Forwarding is the act of redirecting mail from your inbox to another e-mail user. If you have messages from one person that you would like to share with another person, you can forward the messages to the latter. Normally, this is achieved by simply clicking the “forward” button on your e-mail program and entering the second party’s e-mail address.

Forwarding is also a helpful way of distributing important information. For example, you send me an important message and I want to convey that message to Kelly, I simply click the ‘forward’ button in my email program. Kelly then receives the exact same message you sent to me, only it appears in her email program as if it came from me.

When an email message is ‘forwarded’, most email programs place the letters FW in front of the subject in the subject line, letting the person receiving the forward know it is a ‘forwarded’ message.

However, some messages are online versions of chain letters and encourage the recipient to forward them on to someone else. Most “forwards”, as they are called, involve both an inspirational message and a promise for good luck if you forward the message on. Chain email is annoying to most recipients and is discouraged as part of good ‘netiquette’.