What is Email?
Email stands for Electronic Mail and is an electronic message that is transmitted over a network from one user to another. These messages can be as simple as a few lines, or they can include extras such as documents, pictures, and other attachments. You can receive emails, reply to messages, send new messages, and forward messages sent from other users. An email message has two separate parts: the header and the body. The header contains the addressing information, and the body is the content of the message. To make an email address you will need to go to an Email client and create an address. Some basic email client examples include Microsoft Outlook, Mozilla's Thunderbird, and Apple Inc.'s Mail. A valid address contains a user ID and a host address. When sending an email one should make sure that the email address is right because otherwise you could end up sending your email to someone else.
Email Etiquette
When sending an email one should use proper Netiquette, which are the standard rules and courtesy used online in communication. You should keep your message short and concise, try not to continue on for long periods of time. Also, make sure to double check your email for grammar and spelling mistakes and you should be very careful when using humor or sarcasm, because the reader will not be able to hear your tone when reading the email. You should also be carful with using caps lock because it could mean that you are yelling or angry. You should never leave the subject line blank, and make sure to include a signature, so the person receiving the email knows that it is you. Emailing is very similar to writing a letter so make sure to keep the same rules in mind when writing an email.
(edited by: Katie Clark) (Edit: Image added by Kendra Beauregard)
News
This article by the Huffington Post explores how to write an email that will receive a response. Especially in this age of technology, it is important to monitor your tone of voice and word choice through an email. Otherwise, you may be saying something you did not intend to mean.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ian-altman/why-nobody-replied-to-you_b_4945109.html
BT is being investigated by the UK's data authority after a whistleblower claimed the company "exposed user credentials en masse". It is moving its customers' email accounts from a Yahoo-powered system to its own bespoke set-up.On behalf of BT, the company must gradually switch over seven million customers from Yahoo to BT. The whistleblower said the method Critical Path was using was insecure.
http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-26480381
Humor
Have you ever been very busy and not checked your e-mail for a long time? Most people have this happened to them and then they get an e-mail saying that their mailbox has too many e-mails in it. Many people think that is just funny. Look at this picture about e-mail and you can judge for yourself. [http://nyehumor.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Counterproductive.png] (article: Caitlin Fehr)
https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQPbe27DssgBCUO9Tf7_C5lYHyYMBL0eLqxv6IebKqMgZOYTzjPLQ
(Edited by Kyle Grumoli)
E-mail Viruses
E-mail is the number one source targeted by computer viruses. E-mail is generally attacked via attachments. Some attachments contain scripts like JavaScript, or Visual Basic which are small programs written in scripting languages. You should protect yourself from E-mail Viruses by scanning attachments before opening them and ensuring that your mailer does not open attachments automatically.
Phishing is also an important issue with E-mail. Although phishing is not a virus, phishing is when someone sends an E-mail to you in order to acquire your personal information and possibly take your identity. Never respond to an E-mail that you do not know who the sender is and do not give your personal information to someone requesting it through E-mail. (edited by: Katherine Pombrio)
[[http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonists/bst/lowres/business-commerce-computer_virus-email-suspicious_email-spam-virus-bstn259l.jpg]] (added by Sarah Judge)
Links:
- This website gives the history of electronic mail: http://www.multicians.org/thvv/mail-history.html
- This is a blog about MCI, one of the first email services: http://mcimail.blogspot.com/
- This website helps users manage their email to use it in the most efficient way: http://www.inboxdetox.com/
- Quick video about how email is sent and received http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBzLPmx3xTU
NO INTERNAL LINKS - RAJESH