Living Online Module Lesson 24 — E-Mail and Effective Electronic Communication Computer Literacy BASICS

Living Online ModuleLesson 24 — E-Mail and Effective

Electronic Communication

Computer Literacy BASICS

Computer Literacy BASICS2

Objectives

Understand and use e-mail features in Outlook.

Send and receive e-mail. Organize and manage e-mail you receive. Write effective and professional e-mail. Manage an address book. Explain other types of electronic

communication.


Vocabulary

Address book Archive Contacts Electronic mail

Emoticons Instant messaging Packets Spam


E-Mail

E-mail, or electronic mail, is one of the most popular services on the Internet.

E-mail is used by businesses and individuals to send messages, including attachments such as text and image files, almost instantly.

You can use an e-mail program, such as Microsoft Outlook, or an e-mail program built into a Web browser to manage e-mail.


How E-Mail Works

E-mail is similar to regular mail:– You have a message to send.– You have an address to send it to.– You have a carrier to deliver it.

The message is delivered electronically.


How E-Mail Works (cont.)

E-mail messages are broken into packets and sent from server to server until they reach their destination.

The packets are then reassembled to recreate the original message.


Accessing E-Mail

Internet service providers usually include an e-mail account with their service.

Web-based companies, such as HotMail, America Online, and AltaVista, provide e-mail services for a monthly fee or even at no charge.

Wireless communication allows people to send and receive e-mail using a cell phone or hand-held computer.


Microsoft Outlook

The Microsoft Office program Outlook is a versatile application that can organize appointments, tasks and to-do lists, addresses, and e-mail.

When you launch Outlook, the default opening window is the Outlook Today window, which gives you an overview of the calendar, tasks, and mail features of the program.


The Outlook Window

Menu barTitle bar

Active task

Standard toolbar

Outlook bar

Status bar

Web toolbar

Folder banner

Reading pane

Advanced toolbar


Using Outlook for E-Mail

In Mail, you will see a number of standard folders including Inbox, Deleted Items, Drafts, Junk E-Mail, and Outbox.

Select a folder in Mail, such as Inbox, to view the items in the folder in the Navigation pane to the right of the Outlook bar.

Click an item in the folder to see the full text in the Reading pane, the large window at the right of the Outlook screen.


The Mail Window in Outlook

Selected mail folder

Navigationpane

Message header in Navigation pane

Message in Reading pane


E-Mail Addresses

You need someone’s e-mail address to send them an e-mail message.

An e-mail address consists of three parts:– The user name of the individual– The @ symbol– The user’s domain name

[email protected]


Creating a Message

All e-mail messages include:

The header section– Contains the address it

is being sent to– Contains an area to copy

other users– Contains a subject line

The body section– Contains the text of the

e-mail


Receiving E-Mail

When you launch Outlook, it sends a request to your mail server to see whether you have mail waiting.

If you do, Outlook receives them and stores them in the Inbox folder.

The Navigation pane displays the message headers.– The message header includes who sent the message,

the subject of the message, and the date and time it was received.

Click a header to select a message, and the message text displays in the Reading pane.


Sending E-Mail

To send an e-mail message: Enter an e-mail address in the To text box. Include a brief subject description to tell the

recipient what the message is about. Key your message. After you have entered the addresses, subject,

and text of your message, click the Send button on the toolbar to send the e-mail message.


E-Mail Attachments

You can attach almost any kind of file to an e-mail message:

In Outlook, click the Insert File button on the toolbar and then locate the file you want to attach in the dialog box.


E-Mail Attachments (cont.)

Sending files as attachments is an easy way to transfer data from one computer to another.

The addressee can then open the attachment and view it on their computer, save it to disk (referred to as downloading), or delete it.


Sending Web Information by E-Mail

Another way to send information in an e-mail message is to include an embedded Web site address in the body of your message.

