Electronic Mail 1. Electronic Mail (E-Mail)
As well as the wide accceptance of the World Wide Web (WWW), there has been a quiet revolution happening with another internet application—electronic mail (E-mail). This probably has been the most successful of all the internet applications. In fact, electronic mail was well established before the wide usage of the internet driven by the WWW. Many organisations used e-mail extensively for business communications, particularly within the organisation. It was only after the internet was well established and the protocols associated with internet mail (SMTP, MIME, POP, IMAP) became international standards, did e-mail really take off.
E-Mail is a clinet/server application that is used to send text messages. E-Mail, How it When you send an e-mail message, it is sent from your computer to a Works mail server. Your e-mail server then sends the message to the e-mail recipient's e-mail server and then on to the e-mail recipient when he or she next logs onto the e-mail system.
SMTP/MIME
Sender Sender's E-Mail Server TIPS! SMTP/MIME E-MAIL PROTOCOLS There are a series of E-Mail protocols (established set of rules needed to undertake a Internet communication):
SMTP:Used for outgoing mail MIME:Used for attachments POP:Used for incoming mail IMAP:Used for incoming mail SMTP/MIME
POP or IMAP
Receiver's E-Mail Server Receiver
Many of the activities that have become popular through e-mail usage are now widely established. Some of these include the ability to read and compose memo-like messages, create address lists and groups to send bulk e-mail, attach send and receive other files along with an e-mail message, manage personal mail boxes and apply filters and sorts. Electronic Mail Page 33 Electronic Mail
E-mail software that is capable of these activities is widely available. This software can be divided into two types—the localised client based software such as Outlook Express, Eudora and Netscape's Messenger and the web server based software such as MSN and hotmail.
Page 34 Electronic Mail Electronic Mail 2. Outlook Express
Microsoft's Outlook Express is the mainstay e-mail software provided by Microsoft. It is a client based e-mail software with sophisticated e-mail capabilities. It is also the e-mail component of the Outlook package that is used in Microsoft's Office suite of programs.
1. Click the button.
2. Select Programs then the button.
The Outlook Express window opens up with a number of different sub-sections available:
Menus Toolbar
Folder Bar
Outlook Bar
Contacts Bar
Note: Your window might look different to the settings shown here. You can achieve the same by selecting the menu options View --> Layout... and then selecting all the options except Outlook Bar and Views Bar.
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Accessing Outlook Express supplies you with a series of Local Folders with E-Mail which to operate a mail box. This is generally used for messages and message archiving. With Outlook Express there is also an external e- Messages mail account that has been set up on a mail server with an associated mailbox and folders (Here it is called Microsoft Mail Server). This is the area through which most of your messages will be received and sent.
Local E-Mail Folders
External E-Mail Folders
Reading 3. Click the Inbox icon for the Microsoft Mail Server. E-Mail Messages
This will then show you the mail messages that are in your mail account:
List of E-Mail Messages
Body of selected E-Mail Message
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This shows a list of messages in the top window showing the sender, a brief subject header and the date and time it was received. Messages that haven't been read are indicated with bold type and a closed IPS envelope icon . T ! E-MAIL 4. Click on one of the unread messages. FIELDS
Now you should see a different message fill the bottom preview The Outlook Express Inbox fields include: window. Priority Message 5. Double the same message. Attachment -click Flag
By clicking on the field titles, This time a separate e-mail message window opens up similar to the messages can be sorted in following: each of these field orders.
Toolbar
E-Mail Message Field Information
Body of E-Mail Message
From this window it is possible to achieve a number of tasks:
Reply to the sender of the message. Outlook automatically composes a return message to the sender.
Reply to the sender and all of the recipient's of the message. Outlook automatically composes a return message.
Send the message onto others.
Print the current message.
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Delete the current message.
Go to the previous message.
Go to the next message.
Look up the address book.
We will look at all of these activities in reading and composing new messages.
