ELECTRONIC MAIL RAYMOND ROSE Computer Technology Department 2011/12
ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION Systems for exchanging information and news were the first applications developed for network communication. Sending and receiving information, news, etc., in a simple and immediate way has always been a primary need. The first idea was to provide common tools for computer networks: letters (and therefore a mail system) and notice boards. Now you can exchange different types of information: text, images, audio, and video thanks to digital technology. 2
ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION Among the various types of electronic communication and collaboration are: Email IM (Instant Messaging) Text messages Distribution list Internet telephone (VoIP) Online conferences and video conferencing Chat Blog News groups Social networks 3
IDENTIFYING USERS ON THE NETWORK Access and use of various communication services and electronic collaboration requires authentication of the service user. Authentication has two objectives: Recognize the user profile, then identify the resources he/she can access. Track the individual and his/her usage on a service. Three methods are used to authenticate a user as regards a service: Email address: this is a widespread practice. Login: username and password. Phone number: as in case of text messages. 4
TOOLS FOR NETWORK COMMUNICATIONS Tools are: Software applications, for emails, instant messages, text, etc. Computers used as Servers and designed for the management and exchange of information among multiple users. Protocols, the standard rules that permit the proper exchange and use of information among users. The communication form itself, that is, an instant message, a video conference, etc. 5
THE EMAIL ADDRESS The email address is one of the means used to authenticate a user and his/her mailbox. An email address must be entered through an expression with a specific syntax: user_name@domain_name.domain_extension A complete address for a mailbox could be: johnsmith@freemail.net or info@company.com The username is unique among the names in use on the domain. 6
SENDING EMAIL An email message is composed of some standard elements, including: Address Subject Body of the message Attachments (such as files or photos) 7
SENDING EMAIL For the network to deliver the email properly, it needs some information: Sender s email address SMTP server name (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) Recipient s server name (POP3: Post Office Protocol 3) When you send an email message, it follows the subsequent path: From your computer, it goes to the SMTP server whose function is to send mail messages to the correct recipient. The SMTP server checks the email address for a valid domain, then the message goes to the POP3 server of the domain indicated in recipient s address. The POP3 server verifies that the recipient is one of those among its mailboxes. If so, it places the email in the recipient s inbox. The message will remain in the mailbox on the POP3 server until the recipient connects to the internet and chooses to download his/her email on his computer using a mail program. 8
SENDING EMAIL An email program has to ensure some basic functions such as: Creating new email Entering an email message correctly (To..,.. Cc, Bcc addresses, subject, body of the text, etc.) Choosing an email format (plain text and HTML) Specifying whether it is priority mail. Sending email Viewing email Responding to email Responding to all senders Forwarding email 9
SENDING EMAIL There are several programs for managing email. It is also possible to encrypt email messages. In practice, both sender and recipient use a secret digital key to respectively encrypt and decrypt messages. the Figure in the right refers to Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 10
SENDING EMAIL Microsoft Outlook 2007 window parts: Title bar Menu bar Standard toolbar Navigation pane Status bar Items Reading pane To-Do bar 11
SENDING EMAIL To send a new message, click on the New button on the outlook toolbar. the new message window appears. You can use the keyboard combination: CTRL + N 12
ATTACHMENTS AND OTHER EMAIL FEATURES Email is great not just for sending and receiving text, but also for other items such as: Attachments Hyperlinks Graphics Attachments are simply files of any kind. They can be saved, opened, and deleted on the local computer. Attachments must be checked before downloading because they might contain viruses. You should only open attachments from known sources. Email hyperlinks help to significantly enrich the text of the message. You can improve the graphic look of an email, like a text document, using charts, colors, etc. 13
SENDING AND RECEIVING EMAIL To check on the delivery of new email messages, click on the button on the toolbar. Also, to Send/Receive, press the F9 function key When you receive an email, you will see it highlighted and available in the inbox. To open it: double click on it. If there are any attached files, right click on the name and choose: Open Print Save to disk 14
SENDING AND RECEIVING EMAIL To reply to the sender, use the following buttons: Reply, responds to a message by automatically inserting the sender s address and adding RE: --- to the subject. The reply message won t include the attachments. Reply to All, automatically responds to a message by inserting all the email addresses on the original message. Forward, allows you to forward a message to a third party and automatically inserts in the subject FW: ---. The forwarded message will contain all the attachments you received. 15
