Setting up an email account

Use email to stay in touch with friends, family and colleagues, wherever they are. Email is also a handy way of keeping track of your hobbies and interests by signing up to newsletters and is fast-becoming the primary means of contacting many organisations – from businesses to your local council.

What you can do with email

• Send and receive messages from friends, family and colleagues
• Create your own, unique email address, which people can use to contact you
• Receive newsletters and updates from organisations that you choose
• Sign up to other online services (online services nearly always require you to have an email address)

How to get an email account

Use an Internet Service Provider (ISP)

If you have the internet at home from an Internet Service Provider (ISP) such as BT Broadband, Sky, Virgin Media or AOL, you will most likely already have an email address that was set up when you first obtained the service. If you need help accessing this account contact their customer services for your login details.

Get a free internet-based email address

Whether you have access to the internet at home or not, you can register for a free email account with one of many websites that offer a free email service – for example, Yahoo!, Hotmail or Google. Once you’ve registered an email address with one of these providers, you will be able to send and receive emails on any computer with internet access.

All have similar features, are constantly being developed to make them as easy to use as possible, and have some built-in safety features to filter out any unwanted emails, called Spam.