Introduction to e-mail

Electronic Mail (EMAIL) allows you to send messages to, and receive messages from others with e-mail accounts. At CSUB we have the following possibilities:

On FirstClass, recipients of a message are notified of new mail with a "ping" if FirstClass is running. Those using Runner Mail will see their new messages when they go to the Runner Mail web site at http://runner.csub.edu/. Several options for dealing with the new message are available, such as reading, holding the message for future reference, deleting the message, forwarding it to one or more people, and/or replying to the sender.

"8 ways to curb spam

Don't buy anything promoted in a spam message. Even if the offer isn't a scam, you are helping to finance and encourage spam.
Don't reply to spam or click on its “unsubscribe” link. That informs the sender that your e-mail address is valid.
If your e-mail program has a preview pane, disable it to prevent the spam from reporting back to its sender.
If you receive spam that promotes a brand, complain to the company behind the brand by postal mail, which makes more of a statement than e-mail.
Use one e-mail address for family and friends, another for everyone else. Or pick up a free one from Hotmail, Yahoo, or a disposable forwarding-address service such as SpamMotel. When an address attracts too much spam, abandon it for a new one. Instead of an address like janedoe@isp.com, select one with embedded digits, like jane8doe2@isp.com.
If your Internet service provider is filtering your e-mail and you still get lots of spam, the ISP may not be filtering effectively. Check its filtering features and compare them with those of competitors.
Report spam to your ISP, so that it can do a better job of filtering. To help the Federal Trade Commission control spam, forward it to spam@uce.gov.
Don't post your e-mail address in its normal form on a publicly accessible Web page. Post it in a form, such as “Jane AT isp DOT com,” that can't be easily read by the harvesting software many spammers use to collect e-mail addresses."

"6 Ways to outwit ID thieves (Consumers Reports 9/04 page 14, 15) phishing sample

Never directly respond to an email asking for personel information
If you doubt.a messeges authenticity, verify it by contacting the institution itself.
Avoid spoofed sites by not clicking on addresses in questionable email or web page links by entering entering web addresses directly into the browser yourself or by using bookmarks you create.
Don't open an e-mail attachment, even from someone you know well, unless you were expecting it.
Forward the fradulent spam to the Federal Trade Commission at spam@uce.gov and the Anti-Phishing Working Group at reportphishing@antiphishing.org

Also with web use:

When prompted for a password, give an incorrect one first. A phishing site will accept it; a legitimate one won't
A secure Web site gives you more assurance. To see wheather a site is secure, look at the bottom of your browser's window for an icon of an unbroken key or a lock that's closed. Double click on the icon to displalay the site's certificate, and make sure it matches the company you think you are connected to."

For more check Consumer Reports web page (from which much of the above was found) on Protect yourself online

Address Book; a list of the e-mail addresses of those you frequently send messages. Sometimes allows NickNames or Alias ("Jim" instead of my address of "jross@csubak.edu") and Address Lists(see below).

Address Lists; An address list also called a distribution list is a collection of e-mail addresses that you send the same message(s) (e.g. family, office work group , club members, etc.) You send a message to the whole group by a single name, the name of the distribution list, that distributes the message to all email addresses on the list.

Alias; An alternate name for an e-mail address (NickNames) or an e-mail address list (Address Lists).

Attachment; A document created in a word processing, spreadsheet, statistical, etc. program that is attached (as a seperate file) and sent with your e-mail.

BCC; Short for Blind Carbon Copy, CC sends an exact copy of your e-mail to the address you place in the BCC box but the recipient is not notified.

CC Short for Carbon Copy, CC sends an exact copy of your e-mail to the address you place in the CC box

Filter; Lets you set E-mail filters, that is, you can block or bounce mail you receive, or decide a folder certain e-mail goes in when received. If for example you receive a lot of e-mail from an advertiser that you really don't want, you can use the filter to delete, file in a folder or bounce the message back to the sender. Either way you don't have to deal with it.

Folder; A folder is a fixed point in your E-mail that can be used to store and retrieve messages. Common folders might include such example of an InBox for new messages, a folder called "Trash" for discarded messages as well as one called "Sent" for copies of files you have sent. The Trash folder stores all of your thrown away mail, etc.

Hyperlink; A bit of text (or even an image) that, when clicked, transports your web browser to another location. Hyperlinks are typically text, blue in color, and nearly always underlined. Some e-mail programs allow web addresses sent in e-mail messages to be double clicked to open the web browser and go to the web site.

IMAP; (Internet Message Access Protocol, currently Version 4) a newer standard then POP for e-mail that enables you to access (read, send, etc.) and manage (save, delete, etc.) e-mail on a server without transferring the message to the e-mail users computer. See also POP

POP; Post Office Protocol, the protocol used by mail clients to retrieve messages from a mail server. The latest version is POP3. The number denoting the different version number of the protocol. This protocol downloads/retrives the message from the mail server and dependent on setup automatically deletes it from the server. When you use POP3, typically all new messages are downloaded from the server at once whenever you check your e-mail. See also IMAP.

Signature; Your signature is a short message that usually includes a standard sign-off, as well as contact information such as phone number, email address, etc. It appears at the end of your e-mail message. You may have to type this each time for some email programs but most like RunnerMail and FirstClass have a setting in that that will allow you type your signature once and it is automatically added to the end of every message you send..

Spam; Unsolicited e-mail, often of a commercial nature, sent indiscriminately to multiple mailing lists, individuals, or newsgroups; junk e-mail.(Google definition).

Phishing; a specific type of spam "falsely claiming to be from an established legitimate enterprise in an attempt to scam the user into surrendering private information that will be used for identity theft". A phishing sample I recieved.

Spell Checker; The Spell Checker corrects spelling, frequently based on the optional language setting by way of phonetic matching.

Trash; The "Trash" folder is a temporary folder that stores deleted messages. Accidentally retrieved in most e-mail programs and moved back to a folder but just up to a point.

Introduction	Components of an email message	Netetiquette/ Ms Manners
	Glossary for e-mail	Good Practices