More than 100 billion emails are sent and received every month. Email is definitely seen as a primary way to communicate for many people. So besides clicking send and tidying up your inbox daily, do you know what goes on behind the scenes? Do you understand how your email functions? If we mentioned that your email server is IMAP, would you know what that means?

Before I started working at Contactually, I had a vague understanding of what the difference was between IMAP vs. POP3. Actually, in all honesty, I only knew that my email address was connected to IMAP because when I connected email to my phone that’s the one that worked.

These aren’t things you learn even when you’re using email and you’re not alone in this. We frequently get questions on the difference and we receive even more questions on other nuanced email terms. For example: “Is my email account POP3?” or “What’s the difference between IMAP vs POP?”

Knowing these terms won’t affect your daily tasks. However, when you are buying a new software, connecting your email to another device, or even sending out a mass email having the knowledge about these terms can prevent headaches and probably mistakes.

Download our Email Terminology Cheat Sheet…

Here are some of the questions you’ll be able to answer by downloading this cheat sheet:

  • What’s the difference between IMAP vs POP3?
  • How do you identify an email server or client?
  • What does deliverability mean?
  • What is an email alias?
  • What does it mean when someone “opts-in?”

Keep this cheat sheet handy, especially when you are implementing new tools where you need to identify the important terms we all forget the definitions to. There are many other terms out there and these aren’t the only terms you may need to know; however, this is a good place to start.

Let us know what you think and Download the Cheat Sheet here!