Need an Email?

In order to sign up or subscribe for anything on the internet (such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, your favourite cooking website, etc), you will need to register with an email address. Don't have one? No worries, creating your own email address is very easy, allow us to show you how in this blog post.

The benefit to choosing an email such as Gmail, as opposed to the email address that is given to you by your internet service provider (for example, @kos or @sympatico), is that you will always be able to access your email, even if you change who you get your internet service from.

(Note: There are numerous kinds of emails that you can choose from (i.e. Gmail, Hotmail, YahooMail, etc), however, because the library uses Gmail, that is what we will be showing you how to set up today.)

Let's Get Started!

1) Go to www.gmail.com .

2) In the right-hand corner of your screen, there will be a red button labeled “CREATE AN ACCOUNT”. Click on this.

3) This is where you will begin to fill out your information.

a. Names: You will be asked to fill out your first name, last name, and create a username. Note: You will need to have a unique username. In order to see if your preferred name is in use already, simply click on "check availability!", after you have typed in your username. Gmail, will let you know if it is available, if not, they will attempt to provide you with some alternatives.

b. Password & Security Questions: You will now be asked to create a password. Make it something that will be easy for YOU to remember, but difficult for others to guess. (Preferably not a password from this list.) Once you have chosen your password, you will be asked to type it again in the space below (this is to make sure you have keyed it in correctly as the characters are hidden). Once you have selected your passwords, Gmail will now request that you select and answer a security question. The security question is there in case you forget your password.

c. Recovery Email: Fill in this field, only if you have a second email address (for example an @hotmail.com or @sympatico.ca address). If you do, then in the event that your password is forgotten, Gmail will send your password to your second email account.

d. Location & Birthdays: Select your country from the drop-down menu and key in your birthday in MM/DD/YYYY form.

e. Word Verification: Key in the characters that you see in the image. If you find that you can’t read the writing, then you may click on the button that looks like a circular arrow, to refresh the page and read a different set of letters. For the visually impaired, you may select the button that looks like a speaker, to have the words read out loud to you.

f. Terms of Service: Next you are required to read the “Terms of Service”. Once you are satisfied, click on “I accept. Create my account.”

You're Finished!

You have created your Gmail account! You will now be faced with a screen similar to the one below. Click on the blue button that says “Show me my account”.

Now you can access your email from anywhere! Use this email address, when prompted by your favourite websites to register.

Enjoy!

- Picton Computer Lab

For more information, or for a lesson on how to use the many features of Gmail, feel free to contact the computer lab, and our staff would be pleased to help you!