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Webmail. Many people have heard of it and quite a few people all over the world use it, but not many people realise just what it is. Webmail does have some advantages over normal email but at the same time it has a few constraints. The decision of whether or not use webmail depends on a person’s or business’ circumstances.

 

Webmail, as one can guess from the name, is a system whereby mail can be delivered and sent via the web. The biggest difference between webmail and, for lack a better term, traditional email is this: webmail is intended to be accessed via a web browser like Internet Explorer or Mozilla FireFox while traditional email is intended to be accessed with client software like Microsoft Outlook or Mozilla Thunderbird.

 

This is for many one of the greatest advantages of webmail over traditional email. Unlike traditional email that require a person to remember the details of their email server if they find themselves logging onto another computer, webmail can be accessed anywhere in the world as long as there is an Internet connection and a browser to use. This allows anyone the opportunity to check the email no matter where they are as long as there is an Internet connection – even on their mobile phones!

 

Granted, this advantage is also one of the biggest problems with webmail. The only way to gain access to it is with an Internet connection. This includes old messages as they are not downloaded to the computer that the webmail is being accessed from. Traditional email clients download the messages from the server and store them on the computer. Webmail messages remain online. There are ways around this, however. Many email clients allow people to receive webmail through clients effectively by downloading the messages from the web.

 

Webmail services like Gmail, Yahoo Mail and Hotmail are incredibly useful as they allow anyone the opportunity to create an email address at no cost. People can send and receive all sorts of email messages via their browser – as long as they are connected to the Internet. For businesses with employees that travel often or work from home, the advantages of webmail are obvious. Being able to access your email wherever you go is a serious advantage.

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