E-mail and e-mail attachments
Ahhh, e-mail…
Who doesn’t love the anticipation, the excitement of opening your e-mail software to find it full of messages? It’s a bit like getting a Christmas stocking every day of the year. It reminds you of racing to the mailbox as a child to see if there might be a letter or package for you.
Sadly, as you grow older, you realize that much of the paper in your mailbox is junk or bad news, and, even more sadly, e-mail can often be the same. How do you keep that excited anticipation about opening your e-mail? Just keep a few tips in mind and you will be a satisfied message sender.
Important e-mail conventions
The old saying “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” applies nowhere more aptly than to the e-mail messages you send every day. Certain conventions should be followed with EVERY e-mail you send. The recipients of your e-mail will thank you, and you will save time explaining (or resending) later.
The “from” Address
Your e-mail software will add your return address automatically, of course. Most of the time this is just fine, but what if you send a message to someone from an address they are unfamiliar with? What if your e-mail is not working and a VERY generous friend allows you to send a message from their e-mail address? If you don’t want to create confusion for your recipient or, worse, have your important e-mail wind up in the cyber version of File 13, be sure to include your name in the subject line. Be specific, so that your recipient won’t be even further confused. For example, “message from Sara Mills, my e-mail is temporarily down” or “this is from Sara’s personal e-mail address”. It may seem like extra work now, but not nearly as mush as rewriting your e-mail later.
The Subject Line
ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS fill in the subject line of your e-mails. It is not only courteous, but also helps your recipient be sure that the message is really a message from you and not a sneaky little virus masquerading as you. Be sure to write more that just a line or two. “Hey” or “What’s Up” are really not appropriate subject entries. However, if the message is just casual chatter and you have a “tag line” you often use, it would probably suit the purpose. I have a friend who always says “Howdy” when greeting someone. The subject line in her casual e-mail is always “Howdy”. This helps me know the message is in fact from her, but is not necessarily urgent.
Attachments
Now here’s the sticky part. Attachments are a truly convenient way to share documents, but they are also the vehicle of choice for the most pernicious viruses. How do you reap the convenience without falling prey to the evil? It’s actually not too difficult if you are sufficiently cautious. Be sure to let your recipient know in the message what is in the attachment. This doesn’t have to be the Great American Novel. A simple, specific sentence will do the trick. For example, “I have attached the journal article summary you requested. Please let me know if you have difficulties opening the document” OR “Here’s the latest picture of my son, David. He has really grown.”
It is important for the description to be simple, but specific. Viruses hide behind vague descriptions like, “Here’s that file I promised you. Enjoy!” OR “Look at my latest pic.”
Another way you can make living with attachments easier is to ONLY send mail or attachments when you really have something to say. No child was ever saved and no organization has ever made a million dollars because an e-mail was sent all over the world. Such messages are nothing more than chain letters and should never be forwarded to your friends. I routinely delete chain letters, and I have not gone broke, my husband has not left me, and my luck seems to be staying about even. Chain e-mails clog up the system and are a nuisance. Do your friends the favor of NOT forwarding them.
File Formats and How to Open Them
You would think it would be an easy thing, send a document or a picture and, viola, your instructor has your assignment or you best friend has a picture of the new baby. But, it is never that easy, is it? The file must be in a format your recipient can read. Since most of the civilized world is at least a little familiar with the Microsoft Office program, we will address this issue from the viewpoint of Mr. Gates' lovely tool.
Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access Files
These are all part of the Microsoft domain, and you will need the corresponding program to open the file. How do you know what kind of file it is before you attempt to open it? Look at the file extension—the part of the file name after the dot. Below is a table of Microsoft Office programs and their file extensions.
| Word |
.doc |
| Excel |
.xls |
| PowerPoint |
.ppt |
| Access |
.adp |
Well, that takes care of Bill Gates Land, but what about the rest of the documents in the world? Here are a few tips to help with other documents.
The easiest way to open text-based files that do not have a “.doc” extension is still to use Word, it just requires a slightly different method.
Save the file to your computer
Open Word
Click on File on the Menu Bar
Click on Open
Choose the file you just saved…to find it you may need to change the window near the bottom titled “files of type” to “All Files”
Choose the file you just saved
Click on Open
If you have the conversion filters in Word installed, the program will usually
convert the file for you. If not, the program may prompt you to install the
conversion filters. You will need your original installation disk to do this.
