i should clarify since that's a clumsy way to put it

In 1996 i wasn't using email at all yet - i wouldn't even touch an email system until 1997. i had used a www browser exactly once and saw people using a freenet CLI terminal pretty much every week but i had *no idea* how this stuff worked myself in 1996. I mean looking back, I wouldn't think that there would be "email profiles" that early anywhere on the internet.