Hotmail - An Introduction to a Web-Based system

Transcription

1 Hotmail - An Introduction to a Web-Based system Morten Rask Aalborg University rask@i4.auc.dk This document serves as teaching material at the M.Sc. Programme in International Business Economics and the Diploma Programme in International Business Management. It is very important that all students use Hotmail because all messages regarding the study will be send to the student's Hotmail account. When students go on traineeship Hotmail can be used for communicating with the supervisor at Aalborg University. Finally, after the end of the study, former students will get information from their former study at Aalborg University. This document will take you through the process of establishing a Hotmail account and introduce the basics of reading and sending s using Hotmail.

2 Hotmail - An Introduction to a Web-Based 2 Table of Contents GETTING STARTED... 3 CONFIGURATION OF YOUR HOTMAIL ACCOUNT... 5 CREATING FOLDERS... 5 OPTIONS... 6 Creating Filters... 6 Creating a signature... 7 RUNNING HOTMAIL... 8 LOGGING IN... 8 READING AND REPLYING S... 9 SENDING S...10 WHAT THE HOTMAIL COMPANY SAYS ABOUT A LOST OR FORGOTTEN PASSWORD...10 TO CHANGE YOUR PASSWORD...11 PASSWORD - DOS AND DON'TS...11 THE HOTMAIL COMPANY'S LIST OF FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS...11 WHAT IS HOTMAIL?...12 HOW IS HOTMAIL DIFFERENT THAN ?...12 HOW CAN HOTMAIL BE FREE?...12 WHY IS HOTMAIL UNIVERSALLY ACCESSIBLE?...12 CAN I USE HOTMAIL ANYWHERE?...12 CAN I USE THE EXISTING INTERNET SOFTWARE ON MY COMPUTER?...13 I ALREADY HAVE AN ADDRESS, WHY WOULD I USE HOTMAIL?...13 CAN I CHECK MY CORPORATE USING HOTMAIL?...13 DOES HOTMAIL HAVE AN ADDRESS BOOK?...13 CAN I PUT URLS INTO MY ?...13 CAN EVERYONE IN MY FAMILY HAVE HIS OR HER OWN ADDRESS?...13 IS MY PRIVATE?...13 CAN I ATTACH FILES TO MY MESSAGES?...14 CAN I RECEIVE ATTACHMENTS AT MY HOTMAIL ADDRESS?...14 CAN I USE HOTMAIL AS A BUSINESS ADDRESS?...14 WHAT SOFTWARE DO I NEED TO USE HOTMAIL?...14 WHAT IF I HAVE PROBLEMS USING HOTMAIL?...14 I'M ALREADY A HOTMAIL MEMBER, BUT I FORGOT MY PASSWORD. WHAT CAN I DO?...15 DOES HOTMAIL SELL ITS MEMBERSHIP LIST?...15 HOW MUCH JUNK (AKA "SPAM") WILL I RECEIVE?...15 DOES HOTMAIL HOST PERSONAL WEB PAGES OR BUSINESS WEB SITES?...15 WHY DOES HOTMAIL ASK FOR PERSONAL INFORMATION?...15 DO I HAVE TO HAVE AN INTERNET CONNECTION TO USE HOTMAIL?...15

3 Hotmail - An Introduction to a Web-Based 3 Getting Started When you have entered Hotmail's Internet address you will se this screen. The first thing you have to do is to press the Sign Up Here button. Then you have to read and understand the terms of service. You need to accept those terms in order to use the free service. You do that by clicking on the I Accept button.

4 Hotmail - An Introduction to a Web-Based 4 Then you fill in the registration form. You accept the registration by clicking on the Submit Registration button. If somebody has already chosen your choice of address, you have to put in another one. The system will tell you if that is needed. When you have found an appropriate address you will be asked to confirm your selections. IMPORTANT: Write your login Name and password in a secure place. If you forget it you can send an to forgotpass@hotmail.com and Hotmail will send you further instructions. For further information, see page 10. You will be offered to get free news send to your Hotmail account. Be careful to chose only appropriate services. When you have done that, press the Continue button. Congratulations, you now have an account on your own that you can use wherever there is a computer connected to the World Wide Web. IMPORTANT: Write your login Name and password in a secure place. If you forget it you can send an to forgotpass@hotmail.com and Hotmail will send you further instructions.