NOTE: To convert files written in Microsoft Works, you will
need to download a conversion tool ffrom the Microsoft site. It can be found
at http://office.microsoft.com/downloads/2002/wp6rtf.aspx.
Common text based files you may encounter include:
WordPerfect files – These files are probably the second most common text-based documents around. They have a file extension of “.wpd”.
Rich Text files – These files will open in any word processing program. They have a file extension of “.rtf”
Plain Text files – These files will also open in any word processing program. They have a file extension of “.txt”
The Oddballs
Two file types that often are sent as attachments and are often confusing to open are a little different, but just as easy to open in the long run.
HTML files – These are files written in the same language used to write web pages. They have a file extension of “.htm” or “.html”. Save these types of files to your computer, then simply double-click on the saved file. It will open within your web browser (Internet Explorer or Netscape).
PDF files – These are special files designed to easily transmit information over the web. They have a file extension of “.pdf”. These types of files require Adobe Acrobat to open, but this program can be downloaded for free at www.adobe.com.
Picture Attachments
There are several file formats for picture files. Almost all types can be opened using Microsoft Paint or Microsoft Photo Editor. The file extensions for picture files include “.jpeg”, “.jpg”, “.gif”, and “.bmp”. There are some other file types for pictures, but they usually require a graphic editing program to open.
One Cautionary Note…
Some pictures from AOL have a file extension of “.art”. These are very difficult to open without the proper plug-in installed in a graphics editor. Unless you REALLY need the picture, it’s best not to attempt to open the file. If you must have the picture, save it to your computer as a jpeg, and then you may be able to open it.
I’m So Sorry…You Have a Virus
Attached Viruses
Sometimes attachments bring you a little unexpected present…a virus. Also, you may receive an e-mail from someone you know with an attachment you were not expecting. Often these are viruses that have copied your e-mail address from the sender’s address book. This is one reason you should always let others know what you are sending when you send an attachment. If you suspect that you have received a virus as an attachment to an e-mail, DO NOT OPEN THE ATTACHMENT. Use your anti-virus software to scan the attachment. If you are still unsure about the file, email the sender and ask about it before you attempt to open it. The most important file extensions to be careful of are “.exe” and “.pif”.
Downloaded Viruses
“Beware of Greeks bearing gifts.” Beware of downloads bearing gifts as well. Viruses that infect your computer by riding in on downloaded files are called trojan horse viruses, and, just like the horse of ancient history, they can destroy your computer as you know it. Never download files from a site with which you are unfamiliar. Files available for download from reputable business sites are usually okay, but there is never a guarantee. Files available from sites where people share files are particularly risky sites from which to download. If you suspect that a downloaded file is infected, use your anti-virus software to scan the file before you open it.
Virus Protection
The most important software on your computer is your anti-virus software, but it can quickly become useless if you do not update the virus definition files. This is a relatively painless process. Most virus software includes an easy process for updating virus definition files. Many can be set up to update, and then scan your computer on a regular basis. A good schedule for updates and regular scans is once a week.
If you do not have anti-virus software on your computer, don’t despair. You can purchase it at just about any store that sells software, or you can use a free online virus scan. Two reliable online virus scanners can be found at
and
Infected?? Take Two Aspirin and Drink Plenty of Fluids…
Well, this is what YOU would do, but the procedure is just a little different for your little cyber friend. If you discover a virus during your routine weekly scan, that’s actually good. The software will usually give you the option to clean the infected file, delete the infected file, or quarantine the file. The best choice is to clean the file. If it cannot be cleaned, then you must decide if it is a file you can afford to lose. If it is a file you are familiar with and can do without or can obtain again, you second best option if to delete the infected file. If it is a file you do not recognize, it could be garbage, or it could be a system file. Quarantine the file and seek professional help.
Netiquette
You wouldn’t want to be rude to someone in person, and you wouldn’t want to be rude to someone online either. The slippery part about online communication is that sometimes you wind up being rude without meaning to do so. When you are polite in person, you are said to have good etiquette. To be polite online, you need to be mindful of your netiquette. For a complete introduction to proper netiquette, visit http://www.albion.com/netiquette/.
Using CAPS
USING ALL CAPITAL LETTERS TO WRITE A MESSAGE ONLINE IS CONSIDERED SHOUTING.
Please be courteous of your recipient’s cyber ears and use caps only for emphasis and then, sparingly.
That Pesky Subject Line Again
We have already discussed why the subject line is important. Please remember that it is just plain polite, too. Always, fill in the subject line with relevant information.
