Vital Concept: Logging Out of Your Account

One of the most important things to remember is that when you are finished accessing your e-mail you must "log out" - that is, to sign out of and terminate your e-mail service.

Why is this important? If you have a web based account and are accessing your e-mail from a public place, you would not want the next person to use the computer to see your messages or, worse, use your e-mail account to send messages to other people. Worst of all, a person could make changes to your account, such as alerting your password, which would prevent you from logging into your account the next time you tried.

With web based e-mail accounts (including Hotmail.com) find the LOG OUT or SIGN OUT button (or text link) and click on it. If you're accessing your e-mail at home, exit your e-mail program.