5 Hotmail - An Introduction to a Web-Based 5 Configuration of your Hotmail Account Creating Folders You will often find that you have too many messages in your In-box as well as your Sent Messages Folder. You will lose yourself in details. That is why you need to create extra folders. Start by clicking the Folders button and then click the Create link. Now you can create extra folders. Start by creating a folder named "Hotmail" and continue with other new folders with name like "news" and so on.

6 Hotmail - An Introduction to a Web-Based 6 Options When you click the Options button you will be able to add your personal profile as well as change the password you selected when you once registered your self as a Hotmail user. You can also choose to customize the appearance and operation of your Hotmail account. Important options are Filters and Signature. Creating Filters Create filtering rules is to deliver incoming messages into specified folders and to block junk . The first of the important filters are Blocked Filter list. Here you can put in e.g. a former girl or boyfriend and other sources like commercial newsletters, you will not bother to read.

7 Hotmail - An Introduction to a Web-Based 7 The next important filter is filter that automatically moves incoming mails to an appropriated folder. You can e.g. make a filter that moves mails send from the Hotmail company from the In-Box and store them in the Hotmail folder. Creating a signature The last important option is to create a signature. You press the Option button and then the Signature link. You can now put in information about yourself, which will automatically appear at the end of each you send.

8 Hotmail - An Introduction to a Web-Based 8 Running Hotmail Logging in When you have entered Hotmail's Internet address you will be asked to put in your login name and password. When you have done that, click the Enter button and you will enter Hotmail Centerpoint. From here you can manage your Hotmail account and as the most important; you can see if there are any new messages in your In-Box.

9 Hotmail - An Introduction to a Web-Based 9 Reading and replying s To read messages you have to click the In-Box link. The next screen will list the incoming messages. To read one of them click on the sender's name. Alternatively you can move checked messages to a selected folder by selecting the message, then choose a folder and finally click the Move to button. You read your s by clicking on the sender's name. When you have read the messages you can answer the message by clicking Reply or Reply All. You can also send the message to another person by clicking Forward. Another possibility is to Delete or Close the message. Finally you can also browse between the messages in the In-box by pressing Previous or Next. If you don't want to receive mails from this sender in the future, you can press the Blocked Senders link. A reverse case is when you want to remember the sender's address press the Save Address link.

10 Hotmail - An Introduction to a Web-Based 10 Sending s When you want to send a new message, click the Compose link. You can send e- mails by doing three basic things: Enter the recipient's address in the To: box; type your message in the large main box; then click the Send button. Remember to add your signature. You can attach a file to your message by clicking the Attach File button. Explanations of the options available come to you if you click the Help link in the bottom right corner of the page. What the Hotmail Company says about a lost or forgotten password If you've lost or forgotten your Hotmail password, you can regain access to your account. Hotmail has a very strict procedure for releasing passwords. Please send Hotmail the following information about your account, for verification purposes. Hotmail will not under any circumstances reset a password without this correct information. 1. Login Name 2. Name 3. Zip Code 4. State 5. Country 6. Telephone Number 7. Year of birth 8. The Addresses Saved in Your Address Book 9. Names of Folders in Your Account 10. Approximate Date of Last Successful Login 11. Approximate Date of Registering Your Account 12. Any Hotmail Premium Services You Use For security reasons and to help you regain access to your account as quickly as possible, all requests for help regarding passwords MUST be sent to the following address ONLY: pw_verification@hotmail.com As long as you provide ALL the information requested and the information is correct, Hotmail will reset your password and it to the address from which you sent your request. When you can access your account again, change your password.