6. Click the button to close the e-mail window.
Composing A task that is essential to an e-mail activity is the ability to create a new E-Mail e-mail message and send it on. Outlook Express provides all of the Messages tools to enable this fundamental activity.
7. Click the button to open up the new message window.
Recipient's E-Mail Body of Message Address goes here Carbon Copy Recipient's E-Mail Address goes here Brief description of message content
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You will need to know some e-mail addresses to be able to send new messages. Most e-mail addresses follow the format: TIPS! [email protected] E-MAIL Some examples include: ADDRESSES [email protected], [email protected], E-Mail addresses use many [email protected], [email protected] organisation type codes and country codes. Some 8. Click into the field. are: Organisation Type 9. Type an e-mail address of a colleague or friend in the com commercial format described above. org organisation edu education 10. Click into the field. net network mil military gov government 11. Type your e-mail address in the format described above. Country Code This should send a copy of the e-mail message back to yourself. au Australia jp Japan uk United Kingdom 12. Click into the field. no code USA
13. Type First Test Message into this field.
14. Click into the body of the message window.
15. Type the following short piece of text:
Hi,
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16. Click the button to deliver the message.
Receiving The message will now be delivered to the e-mail server and then from E-Mail there to the recipient's mail boxes. This might take a little time. The e-mail server will deliver the message to you in due time, but Outlook Messages Express allows you to receive the message when you are ready.
17. Click the button.
Sender Subject
Envelope Icon Date and Time of Indicating Receipt Unread Status
18. Click
19. Double-
20. Click the button when you have finished checking the message.
Complex Now try a message that is a bit more ambituous—a message that E-Mail includes graphics, a file attachment, and a priority setting. Messages 21. Click the button.
22. Type the TO:, CC: and Subject: detail again but this time type in the following text within the body of the message:
Hi,
23. Double- the word second. click TIPS! 24. Click the button. PERSONAL 25. Click the button. SIGNATURE Outlook Express allows you 26. Click the button. to set up your own signature that can be used repeatedly:
27. Click the button. 1. Click Options from the Tools menu. 28. Select a different colour for the text by clicking the 2. Click the Signatures drop down arrow and choosing from the range of tab. colours presented. 3. To create a signature, click the New button. 29. Click at the end of the text after the sign off. and then either,
30. Press the
31. Click the horizontal line button. or
32. Press the
36. Click the drop down arrow in the font text box.
37. Select a font of your choice.
38. Click the drop down arrow in the size text box.
39. Select an 18 point font size for your signature.
40. Click on the button. Attaching Files
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41. Select a shortcut file from your desktop.
42. Click the button.
The resulting message should look something like this:
Reference to Attached File Horizontal Line Insert
Picture Insert
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The final task is to decrease the priority of this test message.
43. Click the button.
44. Select Low Priority from the drop down mini menu.
45. Click the button.
Once messages have been read they are often not needed but do take Deleting up space in the mailbox. These messages need to be deleted. Messages 46. Select the First Message that you sent yourself from the message window.
47. Click the button.
The message item now appears with a line through it and a deleted icon next to it. This has marked the message for deletion. This marking will stay there in case you change your mind later and want to revive it. If you do, then undeleting is available.
48. Select the deleted First Message. Undeleting Messages 49. Right- to open up the context-sensitive dialog box. click
50. Select the option.
The First Message reverts to a read message.
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Purging To permanently get rid of all messages marked for deletion—purging is Messages required. 51. Click the button in the toolbar.
You will notice that any messages marked for deletion will be expelled.
E-Mail Most of the activities so far have been concerned with creating and Folders sending the actual messages. This ability is exciting when undertaken for the first time but can quickly become quite onorous if there isn't a way to organise some of the great number of received messages—the useful and the junk mail. Outlook Express has the option to create and organise folders to place and direct received messages.
Our first task will be to create a Test folder on the Mail Server. After that we will move the two test messages into this folder for easy access in the future.