Emoticons
Emoticons are those cute little smiley and frowny faces you sometimes see in online messages. Since you cannot see the other person’s face, these little symbols are substitute faces to help you know how the speaker feels or to clue you in that a sharp little comment is all part of the fun.
Below are a few useful internet emoticons and their meaning. Of course,
some are more common than others! :-)
| EMOTICON |
MEANING |
| :) |
Happy person |
| :( |
Sad person |
| :-) |
Happy person with a nose |
| :-( |
Sad person with a nose |
| :---( |
Person who is sad because he or she has a large nose |
| :-D |
Person laughing |
| :-D* |
Person laughing so hard that he or she does not notice that a 5-legged spider is hanging from his or her lip |
| :-| |
Person unsure of which long-distance company to choose |
| >8-O-(&) |
Person just realizing that he or she has a tapeworm |
| ;-) |
Person winking |
| .-) |
Person who can still smile despite losing an eyeball |
Casual Chat and Academic Conversation
Yes, there is a difference. In a chat room with all the Beanie Baby collectors or Survivors of Poor Handwriting Grades, it is perfectly fine to say “wazzzup” for “hello” or “ROFL” for “rolling on the floor laughing”, but in a chat with your instructor and/or classmates, spelling and grammar DO count. You should use the same level of formal language that you would use in class. Class online is STILL class.
The following ten core rules are excerpted from the Netiquette Home Page at http://www.albion.com/netiquette/
Rule 1: Remember the human
The golden rule your parents and your kindergarten teacher taught you was pretty simple: Do unto others as you'd have others do unto you. Imagine how you'd feel if you were in the other person's shoes. Stand up for yourself, but try not to hurt people's feelings.
In cyberspace, we state this in an even more basic manner: Remember the human.
When you communicate electronically, all you see is a computer screen. You don't have the opportunity to use facial expressions, gestures, and tone of voice to communicate your meaning; words -- lonely written words -- are all you've got. And that goes for your correspondent as well.
When you're holding a conversation online -- whether it's an e-mail exchange or a response to a discussion group posting -- it's easy to misinterpret your correspondent's meaning. And it's frighteningly easy to forget that your correspondent is a person with feelings more or less like your own.
It's ironic, really. Computer networks bring people together who'd otherwise never meet. But the impersonality of the medium changes that meeting to something less -- well, less personal. Humans exchanging e-mail often behave the way some people behind the wheel of a car do: They curse at other drivers, make obscene gestures, and generally behave like savages. Most of them would never act that way at work or at home. But the interposition of the machine seems to make it acceptable.
The message of Netiquette is that it's not acceptable. Yes, use your network connections to express yourself freely, explore strange new worlds, and boldly go where you've never gone before. But remember the Prime Directive of Netiquette: Those are real people out there.
Would you say it to the person's face?
We propose a useful test for anything you're about to post or mail: Ask yourself, "Would I say this to the person's face?" If the answer is no, rewrite and reread. Repeat the process till you feel sure that you'd feel as comfortable saying these words to the live person as you do sending them through cyberspace.
Of course, it's possible that you'd feel great about saying something extremely rude to the person's face. In that case, Netiquette can't help you. Go get a copy of Miss Manners' Guide to Excruciatingly Correct Behavior.
Another reason not to be offensive online
When you communicate through cyberspace -- via email or on discussion groups -- your words are written. And chances are they're stored somewhere where you have no control over them. In other words, there's a good chance they can come back to haunt you. Any message you send could be saved or forwarded by its recipient. You have no control over where it goes.
Rule 2: Adhere to the same standards of behavior online that you follow in real life
In real life, most people are fairly law-abiding, either by disposition or because we're afraid of getting caught. In cyberspace, the chances of getting caught sometimes seem slim. Perhaps because people sometimes forget that there's a human being on the other side of the computer, some people think that a lower standard of ethics or personal behavior is acceptable in cyberspace.
The confusion may be understandable, but these people are mistaken. Standards of behavior may be different in some areas of cyberspace, but they are not lower than in real life.
Be ethical
Don't believe anyone who says, "The only ethics out there are what you can get away with." If you encounter an ethical dilemma in cyberspace, consult the code you follow in real life. Chances are good you'll find the answer.
One more point on Netiquette ethics: If you use shareware, pay for it. Paying for shareware encourages more people to write shareware. The few dollars probably won't mean much to you, and they benefit all of cyberspace in the long run.
