OK.. I know what you're doing out there... Email!
You're on the computer hours at a time, reading emails, sending emails.. even forwarding everything that anyone sends you to everyone you ever got an address from!!!
Whoa, Bessie!
It's time to slow down, and use this wonderful tool the way it was intended.
Email is a FAST, FAST way to communicate with family and friends... but please use your online manners, known as Netiquette! it is more important than your table manners.
For you newbies.. some quick terms: Email is a verb and a noun. An email "client" is a program that was used to send email. (like Outlook, and Outlook Express). One I really enjoyed using is called Incredimail, with great background pictures.
Web Mail
Now, email is even better. Just in the last few years, one can send email through your web browser, like Yahoo mail, Hotmail, AOL and Gmail. Do those names sound familiar? You've seen them in your friends' addresses, depending on who is their Internet Service Provider...but
maybe your email address ends with "Verizon.net" or "Comcast.net". Those are also webmail addresses.
Webmail caught on quickly, because you can send or receive it from ANY computer anywhere. We're much too mobile these days to have to go home to get our email off our own computer! The kids even get it on their phones!
(I prefer to keep my phone as simple as possible. I use a Jitterbug!)
There's tremendous competition among the "networks": MSN, Yahoo, AOL, Google.. etc. to get your email business.. because it means $$ money, of course. If you are using theirs, you are looking at their ads.. and that's how they get paid. Always the bottom line.
Are there differences between them? You bet!. with features being added every day. My family is really tired of finding out I have a new email address (again).. but I want to try them out. I've settled on Gmail right now, because of one feature the others don't have yet..(as of this writing). It will keep together the emails of a back and forth conversation. That is really convenient for me.. I also like the ability to LABEL messages I've received, so that when I want to retrieve all the emails with that label, that's all I'll have on my screen. Helps a lot with this work.
One other aspect: these different emails are accessed through your "Home Page". If you are an AOL subscriber, AOL is your home page, and as far as they're concerned they are going to keep you on AOL pages as long as possible. If your Internet provider is Comcast, Charter or Verizon, etc.. when you click on your Internet icon, you start out with their "Home Page". BUT people are exploring and daring, and finding out that there are other great home pages out there that they can personalize to give them the news and features that they want. Be sure to read about it on "Your Home Page" Take a look at the Big Three by clicking on these links:
They all have free email accounts for you.. and they all have Search Engines. (refer to Internet WebSearch ) Now, back to generalities.Email is fast, but the best part of email is that whenever you send it, the receiver doesn't HAVE to look at it immediately (like picking up the phone when it rings), but can read it when convenient to her/him. We "seasoned Seniors" have to remember not everyone has time to just be sitting around waiting for an email from us! so that means that just because we just sent it.. our friend may not look at it for several days.. or more. If you need a timely answer.. USE THE PHONE.
Email is great if you need to have a written record of a conversation or transaction, which is why so many companies use it for confirmations. Just print it out.
Don't be a Spammer!
-Illustration from Keep Your Computer Alive
As with anything new and exciting.. it tends to get abused.
If you are forwarding all those "cute","wonderfully inspiring" messages (or even worse, politically abusive!) to everyone in your address book.. there will be a special place in cyber-hell for you!
All the people on your list may NOT have your same convictions, or appreciation of what is "interesting" to you.. in fact, odds are that they DON'T. They may also receive a lot of email every day, that they are required to go through because of school or business. They do not appreciate another 40 a day from you!
RULE #1:
Forward messages only to those who are specifically concerned with the subject, and if someone has asked you to remove them from your emails, please be respectful and DO SO!
RULE #2:
(This is hard, because we have to break a logical but bad habit.)
Never put a friends email address in the TO: box.
That is the lifeblood of the evil beings who grab those addresses to send Spam email. (ads)
So how do you address it? There is a box labeled BCC: for "Blind carbon copy". Spammers can't see this, so THAT is where you put the friends' address. But it won't get sent without something in the To: box, so put your own address there.. send it to yourself.
(I'll bet then you won't be forwarding quite as many...)
IF YOU MUST forward something, BE SURE to Delete all the addresses in the header (all those people that your friend sent it to). You need to do this after you press the "Forward" button, highlight all the addresses, Delete, then add your "2 cents worth".. and send it on it's way.
How to Deal with Junk Mail
FEB 2009: This is a Warning, hot off the press from PC Tools Newsletter.
With Valentine's Day looming,(or any other time) don't be fooled by one of many online scams!
You may get an email with a subject line, such as "A Valentine for you..." or something similar.
The anticipation of getting a Valentine is a pleasant surprise to most, which is used by malicious hackers to infect your computer.
If you click on a link that is within the email, it's all over.
The malware that they put on your computer can not only CRASH your PC, but can steal your credit card and bank account information.. and to rub salt in the wound, might send an email with the same link to all of your contacts in your address book (even your boss!) putting them at risk, also.
EVIL? you bet! So how do you stay safe?- Use common sense.
- Be wary of any e-mail received from an unknown sender and do not click on any links provided
- Run up-to-date anti-virus and anti-spyware software with behavioural protection – such as Spyware Doctor with AntiVirus.
- Ensure your software is up-to-date and run Smart Updates regularly.
- Keep the programs running in the background at all times.
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Copyright©
2008 by PC Tutor of Santa Maria
Helping Seniors (and others) Love Their Computers
