In case you use an email account with your own domain name and not a third-party one, you’ll be able to make use of an email software application such as Thunderbird, Apple Mail or Outlook to access and administer your email messages. The benefit of using such apps is that you can also take advantage of other features, such as calendars and address books. There are two email delivery protocols that you can select from when you configure the application of your choosing to access your email account – POP3 and IMAP. With the first protocol, all email messages that are received will be downloaded on your device – mobile or desktop, unless you decide to leave a copy on the email server. With the second protocol, the email messages will be displayed at your end, but they will remain on the server at all times, so you can set up the email account on numerous devices and see the email messages from any location. You will also be able to see old email messages in case there’s a predicament with your Internet service, which is an immense advantage over web-based services.