SENDING AND RECEIVING EMAIL In composing an email, you can include elements in the message such as: Various kinds of attachments URLs (Uniform Resource Locator) related to Internet addresses Graphics or other elements embedded in an email 16
SEARCHING AND SORTING MESSAGES Outlook manages email traffic by organizing your messages into groups of folders. The default folders are: Tasks Drafts Calendar Contacts Notes Deleted Items Inbox Outbox Sent items Junk E-mail RSS Feeds (new) 17
SEARCHING AND SORTING MESSAGES Among its many tools, Outlook offers an instant search function that allows you to view results while conducting a search. 18
SEARCHING AND SORTING MESSAGES To activate the search function, click on Mail in the navigation pane in the outlook main window. The instant search box will appear in the Inbox. 19
SEARCHING AND SORTING MESSAGES To conduct a search that includes all Email folders, select Search All Mail Folders in the search box list. If you want to narrow the search by using additional criteria, you can click on Query Builder, which will show a panel where you can enter new parameters. 20
SEARCHING AND SORTING MESSAGES You can choose to sort all the messages stored according to different parameters, by clicking on the button of the type of field you want. You can decide to add and/or remove fields to those proposed in the standard Outlook view. You can perform various operations on a selected message (or group of messages) Move or Copy Delete Save 21
OUTLOOK ADDRESS BOOK You can open the address book by clicking on it in the toolbar. Or using the combination CTRL + SHIFT + B You can add contacts and contact groups, rearrange them and use them To enter a new name or group, open address book then go to File > New Entry 22
OUTLOOK ADDRESS BOOK Add the New Contact information, then click on Save & Close. Add new Distribution List members and click on Save & Close. 23
OUTLOOK ADDRESS BOOK To remove a contact from the address book, just select it on the list that appears and then click Delete on the toolbar The operations to insert, modify or delete contacts can also be executed from the Contacts folder. 24
OUTLOOK ADDRESS BOOK You can send an email to a contact in the address book. After selecting the desired contacts, click on the Actions button in the window toolbar and then Create > New Message to Contact. Or Right click on the desired contact and then click on Create > New Message to Contact. You can also activate the address book from within the composition window of a new message by clicking on the buttons To or Cc to enter the addresses from the address book. In sum, the tasks that you must perform to manage email addresses and contacts are: Create a new message in an address book Using the address book to manage contacts Save an address from a mail message in the address book Delete an address from the address book Create a distribution list which is also called a mailing list 25
COMMON OPTIONS IN EMAIL CLIENT Add Signature (Tools>Mail Format>Options) Create rules for email (Tools>Organize) Customize Spell Check (Tools>Options) Change the format of outgoing mail (Tools>Options>Mail format) Create an Out of Office autoreply message (Tools>Out of Office Assistant) Assign a priority level (normal, low, high) to an email and a confidentiality level (normal, confidential, personal, private) Protect email contents via encryption and digital certificates (Tools>Trust Center) Archive mail folders to create back-ups and release memory space on your computer 26
COMMON OPTIONS IN EMAIL CLIENT The user should be able to perform basic tasks such as: Identify mail folders and the way they are organized Create and delete mail folders Identify the purpose of the Inbox folder Identify whether mail was read or unread Identify ways of marking mail, such as flags, unread or read, and priority mail Move and copy mail into different folders Select, save, delete, or restore mail Empty/delete the contents of a mail folder Search and sort mail Back up/archive mail Synchronize email among devices 27
CHOOSING TECHNOLOGIES You must carefully choose from the variety of electronic media available to find the best option for a particular task or job An email message Instant Messaging Teleconferencing Content publishing and management using RSS 28
ADVANTAGES OF ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION Speed and immediacy in exchanging information Lower cost due to the large-scale diffusion of technologies Access from remote locations and devices such as computers and mobile phones Ease of forwarding and routing of messages Enabling communication in either one-to-one or one-to-many modes Ability to communication and collaborate with others Creation of community, that is, groups of people communicating with each other because of common interests or goals Ability to communicate using text, audio, and video Ability to share documents and other resources Ability to record and track the history of the communication 29
ETHICS AND STANDARDS OF GOOD USE IN PROFESSIONAL EMAILS There is an etiquette and a set of formal rules to follow when writing an email. You should pay particular attention to grammar and the format of the text Focus on the topic both in the subject and in the body of the message Using capital letters or symbols to highlight important points in the text in not recommended If recipient is in a country other than yours, pay attention when inserting dates Limit the use to abbreviations to only those that are universally accepted Emoticons (smilies) make reading text charming, but not in formal communications Use quotation marks ( ) for quotes and specify the author A reply to an email message contains the original message, but with the addition of a symbol > at the beginning of each line At the end of a message, always include you signature, but try not to exceed 4 lines and specify your name, title, organizational affiliation, email, telephone and whatever appropriate 30
