ICT Essential Skills

Email (electronic mail)

Snail Mail

What is email?

• The sending of formatted text and images to someone else electronically.

• Each email user has a ‘mailbox’ with a unique address into which messages can be sent ready for the recipient to collect and read.

• If you have an account with an Internet Service Provider (ISP) such as Yahoo or Google, they will provide you with an email address and let you use their email service at no extra cost.

• You can also get an email address from many free providers e.g. hotmail or Gmail.

Email Address

liz.currie@nrc.ac.uk

Web Address

www.nrc.ac.uk

Advantages of email

• Sending an email is easy, very little training needed• Free to send• People don’t have to be present to receive an email• Quick• 24/7• Can be accessed anywhere with a computer • Send attachments i.e. photograph, file• Send to multiple addresses• You can request proof of receipt of the email being opened• Messages can be encrypted making it possible to send confidential

information

Disadvantages of email

• Must have an email address and access to a computer/smartphone

• You can’t send someone a message without knowing their email address

• Some people change their email addresses• Spam• Your inbox can get too full when you are on holiday causing

messages not to come through• You might have to wait a long time to get a reply• Email attachments can contain viruses• A lot of email scams

Netiquette

• Do not open emails from anyone you do not know

• Do not open emails from those you do know with subject as fwd that is suspicious

• Do not type with CAPITAL LETTERS – it is considered as SHOUTING

• Do not send bank details or passwords via email

Junk Mail and Scams

Spam

• Spam is flooding the Internet with many copies of the same message, in an attempt to force the message on people who would not otherwise choose to receive it.

• Most spam is commercial advertising, often for dubious products, get-rich-quick schemes, or quasi-legal services. Spam costs the sender very little to send - most of the costs are paid for by the recipient or the carriers rather than by the sender.

Opening the Email application (Outlook)

• Click on START• Click on All Programs, Microsoft Office,

Microsoft Outlook

Reading an Email

A number in brackets - (1) tells you how many new emails you have to read. The email will be in bold. The email still to read is from support.

Double click on support to open.

There are 78 deleted items.

Writing an Email• Insert the address

here (lower case ONLY and MUST BE ACCURATE)

• Cc- carbon copy to someone else

• Insert the subject here (one or two words describing the contents of the email)

• Insert your message here in the BODY

• Send an email

Deleting an Email

• Click on the email and press the Delete key on the keyboard.

• Delete any emails you no longer require OR your inbox will get too full and no longer accept new emails

• Empty Deleted Items – right click on words ‘deleted items’ and choose ‘Empty Deleted Items’.

Sending an Email

• Write your email as Slide 13.• Click on Send.

Adding to Contacts

• Open a received email. Right click on the name and choose Add to Contacts. Then click Save and Close.

Distribution List• Click Contacts• Click New – Distribution List• Look for a name in the search box. Double

click the name in the list and it will appear in the Members box. Continue to do this until all classmates are entered. Click on OK.

• Enter a name for your distribution list.• Click Save and Close.

Emailing to a Distribution List

• Click on the word To• Click on Contacts• Double click on the distribution list

that you created

Email folder

• Right click on Inbox• Choose New Folder• Drag and drop emails from Inbox or Sent items