(Bits & Bytes Users Group)
Computer Club of The Tropics
Return to Tips Directory
History of EmailAs soon as people could connect computers together they started using them to send messages to one another. Early messaging systems were full of problems caused by the differing methods of connecting computers. Also, the speed at which computers could connect was an important factor as was the cost of connecting. Early connections could transmit and receive maybe 800 words in an hour (about one A4 page of text at 150 bps). When the Internet started to become popular in the mid 90s and modem speeds increased in jumps from 150bps to 14,400 bps email became much more popular. The Internet offered a more standard method of connecting computers together. Speeds have now reached 56,600 bps and costs have plummeted. Many people also connect faster than 56k6 via office connections, cable modems etc, though many others have much slower connections. Email is used all over the world. Many people pay high prices, use older software or have slow connections. Some still have proprietary or non-standard email systems.
A picture is worth 1000 words. Emails can now contain pictures, sounds, movies even. Only 10 years ago this was pretty well impossible. 5 years ago it was difficult and unlikely. Types of EmailIn the year 2000 there are two principal ways of doing email
Both have advantages and disadvantages. You can't necessarily choose which way to do email: it depends on the service you sign up with. Both have things in common:
this might be a web page:
or a POP server
you need to know your username
you need to know your password
For standalone email you need to know the SMTP server
Email SoftwareThere are many different email programs, and all offer different features and capacities. Different people prefer different programs. Some prefer panes and panels and toolbars and lots of windows. Others prefer menus and a "clean screen". Your ISP might give you free email software, but you can choose for yourself which software to use. Your ISP might only support the software they supply. Email software is being improved all the time. It pays to keep up to date if you can. In a big office you might be stuck using email software the IT support people supply. Office email systems often work somewhat differently from home email systems. Many people in the world use older or limited email software. Most email software is available for both PCs and Macs, but it might work a bit differently on each. How Email Workshandles that same process like this:
Send a MessageUse the menu item / button to create a new message. Fill in an accurate email address in the To: field. Enter a few words summarising the message in the Subject: field. Type your message in the body area. When you have finished writing (and editing) your message you will see a button which allows you to send the message. If your software is set to send messages immediately your computer will now try to dial up your ISP and send the mail. If it is set to queue messages for later then they will be stored in the Outbox. The next time you dial in to your ISP you will be able to send the waiting messages. NOTESEnter the email address of the recipient with total accuracy. Even a small typo or spelling mistake can stop the message from reaching its recipient. Internet email addresses take a very particular form
Examples
Email addresses never have spaces in them. They usually have various fullstops (known as dots) but they never finish with a dot. It's important whether or not capital letters are used. Internet email addresses always have an @ after the username. ISP restrictionsIn recent years ISPs have introduced various measures to help stop the increasing problem of SPAM. Some ISPs might impose limits on the number of recipients per message. Many ISPs require you to log in through their system before you can send mail. Some ISPs require you to check for mail before you can send. How Addresses are BuiltThe Format of Email AddressesAn email address is put together from standard parts:
Examples:
Email addresses must be totally accurate. Some computers on the Internet regard Upper Case (capital) letters as being different from Lower Case
Email addresses may contain dots (.), hyphens (-), underscores (_), but they never contain spaces. They never end in a dot or fullstop. Inside a body of writing such as an email message, web page or newsgroup posting email addresses should be enclosed in < > marks. This marks them out from other punctuation and shows where the address begins and ends. Immediate or Delayed SendReading and Writing Mail OfflineThe cheapest way to do email is to read and write messages offline. Any decent email software should offer you the chance to read and write messages offline, while you aren't actually connected to your ISP. There's no reason you should be paying good money to just read email, or while you go through the lengthy process of creating that perfect email message. Check the Settings:Go to the Menu or Toolbar or Settings or Preferences for your email software and look for options which allow you to delay delivery or send