Email stands for electronic mail. It is one of the most popular features of the internet. You can type notes, letters, or memos to anyone who uses the web. You can send pictures to friends and family. If you discover an especially interesting web page, you can even email that to someone.

There are also ways to send messages back and forth with other people who are on the internet at the same time you are. If you get the software for this feature, your computer will look for your friends every time you go online and tell you who’s connected at that moment in time. If your friend is running the same kind of software on their computer, then you can send a message that will show up directly and immediately on their screen. This is often called an instant message.

Another variation on this theme is chat. Chat can be a little like walking into a cocktail party. People enter imaginary rooms and share their thoughts. Everyone in a chat room is online at the same time. As soon as you finish typing a message, everyone in the room will see what you've written. At any given moment, anyone (and everyone) in the room might be typing messages. If you are in a busy chat room, the words can run across your screen in a hurry.