Tips and Tricks

E-Mail Tips

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Email

Email is another of the common types of information exchange over the Internet.

The most common type of email system (POP) is modeled after traditional physical mail delivery. After writing and addressing a new message, the sender takes the message to a collection depot where it is identified, sorted and transferred to a location in the vicinity of the recipient.

At the recipient's convenience, they go to that location and check if there are any new letters for them. If so, they bring the mail back home to read when ready.

In the electronic version, the equivalent of the post box is the sender's ISP, and the recipient's letter box translates into their account on their ISP.

The process of walking out to the letter box to check — and collect — the mail is telling the email programme to check for new messages.

A newer type of system is IMAP, where the messages remain on the ISP's mail server, and the status of the message changes according to what happens on the client (the mail programme).

As a result, you can go to numerous machines and the contents of your in-box is consistent as the server maintains the current state of all your messages.

Beginner

  • When using normal forms of email (i.e. utilising POP and SMTP servers) — as opposed to the generally free web based ones (Yahoo mail, or Hotmail), you are not required to be on-line (i.e. connected to the Internet) while writing or reading your messages. Only sending, checking and receiving messages requires a connection (i.e. only when information is actually being transferred).

Intermediate

  • If you wish to access your email from several machines (e.g. a main desktop, plus a laptop when travelling) you can set you mail client to leave messages on the server for a certain period of time after reading before removing them. This gives you the opportunity to retrieve them on other machines within that time frame.

  • If you move between locations frequently — and different locations use different ISPs — you can add a number of SMTP servers in Mail > Preferences > Accounts and the Mail programme will try each one in the list until it finds one that works (you will be prompted with each attempt).

Advanced

  • Most email programmes have a signature facility where you can create a collection of standard footers for your emails (e.g. company position & logo, funny sayings) and have newly created emails automatically — or randomly — place these at the bottom of your message.