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Email Basics ... |
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| Home |
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PoPs & Xtra Credit | Student Progress |
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Email Basics ... |
return to
David's facutly home page - Now Featuring |
| Electronic Mail (E-Mail) |
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Email has changed the way we communicate and our expectations of responses more than anything since the answering machine. Unlike Postal Mail (snail mail) where it may take one to several days to send a message and one to several days to get a response, email can be nearly real time. And, unlike Postal Mail, there is no extra cost in stamps.
On the other hand, e-mail requires us to rely upon written text and lacks the nonverbal cues we so rely upon to communicate meaning and tone. Also, like with the answering machine, we expect a response and often expect it quickly. Consequently, as we all adjust to this new and evolving technology, the rules of communication (protocols) are being rewritten. |
| E-mail Messages |
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With e-mail you have a variety of message types that can be sent.
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| Accounts, Email Clients and Host Computers |
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As noted before, email is one part of the Internet and works as a different electronic language with differing protocols from the WWW. An e-mail account consists of:
Your ISP will provide you with one or more email accounts and can replace their domain name with your own if you register your own domain name. You also need to select an email client, that is software that will give you the ability to send, receive, store, edit and in other ways manipulate email and gives you a nice GUI interface. The two most used email clients are listed at the top of the list below but many other are available to choose from:
The email client software is installed and configured to run on your computer and runs electronic communications protocols to send and receive email files. POP (Post Office Protocol) allows your computer to receive incoming email files, via you ISP connection (which uses PPP or SLIP), which are then stored on your hard drive. Another common protocol is IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol). SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol)
handles outbound email messages and helps decide what path they take to
their destination. Another common protocol is MIME (Multipurpose Internet
Mail Extensions) For help with Internet terms and definitions
try |
| Browser-based Web Email |
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Web-based email is an option that allows you to keep the email files on the host computer and allows you to use your browser as the interface for email instead of email client software. Often it is a free service, paid for by the presence of ads. It is also much less user friendly for manipulating your files. It is convenient because you can access your email from anywhere with a browser connection. Examples of eMail screens: |
| Common Email Scams |
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to Recognize Email Scams Cruzio Newsletter #82 Lately there's been a rash of "phishing" around the Internet: email pretending to be from a legitimate company in order to steal your private information. If you fall for a phishing fraud, it can be costly. For example, we have in hand a recent phish email caught by the Cruzio Spam Filter. Let's be Sherlock Holmes and examine it: The heading says The address appears legitimate: unfortunately, it is simple to imitate a "from" address. It's a bit unusual to be asked to update information; doesn't the bank already have the information needs? If you don't have an account at this bank, you'll recognize this email as spam right away and delete it. But suppose that you do have an account there. You may read on. The body of the email refers you to pages on the bank's real Web site, which lends an air of legitimacy. Before long, there is an urgent directive: you are required to "renew your account information" to prevent "account closure." The email warns:
The unprofessional misspellings are a clue, in this case, if If you do follow the fake link when the email is new, you'll find a phony page that looks exactly like a bank or credit card company site. You'll be "required" to fill in a form, starting with a login and password and possibly also asking for your bank account number, Social Security number, or credit card number. All this is duly recorded by the perpetrators, who now have access to your accounts and records. Phishing schemes are very convincing and difficult to trace. But you can avoid falling for fakes: • Use your
(Cruzio) Spam Filter, which blocks out the vast • Be extremely
wary of any email requests for personal or • Don't follow
email links to sites like your bank, or • If you think
you've fallen for a scheme, contact your • Scam emails
can be reported. Forward suspect emails to For a printable version of this newsletter click this text link. |
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Let's explore the following tasks using an email browser:
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