E-Mail

Kinds of information transfer accomplished by email:

  • Newsletters
  • Mailing Lists - either personal address book or server application (eg Mailman)
  • Personal correspondance
  • Collaborative working via document sharing as attachments (can you think of problems with this approach?)
  • Attach other things to email messages:
    • graphics - share photos
    • MP3s - share music
    • documents / spreadsheet - collaboration
    • executable applications - share viruses
  • unwanted "junk" email - spam
 e-mail applications

  • Client - server system. Uses internet protocols SMTP, POP or IMAP.
  • application can be on the microcomputer, eg Eudora (PC), Apple mail (Mac), Netscape mail (browser application), Outlook.
  • or as a web based application, eg Hotmail, Yahoo mail, Earlham's squirrel
  • use the same principals of transferring data. See how email works for a good overview of what happens behind the scenes.
 when to use e-mail

 When would you use email and when a web page (or Blog)?

you want to: you'd use :
share a 'personal page with friends web page
share a diary or journal of comments, links or photos blog
send a message to girl / boyfriend email
send a newsletter to a group or club email address list
submit homework assignment electronically email attachment or email URL
chat to friends back home online chat / IRC

 
 e-mail vs web

web:

  • readable by "world" - everyone
  • media rich - graphics, sound, animation / movies
  • one direction usually - "read only". May have some feedback possible, eg blog.
email:
  • one to one, or one to known list. Private
  • messages as text only or limited formatting

  • messages can carry binary attachments but the recipient needs the right application to open.

    Question:
    how does the recipient's computer know which application to use?

  • replying to the message accomplishes asynchronous communication.

    Question:
    what is the difference between synchronous and asynchronous communication? What applications would you use for each?
 Basic Squirrel

 Basic email operations are:

   
 Message List

Announcements. READ THESE . They will be important.
Shows a page of 20-30 message entries (configurable via Options). These have 5 columns :

  1. check box
  2. From person
  3. Date and time message received. Note that the format of this changes.
  4. Status: A means that the message has been answered. + means that there's an attachment.
  5. Subject line of message. Always type in a subject to your message.

Buttons:

Previous | Next display adjacent pages
Show All show all message headings on a single page
Toggle All check all the boxes on a single page OR uncheck boxes
Transform Selected Messages:
Read make a message look like it's been read (even if you haven't read it)
Unread make a message that you've read look like you haven't read it yet.
Delete move message to Trash folder. This does not get rid of the message entirely. You have to click the 'purge' link to do this.
Questions:
How would you:

  1. Select two non-adjacent messages and completely get rid of them?
  2. Order your messages in alphabetical order of From person to find a message?
 Read

Clicking on the message in the Message List displays the message as you might expect.

Lots of functions here, some of which are obvious (Message List|Delete, Previous|Next, Delete & Prev | Delete & Next,), some of which aren't:

View Full header displays the message header in all it's gory details
View Message details displays the guts of the message inc header
View Printable Version displays the message in a format suitable for printing. Use this to print a nicely formatted message.
   
Dealing with SPAM If the message you are reading counts as SPAM then click either:
Reject List: Sender Adds the sender of the message to your auto-delete SPAM list
Reject List: Domain Adds anyone who sends from this domain to your auto-delete SPAM list.
   
Replying & Forwarding  
Forward Send this message on to someone else. The message text appears in the body and you enter the address. Any reply will come back to you and not to the original sender.
Forward as Attachment Useful for huge messages. The message body is now sent as an attachment leaving the text space clear.
Reply Send a message back to the person who emailed you. The text appears in brackets ">". It's usually best to leave these so that the recipient understands what you are referring to.
Reply All You may be one of a list of email addresses - use this option to reply to everyone on that list.
Questions:
  1. Why might you (or the mail system manager) want to take a look at the message header ?
  2. I added the address "adamij@france-mail.com" to my Reject list : Domain. What would now happen if I got a message from my friend in France at "annel@france-mail.com" ? How can I retrieve this message?
 Compose

 At its simplest this involves merely typing an email address in the To: field (in the format <name>@<domain>), entering a Subject line, and then typing in some text into the message body.

To: Can use a list of addresses here separated by commas. Earlham addressees need no "@earlham.edu"
CC: Carbon Copy. Can also have a list of addresses here.
BCC: Blind Carbon Copy. The recipient does not see that you've CC'ed this message to someone else.
Subject Always type this in.
Buttons:  
Signature Add your signature line to the end of the message. Useful for official messages going off campus.
Addresses Holds list of email names and addresses. See Thursday's Lab session.
Save Draft Save this message until I come back to finish it off
Send Send this messgae right now
Check Spelling Always do this
Attachments This is a two stage process:
First you need to find the file you want to attach by using the Browse button (this should be in you Home drive H:, right?). Click Open.
Now click the Add button to add it to the list of attachments.
Question:
How could you discover whether a message that you sent has actually been read by the recipient? (hint: what do the "Receipt" check boxes mean?)