What are the top reasons consumers give for using web based email?

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Request for Question Clarification by sublime1-ga on 31 Oct 2005 15:42 PST

jallen62...

There are really not that many reasons for using web-based
email, and the majority of users cite the same few reasons.

Would it satisfy your interest in asking this question if
I provided you with those few, but common and compelling
reasons?

sublime1-ga

jallen62...

Having not heard back from you in several hours, I'm going
to go ahead and post an answer. If, due to the factors I
mentioned in my Request for Clarification, its brevity 
does not satisfy your interests, let me know, and I'll
do what I can to expand on what I've presented.


While there's no page I've found which presents a study or
survey of the question you've posed, an examination of the
search results I've provided will demonstrate the accuracy
of what I've found, which confirms my own personal experience.


ACCESSIBILITY

The predominant reason that people use web-based email is
that they travel and they can access their account from
anywhere, with any computer, even if you don't have any
subscription to an Internet Service Provider (ISP). They
can do so using public computers at the library or at an
internet cafe.

The fact that it's free to use, even for those who do not
choose to pay for an ISP, is also an attractive feature.

Additionally, if, as I do, they have an ISP, they can use
the web-based email address as a permanent address which
is then forwarded to the email address at their ISP. If
they change ISPs, their internet address can simply be
forwarded to their new ISP email address. This precludes
the need to notify all their contacts that they have a 
new email address.

Free web-based email services which allow forwarding
include Gmail and Hotpop.com - both of which I use.


SECURITY

Web-based email solutions allow the user to check their
email by way of a web browser, precluding the possible
download of attachments which might contain trojans or
other viruses. In addition, most web-based email offers
virus detection and spam filtering with no effort on 
the part of the user. Which brings us to:


SIMPLICITY

Web-based email eliminates the need for the user to know
how to configure a PC-based client such as Outlook Express,
and precludes the need to understand how to set up filters
for spam and other annoyances.


STORAGE SAFETY

Reliable web-based email companies can be trusted not to 
lose your email archives or address book contents, which
can easily be lost in a computer crash in which your PC's
operating system or hard drive fail.


MISCELLANEOUS

- Web-based email can be accessed in the work environment.


On the downside, the major objection to web-based email is
that, if you have a slower internet connection, opening 
your emails in a web browser will take longer than opening
the same mail which has been downloaded to your PC. This is
readily offset by the increased security, safe storage, and
easy accessibility provided by web-based email solutions.


Please do not rate this answer until you are satisfied that  
the answer cannot be improved upon by way of a dialog  
established through the "Request for Clarification" process. 

sublime1-ga


Additional information may be found from an exploration of
the links resulting from the Google searches outlined below.

Searches done, via Google:

"web-based email because"
://www.google.com/search?q=%22web-based+email+because%22

"use web-based email because"
://www.google.com/search?q=%22use+web-based+email+because%22

"prefer web-based email"
://www.google.com/search?q=%22prefer+web-based+email%22

"web-based email is"
://www.google.com/search?q=%22web-based+email+is%22

Good. Thanks