Send email message from AOL account

Sending an email from an AOL account is a fairly simple process. Obviously, you first need to get an AOL email address, right? Assuming you've done that, jump right in.

Note for the beginner:
If you are completely new to online communication, I suggest knowing more about the different features of an AOL email account. This short introduction will quickly walk you through some of the important aspects of the service. The next step is to get familiar with the AOL webmail - the browser interface - which is probably the easiest way to access the email account.

Once you have the basics nicely tucked inside your pocket, you would be ready to send the first email message from the AOL account.

Requirements to send an email message

Primarily, there are just two things you require to send an email - an email account and the email address of the recipient - the person to whom you are sending the message.

All email addresses conform to the format SOMEONE@SOMEWHERE. The SOMEONE part is the username, sometimes also referred to as the ID, while SOMEWHERE is the domain name. For example, if you make a free AOL email account from the global web site, your email address will be CHOSEN-USERNAME@aol.com.

Before I tell you how to send an email from your AOL account here are a few things you need to know:

• An email can have both text and multimedia files (like images, video etc.).
• The message can be sent to multiple recipients at one go (more on this below).
• All incoming email will arrive at the "Inbox". You can, however, change this default functionality by creating filters in your AOL email account.
• Messages sent from your account (all new email, replies and forwards) will be stored in the "Sent" folder.
• You can always save incomplete emails in the "Drafts" folder and return to them later.

How to send email from AOL account - Step by step instructions

The steps below will walk you through the simple process of sending an email from your AOL account. You'll learn how to compose a message and then dispatch it to the recipient.

• Go to the AOL login page and enter the username and password [Slide 1].
• You shall now get to see the email account [Slide 2]. The bulk of the web browser window is occupied by what known as the "AOL Today" section and it features titbits and latest news. Ignore it for the time being and direct all your attention to the task at hand - sending an email from the AOL account.
• Click on the large "Email" button. You can also use the Alt-W keyboard shortcut [Slide 3].
• The page will change and you'll get a blank email form [Slide 4].
• Type the recipient's email address in the "To" field [Slide 5].
  To make it more interesting, call up friends and family members and get their email addresses. You can have the same message sent to several people by adding their names one after the other in the "To:" field. Copy of the email message can be sent to others via the "Cc" [Slide 6] and "Bcc" [Slide 7]. Click one of these links to bring up the corresponding blank text field.
  FYI, Cc and Bcc stand for Carbon copy and "Blind carbon copy, respectively. This, as you can understand, is a great way to send invitations for the "I've got an AOL email" party.
  FYI, there is an important difference between Cc and Bcc; the latter ensures that individual recipients do not know that the message has also been sent to others.
  By the way, Cc and Bcc are optional and to be used only when you are copying the message to others.
• An email subject is generally a phrase or a line that succinctly describes the contents. It's strongly recommended that you provide each message with a subject - enter one in the "Subject" field [Slide 8].
• Now start typing the actual email contents in the large box [Slide 9].
• Slide 10 shows a typical email message which is ready to be sent.
• When you've finished composing the message, click on then"Send" button (or Ctrl-Enter keyboard shortcut) to dispatch it [Slide 11].

Send better email messages through AOL

OK. These were the basics on how to send a simple email from your AOL account. You can also embellish the message with stationery and attach images or other documents; refer the links below.

• The AOL email toolbar: Change the font, increase size of text, apply emphasis, change text and background color etc. You can also include small emoticons, aka smileys.
• Send photos with email from AOL - email attachments.
• Learn how to use AOL email stationery.