Electronic Mail

1
Electronic Mail

• A New Way to Communicate

2
What is E-Mail?

• E-Mail defined
• Electronic transfer of messages between computers
• Can be one to one or one to many
• Analogous to a post office box
• E-mail systems can be run on a LAN, a WAN or
  across the Internet
• Transfer is almost instantaneous
• May support the transfer of attached files
• Is reasonably secure

3
Internet E-Mail

• There are two main flavours of Internet E-Mail
• An ISP-based mail server with mail downloaded to
  a mailbox on the local PC
• This requires a local mail application such as
  Netscape Mail, Eudora or Pegasus Mail on the
  Internet PC
• The mail program must be set to access the ISPs
  server
• Fast access, can work off-line
• A World Wide Web-based mail system with mail
  stored on the remote server
• Such as HotMail or Yahoo Mail
• Accessible from any computer that can access the
  Internet
• Slower access, on-line only, restrictions apply

4
E-Mail Mailboxes (or Folders)

• Most E-Mail systems provide standard mailboxes
  (or folders)
• InBox (mail received)
• OutBox (mail sent)
• Draft (unfinished messages)
• Trash (retrievable disregarded mail)
• They also usually allow for custom folders to be
  created - eg. Archive, Friends, Business etc.

5
How to Find an E-Mail Address

• If you know the person, ask them
• If you wish to contact a company, business or
  department, check if they have a website
• If it is someone specific overseas do a people
  search using Four11 or AltaVista

6
Attachments to E-Mail

• Virtually any file can be attached to E-Mail
• Word Processing documents
• Data files
• Photos or graphic files
• Executable programs
• These files can then be downloaded by the
  receiver and opened in their native program
• To reduce the size of attached files, a
  compression utility like PKZip (WinZip) or
  Stuff-It (Mac) can be used

7
Sending Attachments

• Usually, just click the Attach button
• The file to be attached should already be
  prepared
• If using HotMail or Yahoo Mail, your browser must
  be Upload Enabled
• The attached file will be transferred to the mail
  server and then sent with the message

8
Retrieving a Received Attachment

• With Netscape Mail or Eudora, the attachment is
  usually automatically downloaded to a specified
  local folder
• With Yahoo or HotMail, clicking on the attachment
  hyperlink will allow you to download it

9
E-Mail Viruses

• It is NOT possible to get a virus from an E-Mail
  message
• However, viruses can be present in attachments
• Word documents could have a Macro Virus
• Programs could have executable file viruses or be
  droppers for boot-sector viruses
• Make sure you have a current virus scanner

10
Mailing Lists (Listservs)

• There are organised mailing lists hosted on
  certain Internet servers that cater for people
  interested in discussing just about any subject
• Users subscribe to the desired mailing list by
  sending a request to the list manager
• All E-mail sent to the list is distributed
  automatically to all subscribers
• Responses can then be made to either an
  individual or to the entire list
• List members may come from all over the world

11
What is Netiquette?

• When sending messages to many people, read your
  message carefully before clicking Send
• It is easy to offend people without knowing due
  to cultural differences or the perceived tone
• Take the time to find out more about Netiquette

12
Censorship and Privacy

• The Department-supplied school account is a
  shared account and is therefore NOT private
• There is no real guarantee that you will see mail
  that has been sent to you
• If students use the school account, all mail sent
  must be authorised by a staff member
• Students and staff may wish to establish free
  Web-based mail accounts for use at school
• Cyber Patrol will censor both incoming and
  outgoing mail

13
Internet User Access Policy

• The Schools Internet User Access Policy must
  incorporate E-Mail use
• It should be re-evaluated in light of the
  introduction of free Web-based E-mail services