There are many types of Email programs available today. However, it is impossible for us to cover each program in depth. Therefore, we have created these pages as a guide to using the Email programs that we have distributed in the past as well as the program we distribute currently. In addition, you will find general questions you may have concerning general Email issues. You also find links to some interesting information about Email.

Although we are currently recommend Microsoft's Outlook/Outlook Express, we still support our customers who use Netscape, Eudora and other mail programs.

1. What is an email address?
   Your email address is made up of several parts. By convention, addresses use lowercase letters with no spaces. The first part of the address, the username, identifies a unique user on a server. The "@" (pronounced "at") separates the username from the host name. The host name uniquely identifies the server computer and is the last part of the Internet email address (for example, my email address is webmaster@Interlync.com). Large servers, such as those used at universities sometimes contain multiple parts, called subdomains. Subdomains and the host name are separated by a "." (pronounced "dot"). The three-letter suffix in the host name identifies the kind of organization operating the server (some locations use a two-letter geographical suffix). The most common suffixes are: .com (commercial) .edu (educational) .gov (government) .mil (military) .net (networking) .org (non-commercial). Addresses outside of the U.S. sometimes use a two-letter suffix that identifies the country in which the server is located. Some examples are: .jp (Japan), .nl (The Netherlands), .uk (United Kingdom), .ca (Canada), .tw (Taiwan).
2. What is a POP Account? And what is my POP Account?
   POP stands for Post Office Protocol, a protocol designed to allow single users to read mail from a server. When email is sent to you, it is stored on the server until accessed by you. Once you are verified, the POP is used to transmit the stored mail from the server to your local mailbox on your machine. Your POP account is the same as your email address: username@interlync.com.  Interlync also support IMAP mail services for advanced users.
3. What is an SMTP server?
   SMTP stands for Simple Mail Transfer Protocol, a protocol used to transfer email. SMTP transfers mail from server to server, and the end user must use POP to transfer the messages to their machine. The SMTP server at Interlync is: mail.Interlync.com
4. What is MIME?
   Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions Encoding (MIME Encoding), is a standardized method for organizing divergent file formats. The method organizes file formats according to the file's MIME type. When Internet (usually email) software retrieves a file from a server, the server provides the MIME type of the file, and the file is decoded correctly when transferred to your machine.
5. What is "flaming"?
   A negative response to an email message or newsgroup posting. If you post an article or send an email to an audience that deems your message inappropriate, expect to get "flamed." The most common recipients of flames are users who post commercial messages in public forums, those who post adult material in non-adult areas of the Internet, and users who post or send make racial or gender-biased comments.
6. Lately, I've been receiving a lot of unsolicited sales pitches in my e-mail box. Is there a way to stop these obnoxious messages?
   Mass mailings of e-mail sales promotions, or spam, is a growing problem. The Telephone Consumer Protection Act, passed in 1991, can be a useful weapon against this abuse. Among other restrictions, the TCPA prohibits marketers from sending faxes to customers to pitch products.

   Replying to the spam with your own angry message is NEVER effective. The message could come bouncing back to you, end up in a dead letter box, or go to the e-mail box of another innocent citizen. Some spams are set up so that if you reply to them, the ad is broadcast to thousands more e-mail boxes or Internet mailing lists--and this time the spam looks like it's coming from your address. Some of the nastier spammers set up their messages to look like they originated from the mailbox of an innocent party.

   You'll find a FAQ for the group on The Net Abuse FAQ page. More advice can be found at the Blacklist of Internet Advertisers page.

   Several efforts are under way on the Internet to develop software and policies to help users screen spams. Most involve deploying special software that will screen out spams based on complaints. E-mail filtering programs are only marginally effective because it's hard to set up rules for screening out advertisements (many use subject lines like "Hi!" to get you to open the message). It's often easier to hit the Delete key.

7. Once you delete it from the trash it is gone for good.
8. How large of a file can be sent to my email address as an attachment to email through the internet?
   The limitation on attachment size would be dependent on the server, but typically this limitation would be around 2MB. Interlync provides an "Unlimited" mail box.  One of the only ISPs in the US to do so.
9. I've started receiving harassing email from four different people using anon names, all from AOL. They claim to be replying to a message I posted on Usenet over a month ago. Is there anything I can do about it?
   Other than deleting the mail each time it's received, you can send the mail to abuse@aol.com.  You may also send us (Interlync Staff) the message.  We would be happy to help you deal with this problem.