If you use an email account with your own personal domain and not a third-party one, you’ll be able to use an email software application such as Thunderbird, Apple Mail or Outlook to access and administer your email messages. The benefit of using such applications is that you can also take advantage of other features, such as calendars and address books. There are two email retrieval protocols that you can choose from when you configure the app of your choice to access your mailbox – POP3 and IMAP. With the first protocol, all messages that are received will be downloaded on your device – mobile or desktop, unless you choose to save a copy on the email server. With the second protocol, the messages will be displayed locally at your end, but they will remain on the server at all times, so you can set up the account on numerous devices and check the email messages from any location. You’ll also be able to see old emails in case there’s an issue with your Internet connection, which is a huge advantage over web-based services.