====== Email Class ====== The email class is currently being integrated into the [[Internet and Safety]] class. * Could use animation to show parts of e-mail address (username, @, computername) The preparation section of this page should probably stay here. --Nate 2007/10/15 ====== Preparation ====== Students should have e-mail addresses created for them **prior** to the class. It takes too long for students to think of an e-mail address, find an open one, and register correctly. Here are the steps for creating e-mail addresses: - **NOTE** Google will now only allow seven or eight gmail accounts to be created from one IP address. I guess this is to prevent spammers from mass-creating e-mail accounts -- GRR. It is recommended to begin creating e-mail accounts as soon as possible, so that we don't encounter this problem at the last minute. - Open the FIXME spreadsheet on Google Docs http://docs.google.com/a/bworks.org - Click on the Discuss Tab to see who else is viewing it - Mark the next unoccupied e-mail address as "pending" and your initials. * **NOTE** We usually have one person create the e-mails, so this step might not be so important - Visit gmail signup: https://mail.google.com/mail/signup - Enter the first name and last name of the student. - Try one of the suggested e-mail addresses from the spreadsheet. - Use the standard password for every e-mail address - Security Question: {standard question} - Answer: {standard answer} - Secondary email: FIXME suggestion: help@bworks.org? - When finished with all e-mails, print instructions for logging into Gmail. FIXME We need a "template" Google Doc for this. We could copy/paste the students from the e-mail spreadsheet into this document. We could also just put the instructions in the spreadsheet that has the students names/e-mail addresses. Instructions should have the following items: * Gmail URL (http://gmail.com) * Steps for "Enter your username" * Enter your password * We **could** print instructions on how to change the password, but it's not that easy. * Include "Send an e-mail to ''help@bworks.org''" * Include a link to various Gmail help pages? ====== What Is E-mail? ====== Electronic Mail: An electronic message that is sent to one or more people using e-mail addresses. Example: To: joe@gmail.com Subject: Party Friday Message: Joe, I'm having a party Friday at 8:00 p.m. My address is 1234 Some Street. Call me at 555-1234 if you need directions. P.S. Nelly might be there LOL! :) ====== Why use E-Mail? ====== * IM is cool, but what if the person isn't at their computer or doesn't have their phone on? * E-mail is fast. E-mail can be delivered in seconds, across the world. * Send your resume, jokes, party invitations, etc. * Personal -- E-mails are addressed to one or more specific people, unlike a web site. * Organized - You have all your past e-mails in one place, and can read them at any time. It's hard to find old IM conversations. ====== Email Addresses ====== * E-mail addresses are sort of like regular mail addresses. - Who you're sending it to. - The address of the computer to send it to. ===== Parts of an E-mail Address ===== - Username - The "''@''" symbol (pronounced **AT**) is located above the ''2'' key. Hold down the SHIFT key, and press ''2''. - The "post office" computer's name. The ''@'' tells the computer where the user name stops, and the computer name begins. ==== Examples: ==== * bob@gmail.com (Pronounced "bob AT gmail DOT com") * bill@gmail.com (Pronounced "bill AT gmail DOT com") * betty1976@hotmail.com (Pronounced "betty1976 AT hotmail DOT com") * george.washington@yahoo.com (Pronounced "George DOT Washington AT yahoo DOT com") ==== Tips ==== * Email addresses **never** have spaces in them. When you type an e-mail address, make sure no spaces are in the address. ====== Parts of an E-mail ====== When you write or "compose" an e-mail, there are three basic parts. ===== To ===== * Who you want to send the e-mail to. * e-mail address of the person you want to send the e-mail to. Example: To: info@bworks.org ===== Subject ===== The subject should be a __short__ description of what's in the e-mail. The subject line can be very important. When you receive an e-mail, this is the first line that you see. **Question** which e-mail messages you would read first, and why: - Subject: From: joe@joe.com - Subject: Party Friday Night! From: joe@joe.com ===== Message / Body ===== Message (Also called the "Body" of the e-mail) is the __full message__ that you want to send. Example: Message: To whom it may concern, I'm interested in the Mathematics Teacher position that's open at your school. I've been teaching blah blah blah Thank You, -- John Doe ====== Example E-Mail Message ====== {{compose_email_cropped.png|}} ====== Using Email ====== Let's get started on writing your first e-mail. You should have an e-mail account set up for you by ByteWorks. If you don't, please ask an instructor to set up a G-Mail account for you. Or better yet, have an instructor show you how to do it yourself :-) ===== Logging In ===== You need a username and a password