By CWinslow
EMail is your first line of communication when it comes to the computer and the Internet. Learn to use it well and it will be of service to you.
In this article, we are going to take a look at email and how to use it correctly. One of my pet peeves is to receive an eMail from someone that is one great big chunck of text. Not only is it difficult to read, but more than likely will get ignored. Remember when you write an eMail message it is a personal note or letter. The biggest difference is you don’t have to put it in an envelop, put a stamp on it or take it to the post box.
EMail is available to you in Windows XP in the form of Outlook Express. There are also free online eMail services like GMail, Hotmail or Yahoo mail.
One of the benefits of having an online account is the fact that you can check your email from any computer in the world if it is connectedto the Internet.
You will also have access to an email account connected to your ISP (Internet Service Provider.)
Passwords and Password Management
Your first line of defense online whether you are working with eMail or a website is your password protection. Never ever give your password to anyone. Never ever use words that are easy to guess. As long as you remember those two rules you are well on your way of keeping yourself safe on the Internet.
Using Roboform
My favorite password manager is RoboForm. With RoboForm there is a master password so anyone using your computer would not be able to get into your passwords.
The application is super encrypted which is a second line of defense.
The application can run off a flash drive so you can take it with you. What more could anyone ask for.
In any one of our tools classes, if you have question about using RoboForm all you have to do is ask and we will be glad to help you with it.
Keeping up with family and friends
There is no easier way to keep up with family and friends than eMail. It is fast, if they open and read their eMail quickly.
Pictures can be exchanged by simply attaching the file to your email. This is safer than putting the pictures on Facebook or a blog. Your eMail is personal and not available to the world wide web.
The Right Thing To Do With FWs
I know it is quite a temptation to send all of those emails you get on to the friends in your eMail address book. There are a few things though to do:
a) If the email is a warning of some kind like a virus warning. Check to see if it is a real problem by checking it out in snopes.com
b) Cut and paste the email into a new email, don’t just forward it. This protects your friends from having their email harvested by not so conscientious marketers.
c) If you are a marketer, use your signature file in the bottom of the email rather than promoting everyone else.
EMail is fun, but can eat up a lot of time. Get rid of junk rapidly. Answer your personal eMails quickly and forward only those eMails your friends really would appreciate. You know them better than anyone else send them only those things you know they will enjoy.
CWinslow is one of the founders of the Internet Niche Lab. She teaches three classes each week and invites members to ask questions and get almost instant answers during live presentations.
My Invitation to you
