The Essentials of E-mail
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| Introduction to E-mail
Email is asynchronous communications. Synchronicity holds many advantages; however, it also makes many demands. When you telephone someone (synchronous communications), the party you are calling must be available to speak with you otherwise you will need to leave a message (provided that person has also an answering device). Then the two of you will play phone tag until you are both there at the same time. It demands that you "synchronize" your efforts. One of the quintessential advantages of email is its asynchronous nature. I could write a message at 2 pm and you may read it at midnight or 6 in the morning. It doesn't matter when I write it. Nor does it matter when you read it. Another major advantage of email is that it is "documentation." Emails are electronic documents which provide proof of correspondence (so you also need to be careful). Not only can an email be printed, but the time it was sent can also be verified and there is a "trail" as it passes from my email server to yours. Thus an email to a parent of a student is much more verifiable than a phone call. Email holds as much weight legally as traditional correspondence. Email Fundamentals Most people under-use the capabilities of software and this is true of email. Good email skills may curtail embarrassment and problems later. Skill 1 - Be concise. This necessity evolved from the fact that in the early days of the Internet Service Providers (ISP) - they used to charge their customers by the minute or provide only so many hours per month. This got everyone in the habit of writing tersely. Taciturnity has matured into a cultural norm. Communicate effectively, but concisely. The electronic world is known for its speed - not its eloquence. The tone of email is generally much less formal than its traditional counterpart. Skill 2 - Reply. After reading someone's message, use the reply button instead of the compose button. The compose button allows you to write a new message. But if you are replying to someone's query, then use the reply so that more context is given to the receiver of your message. The reply button sends not only your response but also the original message you received. If you write a terse response to another email but do not provide context, your message may be misunderstood. Distinguish the buttons on your tools bar. Skill 3 - Reply All. This button allows you to send to everyone who received the original email. For example, let's say you wrote me an email and sent a copy to the superintendent, principal and another teacher. By using the Reply All button, I will not only reply to your message, but all the others will also receive a copy of my reply to you. Skill 4 - CC. This is an anachronism. CC is "carbon copy" referring back to the ancient days when people actually used carbon paper and a typewriter. But it means the same - that's why the term still exists in the cyberworld. CC indicates that the writer has sent the same message to the others listed. Skill 5 - BCC. Use this sparingly. A "blind carbon copy" means that you have also sent the message to the BCC recipient, but the addressee cannot know this because the information containing the other recipients has been suppressed. Skill 6 - Forward. If you receive an interesting email and would like to send it to others, you can forward the email without having to cut-and-paste or retype the original. Skill 7 - Forward All. You can also forward the message to many others. Skill 8 - Use Caution. Once a message is sent, it cannot be retrieved except by the holder of the email address. Similarly if you delete a message - it's gone for good. Skill 9 - Attachments. You can also attach files to your email. So if you want to send me a lesson plan, you can attach it to an email you send to me. The file must be accessible to your computer at the time you wish to send the file. (Warning - some viruses have been transmitted via attachments. It's a good idea to know the person who is sending you an attachment before you open it. And you should always have your anti-virus program [like Norton or McAfee] operating when using email.) Skill 10 - Email Management. Once you start receiving a mass of emails, you'll want to manage then. There are several ways. You can read and then delete. You can create "mailboxes" and sort them according to categories of your choosing like "family" and "work". You may use an email filter that will automatically send certain emails directly to a "work" or "family" bin. Skill 11 - Address Book. Maintain an up-to-date address book. This will allow you to quickly access email addresses. Address books can also be divided into categories such as "family" or "work" or "friends." |
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