in order to use your e-mail program. BYTEWorks should have a username/password already set up for you. It's usually not a good idea to write down your password, but for now, you might want to jot it down. * You will use a Web Browser to read and write e-mails. Ask for help if you don't know how to open your Web Browser. - Open a Web Browser (Internet Explorer or Firefox). - In the Address Bar, type www.gmail.com - {{urlbar.png|}} - Press ENTER. You should see a login screen something like this: - {{gmail_login.png|}} - Enter your username in the "Username" box. (the one you wrote down above) - Enter your password (the one you were assigned) - Press "Sign In". You should now see the screen below. If you have a problem, try typing in your username / password again. The password is CaSe SenSiTiVE. {{gmail_inbox.png|}} ===== Inbox ===== "Inbox" is where your incoming e-mails are stored. In the picture above, there are 2 e-mail messages which are in the Inbox. To read an e-mail, you just click on the e-mail which you want to read. ===== Sending an Email ===== Enough about reading e-mails. Let's send one. * Press the "Compose Mail" button that's highlighted in the picture above. You should see a screen like the one here: {{compose_email_cropped.png}} * Enter an e-mail address in the To: box. You could use nathan.neff@bworks.org * Enter a simple subject in the Subject: box. * Type a message in the big box below ''Subject:'' * Press the big **Send** button. GMail should notify you that your message was sent. {{gmail_message_sent_notification.png}} ===== Send Another E-mail ===== * At this point, you should write down a fellow student's e-mail address, and send them an e-mail. * Note You may have to click on the "Inbox" link to show you any new e-mails that have arrived. * When you receive an e-mail from a fellow student, click on the e-mail to read it. ====== Send an E-mail to Byteworks Founders ====== * Send an e-mail to two or three people at the same time. Use the ''CC'' box. * deloporp3@yahoo.com * kewalter@swbell.net * nathan.neff@bworks.org ===== Replying ===== I'm very lazy, and I don't like to type in e-mail addresses. If I read an e-mail, and want to send a quick message back, I click the Reply link. See the picture below. {{gmail_reply.png}} * Notice that GMail automagically puts the sender's e-mail in the To: box. * Type in your reply. * Notice that the sender's original message is included in your message. This is helpful for remembering what the conversation is about. * Press the Send button. ===== CC / Carbon Copy ===== If you want to send an e-mail to one person, and also want to send it to other people, use the CC (Carbon Copy) feature. You can also just add a comma between multiple people's e-mail addresses in the To: box. For example: To: nathan.neff@bworks.org, john.doe@bworks.org, joe.sixpack@bworks.org ===== BCC ===== BCC stands for Blind Carbon Copy. The addresses in the "BCC" box are not visible to other people who you've sent the e-mail to. ===== Sent Folder ===== You can see what e-mails you've sent by clicking on the Sent Mail icon on the left menu. See image below. {{gmail_sent_mail.png}} ===== Attachments ===== When you want to send something other than just a simple message, you can use attachments. Attachments are useful for: * Sending resumes. * Sending pictures. When you want to send someone an attachment, feel free to contact BYTEWorks, and we'll help you send a resume or picture. Until you learn to create a resume or picture, it's beyond the scope of the basic e-mail class. See Also the Spam/Security section below. ====== Address Book ====== The address book is a very helpful tool, and deserves its own chapter. The Address Book helps you keep track of people and their e-mail addresses, so that you don't have to remember someone's e-mail address every time you want to send them a message. ====== Security ====== * Do not open attachments, unless you are expecting an attachment from someone. * If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. * Never send your credit card number, bank account number, or passwords over e-mail. * Do not follow links that aren't the same as they look: Example: [[http://www.yahoo.com|http://notesmine.com]] ====== Spam ====== Spam is a nickname for junk e-mail. The more you use your e-mail, the more likely you are to get spam. It's just an unfortunate fact. {{spam_examples.jpg|}} Fortunately, GMail tries to filter your e-mail messages for spam, and puts it in the The "Spam" folder. Here's the contents of my Spam folder. Notice the dates on the messages. {{spam.png}}" ===== Don't download Spam ===== {{spam_do_not_download.jpg|}} ===== Trash ===== Spam is everywhere. Even in Instant Messaging. Put all spam/ads in Trash Can. {{spam_im.jpg|}} {{topic>email student_classes}} ===== Admin ==== * [[https://docs.google.com/a/bworks.org/|Google Docs]] ====== See Also ====== * http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/bworks_staff/files/EducationProgram%20Committee/Computer%20Classes/*%20Lastest%20Linux%20Presentations/ {{tag>email classes}}