52. Click on the Mail Server icon within the Folder Bar.
53. Select File --> Folder --> New... from the menus.
54. Type Test into the Folder name: text box.
55. Click the button.
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New Test Folder
Now to move the two test messages into this new folder, but first let's sort the messages into recipient order to find them easily:
56. Click the From field title button above the messages in the message window.
From field title button
The messages will now appear in sender order. Your two test messages should be together under your name.
Note: You might need to scroll down a bit to find them.
In Sender order
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57. Click on the First Test Message.
58. Press the
59. Click on the Second Test Message.
Both should be selected at the same time.
60. Right- to open the context-sensitive menu. click
TIPS! 61. Select Move to Folder... . SYNCHRONIZE 62. Select the Test folder.
It is possible to work offline– you can read and respond to e-mail messages when you are not connected to your ISP.
Your server-based mail account will synchronize the mail on your computer with the server.
Synchronization can happen automatically when you 63. Click the button. connect to the server through your ISP or, manually using The two messages in your inbox now appear marked for deletion and the should have been copied to the Test folder. Let's check! button at the top of the Server's Folder window 64. Click on the Test folder in the Folders Bar.
Only the two messages should be there.
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Electronic mail is a very useful application for creating and sending individual messages. Messages can be sent, received, deleted and organised. But what happens when you have a need to send one message to many recipients? Would you create and send individual e- mail messages to each of the intended recipients? This would be a tedious task if the list is even slightly large. Mail packages such as Outlook Express have the ability to create references to other mail users by storing and organising e-mail addresses into address books. These address books can then be used to create named groups of users. The groups then can be used to send bulk e-mail messages to many users at once.
Outlook Express's Address Book is closely tied in with other Address Microsoft products such as Word and Access. It is a feature that can Book be accessed from Outlook Express and other packages and is used to store contact information.
65. Open Outlook Express.
66. Click on the button.
Address BookToolbar
Various Contact Contacts Details
67. Click the button.
68. Select New Contact... .
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New Contact Tab Options
Basic Name Details
E-Mail Address Details
69. Click into the First: text box. TIPS! 70. Type Joe OTHER 71. Click into the Last: text box. CONTACT DETAILS 72. Type Bloggs There are a number of fill-in details that can be included 73. Click into the Title: text box. with the simple name details for a new contact. To access 74. Type Mr. these you need to:
1. Click one of the tabs 75. Click on the Display: drop down at the top of the dialog box. 76. Select Bloggs Joe e.g. 77. Click into the Nickname: text box. 2. Fill-in the form that appears with the 78. Type Bloggsie details needed. 3. Keep clicking tabs and 79. Click into the E-Mail Addresses: text box. filling-in details for any remaining information 80. Type [email protected] that is to be stored.
81. Click the button.
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82. Click the button.
83. Add five more contacts in the same fashion as listed below:
First Last Title Nickname E-Mail Address
Sue Harvey Ms. Sue [email protected]
Sal Omar Dr. Sal [email protected]
Chris Tinkles Mr. Tinks [email protected]
Andrea Justinou Mrs. Justy [email protected]
Peter Frost Mr. Frosty [email protected]
Note: These are fictious contacts. You can replace them with five contacts of your own.
Each of these new contacts will one by one appear within your contacts list. They can now be used to send e-mail messages without needing to remember complex e-mail addresses. Lets' try this now.
84. Click the button to close the contacts window.
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85. Click the to open the new mail dialogue window.
86. Click the button next to the To: text box.
This opens up the Contacts list that will include the new contacts that you have added.
87. Select the Bloggs Joe entry (You might need to scroll down the list first to find him).
88. Click on the button. TIPS! 89. Select the Harvey Sue entry (You might need to scroll down the list first to find her). BCC: 90. Click on the button. The BCC: field stands for Blind Carbon Copy. This allows you to send your e-mail to a recipient without letting the other recipients on the TO: and CC: lists knowing.
91. Click the button.
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This effort has resulted in automatically placing the addresses of the two contacts into the appropriate e-mail text boxes.