11 Hotmail - An Introduction to a Web-Based 11 To Change Your Password 1. Click the "Options" button at the Navigation Bar. You are taken to the Options page. 2. Click the "Password" button. You are taken to the Password page. 3. Type your current password in the 'Current Password' field. 4. Type your new password in the 'New Password' field. 5. Re-type your new password in the 'Re-Type New Password' field. 6. Type something that will help you remember your password in case that you forget it again. 7. Click "OK." WARNING! A Hotmail employee will never ask you for your password, either over the phone or by . Hotmail only requires your password when you log into your account and even then, your password is not displayed. If you encounter a message that asks for your password, please forward it to abuse@hotmail.com immediately. Do not respond to the inquiry. It is important that you DO NOT share your password(s) with anyone, even someone claiming to work for Hotmail. Remember to change your password regularly as a security measure. Password - Dos and Don'ts 1. Do not use dictionary words from any language. For example, "armchair," "fauteuil," or "silla" 2. Do not use proper names, such as the name of your pet, best friend, or significant other. For example, "James" or "Fluffy" 3. Do not use all numbers. 4. Do not use personal information that a person could easily figure out. For example, if your favorite movie is "Gone with the Wind," don't use "Scarlett" as a password. 5. Use a combination of letters, numbers, and punctuation. For example, "amos94$!" 6. Use something that you can remember, but is difficult to figure out. For example, "VLso39!" (An abbreviation for "Vivien Leigh played Scarlett O'Hara in 1939!") If this information doesn't answer your question, please write to forgotpass_x@hotmail.com and describe your issue in detail. Hotmail will send you further instructions. Inquiries will be answered on a first come, first served basis. Please be as detailed as possible in your message that way Hotmail can give you a clear and concise reply. For more information about lost and forgotten passwords go to Hotmail's Help Center at The Hotmail Company's list of Frequently Asked Questions Some of your questions may be answered here. Hotmail recommends that you check this list prior to sending requests for information to Hotmail. This list will be expanded as additional common questions arise. You can find the updated list at

12 Hotmail - An Introduction to a Web-Based 12 What is Hotmail? Hotmail is the world's largest provider of free Web-based system. Hotmail is based on the premise that access should be easy and possible from any computer connected to the World Wide Web. By adhering to the universal Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) standard, Hotmail eliminates the disparities that exist between different programs. Sending and receiving from Hotmail is as easy as going to the Hotmail Web site at logging in, and sending an message. By using a Web browser as a universal program, Hotmail brings your personal information to you in a globally-retrievable form. How is Hotmail different than ? provided by Internet Service Providers (ISPs) requires the use of a properly configured program. To access provided by services such as CompuServe or America Online, a member needs proprietary CompuServe or AOL software. These client/server systems are inherently limited and closed because they require the use of proprietary client software. access on these services is not universal, difficult while traveling, and virtually impossible from overseas. Hotmail is based on open Web-based technology. The Web browser, which is more universally available than any proprietary program, is used for sent from and received by Hotmail. Web-based Hotmail is accessible world wide, offers a cross-platform solution, and is cheaper and easier than using traditional programs. An additional advantage of Hotmail is that a member is not required to install any new software other than a Web browser. How can Hotmail be free? Hotmail is free because it is advertiser supported. Hotmail will always be a free service. Why is Hotmail universally accessible? Hotmail is a site on the World Wide Web. It is accessible via any Web browser (Netscape Navigator, Microsoft Internet Explorer, Opera, etc.) from anywhere around the globe, from any type of computer system, at any hour. Accessing your personal Hotmail is as simple as going to and typing your Login Name and password. Can I use Hotmail anywhere? Absolutely. You can access Hotmail from any computer that has a local connection to the World Wide Web. The increased availability of Internet kiosks and public Internet connections in libraries, cafés, airports, and universities make remote access to Hotmail easy.

13 Hotmail - An Introduction to a Web-Based 13 Can I use the existing Internet software on my computer? Yes. Hotmail does not require any proprietary software. You need to have a Web browser installed on your computer and you need access to the Internet. You can have Internet access via an ISP or your company. Hotmail recommend using the newest version of Microsoft Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator for best viewing results. I already have an address, why would I use Hotmail? Hotmail is the one-stop solution. You can check your using your Web browser. Your is available anytime, anywhere. For example, if you attend college, you may have an address at school. Do you feel cut off if you can't check your when you're home on vacation? Use your Hotmail account! If you travel, Hotmail travels with you. Even if you are just separated from your computer, you can use any computer connected to the Internet to check your Hotmail. In addition, you can check up to four POP Mail accounts using your Hotmail account. Can I check my corporate using Hotmail? Yes. If your corporate POP server resides outside of your company firewall, you can use Hotmail to access your POP Mail from anywhere in the world. Corporate employees also enjoy the privacy afforded by the Hotmail no-hands administration. Does Hotmail have an Address Book? Yes. Hotmail has an easy to use method for adding addresses to your personal Address Book. Can I put URLs into my ? Yes. You can create a link to any valid Web page or address by typing the complete address (such as in the text box on the Compose page. Hotmail automatically creates the link to this address. When the recipient receives your message, the address appears as a link that he/she can click to go directly to the Web site or to send a message. Can everyone in my family have his or her own address? Yes. Each and every member of your family can go to the Hotmail Web site and create a personal account for him or herself. In fact, Hotmail does not allow account sharing, so Hotmail encourage families to register an account for each family member who will be using Hotmail. Is my private? Hotmail realizes that is private correspondance between the sender and the recipient. It is Hotmail's policy to respect the privacy of its members. Therefore, Hotmail will not monitor, edit, or disclose the contents of a member's private communications unless required to do so by law or in the good faith belief

