Scroll warning:  When you narrow the gmail window, the vertical scroll bar disappears, then the settings gearwheel disappears.  And there is no horizontal scroll bar -- you have to make the window wider to see them.

 Setting it up. Gmail is free. Click here to sign up for gmail   Once you have your account set up, save a shortcut to your gmail page.

 Playlist: Gmail Help

This 6-part tutorial series covers using all Gmail's major features.

Introduction- Describes the videos in the playlist.
Gmail Part 1 - How to Read, Send And Reply to Emails.  Also shows how to inserts hyperlinks in emails.
Gmail Part 2 - How To Use The Gmail Contacts List.How to add contacts manually or from received emails.
Gmail Part 2A - How To Use Email Contacts Groups In Gmail.
Here are some ways to exchange emails with groups of people.
1. you can create an email contacts group. You can send to all group members, each can reply or reply all. 
2. You can create a google group or facebook group. With these groups, all messages and replies are visible to everyone in the group.
Click here for info on Google groups.
Click here for info on Facebook groups.
Gmail Part 3 - How To Manage Spam. How to update Gmail's automatic spam filters.  You may get lots of spam, depending how and where you browse.  They'll range from "click here to refinance your house", to "call this number -- a girl will be at your door in 10 minutes or less".  Gmail has automatic filters to "intercept" those, if you use them properly.
Gmail Part 4 - How To Create Filters.How to use filters and labels to organize received email.
Gmail Part 5 - How To Add A Gmail Signature And How To Insert And Read Attachments.
Gmail Part 6 - How To Set Gmail Options.

Gmail Part 7 - Set Gmail As Your Email Handler (removed).   Google for your particular browser.

Gmail Part 8 - Set Gmail As Your Email Handler. FOR CURRENT SOFTWARE. Supercedes part 7.

Gmail Part 9 - Set Gmail As Your Email Handler For Windows

Use other email accounts.To read email from other accounts into gmail, click "settings", "accounts" tab, click "add a pop3 mail account you own".  To send email with a different email return address (of another account you own), click "add another email address".

Warning on email attachments with replies.  Attachments are files sent with an email.  In normal emails, where you send an email with files to a friend, he reads them and replies to them.  However replies normally DO NOT contain the attachments.  And on blogs (or groups) people frequently reply to replies, and the "second" repliers can't see the attachments.  There is a box you can check to include a copy of the original attachments with a reply you send.  This is shown near the end of tutorial "Gmail Part 5".

For additional help.  Click the settings gearwheel, then "help".  I've also found a LOT of help just by googling (include "gmail" in your search box when you google to solve a gmail problem.,