The rest of the message can now be filled out and sent:
92. Click the Subject text box.
93. Type Third Test Message
94. Select the body of the e-mail message.
95. Type Third test message - please ignore
96. Click on the button.
Sending e-mail to large numbers of recipients can be achieved by setting Creating up e-mail groups from the contacts list you have already created. For E-Mail example you might like to send a party invitiation to all your friends; Groups creating a group called friends and writing only one e-mail message will enable you to send a copy of this message to all of them at the same time.
97. Click the button.
98. Click the button.
99. Select the New Group... option from the drop down list.
100. Select the Group Name: text box.
101. Type Friends
102. Click the button.
103. Select the Bloggs Joe from the list.
104. Click the button.
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105. Select the Harvey Sue from the list.
106. Click the button.
107. Select the Frost Peter from the list.
108. Click the button.
109. Click the button.
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110. Click the button again to create the Friends group.
111. Click the button for the contacts dialogue window.
You now can use this group to send the party invitation e-mail to these Creating three friends. Group E-Mail 112. Click the of the button.
This gives you a choice of the type of pre-formatted e-mail message you wish to send.
113. Select Party Invitation .
114. Click the button.
115. Select from the list.
Note: Groups use a different icon and are bold so that they can stand out. Electronic Mail Page 53 Electronic Mail
116. Click the button.
117. Click the button.
118. Select the Subject text box.
119. Type Party Time!!! .
120. Click next to the Day: text in the body of the e-mail message.
121. Type Saturday
122. Click next to the Time: text in the body of the e-mail message.
123. Type 10 PM
124. Click next to the Place: text in the body of the e-mail message.
125. Type 25 Myrtle St., Footscray
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126. Click the button.
127. Click the Outlook Express button.
There are many other features built into Outlook Express that are not covered in this short tutorial. As you become more familiar with Outlook these features will be relatively easy to pick up.
Electronic Mail Page 55 Electronic Mail Develop Your Skills 6
An alternative to using client based E-mail packages is to use Web based E-mail software.
1. Open a the Internet Explorer web browser.
2. Type www.msn.com.au into the URL address box.
This brings you to a welcome screen:
IP Addresses
Times in milliseconds
3. Click on the tab.
This will bring you to the Hotmail web based e-mail system.
4. Click on the link.
Use this page to find out about Hotmail and its capabilities.
5. Close the Internet Explorer browser window.
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1. Open Outlook Express.
2. Click on one of the messages in the message window.
3. Click the button.
Addressing Details of Original Sender
Blank Area in which to type your reply
Original Message Times in milliseconds
4. Type the text Thanks for this Information.
5. Click the button to send off the reply.
6. Click the button.
This time the address fields are empty.
7. Type
8. Click into the blank reply area and type Check this out! .
9. Click the button to forward the message to yourself.
10. Close the Outlook Express window.
Electronic Mail Page 57 Electronic Mail Develop Your Skills 8
1. Open Outlook Express.
2. Create a new Holiday Letter message that looks like this:
3. Click the button. What does this do?
4. Attach a file of your choosing.
5. Insert your Personal Signature by clicking the button. What happens?
6. Click the button. What does this do?
7. Click the button.
8. Close the Outlook Express window.
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1. Open Outlook Express.
2. Click on the Test folder in the Folders bar.
3. Select both Test Messages.
4. Right-click and choose Move to Folder... .
5. Select the Trash folder.
6. Click the button. What happens?
7. Click the Sent Items folder.
8. Select two of the messages there.
9. Right-click and choose Copy to Folder... .
10. Select the Test folder.
11. Click the button. What happens?
Electronic Mail Page 59 Electronic Mail Develop Your Skills 10
1. Open Outlook Express.
2. Click on the Address button.
3. Click New --> New Group....
4. Name it Colleagues.
5. Select Sal Omar and Chris Tinkles and the Friends group to be members.
6. Click the button twice.
7. Close the Outlook Express window.
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