Early this morning a friend emailed me this question:

If you are using an internet (IMAP) account along with BIS (BlackBerry Internet Service), do the messages deleted or marked read or replied get marked read/replied or deleted back to the original IMAP server?

Say for example, would "Read" mail be marked as read/replied or deleted on the BlackBerry. My friend said he wanted to know because it would help him make his purchase decision.

Well, we have some answers.

IMAP Messages deleted on the BlackBerry are automatically deleted from your source mailbox. However, when messages are automatically deleted from the source mailbox, they may be moved to a Deleted folder, or they may be permanently deleted. That all depends on the account type and server settings for your account. But be assured that messages deleted from the source mailbox are not automatically deleted from the BB.

However, it is also important to note that Messages marked as read / unread on the handheld are automatically marked as read / unread at the source mailbox.

You might also want to know about Sent messages.

Messages sent from the BlackBerry are automatically copied to the Sent folder at the source mailbox. For IMAP accounts- depending on the name of the folder where your sent items are stored- sent items are copied to the source mailbox for many (but not all) IMAP servers.

But you do have a CYA. I recommend that you consider it.

If you are unsure about whether or not these messages are being copied, you have the option of using the Auto BCC feature to copy your Sent items from the handheld to your source mailbox.

For more specific info/guidance, check your BlackBerry carrier's website Support or Help section.