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Before You Sit Down

An email account has two important parts: a username (also called an ID) and a password. Think about your new ID before you get started. It can be anything you want, but cannot include any spaces. For example, the library has an email account with the username “askalibrarian.” Most email addresses include a person's name.

Next, choose a password that you will be able to remember. Your new password must be a minimum of six letters and/or numbers long. Your password cannot be the same as your ID.

Getting Started

• Using Internet Explorer on a public computer, go to the Yahoo! home page. Place the cursor in the address bar and type www.yahoo.com. Hit the Enter key or click on the Go button.
• Click on the button labeled Mail, which has a picture of an envelope.

Click on the blue Sign Up link on the right side of the screen, near the bottom. You may also see a yellow Sign Up For Yahoo button. Either one will take you to the right place.

Signing Up

Answer the following questions:

•  Your name

•  Whether you are male or female

•  Your birthday -- you must give an age of greater than 18 years

•  Where you live (your zip code)

In the second section, enter the ID you chose as well as typing in your password. If the Yahoo ID has already been taken by another person, the program will offer several other suggestions. Remember to enter the password twice.

In the third section, you will choose a “security question” that gives you access to your account even if you forget your username. Choose a question from the drop-down menu, then type your answer.

Finally, you will see some distorted letters and numbers in a box and will copy them into a text box exactly as you see them. Click in the check box next to “I have read and agree to the Yahoo! Terms of Service and Yahoo! Privacy Policy,” then click on the yellow button to create your account.

Some Useful Terms

Inbox: Place incoming email is stored.

Spam: Unwanted, unsolicited junk email sent to a large number of recipients.

Trash: Place where deleted messages are moved.

Compose: Click the Compose button to create a new message.

To: Type the email address of the person you want to send a message to.

Subject: Type what the message is about.

Send: Click the Send button when you are ready to send an email.

Tips

Your new email address is now whatever ID you chose, followed by: @yahoo.com. For example, John Smith could have an email address of jsmith78@yahoo.com. Use the spaces below to record your username, password, and email address for future reference, as well as your security question & answer.

USERNAME: ____________________

PASSWORD:____________________ (keep this secret)

EMAIL ADDRESS:________________

SECURITY QUESTION & ANSWER: _______________________________

You can access your Yahoo! email from any computer with a connection to the internet. This is known as web-based email. 

When you want to sign into your email account, follow the steps from Getting Started until you see the main log in page. It has two boxes: one for your ID and one for your password. Enter them both, then click on Sign In.

For more help, try watching these helpful videos from the Camden County, N.J. Library System:

• Creating a Yahoo E-mail Account, Part 1 - Signing up for an account
• Creating a Yahoo! E-mail Account, Part 2 - Using Your New Account