jensysNET Support: Tips on using E-mail

GENERAL

You don't have to be on-line to read or write e-mails. If your e-mail program tries to connect to the Internet when you open it you should be able to cancel it or change the settings so it doesn't dial automatically. Write your messages off-line then connect up, send them, collect any incoming messages and disconnect before settling down to read them.

If you have different e-mail addresses spread across a number of service providers try and configure your e-mail program to use just one dial-up account. Most dial-up accounts have a minimum call fee so if you disconnect then redial using a different account for each e-mail address you will be incurring multiple charges.

Always delete messages when you no longer need them and close any mailbox that's not in use. If you leave them open and full of old unwanted messages, your e-mail program will probably try and load them when it starts up which can slow it down quite a lot.

E-mail programs usually have built-in features like address books, distribution lists and filters. They may look a bit daunting at first but it's well worth learning how to use them as they can be great time savers. If your e-mail program doesn't include them, have a look to see if they are available as a plug-in.

Some web sites require you to give your e-mail address to gain entry to certain features. Consider getting a web-based account with a provider such as Hotmail and use that to prevent your 'proper' address falling in to the hands of 'spammers'.

SENDING MAIL

Always include a subject line but keep it short and to the point.

Always include a return address, some mail servers will reject messages without one.

Don't send every message 'Top Priority'

Don't TYPE EVERYTHING IN CAPITALS OR PUT LOADS OF !!!!!!! - it's perceived as shouting.

Use "smileys" (emoticons) to try and convey a tone of voice. There are lots of these but the more common ones are:

:-)    Happy
:-D  Laughing
:-o   Surprise
;-)    Winking (teasing)
:-P   Blowing a raspberry
:-x   Kiss
:-(    Sad
:-/    Skeptical
:-|    Stern

Try to avoid acronyms like BTW (By The Way), LOL (Laugh Out Loud) etc. unless you are sure the recipient understands them.

Don't let a single line of text get much longer than about 65 characters, put in a carriage return to break it up. Some e-mail programs may wrap the message at the wrong point or not wrap it at all.

E-mail traffic has been reported as being almost 500 times greater than 'web' traffic. The Internet is sometimes slow, not because too many people are out surfing but because too many people send overlong and spurious e-mails so....

- Keep your messages brief.

- When replying to a message don't just hit the 'Reply' button and send the entire message back - all you will be doing is wasting your time in sending it, the recipient's time in receiving it and upsetting everyone else who is on the Internet. Cut out all the irrelevant bits.

- Don't use HTML (formatting) on an e-mail unless it's really necessary. Keep them as plain simple text. Some enterprising individuals have worked out how to embed viruses in HTML e-mails so you may unwittingly be sending your recipient more than you intended.

- Don't attach large files (over 40kB) without asking the recipient first. Even if your friend did want to see a scanned photo of Aunty Doris in a silly hat at the sea-side, (s)he probably won't appreciate having it arrive unexpectedly and having to wait ages while it downloads.

- If you need to send something that was written with a word processing program, consider saving it as plain text and either attaching or pasting it into your message. Apart from viruses, word processing documents can also contain lots of formatting and undo information which take up a lot of room.

If you have to send the same attachment to a number of people, put their addresses in the "cc" or "bcc" fields. That way you will only have to upload the attachment once.

Don't send copies of web pages, send the address (URL) instead.

If you do include a URL, enclose it in angle brackets "< >" as this stops some e-mail programs wrapping it on to a new line. Also make sure it has the "http://" part as some e-mail programs will be able to show it as a link allowing the recipient just to click on it to visit the site.

Always check your messages before you send them and be careful what you write. They can easily be printed or forwarded to others.

Always sign off your e-mail with a signature. Usually this includes your name, e-mail address and other contact details although you can also add a couple of lines promoting your products or services.

Most e-mail programs allow you to save a signature as a separate file which is automatically attached to the end of the message when it is sent. Some will also allow you to have more than one signature so you can select which one you want to use.

Always think of the recipient(s). Will they really want to receive the message you are about to send? You may have an ADSL line or send mail via an intranet or network where a high capacity server does all the work but they may still be struggling along with a 28.8 modem on a free ISP's dial-up connection.

Always use the spill chucker.

And last, but by no means least - unless you know and trust the recipient well, don't send anything you wouldn't shout across a room full of strangers.

RECEIVING MAIL

Check your mail at regular intervals, at least daily, and reply promptly. People may be quite happy to wait a week or so for a written response but, for whatever reason, are not so patient when it comes to e-mail.

Don't keep all your incoming mail in your 'Inbox'. It will soon fill up and you may not notice new messages amongst all the clutter. Most e-mail programs allow you to create different folders (mailboxes) and filters to sort your messages into meaningful categories.

If you find you are getting frequent requests for the same information e.g. directions, price lists etc, consider setting up an automated feature on your web site so visitors can get the information straight away.

Beware of e-mail attachments, especially if you don't know who they're from. An anti-virus program is well worth the investment and, even if it does slow your computer down is much better than having all your data scrambled or the machine stop altogether.

Finally, and most importantly, never open an attachment that has two extensions (the bit that comes after the first full stop), e.g. file-name.jpg.vbs. It almost certainly contains a virus.