How does e-mail know how to get where it's going? Everybody who's connected to the Internet is assigned a unique e-mail address. In a way, this address is a lot like the address of your house or apartment because it tells everyone else your exact location on the Net. So anyone who wants to send you an e-mail message just tells the e-mail program the appropriate address and runs the Send command. The Internet takes over from there and makes sure the missive arrives safely.
What's this netiquette stuff I keep hearing about?The Net is a huge, unwieldy mass with nо "powers-that-be" that can dictate content or standards. This is, for the most part, a good thing because it means there's no censorship and no one can wield authority arbitrarily. To prevent this organized chaos from descending into mere anarchy, however, a set of guidelines has been put together over the years. These guidelines are known collectively as netiquette (network etiquette) and they offer suggestions on the correct way to interact with the Internet's denizens. To give you a taste of netiquette, here are some highlights to consider.
Keep your message brief and to the point and make sure you clear up any spelling slips or grammatical gaffes before shipping it out.
Make sure the Subject lines of your message are detailed enough so they explain what your message is all about.
Don't SHOUT by writing your missives entirely in upper case letters.
Don't bother other people by sending them test messages. If you must test a program, send a message to yourself.
