Exchanging Information Using the Internet
Editing and deleting messages: As a registered user, you can make changes to your posts if the administrator has not turned off this feature. To make changes, just click the Edit button. In most message board applications, you'll find this button at the upper right corner of the post where you see the link and date. Message boards also enable you to delete your posts. You'll typically find the Delete button in the corner of your post. The application sends a notification alerting the moderator and other participants that you have just edited or deleted a post.
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You can include additional names of recipients in the Copy (CC) and Blind Copy (BCC) slots. The names in the CC field refer to people you don't directly address in the email. The email IDs in the BCC field refer to people who the other email recipients can't see. Click Send when you are ready to send the email. Click the Reply button when you want to reply to an email. Type your response in the space above the original email message. Click the Send button to send the reply to the recipients. Click the Forward button to forward an email (that you have received) to another person. You'll need to include the email ID of the new recipient in the To field.
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Working with Emails
Email is the electronic equivalent of a traditional exchange of letters. The Internet enables you to exchange email the same way that the postal service does. Typically, two or more people send and receive email messages as a group. You can send email messages across the Internet to any place in the world, almost instantly and without spending money on postage. All you need is a computer or a mobile device, an Internet connection, and an email application program. You can operate an email account with an email account and password. This email application can be either a web-based or a client-server program. Examples of web-based email applications include Yahoo, Google, Hotmail, and America Online. Examples of client-server email applications are Microsoft Outlook, Mozilla's Thunderbird, or Apple's Mail.
Basic Email Operations
If two people have email accounts and email addresses, they are ready to exchange emails. They can compose messages, send attachments, reply and forward messages, print, move messages to folders, and delete messages. Use the Compose Mail option to write a new message. In most email applications, the icon that denotes this is a closed envelope. The content (or body) of an email message is similar to the text that you compose on a word processor. You can either type or copy and paste a block of text to create the content. You can include a table. You can also change the font and the size of the characters in your content. You can add effects such as boldface, italics, highlights, and color for emphasis. If you're not ready to send the email, you can save it as a draft. You can later access the Drafts folder, retrieve that particular email, edit it, and send it. Provide an appropriate subject heading for your email in the Subject section. The subject specifies the purpose of the email and gives the email a short, meaningful theme. You can also attach a document, a video, or an audio file with the Attach option. A paper clip icon typically indicates an attachment in most applications. You can send an email to one or more recipients. Type or select names from the Address book to include in the To field.
Managing Emails
Inbox: The Inbox is the main folder in your email program, which stores all your incoming messages. Outbox: The Outbox folder temporarily stores all emails until the program successfully sends them to recipients. Sent: The Sent folder stores all emails that you have sent successfully. Trash/Deleted Items: The Trash or Deleted Items folder stores all deleted emails. Deleting an email from this folder permanently deletes the email. Drafts: You can save your partially composed emails in the Drafts folder and complete them when you are ready. Spam: The email program stores all unwanted junk emails (that a spam filter identifies) in the Spam folder. You can configure the spam filter to send all unwanted emails directly to this folder.
Blogs: A web log (blog) is an online writing application that you can use to publish original articles. Your articles will appear in chronological order. Anyone can read them, but only the blog owner can change them. You can use a blog to express your opinions on any subject that interests you. You can publish stories or poems or share experiences on a blog. Some blogs are popular with many people, such as employees who collaborate on a project, or a group of teachers who offer online lessons. Wikis: Wikis are websites that offer features similar to blogs, but people use them for a different purpose. Wikis enable you to access knowledge related to a variety of subjects. Whereas only a blog owner can change a blog's content, any user can modify and re-publish the content on wikis. Therefore, wikis stay updated with the most current information. Wikis are in the public domain, and copyright protections do not apply to their content. Wikipedia is an example of a popular wiki.
Instant messaging (IM): Instant messaging, or a chat application, enables you to connect with people online, in real time. You must be connected online to the Internet to use IM. Some IM applications also enable you to set up a virtual chat room where you can interact directly with others who may be present in the same environment. You can create private chat rooms or small chat groups that offer password-enabled access. You can use this feature to chat with family members, colleagues, or your close friends. IM also lets you send text, images, photographs, video, and audio files to all recipients. Most email applications in the public domain that offer email features also offer the IM feature. In most cases, you can use the same login ID and password.
