more than 85 countries. It also contains listings of other "free eCommunications services, such as ISPs, fax, long-distance calls, voicemail, online Storage,etc."
- Free E-Mail Address - a good source for reviews when choosing a free web-based e-mail account.
- Free Email Address Directory - a classified list of free e-mail services, including comments on different providers. It also has articles on topics such as beating spam, e-mail etiquette, and how to choose the best service for your particular needs.
- Choosing the Right Free E-mail - There are many kinds of free e-mail, with different strengths and weaknesses. Choose the right one with this guide. Here you'll find over 550 links to free e-mail services listed, including free e-mail providers in more than 30 languages other than English, mail forwarding services, reminder services, and mailing list hosting. In addition there are explanations of the types of free e-mail (POP mail, web-based e-mail, mail forwarding), guides to beating spam (junk mail), facts about using free e-mail, e-mail etiquette, and e-mail address directories.
E-mail Freebies
The Freesite.com - This site claims to feature the best free e-mail services on the Web, as well as e-mail related services such as mailing list providers and specialised e-mail services. It features services that are all totally free and are usually supported by advertising. This site also lists what they consider some of the best free e-mail newsletters around, as well as the leading international e-mail services.
E-Mail Directories
- Addresses.com claims to be the world's largest email address directory, allowing you to find email addresses for friends, cohorts and acquaintances. Addresses.com's directory is absolutely free and well protected against spam email address collectors. It also claims that its email address directory is larger than all US phonebooks combined. The directory includes international email addresses as well as American.
- Aussie.com.au
- World E-mail Directory
E-Mail Discussion Groupss
E-Mail Greeting Cards
Instead of just sending a plain old e-mail message to someone else on special occasions, why not send a personalised electronic greeting card? Here are a few sites that have a large selection of cards or postcards that you can customise for your own purposes:
Chat Rooms for Beginners
Chat can seem daunting to non-chatters but it is very easy to join a chat room. There are links to chat on a number of search engines. Most chat services ask for an e-mail address, so you will need to first register with a free e-mail service (real names are seldom used), and then register for chat. Have a look at your favourite search engine and see if there is a link to chat on its front menu screen or use one of these: Yahoo! Chat or "The Edge" 96.1 (both of these sites are best used via the Internet Explorer browser - both load much faster!)
Chat Room Directory
If you'd like to know what type of chat rooms are available, look here:
The Ultimate Chatlist - A subject index to live chat rooms on the Web, including a 'best of chat' listing. Other resources include a directory of BBSs (Bulletin Board Systems), a list of chat software, and a glossary of chat acronyms. Categories include: art, business, education, home & garden, international, computers/internet, music, news/events, recreation, religion/race, sales, sports, teen/youth, and travel.
Copyright © 2000-2005 Penrith City Library, Penrith, New South Wales, Australia
Please send your comments and suggestions to colins@penrithcity.nsw.gov.au
Revised: 8 June, 2005
Links last checked: 8 June, 2006
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