Email Basics
DAW MYAT NOE LWIN
LECTURER
Discussion
1. What makes email different from other types of
communication?
2. What are some advantages of email?
3. What are some disadvantages?
4. Describe the parts of an email message.
5. Are your email messages private?
What is email?
short for electronic mail
send & receive messages over the internet
What you need
a computer with internet access
an email account with a service provider such as
Yahoo, Gmail, Hotmail, etc
note: Microsoft Outlook and Apple Mail, are NOT
email providers (which is why you can’t email from
library computers without an account)
Choosing an email provider
Most common are Hotmail (Microsoft), Gmail
(Google), Yahoo Mail (Yahoo!)
For this class, we’ll be using Yahoo
Setting up your email account
Parts of an email address: mnlwin@uclan.ac.uk
user name : mnlwin (you create your own)
@ symbol : unique to email addresses (Shift key + 2)
email provider’s name: uclan.ac (yours will be gmail)
domain : .uk (yours will be .com)
Password
Something easy to remember, but difficult to guess
Do NOT use sensitive information, such as SSN, bank PIN,
etc.
Usually a combination of letters and numbers is
best
Verification questions in case you forget your
password
Let’s set up
our accounts!
Let’s compose an email!
Click on COMPOSE
The parts of an email
To : enter the exact email address of your recipient (remember:
name@provider.domain)
For multiple recipients, separate each address with a comma
CC : carbon copy
BCC : BLIND carbon copy – is anonymous
Subject : the topic of your email – very important
Body : the message of your email
Attachments : the paperclip symbol - files or photos
Sending an email
Communication can be tough with written
correspondence. No body language or facial cues to
help.
Err on the side of too formal
Punctuation & spelling
Greeting & closing signature
ATTACH a file from a flash drive
Click on SEND to mail your letter
Message will now appear in your SENT folder
Sending an email
Once an email is sent, you cannot stop it or take it
back
Spell-check & proofread!
Check your SENT box now.
DRAFT EMAILS & SAVING FOR LATER
Drafts: When creating an e-mail the computer will
automatically save your work periodically.
If for any reason you should be interrupted (i.e.
lapse in internet connection) you can retrieve your
latest work what is called the DRAFT BOX.
Receiving email
If you have any messages you should see them listed on
the screen or in your Inbox
At the top of each message is a header with information
about the sender, date, and routing of each message.
From: dwalker@surfcity-hb.org (Danielle Walker)
To: you@gmail.com
CC:
Subject: Email Basics class
Date: Mon, 3 May 2010 8:31 PST
Replying to an email
Reply vs Reply All
When you click on Reply, your message will automatically
be sent to the person who sent you the email (FROM field
in header.)
When you click on Reply All, your message will
automatically be sent to the person who sent you the email
AND everyone in the TO and CC fields in the header.
Forwarding an email
When you click on FORWARD, you may share the
email you’ve received by sending it to others.
You may add your own message before sending.
Opening attachments
Usually photos or documents
If you don’t know the sender, do NOT open the
attachment
SAVE vs OPEN file dialog box
Deleting email & Trash can
Once you’ve read an email, you must decide if you
want to save it or delete it.
Click on delete to send the email to the TRASH CAN
The message disappears from your list of messages
but is not truly deleted yet, so if you make a mistake
you can get the message back.
Just look in the Trash folder. However, once you exit
the program, the messages are usually deleted for
good.
netiquette
Common abbreviations
Emoticons aka smilies
Privacy, viruses, & spam
Privacy: CC vs BCC
Viruses: Never open attachments from unknown
senders.
Safety: Never send personal financial information
via email, even if it looks like a legitimate request
from your bank or financial institution.
Spam: unsolicited commercial email
Delete
Click on Report Spam
SPAM BOX on Yahoo
CHatting & texting
Texting Online
Is similar to texting using a cell phone but texts received
can only be viewed once, then they are permanently
deleted after being read. This is useful if you do not have
a cell phone or will not be near your cell phone and need
to communicate to another cell phone.
Chatting
This is real-time communication with no delay. Usually
done with those you know online. Be selective who you
chat with. As with spam and phishing, scams can occur
with chatting as well.
Important – Sign Out!
