ELECTRONIC MAIL - stsdubai.pbworks.comstsdubai.pbworks.com/w/file/fetch/67268468/G10 - ICT - T1 - Email.pdf · electronic collaboration requires authentication of the service user

Computer Technology Department 2011/12

R AY M O N D R O S E

ELECTRONIC MAIL


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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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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:

[email protected] or [email protected] •  The username is unique among the names in use on the

domain.

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SENDING EMAIL

•  An email message is composed of some standard elements, including: •  Address •  Subject •  Body of the message •  Attachments (such as files or photos)

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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.

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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

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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”

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SENDING EMAIL

•  Microsoft Outlook 2007 window parts: •  Title bar •  Menu bar •  Standard toolbar •  Navigation pane •  Status bar •  Items •  Reading pane •  To-Do bar

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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

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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.

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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

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•  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.

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•  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

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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)

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•  Among its many tools, Outlook offers an instant search function that allows you to view results while conducting a search.

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•  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.

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•  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.

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•  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

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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

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•  Add the New Contact information, then click on Save & Close.

•  Add new Distribution List members and click on Save & Close.

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•  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.

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•  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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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!

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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

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•  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

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•  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

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•  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

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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

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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

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Documents

ELECTRONIC MAIL - stsdubai.pbworks.comstsdubai.pbworks.com/w/file/fetch/67268468/G10 - ICT - T1 - Email.pdf · electronic collaboration requires authentication of the service user