| Email Aliases And Mailboxes Are Not | | | | aliases forwarded to one mailbox.Why, then, you |
| Interchangeable. Using A Mailbox Simply To | | | | might ask, would anyone ever need more than |
| Forward Email Could Be Severely Limiting Your | | | | one mailbox? Good question. (Why didn't I think of |
| Email Flexibility.Whether you're setting up a | | | | that?)One reason might be, let's say your aunt |
| website or an ISP email account, it's important to | | | | from Wisconsin comes to work for you and you |
| know the functional differences between email | | | | want to give her the email address (If the only |
| aliases and mailboxes. They are not | | | | reason you're hiring her is because your cousin |
| interchangeable, and using a mailbox simply to | | | | can't live without her, you might want to give her |
| forward email could be severely limiting your email | | | | the email address ) If you make her email |
| flexibility.First, it would help to note the difference | | | | address an alias (as opposed to a mailbox), then |
| between a POP (Post Office Protocol) account | | | | every time you retrieve your email from , you'll |
| and an SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) | | | | also get her email, which was sent to What's |
| account. Although the ability to send and receive | | | | worse, if you give her access to the mailbox so |
| email comes with most email accounts, receiving | | | | she can retrieve her own email, she'll also see |
| email is normally accomplished through a POP | | | | your email. Technically, there's nothing wrong with |
| (input) account, while sending email is an "SMTP" | | | | this. But from a family relations standpoint, this |
| (output) feature.Mailboxes and email aliases deal | | | | may lead to "technical difficulties" of another |
| with the POP (receiving) aspect of your email. A | | | | kind.So, you make a mailbox, not an alias. (The |
| POP account is essentially a mailbox. As the term | | | | menu options for setting up aliases and mailboxes |
| mailbox implies, it's like a real-life mail box, a place | | | | can vary from one service to another, so I won't |
| to receive your mail (a major difference being | | | | get into that.) Now she can retrieve her email |
| that email travels at the speed of light while | | | | directly from and you can still retrieve your email |
| regular mail sometimes never sees the light of | | | | from , and neither one of you would see nor |
| day.) Once in your mailbox, email just sits there | | | | interfere with the other one's email. This would |
| until you "retrieve" it. (Some services allow | | | | probably be the best solution; because the last |
| mailboxes to be forwarded, but then you'd need | | | | thing you want is to find out that your aunt is not |
| another mailbox to receive the email in.)This is | | | | really your aunt, your cousin is not really your |
| where setting up your "email client" (Outlook, | | | | cousin, and that you were adopted, and you're |
| Netscape email, Eudora, etc.) comes in. By setting | | | | not even you. This can't be good for |
| up the mail-server, ID and password parameters, | | | | business.Email accounts given to you by an ISP |
| you tell the program where to retrieve your email | | | | (like Earthlink, Verizon, etc.) are usually much |
| from. Many email clients even give you the option | | | | simpler in construction and less flexible. In a simple |
| to "leave email on server after retrieval." This | | | | setup, you might get one mailbox with several |
| means that you can retrieve your email (with the | | | | aliases that automatically get forwarded to the |
| "leave email ..." option on) on your laptop, when | | | | mailbox. If this is good enough for you, there's no |
| you're away from home, for example, then later, | | | | need to mess with your website's email features. |
| when you get home, retrieve the same email | | | | One serious downside to this is if you change |
| messages on your desktop (where you might | | | | ISPs, you'll have to give people your new email |
| want to keep a more permanent record of your | | | | addresses. While if you use domain-based email |
| email).Once you retrieve email with the "leave | | | | addresses and then change your web hosting |
| email..." option off (perhaps on your desktop, in | | | | company, presumably your domain name will go |
| the above example), the same email messages | | | | with you and your old email addresses will remain |
| are no longer available for retrieval; they have | | | | valid.The only question remaining now is, if you |
| been deleted from the server.Email aliases are a | | | | change your ISP, you change your hosting |
| different animal. Let's say you have a website and | | | | company, and you change your business location, |
| you've set up a mailbox "mybox;" so your email | | | | do your aunt and cousin come with you? Even |
| address is now Now you decide that your cousin, | | | | tech support can't answer this question.by Josh |
| who works for you, also needs an email address. | | | | Greenberger |
| So you set up an email ALIAS (If the only reason | | | | From shopndrop.comJosh Greenberger: A |
| you hired him is to make your aunt in Wisconsin | | | | computer consultant for over two decades, the |
| happy, you might give him an email address like | | | | author has developed software for such |
| )This email alias, , MUST be forwarded to a | | | | organizations as NASA's Goddard Institute of |
| mailbox, or another alias which eventually goes to | | | | Space Studies, AT&T, Charles Schwab, Bell |
| a mailbox. This is because aliases do not have a | | | | Laboratories and Chase Manhattan Bank. Since |
| "box" of their own for email to accumulate in; | | | | 1984, the author's literary works have appeared |
| they are simply forwarding tools.As a result, if | | | | in such periodicals as The New York Post, The |
| were forwarded to , when you retrieve your | | | | Daily News, The Village Voice, The Jewish Press, |
| email for you will automatically also get the email | | | | and others. His articles have ranged from humor |
| for Using this approach, you can have many | | | | to scientific to topical events. |