Managing emails can be a challenge if you do not use methods to increase email efficiency. Let's see some typical features that can improve email management. Using distribution lists: You can save the email addresses of the people you frequently communicate with in a contacts list. Some email programs automatically save the email addresses of the people you send emails to in the contacts list. A distribution list is a list of multiple email addresses that helps you send emails to several people on the list, all at once. This list saves a lot of time because you don't have to enter each email address individually. Here's how you can create a distribution list in Microsoft Outlook: Click the File menu and select New. Click Distribution List and type the name of the group in the Name box. On the Distribution List tab, click Select Members. You can either select an address list or search for addresses and add them one by one. In the Search box, look up the name you want, select the desired one, and click Members.
Managing tasks: An email program helps you remember future plans and appointments and maintains notes. For example, Google Tasks enables you to keep track of the tasks you need to do on specific dates. Here's how to add a task in your Gmail Inbox: Click the small arrow next to the Gmail button in the top left corner. Select Tasks from the drop-down menu. This option opens a Task window in the bottom right corner. Add your tasks and the due dates for these tasks. You can add notes to your tasks. You can enter details about your task in the notes box. Setting filters or rules: You can manage your emails by setting up filters or rules to automatically delete, block, or move emails to a designated folder. Whenever an incoming email matches a rule, the email program or client will act as the rule directs. For example, you can choose to filter and block emails that a particular person sends you. You can move emails that include a specific word in the Subject field to a designated folder. Filters and rules help you stay organized and make you more efficient.
Other Forms of Internet Communication
Message boards: Message boards facilitate discussions in the form of posted messages. They also use a voting system (polls) to interact with users. You can set up a discussion, and others can post replies. You can begin with a topic and a query, if you have any. Others will respond to your query, and this exchange will develop into a discussion. Replies (posts) appear as blocks, one below the other. Discussions follow a chronology. The last reply always appears at the end. Different types of message boards are used by people with different interests. These people include business professionals, teachers, students, graphic artists, and so on. Some message boards have discussions that don't require registration. This facility enables anyone to participate in the online conversations. However, most discussion forums require participants to provide usernames and valid email addresses. If you use a message board, you can post, reply to, edit, and delete messages.
Posting messages: A post on a message board looks like an email in a word processor format. To post a message, type your post into the text area, and click the Send or Post button. You can format words and phrases in the same way that you'd format words in an email or in an electronic document.
Replying to messages: Many message boards enable you to post replies as a guest user. However, on most message boards, you'll need to register before you can post messages. After you register, you can participate in threads and reply to existing comments. To reply to a post, click the Post Reply button.
The Inbox stores all emails that you receive. Over time, the Inbox gets crowded, and you may find it difficult to locate a particular email among several hundreds. Therefore, it's important for you to manage your emails. Let's look at some email management tips. Delete all unwanted emails. You can delete an email by right-clicking the email and then clicking the Delete button. You can also select multiple emails and delete them together in the same way. The folder for deleted items stores all deleted emails. It helps you clean out all unwanted emails from the Inbox. You may often receive unsolicited emails. Such emails clog your Inbox, and some may even steal your personal information. You can select spam emails with a right-click and send them to the Spam folder by selecting the Move to Spam option. When you move emails to the Spam folder, the email program automatically marks the spamming address. After that, the program sends all emails from the marked addresses to the Spam folder. Conversely, if an email gets into the Spam folder by mistake, select that email with a right-click and move it back to the Inbox by selecting the Move to Inbox option.
You can manage your emails more effectively if you group related ones. You can set up folders to group emails related to one topic. This procedure will help you easily locate emails when you need them. You can name folders based on your requirements. For example, Work, Personal, Annual Projects, Mid-term Assignments, and so on. Move the relevant emails to each of these folders. After that, you can easily and quickly find a particular email in the appropriate folder. Email services and programs offer different facilities to create folders in different ways. Gmail, for example, enables you to create folders in the form of labels.