Download
1 / 21
210 likes | 537 Views
Email Basics. 2007. Creating an e-mail account What do you need.
E N D
Email Basics 2007
Creating an e-mail accountWhat do you need • An e-mail name for yourself. An e-mail address looks like this: username@freemail.com. The name you choose should be short to be courteous to whoever is sending you mail; it must also be unique within the service where you have your account. You could have bruiser@freemail.com if you are just sending mail to friends, but this wouldn't be the wisest choice to send to a prospective employer. Likewise, douglastimothysmith@freemail.com is a little lengthy and subject to misspelling. dtsmith@freemail.com would be better -- short and unique. If the name you select is already taken you can keep trying variations to make it unique. There are no spaces allowed; the name will generally be shown in lower case.
Creating an e-mail accountWhat do you need • A password. Try to have something selected in advance. Usually, a word 5-8 alpha-numeric characters long. Make certain it is something you will remember. You cannot use any special characters or punctuation -- no spaces, hyphens or periods. Mr. Spock will not be accepted.
Creating an e-mail accountWhat do you need • A question only you would know the answer to. Some services will give you access to your account even if you forget you password IF you can answer a previously submitted question. When you sign up, your question for yourself might be "favorite snack?" Then, of course, you provide the answer, "chocolate."
Creating an e-mail accountWhat do you need • All the services will ask for your name. Your real name will be displayed next to your e-mail handle on your messages. For example, someone will see a message coming from: dtsmith@freemail.com "Doug Smith." You should list your name in a proper format; upper and lower case conventions apply. Many people are concerned with privacy and are concerned about putting personal information out on the Internet. If this concerns you, you will have to weigh it against having access to a great, free, communications tool. If you use a fake name, you will do a disservice to your e-mail correspondents. Your friends and that prospective employer may only be confused.
Creating an e-mail accountWhat do you need • Some services will ask some personal questions. Some may be optional, but you may have to answer some questions to establish your demographic identity, such as gender, age, education level. You will never be required to give out your home address or telephone number. The information about you is used to provide advertisers with an accurate picture of the services' user base. It may also be used for targeted marketing -- the ad banners you see will attempt to match your interests.
Email Operations • Get/Check mail: Get mail / retrieve from the server or reload from the current server • Compose: Used to write a new letter. • Send: Used when you’re done writing and ready to send. In the address area you can indicate one person, several, or use a nickname from your address book. • Reply: Once you’ve read a letter from someone else, you can reply to it. Some companies use automatic robots to reply to you! • Attach: You can specify that another file, such as a picture or document, be sent along with your message. • Forward: Once you have read a letter, you can send it to someone else, adding your comments if you wish.
Email Features • Inbox: Where mail people send you is originally stored • Signature: A custom message you can append to each letter you send, e.g., Dewey Decimal, Supervisor, Lakewood Public Library Saves time and key strokes • Address books: Where you can put a nickname of someone you send email to often, and their full email address is then automatically used. Can have a single entry for one person, or many people, e.g. “family” will send to all family members • Folders: Areas where you can customize to hold email once you’ve read it, or where a filter can automatically place it instead of having it go into your inbox. Common ones: Sent, Drafts • Trashcan: A special folder that will hold mail only for a short period of time, then it is purged. When you delete an email it goes to the trashcan folder and will hold there, where you can recover it if you’ve done it by accident.
Special Functions • Filters: Programs within the email program that reads the addresses of incoming mail and deletes it or sends it to a special folder. Not always useful in trying to cut down on “Spam”. • Save Copy: Most email services gives you this as an option in composing mail. Will automatically save it in your Sent folder. Sent folders do NOT have each email you send, only when you indicate it through this feature.: • CC: Carbon copy; send a copy of this letter to someone else. The original person will see you’ve copied the other person • BCC: Blind Carbon Copy; Send a copy of this letter to someone else, but the original person will not know you’ve sent it. Sneaky! • Drafts: Letters you’re composing that you have not sent yet, or want to use as a template, adjusting as you send similar letters to people (such as prospective employers)
Where to create an e-mail account Some web pages are: • www.yahoo.com • www.hotmail.com • www.gmail.com
Software Public Training Classes • Free demonstrations are given at Central Library and select branches! • Pick up the Houston Public Library’s Calendar of Events. • For more information Call (832) 393-1313, or visit http://www.houstonlibrary.org
