Hotmail is Microsoft’s free web-based email service. It is, statistically speaking, the world’s most popular free web-based email service. As of mid-2010, according to a credible source, hotmail had more than 0.35 billion users, putting it well ahead of it major rivals: Yahoomail (at 0.28 billion users) and Gmail (at 0.19 billion users).

Hotmail.com features

Many analysts have argued that one of the factors behind the great popularity of Hotmail (which is officially known as Windows Live Hotmail nowadays) is the fact that Microsoft integrates it with most of their software products; so that most of the people who run Windows also end up signing up for Hotmail. Indeed, the default home-page for Microsoft’s Internet explorer browser is the MSN page, on which there is a very prominent link for people to sign up for Hotmail.

There may be some truth in these assertions. But there is also no denying that Hotmail is quite rich in distinctive features, and that the makers of Hotmail have worked hard, over the years, to ensure that the email system ‘keeps up with the times.’

Some of the most distinctive features on hotmail include:

* The feature that allows you to edit Word document or Excel spreadsheet email attachment right in the email, and then save them on Microsoft’s cloud server. With other free web-based email systems, you would first have to download the document or spreadsheet, before being able to edit it.
* The feature that allows you to view video attachment or video links sent on email directly on the email.
* The feature that allows you to do social networking (for instance on LinkedIn) directly on your Hotmail account.
* The feature that allows you to do everything in your Hotmail email account using your keyboard shortcuts, rather than using the mouse.

… and so much more.

Signing up for MSN hotmail.com

To sign up for hotmail, you will only need to log into to the Window Live Hotmail sign up age, where you will be required to provide a few basic details (your name, your country, your zip code and so) – the sorts of things that will enable Hotmail to serve you better. Of course, you don’t have to give your real details; though it is advisable for you to do so if the hotmail email account you are considering signing up for is one you will be using for serious purposes.

During the sign up process, Hotmail will also require you to select a user name (they call it the ‘Live ID’) and a password. Ensure that you don’t forget the password you select. Also ensure that the username you select is one that is consistent with how you would like to be viewed by recipients of the emails you will be sending from your hotmail account. If you select your username as something like ‘hotlovelybabe,’ and you use it for sending job applications or business proposals, you may end up being sorely misunderstood. Therefore, select both your username and password with care, to ensure that the former is something that presents you in good light, and that the latter is something that you won’t forget (and something others can’t easily guess and gain unauthorized entry into your Hotmail account).

Using hotmail

Having signed up for a hotmail account, there are several things you can use it for.

You can, for instance, use it in sending email. To do so, just click where it is labeled ‘compose.’ Then in the window that opens, put the recipient details and the co-recipient details in the appropriate places. Compose the main email body, make any attachments you want, and click send, to have the email (almost instantly) transmitted to the recipient.

To see any emails you receive, simply click where it is labeled ‘inbox’ scroll up and down the window that opens up, and see whether there are new mails that have come in. The titles of new mails that come in (as indicated on the inbox) will be bolder than the titles of emails you have already read.

Having read your emails, you can either delete them or store them for future reference. Don’t worry about running out of space, because hotmail nowadays has more email storage space than you can realistically find use for.