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?
2. In what cases would you find it useful to use the ‘CC’, ‘BCC’ and ‘Reply All’ functions of email?
3. In what ways can you ensure that an attachment you send will be easily opened by the receiver?
4. What sorts of filters or rules do you have set up, and for what purpose?
5. How have you organised the folder structure of your email and why?

As for #1,
email addresses always include the username (or account) as well as the domain name of the computer(s) that provide mail services. Whilst domain names such as the free gmail.com may seem obscure at first, you can narrow it down with some knowledge of server nationalities. For instance, users with a hotmail.co.jp would probably be of Japanese origin. Many domains refer to the exact organisation or institution that the user works or studies at. For example hawthornenglish.edu.au tells us that users are associated with the Hawthorn English school within the education sector. Finally, many usernames are closely related to their human names. An email address such as steve@eucalyptproductions.com you can assume belongs to a man named Steve.

Most of this info has been lifted from http://liblearn.osu.edu/tutor/les9/index.html but I couldn’t find any info about the path it took. John Paul Grant’s post reminded me To do this in Outlook … simply right click on the file and go to ‘message options’. A rather non-user-friendly list of internet headers including the servers along the way from sender to recipient.

#2
We use the TO: field for listing each primary recipient of the message. The CC: field can be useful if you want to send a copy of your message to someone, but the purpose is for their information and we’re not expecting a reply from them. The BCC: field is rather sneaky. Should you need to send a “blind” copy of your message to someone, without other recipients knowing about it, include their address here. Perhaps you need some kind of legal assistance or a third party to laugh at the ridiculous message content, but that’s only for nasty people. Reply All is a very handy function to broadcast your response to all the original recipients - perhaps when setting up a list is overkill or how to do that is unknown.

#3
Following are a few ways that you can ensure that an attachment you send will be easily opened by the receiver?

• recipient must have a compatible system - file format and software handlers
• redundancy allowance - if you don’t know of the recipient’s system, try sending an RTF file or better still a plain text (ASCII) file
• file names - include in the body text of your e-mail message the names of any files you have attached
• be considerate - compress large files, use something like WinZip

Answer #4 :
Disappointingly in Outlook 2003 the default junk email filter setting is low. Don’t Microsoft programmers drink coffee? I switched it to high and no problem so far. I’m not a fan of rules in general but for email I have set up a book club rule. For me, these messages aren’t urgent, and I want them all together in one place. Setting up the rule is straight-forward, provided you avoid your usual habit of clicking the Next button. On setting up a new rule the first screen has a Finish button, which will do the job without complication.

#5
Although I use Outlook, it’s running out of reasons to remain my preferred email program. Don’t waste your time with the tutorial Why create folders. From my screen clip here you can see how I have organised the folder structure of my email, for now. Each folder has been named appropriately. Some are permanent, such as accounts where I put emails pertaining to information I need to recall for passwords and whatnot. Other folders, like clients, family, and friends, are relevant to specific sender groups. The wedding folder is a temporal one that should be archived now that it is complete. It just goes to show, even a good folder system can’t be neglected for too long.

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So for competent email, think about how you would like to read your email, and write just as well. Do the right thing by everyone.

In a reply, don’t just quote everything. Do you want to read that again?

In a reply, don’t just quote everything.

Don’t assume I’ve been able to notice that little paper clip. Tell me what is attached and what action is required.

Take the time to set up folders and rules. Assess and re-assess them on a regular basis to make your management of email easy as can be.

Email best practice depends on understanding how your audience will use the information you are sending, or how you wish them to use it.

This concept is quite different from thinking about what you are telling your audience: it requires you to think and write about what the recipients of email should do with that email.

• Will they file it away for future reference?
• Will they respond immediately?
• Will they act upon the information if required?
• Will they be passing the message or parts of it onto others?

To be productive, you need to signal to your audience what you would like them to do; you need to help them to understand your intentions and expectations. We haven’t learnt to read minds, so communicate it!