the Price of Email

There is no need to pay for email service. I currently subscribe to a free web-based email service that perfectly suits my needs. With this service, I get seemingly unlimited inbox space and a full 20MB capacity for email attachments. I can create filters to sort my emails automatically. There is an automatic spam filter and antivirus scanning. I can also add additional email addresses to my email account. In fact, I have two email addresses with the same account and neither of them is disposable. This web-based email service does, however, allow for disposable email addresses.

Another feature of the service I use is that it can be switched between what they call "classic" or the beta version. When using beta, it looks very much like outlook express and automatically checks for new emails on a regular basis. There is the ability to format your emails, give them color and different fonts and text sizes. It also has spell-check and a feature that automatically blocks images from ads, with a handy button that allows you to view the images. Because my ISP is affiliated with this free webmail service, I have the ability to add "stationery" to my emails. I rarely use this feature, though.

I've never needed to talk with a person about my webmail service. Actually, I don't think I'd be able to if I tried. This is the one drawback for using free webmail. If there is a problem, you really don't have customer service available to help you. Still in all, it's convenient and can be accessed from any computer that has internet access.

Unless you're a professional who absolutely requires ad-free email, stick with the free web-based mail. There are many different email services out there. Just find one that you feel comfortable with and that is easy to use.