It is quite interesting to look into something I do everyday without thought. I use Outlook at work and use a web based email at home - Yahoo. I chose Yahoo as I have changed internet providers over the years and it is annoying to have to change email addresses each time.
1. What information about a user's email, the origin of a message, and the path it took, can you glean from an email message? (Allen, M., n.d.)Looking at the emails I receive, I can find the following information without opening the email: who it is from, the subject of the email, date it was received, file size, attachments (if any).
If the subject field had "Re:" before the subject, I would automatically know this is a reply to a previous email I have sent to the recipient.
This is quite a lot of information without opening the email.
Upon opening the email, I can see the email address consists of a username, an "@" symbol, and a domain name. If I didn't know who the email was from, the domain name provides a lot of information.
The domain name can be a comany name, business name, individual's name, internet service provider, etc. The domain name extension can also be useful to determine where the email has come from: .com, .net, .org, .gov, .edu. These extensions can represent companies, government departments, education services, etc. They can also represent countries where the email has originated: .com.au, .co.uk, .co.nz, etc.
You will also be able to tell if the email has been copied (cc'd) to anyone else and, if the email has been forwarded many times over, there is usually a trail of email addresses that the email has left if you were to follow the breadcrumbs.
2. In what cases would you find it useful to use the 'cc', 'bcc' and 'reply all functions of email? (Allen, M., n.d.)Cc
I use cc in many emails at work and a few from home. If I think a topic is of interest to other people but not necessarily an action for them, I will cc them in on the email. It is primarily used for information purposes.
Bcc
I very rarely use this function but it can be worthwhile. It is primarily used for sending group emails or newsletters when you don’t want recipients to know each other’s email address. It is illegal to send an email to a group of recipients and display all email addresses.
It can also be used when you want to inform someone of an email’s contents but you don’t want the recipient to know you have sent it to someone else. This can be used to 'cover your back' however it can be risky and can backfire. Be careful when using this function for this purpose and ensure the person you are bcc’ing in the email is aware of why you are using this function.
Reply all
If I was to receive an email which was sent to other recipients and I wanted to reply, I would take into consideration the message and whether everyone on the address lists need to see my reply. If it is only necessary to reply to the sender, then I will only reply to the sender. If, however, I think it is necessary to advise everyone of my response, then I will reply to all.
Usually, the original email and its contents will enable me to make a decision on whether to reply all. Normally, with work emails I will tend to reply to all as the sender would like everyone informed when replying. If I were to send an email to multiple email addresses and it is not necessary for anyone to reply, I will add FYI (for your information) at the beginning of the email so everyone knows they don’t have to respond.
3. In what ways can you ensure that an attachment you send will be easily opened by the receiver? (Allen, M., n.d.)I have received attachments in email that I cannot open as I didn’t have the correct version of the software. It is important to make files compatible for the end user when sending attachments. It is frustrating and annoying having to ask the sender to resend the email in the correct format.
Also, sending Macintosh or Windows files to recipients who use a different operating system are unable to be opened by users.
Normally within my work environment everyone uses Windows so it is not usually a problem. However, the graphic designer we use has Macintosh and when I receive files sometimes they are not in the correct format for me to use.
If there are problems with users receiving attachments, you can send the document as a plain text (ASCII) format or a rich text file (RTF) format. The downside to sending these files is all formatting will be lost.
I usually state the files I have attached in the email in case I forget to attach them when sending so the user knows there should be an attachment(s).
Also, if I want to send many files or if the files are large, I will zip (compress) the file before sending. This ensures the recipient will not receive any large emails in their inbox. If I am sending photographs to family or friends, I will reduce the file size to ensure they will receive them and the download time is minimised.
Any exe or zip files I receive at work do not get through our firewall and need to be sent via our IT dept to scan for viruses. It is important to remember NOT to open any attachments from recipients you do not know. If you do know the recipient you still need to be cautious before you open any attachments as some viruses can be spread this way. Any attachments with exe extensions can be dangerous and should be opened with caution.
4. What sorts of filters or rules do you have set up, and for what purpose? (Allen, M., n.d.)I use filtering quite extensively at work as it unclutters my inbox and saves time. I have registered for numerous newsletters as I create newsletters as part of my job and like to see how others are formatted.
For these newsletters I have a rule to place them in a folder automatically when received so I can view them at my leisure. I also have email I receive from an organisation which is for information purposes so I don’t necessarily need to read as soon as they come in so they are also put in a particular folder.
The filters I use are by email address as I know the email addresses they are distributed from however there are many ways you can filter email. You can filter by keywords, subject messages, and email addresses to help you manage your inbox.
It is a good idea to experiment first to see what your email software is capable of.
5. How have you organised the folder structure of your email and why? (Allen, M., n.d.)I have created folders for both my work and home email addresses for email I want to keep. It can get confusing if there are emails that relate to many subjects. It is important to plan the structure before creating the folders. It is like any filing system which needs to be planned out to achieve the best result.
It can also be useful to keep sent emails in these folders as it can be time consuming and frustrating to sort through sent emails.
If space is an issue, emails can also be saved to your computer for ease of access. I keep my folder structure on my computer similar to my email folders which helps me keep organized.
References:
Allen, M.. (n.d.). "Module 2 Communicating in the Infosphere". Retrieved June 28, 2009 from
http://lms.curtin.edu.au/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_18825_1&content_id=_985241_1