later or not send immediately. You may also find an option like "Go Offline" under the File Menu. Often software supplied by your ISP is set to send immediately and you need to actually switch that option off. Write Mail Offline:When you write your messages offline they will go into an Out or Drafts mailbox until you're ready to send them. Until you send them you can still edit them, or even delete them altogether. You will need to connect to your ISP at some point and send the queued messages. Collecting Mail:In order to collect your mail you will need to connect to your ISP and issue a command to check the mail (ie don't just look in the In Box). Once the mail has been transferred to your computer you can disconnect and read at your leisure. Plain Text or HTMLPlain TextIn the 1990's email could only consist of letters and numbers. Formatting such as colour, font, size etc was not possible. Pictures and sounds could only be attached to messages, not actually included in them. This has now changed, but not for everyone. Many people are using software which *can* format messages, while many others are not. Some modern email software is automatically set to send formatted messages, even though large numbers of people won't be able to read the messages when they arrive. Microsoft products are especially likely to do this. If you wish to make sure that people can read and understand your messages you need to do two things:
HTMLHTML is the coding used to mark up web pages. It looks like this:
As you can see, it's not easy to read if you're using email software which displays the coding, rather than a formatted message. Some email software will simply display a message which seems to be blank. Some email software will display the message in the way you intended it to be seen. Unless you know how the recipient will see your message you should be sure to send only plain text. If you're sending email to a mailing list *always* turn off the formatting. Change the Settings:Every email program has settings / options / preferences. You can reach these from one of the menus. Locate the item which controls how messages are sent. Set it to Plain Text. You might be able to set this individually for each message. Receive a MessageWhen someone sends you email it is actually delivered to your ISP who holds it in a "pigeonhole" on the mail machine (called the Server). Most ISPs use POP (Post Office Protocol) software to do this. The pigeonhole is labelled with your email address and can only be accessed with three pieces of information:
Anyone can access your email from any machine if they have
Be sure to keep your password safe and use a good password - not your birthday or your dog's name. Reply to a messageTo reply to a message just highlight it in a list of messages or have it open on screen. Then locate the menu item or button for Reply. This opens up a copy of the message with the address of the recipient already filled in. Quickly check the address to be sure that the message will in fact be sent to the person you think it’s going to. The Subject line will be filled in with Re: in front, indicating that this is a reply NotesQuote MarkersMost good email software will quote the original message in full with a marker at the start of each line. The marker is commonly > but in Eudora might be a | (this uses a new standard). Some software might use a different, non-standard, marker while some doesn't use any marker. This makes it harder for the recipient to read and understand the message. Edit MessagesYou should edit the original message, deleting parts which aren’t needed, but leaving enough to remind the original sender what they wrote to you. Add your comments in the logical place(s) - before, after or at places between original paragraphs. Make sure you press Enter / Return a couple of times between the original comments and your comments so as to leave a line of white space. Always make sure to start your comments on a new line which does not start with a quote marker. Quoting and Good StyleThere are some rules you should follow if you want to win friends and influence people:
QuotingQuoting allows you to repeat the words others have already written. This helps remind readers of the context of a discussion. [Note: some people handle hundreds of email messages per day.] When you reply to or forward a message your email software should automatically add quote marks at the beginning of each line of text. It should also automatically include an attribution such as:
Quote marks show the reader that text is quoted from another source. > is universally recognised as the quote mark, but some people edit theirs to be different. If already quoted material is quoted again it usually adds a second layer: >> Further quoting just keeps adding layers. Be careful when quoting the words of others to ensure that you keep the attributions correct. Incorrect quoting often leads to original authors protesting loudly that they did (or didn't) say whatever you have incorrectly attributed. Why Quote?If you send and receive just one or two emails per day you might wonder why you should bother quoting what another person has said. Those who receive hundreds of emails per day find that a quick quote serves as a reminder of a particular discussion. A message which simply says "I agree" or "See you Thursday then" can be lost and swamped under dozens or hundreds of other emails. In a business setting, quoting can help clarify arrangements being made and serve as a record of the discussion. How to QuoteYour email software should automatically quote the whole of an original message when you choose Reply. Check the Options or Settings to ensure it does this. You should now judiciously prune that message down to its essentials and intersperse your comments amongst the quoted material (leaving white space to mark out your comments). It's generally useful to keep quoted material close to your own comments. Some software automatically puts quoted material at the *end* of a message. It should go at the start unless you have a valid reason to quote the entire message. In that case it's often better to start the message with your comments and put all the quoted material at the end. Viruses and EmailViruses - Real and ImaginedTypical Virus Hoax>Received this from a friend working in computer sofware industry - don't >know whether it is a hoax or not but caution doesn't cost anything? >> > > VIRUS WARNING !!!!!! >> > > If you receive an email titled "JOIN THE CREW" DO NOT open it. > > > It will erase everything on your hard drive. Forward this letter out > > > to as many people as you can. This is a new, very malicious virus and > > > not many people know about it. This information was announced > > > yesterday morning from IBM; please share it with everyone that might > > > access the internet. Once again, pass this along to EVERYONE in your > > > address book so that this may be stopped. Also, do not open or even > > > look at any mail that says "RETURNED OR UNABLE TO DELIVERY" This virus > > > will attach itself to your computer components and render them > > > useless. Immediately delete any mail items that say this. AOL has said > > > that this is a very dangerous virus and that there is NO remedy for it > > > at this time. Please practice cautionary measures and forward this to > > > all your online friends ASAP. ConcernsComputer Viruses are a real concern. Computer Virus *Hoaxes* are also a real concern The exact wording will differ but all (false) virus alerts (and other hoaxes) read almost the same. They will have lots of exclamation marks and capital letters. They will urge you to send the message on to everyone you know. They will include vague detail, such as "a friend at Microsoft ..." or "recently". Some FactsAny "authority" issuing a genuine release will include plentiful references where people can easily check the information and there will be plenty of detail - things like specific dates, references to named research and the like. Forwarding the message becomes the virus as it clogs up the Internet, alarms people who don’t know any better, and wastes everyone’s time. Another potential harm from these junk emails is that they dilute the effect of the genuine ones, and divert our attention from the real issues actually affecting us every day. If we receive so many false alerts that we stop paying attention to all alerts we could run into trouble (boy crying wolf, anyone?). If we spend time and energy *responding* to false alerts then that's time and energy we don't spend on the actual issues. Email messages themselves consist only of text. Text alone cannot harm your computer. [Note: some Microsoft email products are vulnerable to viruses through "security holes". If your email software is a Microsoft product you should check the Microsoft web pages for information on your vulnerability to viruses of all kinds.] AttachmentsHow you *can* get a virus on your computer is as an attachment to an email message (or when you download software via the Net). Attachments can be many things: wordprocessing documents, spreadsheets, software, electronic greeting cards, graphics, and so on. Many of these can contain viruses and you should always use an up-to-date and reliable virus checker on any attachments you receive via email. If you find you have received an infected file you should tell the person who sent it to you (and anyone to whom you might have sent it). Viruses can be very destructive and we must all work to prevent their distribution. PCs running Windows are very vulnerable to viruses. If you use Windows you should be sure to load any software patches issued by Microsoft as well as installing, using and constantly updating anti-virus software. Hoaxes and Urban LegendsYou may also receive email messages about kids dying of cancer who need postcards, petitions, or Nike giving away free shoes. INTERNATIONAL 3 DAY PETROL BOYCOTT - April 6th-8th. Last year on April 30, across the USA the American people staged what they called a "Gas Out" across Canada and the USA to bring down the high price of petrol ..........and it worked!!!! It's time we Australian's/New Zealanders took a leaf out of the old American protest book and did something similar, only this time let's make it for THREE