14 Hotmail - An Introduction to a Web-Based 14 that such action is necessary to: (1) conform to the edicts of the law or comply with legal process served on Hotmail; (2) protect and defend the rights or property of Hotmail; or (3) act under exigent circumstances to protect the personal safety of its members or the public. For more information, see our Privacy Policy ( Can I attach files to my messages? Yes. If your Web browser supports the attachment of files (such as Netscape Navigator 2.0 and later, Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.02 or later, etc.), you can send attachments using Hotmail. Can I receive attachments at my Hotmail address? Yes. Attachments sent to your Hotmail account can be downloaded to your personal computer by clicking them. GIF and JPEG images and HTML files are automatically displayed in the browser window. Can I use Hotmail as a business address? No. You may not use your Hotmail address as your primary business address. If, however, you work for a company with which you have an address and you want to use your Hotmail account to send and receive while away from your computer at work, you are encouraged to do so. Example of Prohibited Use: You are an individual who runs a business. You and your employees want to use Hotmail accounts rather than registering and administering your account through a paid ISP. Example of Allowed Use: You are a businessperson who travels. You have an account with your company (yourname@yourcompany.com). You use your Hotmail account to read and send solicited messages while you are travelling. Hotmail prohibits account sharing. Since Hotmail is accessible from everywhere in the world, each individual is able to register for his or her own personal account. You are encouraged to register an account of your own, to which only you have access. Sharing an account compromises the privacy and security of your . Each Hotmail member must have his or her own account. What software do I need to use Hotmail? Hotmail requires that you use a Web browser that supports graphics and nested tables, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 or later or Netscape Navigator 2.0 or later. For a richer Hotmail experience, Hotmail recommends that you use a Web browser that also supports JavaScript, frames, cookies, and style sheets. Text-based browsers, such as Lynx, do not meet our requirements. What if I have problems using Hotmail? No problem! Hotmail has a dedicated staff of Technical Support and Policy Enforcement Representatives. Hotmail also uses a convenient autoresponder system so you can receive answers to your questions in minutes. Send a blank message to support@hotmail.com and the autoresponder replies with detailed instructions.

15 Hotmail - An Introduction to a Web-Based 15 You can forward unsolicited, harassing, or threatening messages to abuse@hotmail.com for immediate action. To receive a prompt response to your concerns, be sure to include a complete, unedited copy of the message, including the full message headers. I'm already a Hotmail member, but I forgot my password. What can I do? Please send a blank message to forgotpass@hotmail.com and Hotmail will send you further instructions. Does Hotmail sell its membership list? Absolutely not! Hotmail keeps all individual member information, including the addresses of its members, private. Hotmail Corporation does not maintain or sell any lists. Please refer to our Privacy Policy ( ) for more information. How much junk (aka "spam") will I receive? Hotmail does not condone or support the sending of junk (aka "spam") through our system. The Hotmail Terms of Services (TOS) strictly forbids sending unsolicited and Hotmail terminate all reported accounts that are in violation of the TOS. If you do receive unsolicited , report it to abuse@hotmail.com. Remember to include a complete copy of the message, including the full message headers. Does Hotmail host personal Web pages or business Web sites? No. Hotmail does not host Web pages or Web sites at this time. Why does Hotmail ask for personal information? Hotmail needs you to complete your profile information to display appropriate, individualized advertising banners. This allows us to display advertisements that are more likely to be of interest to you. For example, if you're a college student, you may not want to see an advertisement for a luxury car; however, you may be interested in a Spring Break special. Also, if you ever forget your password, you will need to confirm your personal information with one of our Customer Service Representatives to regain access to your account. Your individual personal data is never disclosed to advertisers. Do I have to have an Internet connection to use Hotmail? Hotmail is a site on the World Wide Web. You must have Internet access to use Hotmail. You cannot dial into Hotmail.