Dave and Tish Parsons    

E-MAIL ETIQUETTE

            I named this article Email Etiquette for a somewhat sneaky reason.  It is really about SPAM, and how to avoid (most or some??) of it.  But there is a tidbit of email etiquette at the very end; however you must read everything else first. 

            Interestingly enough, my 1995 edition of Webster�s dictionary does not even list spam; however when I Googled searched the internet for �spam�, I got 36,200,000 hits.  Of course that includes a few hits for the edible variety from Hormel Foods Corp.

            The definition of Spam is:  Flooding the Internet with many copies of the same message, in an attempt to force the message on people who would not otherwise choose to receive it.   In our world it has become most anything one would rather not receive, regardless of how many were sent.  This presents a problem, as many enjoy passing around all sorts of trivia and non-essential stuff; and other old farts like myself, would call all that spam, and try to avoid it. 

Etiquette Hint:  Set up in your address book a separate group or directory for all your friends who will receive this trivia.  Thus you can leave off us old grumps off that list, but still be in there when needed for other stuff.

            Another aspect of spam we should discuss is the malicious variety.  This is more than just annoying, it is very hazardous to your computer.  And maybe your mental state of mind!  It is usually transmitted into your computer via an attachment.  Note here that an email is usually harmless.  It may be annoying, insulting, crude, or whatever, but still just words that are harmless to your computer.  An attachment, on the other hand, can contain instructions (Virus) that can tell your computer to do any number of mis-deeds, including self-destruct.  And send this same command (Virus) to the computer of everyone in your address book.  And maybe even anyone whose name might have appeared on an email you sent or received in the past.  Scary thought. 

            So, you ask, how do we protect our computers from all this mayhem?  Obviously the first step is to be very careful when deciding whether or not to open an email or attachment.  Especially if it is from an unknown source.  If from a friend, and the attachment is a picture they took, or some type document they produced, certainly there is no problem.  But look carefully at anything else.  Having said all that, it�s probably true that 99.99% of all attachments are harmless.

            Another problem seen way too much is PHISHING.  Pronounced: fishing.  This is where someone tries to trick you into revealing your personal information such as password(s), credit card numbers, social security number, bank account numbers, or other sensitive information.  An email will arrive, that seems perfectly genuine, from your Bank, Attorney, or Credit card Company asking you for �verify� personal information.  Or it may be a person knocking on your door.  A finer, better looking, better dressed, more polite person you will never meet.  But all he wants is your personal information, and in 24 hours your bank accounts will be empty.   You get the idea. 

            Reading all the above again it soon becomes obvious that if the �bad guys� didn�t have your email address, this couldn�t happen.  Unfortunately our name, address & phone number are mostly public information, and anyone around the world can gain this information with a few keystrokes.  Our email address is not readily available.  Our goal is to keep it that way.  Note that in our on line roster, an ID and password are needed to gain entry. 

            We have all seen emails where the �TO:� and �CC:� lists contained � of the first page, followed by 2 lines of text.  If those 30-40 names are forwarded by each to another 30-40 names, in not many hours your address could be in the hands of a million people.  This could be stopped immediately if everyone used BCC (Blind Carbon Copies) to send email where there are more than 2 or 3 addressees.  This means all the addresses are hidden.  No one sees, or has access to, everyone�s name

            In the hint above where you set up your special group, select that group and click on �send BCC�.  Another method is to put all names in the CC box, then enclose all in parentheses.  You may be required to put your address in the �TO� box.  Your browser or ISP may work slightly different, but you get the idea. 

I have always used AOL, so cannot give specifics on the others, but they are all similar.  #Page

#Email Etiquette:  Have you ever sent an email, and then wondered if it was received on the other end?  Have you ever made a phone call to see if your email was received?  This frequently happens when some sort of information is requested, or offered. 

            If you receive such an email, where no reply is necessary, it is very easy for you to just deal with the information, as necessary, then forget-it. 

            A simple courtesy is a brief acknowledgement of the email.  It takes 8 keystrokes, which may take 4 or 5 seconds of your time.  They are: 

Reply � T � H � A � N � K � S � Send

I hope everyone has made it to the end.  If you have any comments or questions, don�t hesitate to send an email.  I have just scratched the surface here.  There are still 36,199,999 more sites to read!

T � H � A � N � K � S

D-A-V-E

davidtish@aol.com