Email Basics Handout
- 1. Email Basics Presented by: Software Training Services The University of Akron Topics Guidelines/Etiquette Privacy of Email Spam Chain Letters/Hoaxes Discussion Groups/Listservs The University of Akron Guidelines/Etiquette The University of Akron 1
- 2. Basic Guidelines Length Concise, to the point Subject Line Tone Avoid all capital letters Professional Read carefully before sending Humor, sarcasm ¨C difficult to convey Emoticons ¨C use sparingly The University of Akron Emoticons :-) = Happy :-( = Sad ;-) = Wink (Sarcasm) :-O = Yell The University of Akron Identify Yourself Signature Full Name Title Company Address Phone Number Fax Number The University of Akron 2
- 3. Replies and Forwarding Use the ¡°Reply to¡± or ¡°Reply to All¡± option Maintains a link to the original message Maintains ¡°thread¡± of correspondence Forwarding a message Not the same as replying Mail original message to someone other than the sender Use caution when forwarding private or sensitive email messages without the permission of the sender May be inappropriate to forward a portion of a message The University of Akron Using the ¡°CC:¡± field Carbon copy Everyone in the ¡°To¡± and ¡°CC¡± fields are visible ¡®This email is not addressed to you, you're just receiving a copy' (FYI) Can be overused ¡°Reply to All¡± will be sent to everyone in ¡°CC¡± and ¡°To¡± fields The University of Akron Using the ¡°Bcc¡± field Blind carbon copy Conceals address from other recipients Use for mass mailings No need for others to see list of recipients Will not receive a ¡°Reply To¡± or ¡°Reply to All¡± message The University of Akron 3
- 4. Email Attachments Never open an unexpected attachment Even from someone you know Used to spread viruses Scan questionable attachments On Demand Scan When sending attachments, alert the recipient to the attachment The University of Akron Etiquette - Flaming Verbal attack Not an appropriate use Ignore Steps to Avoid: Carefully read messages before sending Don¡¯t send messages in all upper case Don¡¯t send insulting email Don¡¯t send mass-mailing advertisements The University of Akron Privacy of Email The University of Akron 4
- 5. Privacy of Email Not a secure form of communication Don¡¯t send secret or confidential information Credit Card information Social Security number Passwords More like a postcard than a sealed letter Think before you forward Do you have the sender¡¯s permission? The University of Akron Privacy of Email Subject to review with sufficient justification Court order Evidence as part of investigations Message may be mistakenly addressed Return message to sender and delete The University of Akron When NOT to communicate via Email Don¡¯t send email of a sensitive or confidential nature Don¡¯t use email to communicate complaints or dissatisfaction with someone Have a phone or face-to-face conversation with the person Promotes 2-way communication If you find yourself responding more than 3 times on the same topic ¨C Have a phone or face-to-face conversation The University of Akron 5
- 6. Privacy of Email If you wouldn¡¯t want it broadcast on the 6:00 news ¨C don¡¯t put it in an email!! The University of Akron Spam The University of Akron Spam Junk mail Unsolicited bulk mailings Overloads mailboxes 20 ¨C 90% of incoming traffic Adult content, health promotions, software offers, investment ads, get-rich quick schemes Chain letters, hoaxes, jokes NEVER respond to spam! The University of Akron 6
- 7. Spam How they obtain email addresses: Posted on the web (chat, newsgroups, etc.) Web-based discussion boards Inappropriate sharing or sale of email addresses Companies not respecting user opt-out preferences Signing up for ¡°offers¡± Guessing (random generation) Stealing via malware The University of Akron University of Akron Response to Spam Defining spam Difficult ¨C Did you sign up for stock tips? Are you really interested in wonder vitamins? Can¡¯t block all sites Also include legitimate mail The University of Akron University of Akron Response to Spam Spammers hide true source of mail Misconfigured mail servers allow this Sign up for free accounts Spam Scanning System Determines if each message is spam {SPAM?} = May be spam {SPAM!} = High probability Point system The University of Akron 7
- 8. Reporting Spam Messages not marked as spam, send to: spam@uakron.edu Messages marked as spam which are legitimate, send to: notspam@uakron.edu The University of Akron Spam Filters Set up filters on email to sort spam messages Place in Junk Mail folder and then review Software Training website http://www.uakron.edu/its/learning/training/facs taffmail.php The University of Akron Other Methods to Reduce Spam Contact your congressperson Be cautious when giving out your email address Complain to the Internet Service Provider where the message originated Forward message abuse@domain_name ¨C abuse@uakron.edu, abuse@yahoo.com, abuse@aol.com The University of Akron 8
- 9. Hoaxes and Chain Letters The University of Akron Purpose and Cost Send to everyone Messages are untrue Appeal to sense of good will Cost: Time to read Stress placed on servers Spammers harvest email addresses from hoaxes and chain letters The University of Akron Cost of Hoaxes and Chain Letters Generation 1 2 3 4 5 6 No of 10 100 1,000 10,000 100,000 1,000,000 Messages: The University of Akron 9
- 10. Examples The University of Akron The University of Akron Identification ¡°Send this to everyone you know¡± Technical language Credibility by association 3 Components Hook ¨C grab your interest Threat ¨C something terrible will happen Request ¨C Forward this to everyone No contact information or invalid contact information The University of Akron 10
- 11. Hoax/Chain Letter Prevention Do NOT forward the message Various sites used to check validity: McAfee: http://vil.nai.com/vil/hoaxes.aspx F-Secure: http://www.f-secure.com/virus- info/hoax/ Snopes: http://www.snopes.com Hoaxbuster¡¯s: http://hoaxbusters.ciac.org The University of Akron University Rule 3359-11-10 Access and acceptable use of university computer and informational resources ¡°Misuse of e-mail, such as, but not limited to: Sending unsolicited e-mails to a large number of recipients, i.e. sending spam-mail or unwanted chain letters.¡± http://www.uakron.edu/ogc/rules/Rulesby Number.php#policies The University of Akron Phishing Process by which someone obtains private information through deceptive or illicit means Used to falsely assume another person¡¯s identity Online course available Faculty and staff can enroll at: https://www.uakron.edu/seminars/index.php Students can log in to ZipLine and find the course listed on the ¡°My Page¡± tab ¨C under CyberSecurity Information The University of Akron 11
- 12. Listservs and Discussion Groups The University of Akron Guidelines Double-check the To: when replying Don¡¯t send your response to the entire listserv Start a new email and type the recipient¡¯s name Don¡¯t air your grievances on a list Avoid personal attacks Be professional ¡°Lurk¡± if you are new to a list Read posts without responding Learn what the group discusses, how it talks, expected behavior The University of Akron Summary Email is a valuable communication tool Sometimes ¨C it is NOT the best or most appropriate method of communication Follow the basic guidelines presented to improve the quality of your communications The University of Akron 12
- 13. Questions? Email: PSTrain@uakron.edu Phone: 330.972.6391 Web site: http://www.uakron.edu/its/learning/training/ind ex.php The University of Akron Record Course Completion Click the following link to have this course added to your training record: http://survey.uakron.edu:2929/2wV3GFE/Li nk.html NOTE: Failure to click the link and complete the necessary information will result in your course completion being unrecorded! The University of Akron 13