Most e-mail programs recognize the format of a Web site address and automatically format it as a hyperlink, which will connect directly to the referenced Web page when the recipient clicks the link in the message.


E-Mail Problems

Some e-mail service providers limit the size of attachments to e-mail messages.

Even if your e-mail provider and program can send a large attachment, you may find that the recipient cannot receive the message or open the attachment.

Other technical problems can prevent messages from being sent or received.


E-Mail Problems (cont.)

You may occasionally receive a message saying a message could not be delivered.– The recipient’s address may no longer exist or

may have been entered incorrectly.– Or there could be a temporary problem with a

server.


E-Mail Problems (cont.)

If you receive a message that says your e-mail could not be delivered, check the address and send it again.– Sometimes the problems with a server are

temporary, and the message can be sent successfully if you try again.


Encoding or Encrypting E-Mail

Some correspondence may be sensitive or secret.

It is impossible to send e-mail that is completely secure, but e-mail messages can be encoded to make them more secure.

The process involves encrypting the information so that it cannot be understood.

Then, the recipient uses a key for decryption that returns it to the original text.


Organizing and Managing E-Mail

If you receive and send numerous e-mail messages every day, you need some way to manage and organize the message.

You may want to delete spam, or unsolicited advertising messages, because it can take up a lot of space in your inbox.

You may want to reply to some messages you receive.

You also may want to archive, or save, important messages for future reference.


Handling Received Messages

When you receive an e-mail, you can Reply to the sender or to all who are copied on

the e-mail. Forward the message to one or more people. Save the message to disk. Delete the message.


Replying to a Message

You can reply to an e-mail message in one of two ways:

Click the Reply or Reply All button, key your reply message, and then send the message.– By default, the original message is included along

with your reply message in Outlook.– This type of reply is appropriate when you are

answering a question or responding to specifics in the original message.


Replying to a Message (cont.)

Or you can create a new mail message in response to a message.– With this type of reply, only the text of your

reply message is included.


Forwarding a Message

Forwarding messages is a similar process to replying to a message.

Forwarding helps cut down on the time you spend keying messages from scratch and is a quick way to share information with a number of people.

When you forward a message, the recipient normally sees the letters “Fw” preceding the text in the subject line to identify it as a message that is being forwarded.


Saving a Message

You can save an e-mail message to disk so that you can open and read it later.

You can also save and organize e-mail messages in folders within your e-mail program.

To copy or move a message into a folder in Outlook:– Right-click the message header in the Navigation

pane.– Select the Move to Folder or Copy to Folder option.– Then select the folder to which you want to move or

copy the message in the dialog box that opens.


Deleting a Message

To delete an e-mail message:– Select the message and then press the Delete

key.– Or click the Delete button on the e-mail program’s

toolbar after selecting the message you want to delete.

In some e-mail programs, such as Outlook, this moves the message into a deleted mail folder.

To delete it permanently, you must delete it from this location.


Header Icons

Icons in the message headers listed in the Navigation pane offer clues about each message:

A sealed envelope icon indicates a message that has been received but not read.

An exclamation point icon means the sender considers it a high priority message.


Header Icons (cont.)

A paper clip icon means that the message has a file attached to it.

You also can manually mark a message as read or unread or add a flag icon to remind yourself to follow up on the message.


Recognizing Header Information

New (unread) message icon

Attachment icon

Sender’s name


Managing Your Inbox

E-mail programs provide options for managing messages to perform the following kinds of tasks:

Sort e-mail according to the name of the sender, by subject, or by the date received.

Search to find e-mail messages from a certain person or received on a certain date.

Organize mail into different folders that you create within your e-mail program.

– For example, you might have a folder for personal correspondence and, within that folder, you might have individual folders for your personal contacts.


Professional and EffectiveElectronic Communication

E-mail is widely used in the business world today. Proofread and spell check all messages before

sending them. Limit the use of emoticons, jokes, and humor in

business-related e-mail. E-mail messages should be courteous, professional,

short, and to the point. Limit business messages to one topic, and

remember that e-mail sent through a company network or Internet e-mail sites is not private.