Breaking the law is bad Netiquette
If you're tempted to do something that's illegal in cyberspace, chances are it is also bad Netiquette. Some laws are obscure or complicated enough that it's hard to know how to follow them. In some cases, we're still establishing how the law applies to cyberspace. Netiquette mandates that you do your best to act within the laws of society and cyberspace.
Rule 3: Know where you are in cyberspace
Netiquette varies from domain to domain
What's perfectly acceptable in one area may be dreadfully rude in another. For example, in most TV discussion groups passing on idle gossip is perfectly permissible. Throwing around unsubstantiated rumors in a journalists' mailing list will make you very unpopular there.
Because Netiquette is different in different places, it's important to know where you are. Thus the next corollary:
Lurk before you leap
When you enter a domain of cyberspace that's new to you, take a look around. Spend a while listening to the chat or reading the archives. Get a sense of how the people who are already there act before you participate.
Rule 4: Respect other people's time and bandwidth
It's a cliché that people today seem to have less time than ever before, even though (or perhaps because) we sleep less and have more labor-saving devices than our grandparents did. When you send e-mail or post to a discussion group, you're taking up other people's time (or hoping to). It's your responsibility to ensure that the time they spend reading your posting isn't wasted.
The word "bandwidth" is sometimes used synonymously with time, but it's really a different thing. Bandwidth is the information-carrying capacity of the wires and channels that connect everyone in cyberspace. There's a limit to the amount of data that any piece of wiring can carry at any given moment -- even a state-of-the-art fiber-optic cable. The word "bandwidth" is also sometimes used to refer to the storage capacity of a host system. When you accidentally post the same note to the same newsgroup five times, you are wasting both time (of the people who check all five copies of the posting) and bandwidth (by sending repetitive information over the wires and requiring it to be stored somewhere).
You are not the center of cyberspace
Presumably, this reminder will be superfluous to most readers, but I include it anyway, because when you're working hard on a project and deeply involved in it, it's easy to forget that other people have concerns other than yours. Don't expect instant responses to all your questions, and don't assume that all readers will agree with -- or care about -- your passionate arguments.
Be frugal with discussion group postings
Most discussion group readers are already spending too much time sitting at the computer; their significant others, families, and roommates are drumming their fingers, wondering when to serve dinner, while those network maniacs are catching up on the latest way to housebreak a puppy or cook zucchini. Many news-reading programs are slow, so just opening a posted note or article can take a while. Then the reader has to wade through all the header information to get to the meat of the message. No one is pleased when it turns out not to be worth the trouble.
To whom should messages be directed? (Or why "mailing list" could become a dirty word)
In the old days, people made copies with carbon paper. You could only make about five legible copies. So you thought good and hard about who you wanted to send those five copies to.
Today, it's as easy to copy practically anyone on your mail as it is not to. And we sometimes find ourselves copying people almost out of habit. In general, this is rude. People have less time than ever today, precisely because they have so much information to absorb. Before you copy people on your messages, ask yourself whether they really need to know. If the answer is no, don't waste their time. If the answer is maybe, think twice before you hit the send key.
Rule 5: Make yourself look good online
Take advantage of your anonymity
I don't want to give the impression that the net is a cold, cruel place full of people who just can't wait to insult each other. As in the world at large, most people who communicate online just want to be liked. Networks -- particularly discussion groups -- let you reach out to people you'd otherwise never meet. And none of them can see you. You won't be judged by the color of your skin, eyes, or hair, your weight, your age, or your clothing.
You will, however, be judged by the quality of your writing. For most people who choose to communicate online, this is an advantage; if they didn't enjoy using the written word, they wouldn't be there. So spelling and grammar do count. If you're spending a lot of time on the net and you're shaky in these areas, it's worth brushing up on them.
Know what you're talking about and make sense
Pay attention to the content of your writing. Be sure you know what you're talking about -- when you see yourself writing "it's my understanding that" or "I believe it's the case," ask yourself whether you really want to post this note before checking your facts. Bad information propagates like wildfire on the net. And once it's been through two or three iterations, you get the same distortion effect as in the party game "Operator": Whatever you originally said may be unrecognizable. (Of course, you could take this as a reason not to worry about the accuracy of your postings. But you're only responsible for what you post yourself, not for what anyone else does with it.)
