Tips and Tricks on Email

This page is dedicated towards helping NetConnect's customers utilize the potential of email. Below is a list of the categories we will cover. Before starting, make sure your email program is set up correctly. Check out Configuring your email if you believe your email program is not set up correctly.

Subjects

• Reading an email address
• Locating email addresses
• Writing a letter
• Address Books / Nicknames
• Special Features

Reading an email address

An email address has 3 parts.

1. The account name of the individual you are sending to.
2. the '@' sign.
3. The domain of the individual you are sending to.

For exmple, my email address is john@netcnct.net. Therefore, my email account name is john, and I am a member of the domain netcnct.net. There can be other "John's" (no pun intended) on the Internet, but there can not be another "John" at the domain netcnct.net. This allows us to have a huge number of different email addresses worldwide. It also provides you with an advantage with subscribing to a smaller ISP rather than an AOL type simply because you can have a more descriptive email address.

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Locating email addresses

There are a number of different sites on the Internet to help you find email address. These services are similiar to phone books. However, you will find that it is relatively difficult to find people's email address for two reasons:

1. Email addresses are relatively new.
2. There's no standard methodology to gather email addresses. For example, when you move, your new phone number is listed in a phonebook. There is no such service for email address.

The good news is however, that if you want your email address posted for others to find, most databases will allow you to do so. Just remember, that if you post your email address out, not only can your friends find you, but also, direct marketers and others whom you may not want to find you.

Here is a list of a number of different services on the Internet that will help your find someone's email address:

• Four11
• Yahoo
• Lycos
• Bigfoot
• Internet Address Finder
• Email Finder
• Search
• WhoWhere
• SwitchBoard

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Writing a letter

So you're ready to write your first email...

Email is the same as regular mail, except it's faster, and more standardized. The first thing you have to understand about email is that LEAVING YOUR CAPS LOCK BUTTON ON MEANS THAT YOU ARE SHOUTING. AND PEOPLE DON'T LIKE TO BE SHOUTED AT BECAUSE IT IS OBNOXIOUS!!!

OK, I think we have etiquette cleared up now. Time to learn how to email.

Sending email is pretty simple. Using whatever program you have select new message. A button will come up that is simliar to the following:

At this time you simply enter the email address of the individual you are sending to in the "to" box, a brief description of the letter in the subject box, and your actual message in the big box below.

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Address Books / Nicknames

Your address book is essentially a rolodex to help you remember names. It is great because you don't have to type out the whole email address (which can sometimes get very lengthy). Each email program has a different way of handling an address book. Netscape allows you to get to your Nicknames by selecting {Window} {Nicknames}. Microsoft takes a little different approach. You can access your address book by hitting the little rolodex icon next to the {To} in the address area (see picture above).

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Special Features

There are a number of special features you can use with email. I will list a few here. In order to find out more, you will have to come to the email seminars. :)

• cc: Carbon Copy - Used to send a copy of a message to another individual. The recipient of the email will see that somebody else also received a copy of this letter.
• bcc: Blind Carbon Copy - Used to send a copy of your message to the recipient in the bcc box. However, the person you are sending the message to will not know that you sent a copy to that person.

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