ETHICS AND STANDARDS OF GOOD USE IN PROFESSIONAL EMAILS The exchange of email is based on principles of interpersonal communication that are beyond the means of traditional paper letters. Principles are: Understand the character of the recipient and the public Understand the purpose of communication Understand communication tools Fast answers Brief messages that get to the point quickly Attention to spelling and grammar Effective use of the subject line Selecting appropriate recipients in To:, Cc:, and Bcc: Choosing the appropriate option when answering a message Appropriate level of formality Appropriate use of parts from earlier email in a continuous exchange of emails 31
SPAM Spam refers to an unwanted message that is often commercial in nature Whatever the content of these messages, they are illegal because the addresses to which they are sent are intercepted without the recipients authorization Recipients receive them whether they want to or not Spam messages are sent from a computer and should not be opened because this will send confirmation to the sender that your email address is correct and you will continue to be persecuted Clues that will help you recognize a spam message before reading it are: The sender is unknown The message is not directed to just you The subject line is weird There are anti-spam programs that intercept these messages 32
SPAM When you get a spam message, to limit any threat: Do not believe any of the information contained in it Do not be fooled by unlikely business proposals Do not respond to charity requests Do not be persuaded by political notices that advise strikes or acts of revenge, for example Do not be persuaded to take part in what are commonly called chain letters Use the mail filter functions available on the mail server Use the mail filter functions in the user s email client software Do not send an email to a public address 33
INFORMAL SIGNS In informal messages, sentences can be read without understanding the tone To remedy this neutrality, you can use emoticons (emotions and icons) Emoticons are symbols used to sum up a mood that cannot be expressed through writing like: : - ) means happy J : - ( means sad L :-D means laugh :-O means Oh! 34
COMMON ISSUES IN EMAIL Pay attention to certain factors, including: Correct use of style Use of words or phrases without context Proper use of the reply feature Other factors of electronic communication should be considered such as: Delivery failure because of disconnections Malfunction of communication software Improper use of answer forms (Cc, Bcc, etc.) Incomprehensible messages (pay attention to syntax, grammar and logical sense) Loss of formatting Hasty answers and improper use of functions such as reply, reply all, Cc, Bcc and forwarding options Junk mail (spam), frauds, and scams 35
COMMON ISSUES IN EMAIL Other categories of problems related to communication programs, which may become software threats, including: Virus Worm Spyware Malicious programs You can protect yourself from these threats through three fundamental factors: Knowledge of the existence of these problems Knowledge of techniques and rules of conduct designed to prevent harm arising from these threats Using effective procedures for ensuring safe and proper use of electronic communication 36
COMMON ISSUES IN EMAIL These factors involve some simple rules that can be summarized as follows: Use anti-virus software Pay attention and be careful when downloading files Follow anti-virus policies and procedures Adopt anti-virus troubleshooting for identifying, isolating, and cleaning infected files Keep updated on the latest virus threats Keep your anti-virus software updated Check email and attachments for viruses Write and review email, instant messages, and other communications carefully before sending them 37
COMMON ISSUES IN EMAIL Understand the rules of netiquette, company/school policies, cultural aspects and other guidelines Use encryption for secure communication Make a backup/archive mail regularly Understand the rules concerning electronic transmission of sensitive data Understand that electronic communications (email, messages, comments left on blogs or message boards, mail on social networking) can be publicity and/or permanently accessible thanks to caching or storage by Web sites Follow the guidelines of your school or business and at the local, state, and national level for electronic communications 38
MAILING LISTS AND NEWSGROUPS Services directly related to electronic mail are: Mailing Lists These are email discussion services among users with common interests Newsletters Similar to mailing lists, except that subscribing participants only receive communications on a regular basis without being able to answer or reply Newsgroups This is a kind of bulletin board system 39
QUIZ To send a copy of an email message to several people you have to type their address in the: To: box Cc: box Bcc: box Which button on the Outlook bar is used to send a received message to another recipient? Reply Reply All Forward When it is considered illegal to use the office computer? When you send vulgar and offensive email When you use the computer for private purposes during working hours Both of the above How can you make an email more professional? By using emoticons By avoiding spelling errors Both of the above Which of the following actions could encourage an attack by a virus when using email? Opening an executable file attached to an email from an unknown recipient Sending an email to an address that is not stored in the address book Sending an email with an attached executable file 40