In addition, make sure your notes are clear and logical. It's perfectly possible to write a paragraph that contains no errors in grammar or spelling, but still makes no sense whatsoever. This is most likely to happen when you're trying to impress someone by using a lot of long words that you don't really understand yourself. Trust me -- no one worth impressing will be impressed. It's better to keep it simple.
Don't post flame-bait
Finally, be pleasant and polite. Don't use offensive language, and don't be confrontational for the sake of confrontation.
Q. Is swearing acceptable on the net?
Only in those areas where sewage is considered an art form, e.g., the USENET newsgroup alt.tasteless. Usually, if you feel that cursing in some form is required, it's preferable to use amusing euphemisms like "effing" and "sugar." You may also use the classic asterisk filler -- for example, s***. The archness is somehow appropriate to the net, and you avoid offending anyone needlessly. And everyone will know exactly what you mean.
Rule 6: Share expert knowledge
Finally, after all that negativity, some positive advice.
The strength of cyberspace is in its numbers. The reason asking questions online works is that a lot of knowledgeable people are reading the questions. And if even a few of them offer intelligent answers, the sum total of world knowledge increases. The Internet itself was founded and grew because scientists wanted to share information. Gradually, the rest of us got in on the act. So do your part. Don't be afraid to share what you know.
It's especially polite to share the results of your questions with others. When you anticipate that you'll get a lot of answers to a question, or when you post a question to a discussion group that you don't visit often, it's customary to request replies by e-mail instead of to the group. When you get all those responses, write up a summary and post it to the discussion group. That way, everyone benefits from the experts who took the time to write to you.
If you're an expert yourself, there's even more you can do. Many people freely post all kinds of resource lists and bibliographies, from lists of online legal resources to lists of popular UNIX books. If you're a leading participant in a discussion group that lacks a FAQ, consider writing one. If you've researched a topic that you think would be of interest to others, write it up and post it.
Sharing your knowledge is fun. It's a long-time net tradition. And it makes the world a better place.
Rule 7: Help keep flame wars under control
"Flaming" is what people do when they express a strongly held opinion without holding back any emotion. It's the kind of message that makes people respond, "Oh come on, tell us how you really feel." Tact is not its objective.
Does Netiquette forbid flaming? Not at all. Flaming is a long-standing network tradition (and Netiquette never messes with tradition). Flames can be lots of fun, both to write and to read. And the recipients of flames sometimes deserve the heat.
But Netiquette does forbid the perpetuation of flame wars -- series of angry letters, most of them from two or three people directed toward each other that can dominate the tone and destroy the camaraderie of a discussion group.
Rule 8: Respect other people's privacy
Of course, you'd never dream of going through your colleagues' desk drawers. So naturally you wouldn't read their e-mail either. Unfortunately, a lot of people would. This topic actually rates a separate section. For now, here's a cautionary tale. I call it
The case of the snoopy foreign correspondent
In 1993, a highly regarded foreign correspondent in the Moscow bureau of the Los Angeles Times was caught reading his coworkers' e-mail. His colleagues became suspicious when system records showed that someone had logged in to check their e-mail at times when they knew they hadn't been near the computer. So they set up a sting operation. They planted false information in messages from another one of the paper's foreign bureaus. The reporter read the notes and later asked colleagues about the false information. Bingo! As a disciplinary measure, he was immediately reassigned to another position at the paper's Los Angeles bureau.
The moral: Failing to respect other people's privacy is not just bad Netiquette. It could also cost you your job.
Rule 9: Don't abuse your power
Some people in cyberspace have more power than others. There are wizards in MUDs (multi-user dungeons), experts in every office, and system administrators in every system.
Knowing more than others or having more power than they do, does not give you the right to take advantage of them.
Rule 10: Be forgiving of other people's mistakes
Everyone was a network newbie once. So when someone makes a mistake -- whether it's a spelling error or a spelling flame, a stupid question or an unnecessarily long answer -- be kind about it. If it's a minor error, you may not need to say anything. Even if you feel strongly about it, think twice before reacting. Having good manners yourself doesn't give you license to correct everyone else.
If you do decide to inform someone of a mistake, point it out politely and preferably by private e-mail rather than in public. Give people the benefit of the doubt; assume they just don't know any better and never be arrogant or self-righteous about it.
Copyright Notice
The above rules and all associated online content and programming are ©1990-2000 Albion.com. All rights reserved. These pages may not be duplicated or reproduced without the express written consent of Albion.com, except in the form of excerpts or quotations for the purposes of review.
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