How Does Email Work?

Email FAQ


What is email?

Email (electronic mail) is the exchange of computer-stored messages (in our context the exchange is over the Internet). Email was one of the first uses of the Internet and is still the most popular. A large percentage of the total traffic over the Internet is email. Email can be distributed to lists of people as well as to individuals. Mailing lists allow you to subscribe and post and read messages on the list which is usually tailored to a specific topic.

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How do I check for email?

To check for your Seanet email, you’ll need to configure your email program, such as Eudora or Outlook (our Help Desk page has links to instructions for configuring the most popular email programs). Typically, you open your Inbox and click Send and Receive or Get Msg (depending on the email program). Your email program then connects to Seanet’s mail server, checks for new messages, and downloads them onto your computer.

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What do I do with email messages after I’ve read them?

After you read an email message, it stays in your Inbox until you delete it. When you delete the message, it is sent to your Trash or Deleted Items folder. Depending on your email program, the message is either deleted immediately or kept in the trash until you empty it. You can also save a copy of the message as a file on your computer or sort it into a special email folder.

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Can I send the same message to more than one person?

Yes. Simply enter additional addresses, separated by commas, in the To or CC fields of the email message window. Be careful when sending to many people at once or to people you don’t know well — most users don’t like to receive unsolicited email or “chain” email and sending such email is considered email abuse.

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Can I send Word documents or graphics files in email?

Yes. You can send Word documents, spreadsheets, graphics files, and even small applications as email attachments. When you attach a file to an e-mail message, a copy of the file is sent with the e-mail message and automatically downloaded to your recipient’s Inbox when mail is checked.

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Is there a size limit for sending email attachments?

Seanet has a 20 MB limitation on outgoing email. However, a good rule of thumb for sending attachments is to send nothing larger than 50 KB. Many email programs have difficulty downloading large attachments which can cause a clog in your recipient’s Inbox and prevent them from receiving any email until the clog is cleared.

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Someone sent me an attachment and I can’t find it. Where did it go?

Your email program automatically saves email attachments (along with the message they were attached to) in your Inbox. You can open and use the file by opening the message and clicking on the attachment icon in the message window. Your computer will then ask if you want to open the file or save it to your hard drive.

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Can I have more than one Seanet email address?

Yes. Some of Seanet’s accounts provide for more than one e-mail address and additional addresses are available to all Seanet customers for an small fee. Just call us and we’ll set it up for you.

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How do I get my Seanet email when I’m traveling?

Yes. Seanet offers two ways to access your email while traveling. We local dial-up service to 98% of the United States for use when no other access is available. We also offer a web-based email interface you can use to check your Seanet email from anywhere provided you can get online.

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Can my friends who use other ISPs or AOL send me email?

You can receive e-mail from people around the world — no matter what ISP they use. Just tell your friends and family to address their email for you to yourusername@seanet.com.

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What are some free Web-based email services?

There are many free Web-based email services. It’s useful to have an account on one of them to use as a public address so you can keep your Seanet email address private and out of the hands of spammers. Three of the most popular services are:

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What do I do if I receive spam?

Don’t respond to the email message. Instead, visit the Spam section of our Help Desk for more information about spam and what can (and can’t) be done about it.

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Why are people who used to get mail to me now getting messages that say the message is undeliverable?

Seanet has recently implemented a series of filters that have drastically reduced the amount of spam getting through to our domains. However, because of the way it works, mail from legitimate users can also sometimes be blocked from delivery. For more information on how these filters work please consult our Seanet Email Setup Page.

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How much mail can I have in my mailbox?

Seanet allows you to keep 100 MB of mail on the server. There is no limitation to the number of emails, only the total size of them all. When using Webmail, you have a 30 MB limit in your Inbox. Should you go over that limit you will need to move some messages to another folder or send them to the trash before Sending/Replying to emails.

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Is there an alternate port for outgoing email?

Due to the limitations of some Internet connections, Seanet gives you the ability to useport 587 instead of the standard port 25. This can sometimes help bypass stubborn firewalls or wireless networks that block port 25.

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