I am currently subscribed to AOL and want to change. I have three teen

I am currently subscribed to AOL and want to change. I have three teenage daughters, so I need 5 e-mail boxes for the family. Can you recommend a good server that will handle that?
-Barry

This question was answered on June 26, 2000. Much of the information contained herein may have changed since posting.

This very common situation can be addressed in a number of ways Many ISP’s (Internet Service Providers) will include several e-mail addresses with Internet access or charge a nominal monthly fee for additional e-mail addresses Instead of having to shop around for the best package deal for your family, however, you may want to consider getting a regular dial-up account with the ISP of your choice and have the rest of the family sign-up with one of the many free web based e-mail systems such as Hotmail (www.hotmail.com) or Yahoo Mail http://mail.yahoo.com) This option allows you to shop for the best deal in Internet access without having to worry about the additional addresses Another benefit to having your family members use a “free-mail” company is that they will retain their addresses even if you decide to switch ISPs in the future Web based mail is also very convenient for travelers because they can check their mail from any Internet connected device without having to load or configure software

If the ability to get your mail from anywhere is not important you may want to consider the original free e-mail system at Juno (www.juno.com) Juno requires the installation and configuration of software, but does not require you to have Internet access, so it may be perfect for those that want to give their kids e-mail but not surfing privileges

Another option is to not pay for Internet access at all Companies such as Juno, NetZero (www.netzero.com), Kmart (www.bluelight.com), AltaVista (www.altavista.com) and even Spiegel (www.spiegel.com) are offering free advertiser supported Internet and e-mail services One downside to using these services is that you will be bombarded with junk e-mail The larger better-known systems such as Hotmail are generally the primary targets for hackers and porn vendors as well Most are incorporating blocking and filtering mechanisms to combat this problem so don’t be afraid to try them out since they are free I would highly recommend testing any of the free services for a couple of weeks before turning your family loose on them, so that you have a handle on what to expect (You can sign-up with all of them at once and test them all at the same time, if you so desire.)

Even if you don’t have children that need their own e-mail address, you may want to sign up with one of these services Many of us use them as a way to track which sites are selling our e-mail addresses Instead of giving your primary e-mail address the next time it’s required for a product or service, use a free-mail account address so that no matter what happens, you can easily avoid the potential junk mail If you are a frequent on-line shopper, use a free-mail account for all of your online transactions so that your primary address is not flooded with “special offers” When the address becomes overrun with junk mail, simply “kill” the account and start over!