Email Comes in 2 Flavors …
Email comes in 2 flavors: POP and IMAP.
Post Office Protocal (POP), which is less efficient, has its place. If you are the only one working on your computer, if you do not need to share your work and communications, if you have limited storage space on your email server, and/or you have a slow Internet connection, POP may be your best choice.
On the other hand, if you are want to be efficient and manage your time well, Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) is the better choice. IMAP lets you access your email, including previously read email, from many electronic devices and from wherever you are in the world. IMAP provides two-way communication between your mail server and your electronic devices, saving you from duplicating messages, storing them in various places, and generally improving your filing and management systems, saving you time.
Unlike POP, IMAP easily synchronizes messages from different computers, automatically mirrors file folders created on the server or computer, and even stores your sent messages on the server (if you elect to do this). Mail programs that support IMAP even can move messages between folders on the server; between the server and a local mail folder; and even between different IMAP mailboxes on different servers.
IMAP makes handling email simpler and efficient.
While POP can be set to store messages on the server and save emails sent from the server. It is good practice to store messages for a few days at least, just in case some are deleted from your computer hard drive. IMAP will store messages on your hard drive with the proper settings and folders. The one disadvantage to IMAP is the amount of storage space your ISP provides. While you can always rent more storage space, it is a good idea to monitor this.
IMAP makes deleting messages safer. When a message is marked for deletion, it disappears from the inbox or folder, but it is still on the server — and can easily be undeleted if needed. This is especially useful when sharing emails. One person reads and deletes a message, but another can still read it and retrieve it.
Emails are permanently deleted with a purge command. For more on how email works, read How Stuff Works article on email.
By Gayley Knight, aka Mother Geek
mothergeek@businessherway.net