How Does E-mail Work?

First, you need a computer connected to the Internet. If you have an e-mail account (an e-mail address that looks something like example@example.abc) you can send and receive electronic messages to other people who have e-mail accounts (and their own e-mail addresses).

The e-mail of an address is like a telephone number - if you know it you can contact the person directly, using a computer. The next time they turn their computer on to see if any messages are waiting to be read, they can see your message and reply to it.