What is Email?
Did you know the word 'email' simply means 'electronic mail'. Electronic mail or email allows you to send messages, text, graphics, photos and more to anyone in the world with an email account. Sending an email is similar to posting a letter via your local post office. However, you can send an email from your home computer and your message is received within minutes of being sent.
How Does Email Work?
To simplify how email works, think of how a posted letter is delivered. After dropping off your letter to the post office the company has set processes and protocol in place to deliver your letter. In most cases your post office will employ the use of people, machine and vehicles for deliveries.
When sending an email your Internet Services Provider in conjunction with other providers around the globe deliver email using the same processes and protocol. While posted letters are delivered by motor vehicles, emails are delivered by digital vehicles. There are three main digital vehicles used to deliver, store and delegate emails.
Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) is the standard protocol for sending email. The service offered by SMTP is simple deliver of email.
Post Office Protocol 3 (POP3) is the standard protocol for receiving and storing emails on a mail server. The email delegation service offered by POP3 is simple message delivery to the end users computer.
Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) is another standard protocol for receiving and storing email on a mail server. IMAP email delegation service allows an end user to view and manipulate messages stored on the mail server from any computer. With IMAP the Inbox is stored on the mail server, while POP3 the Inbox is on the end users computer. Stanford University developed IMAP in 1986.
Is Using Your Optus Email Important?
Yes. Optus will communicate to you via your Optus email. Important information such as changes to the service, announcements and Optus Newsletter are all sent to you via email. In addition, Optus competitions may require the use of an Optus email address.