DAYS instead of just one. Lets see how many Australians/Kiwis we can get to band together for a three day period in April, NOT TO BUY ANY PETROL, during those three days. ConernsLike Virus Hoaxes, other Hoaxes are an increasing problem. They take advantage of our goodwill and our desire to improve society. Such Action Alerts as the one above sound good, but again, you should check the known sources before believing them. The following message which has been received from the Police and authenticated through the Police Education Resource Branch, is forwarded for your information: "Please be aware of the following: If you get a call on your mobile from a cellnet or vodafone engineer, telling you that they are doing a check on your mobile phone and that you must press #90 or 90# END THE CALL IMMEDIATELY! There is a fraud company on the go who have devised a device that once you have pressed #90 or 90# they can access your SIM Card and make calls from it at your expense. Please inform as many people as you know that have mobile phones" The worst thing is that such items might have a grain of truth. Always authenticate these messages for yourself before passing them along to others. Myth, Hoax and UL SitesAnother good source of information is the Tourbus newsletter produced by Patrick Crispen. http://www.tourbus.com/archives.htm SPAM!!!!After you've been on email a while you might start getting messages from people you don't know. Their subject lines will be like the following
You'll see lots of exclamation marks and many capital letters. The content of the message will offer you easy ways to make lots of money, unique business proposals, hot sexy women, and products like hair restorer or Viagra. These messages usually do not actually have your email address in the To: field (look closely at the headers at the top of the message). ConcernsSPAM is the plague of today's Internet. Spam is also know as UBE or UCE - Unsolicited Bulk Email or Unsolicited Commercial Email. These messages will try to sell you hair tonic, ways to make thousands of dollars while doing virtually nothing, "hot girls", or perhaps 150 million email addresses. This Spam is junk mail and it costs everyone money: ISPs all over the Internet have to invest in extra hardware and software to deal with it, we recipients usually pay to receive it, and it takes our time and energy to handle it. Dos and Don'ts of Spam:Do just delete the messages. Don't ever take up an offer which comes to you from unknown sources. Very often the claims are untrue, sometimes they are downright illegal. Don't ever reply to the messages. Generally they use forged or non-existent return addresses. If not, then all you will do is to confirm that yours is a valid email address and you'll open yourself up to even more spam. If the spam is actually offensive then forward the whole message with all its headers to your ISP and ask them to take action. Further Reading:The Internet community is very concerned about Spam. There are ongoing discussions and activities relating to Spam. Try these starting points for more information: They are US-centric but there aren't really any specifically New Zealand resources. Email via Web BrowserMethods of doing emailPOP via WebOriginally in order to send and receive email we needed special email software. In the last few years various other methods have sprung up. Many ISPs now offer a service where you can check your email via a web page. You need to go to the page they specify and enter your username and password. You can usually delete mail, create new messages, check for received mail via the web page. Messages are usually left on the server if you don't delete them, so that when you use your normal email software you can collect them again. This method is often very slow and clumsy. It does mean though that you can check your email while travelling or away from your regular computer. Web-basedVarious organisations offer free email which you access via the web. The most famous of these is Hotmail. Hotmail is not necessarily the best choice as it has a bad reputation for allowing spammers to use its service. Some organisations block email from Hotmail addresses. Yahoo and a number of other places also offer free email. Check search engine listings for Free Email services. Once you sign up for a web-based email address you can access email via a web browser. You can usually send, receive, file, delete, store addresses, send and receive attachments. This method is usually slow and clunky and is supported by advertising. Web-based POPSome free web-based email services allow you to access POP email at your ISP's account through their own web interface. An example is Yahoo Mail. You enter the pop server information, your username and password and then simply instruct Yahoo to check the mail. Dangers of web-based emailIf you're using the web to check your email in a public place be sure to Log Out when you've finished. If you simply walk away and are still logged in then someone else could use your email account to send offensive mail or spam. This could cause you to lose your account and your reputation. |