Communicating: Email and More
On this page:
Methods of Communicating
Email Overview
Electronic Mailing Lists
Instant Messaging
Electronic and Web-Based Conferencing
Methods of Communicating Electronically
Email and the Web have changed the way we communicate -- at work, at home, and even when we travel. MIT supports many different ways to communicate electronically. These include:
- Email Services: IMAP and Exchange
- List services: Athena, LISTSERV (web-based email), and Mailman
- Instant messaging: MIT Jabber Instant Messaging Service, Zephyr for Athena and Linux.
- Conferencing Services: including audio, video and web conferencing services.
Email Overview
MIT has over 24,000 users and processes thousands of messages daily, including the exchange of files, meeting reminders, and requests for help or information. Email sent to MIT email users is routed to one of two supported email systems, IMAP and Exchange. Both services allow sending and receiving mail; have web email access; and provide an @mit.edu email address. Exchange offers integration of email, calendaring with support for mobile devices
You can work with either email system from a variety of programs on your desktop machine or on the web via WebMail (IMAP) or Outlook Web Access (Exchange). As a new member of the MIT community, the options may initially seem overwhelming. However, the resources below will help you learn about email at MIT and how you can get started using it.
- Before you can use email at MIT, you need to Get an Account. Your Athena/Kerberos account gives you secure access to many services and features of MITnet in addition to email.
- Visit Choosing an Email Program at MIT to determine what email program is right for you.
- Once you choose a program (or programs), click on the name of the product:
- In the Email Recommendations chart on the Choosing an Email Program at MIT
- or
- In the Supported Software section of Email at MIT.
- Finally, Email at MIT is a useful clearinghouse of email information. From there, you can find and download supported software, check the latest announcements about email at MIT, learn more about email services, and find out where to go for help for any email related issues.
Electronic Mailing Lists
Electronic mailing lists are generally used to distribute messages to multiple recipients. IS&T provides three email list services: Athena lists, LISTSERV lists, and Mailman lists. For new lists we recommend Athena or Mailman as LISTSERV is being phased out. For more information on MIT mailing lists and how to obtain one, see Email Lists at MIT.
Instant Messaging
As an alternative to teleconferencing and email, instant messaging has been growing in popularity.
IS&T supports Jabber, an instant messaging system that allows MIT users to communicate with one another and Jabber users elsewhere on the Internet. Jabber also supports creation and joining of chat rooms for group communication. Many Jabber clients include support for other instant messaging systems such as AIM (AOL) and YIM (Yahoo). Jabber clients are available for Athena, Linux, Macintosh, and Windows.
Zephyr is an MIT-developed, real-time messaging and notification system for Athena and Linux.
Conferencing Services
MIT's Conferencing services allow groups of people to participate in discussions of many kinds, whether they are about academic courses, business concerns, computing, or any topic of interest to faculty, students, researchers, and administrators. Options include audio conference calls, video conferencing, web-based discussion groups, and more. For more information on the conferencing services available at MIT, see: Conferencing Services at MIT.