Special E-Mail Features

Most e-mail programs come with a variety of features and options:

You can copy a message to multiple recipients. You can customize the look of your messages. You can generate an automatic reply or forward

mail when you are away from your office or computer.

You can block messages from specific senders.


An Address Book

An address book is an electronic list of your contacts that works in conjunction with your e-mail program.

After you enter an e-mail address in your address book, just click the name and the address is inserted automatically in the header of your message.– This eliminates the possibility of keying in the

wrong e-mail address.


Managing an Address Book

Outlook’s Contacts folder allows you to store information about people you work with or communicate with on a regular basis.

When you create a new contact, Outlook creates an address card for the contact.

Outlook arranges the cards in alphabetical order, making them easy to locate.


Address Cards in the Contacts Folder


Other Forms of Electronic Communication

Other forms of electronic communication are available in addition to standard e-mail using a computer:

You can also use a cell phone or hand-held computer to send e-mail messages.

You can send instant text messages using a computer, digital assistant, or cell phone.


Instant Messaging

Instant messaging lets you send messages in real time while you and your contact are both logged on to the Internet.

Instant messaging is be-coming a popular medium for correspondence in business as well as social settings.

America Online Instant Messenger screen


Instant Messaging (cont.)

Because it is so immediate, use care when using instant messaging for business purposes. – Make messages brief and professional.

Instant messaging does not save or archive messages.– Remember you will have no record of

communication using this method.


Summary

Microsoft Outlook includes features to manage appointments, tasks, and e-mail. The Outlook bar displays shortcuts that give you quick access to each of the Outlook folders.

Electronic mail is similar to regular mail because it requires an address, a message, and a carrier to get it from the sender to the receiver.


Summary (cont.)

E-mail messages are broken into smaller portions of electronic data called packets, which are sent independently and then reorganized into the original message.

You can access e-mail on a computer using a program such as Microsoft Outlook, or you can send and receive e-mail messages using a Web site with a built-in e-mail program, such as American Online or Hotmail.


Summary (cont.)

Wireless communication makes it possible to send and receive e-mail using a hand-held computer or cell phone with e-mail capabilities.

E-mail addresses consist of three parts: the user name, the “@” symbol, and the domain name.


Summary (cont.)

An e-mail message header includes the address of the recipient, the subject of the message, and information about to whom the message is sent as a copy.

You can use the Inbox folder in Outlook to send and receive e-mail messages.

An attachment is an application file that is sent with an e-mail message and can be opened by the recipient.


Summary (cont.)

You can reply to an e-mail message, forward a message to a new recipient, delete a message, or save a message.

Spam, or junk e-mail, consists of unsolicited messages that take up space in your inbox unnecessarily.


Summary (cont.)

E-mail messages are organized in folders of incoming messages, sent messages, deleted messages, and junk e-mail that was blocked from being placed in the inbox. You can also create additional folders to organize your own e-mail.


Summary (cont.)

Special e-mail features let you add an automatic signature to messages, block messages from certain addresses, create personalized stationery for your messages, and set up an automatic response or forward your messages to another address.


Summary (cont.)

Professional electronic communication requires courtesy and brevity. Always check that the spelling and grammar is correct and that the message is being sent to the intended recipient(s).

The Contacts folder is designed to store information about business and personal contacts with whom you communicate often.


Summary (cont.)

You can create address cards that hold information such as name, address, phone number, e-mail address, and so on. Address cards are listed in alphabetical order in the Contacts folder.

Other forms of electronic communication are available using a desktop or laptop computer, cell phone, or personal digital assistant, such as instant messaging, which allow you to send messages in real time.

Documents

Living Online Module Lesson 24 — E-Mail and Effective Electronic Communication Computer Literacy BASICS