An email is composed of a series character lines (headers) that precede the actual email message but are not displayed on the same page as the message. Each email program has the ability to call up and display these headers which display the relevant information.
The information about the sender in this image (from MS Office) tells us that the message originated at the IP address of the sender [208.47.117.254]; sent to the server: sp-mailer.skillpath.com and received via Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMPT).
If necessary, the IP address of the sender can be investigated using other data base programs generate more details of the sender.
‘cc’, ‘bcc’ and ‘reply all functions’:
A ‘Bcc’ (blind carbon copy) is a copy of an email message sent to a recipient whose email address does not appear in the message.
This is in contrast to ‘To’ and ‘Cc’ recipients, whose addresses do appear in the respective header lines. Every recipient of the message can see all the ‘To’ and ‘Cc’ recipients, but does not know about ‘Bcc’ recipients.
When you send a message to more than one address using the Cc: field, both the original recipient and all the recipients of the carbon copies see the To: and Cc: fields including all the addresses in them. This may not be desirable for individuals who prefer their privacy.
When using Bcc; the only recipient address that will be visible to all recipients is the one in the To: and cc: fields. So, to keep maximum anonymity you can put your own address in the To: field and use Bcc: exclusively to address your message.
Reply All or Reply to All is a term used in email. It refers to sending a reply message not only to an e-mail's original author, but also to any other recipients that were listed in the original To or Cc lists. (Wikipedia)
The “Reply All” function should be reserved for when all members of the recipient list need the information being sent. In how many cases do you need to know that one of the recipients said “okay”? Not often. Instead, in the interest of time, efficiency, and professionalism this type of response should be sent only to the person who generates the original email.
In a collaborative project where all members of the team need to be kept apprised of the goings-on of team members, using “Reply All” is the right thing to do. This is especially important if the team works remotely or when members of the team work on opposite shifts or don’t see one another frequently. Then using “Reply All” is good communication because it keeps the lines of communication open and moving.
Attachments to emails:
Transferring information in a format that the receiver may not possess will mean that the attached file will not be read by the receiver. This may be overcome by converting a file into rich text format (RTF) which can be interpreted by all computers. Rich Text Format (RTF) is a file format that lets you exchange text files between different word processors in different operating systems. For example, you can create a file using Microsoft Word in Windows 98, save it as an RTF file (it will have a ".rtf" file name suffix), and send it to someone who uses WordPerfect 6.0 on Windows 3.1 and they will be able to open the file and read it.
The RTF Specification uses the ANSI, PC-8, Macintosh, and IBM PC character sets. It defines control words and symbols that serve as "common denominator" formatting commands. When saving a file in the Rich Text Format, the file is processed by an RTF writer that converts the word processor's markup to the RTF language. When being read, the control words and symbols are processed by an RTF reader that converts the RTF language into formatting for the word processor that will display the document.
Rules/ Filters:
A rule is an action that Microsoft Office Outlook takes automatically on an arriving or sent message that meets the conditions that you specify in the rule. You can choose many conditions and actions by using the Rules and Alerts Wizard. Rules do not operate on message that have been read, only on those that are unread.
Rules fall into one of two general categories: organization and notification. The Rules and Alerts Wizard contains templates for the most commonly used rules.
- Stay organized These are rules that help you to file and follow up on messages. For example, you can create a rule for messages from a specific sender, such as Bobby Moore, with the word "sales" in the Subject line, to be flagged for follow-up, categorized as Sales, and moved to a folder called Bobby's Sales.
- Stay up-to-date These are rules that notify you in some way when you receive a particular message. For example, you can create a rule that automatically sends an alert to your mobile telephone when you receive a message from a family member.
- Start from a blank rule These are rules that you create from scratch.
Fortunately, our server has software that filters out spam by the hundreds daily but sometimes legitimate messages from senders with unrecognized an address gets caught in the spam filter. This has to checked every couple of days to make sure these messages are cleared.
I manually move messages from regular senders to separate folders on my account but I will be creating some simple rules to have them moved automatically and also try to receive an alert when an email is received from a Board member.
If these work successfully email management will be a training session with staff.
Folders:
I have a simple folder structure which has evolved from the need to declutter the inbox of my account so I can more easily identify the messages that require immediate attention. Emails that I receive regularly for recording information only are transferred to a series of relevant folders from which I can extract information at a predetermined time in my work schedule. Other randomly received messages that remain in the inbox can then be identified more easily and attended to.
However, the quantity and diversity of messages remaining in the inbox are increasing and reaching a stage that will require a more managed approach. I am a hoarder and emails that relate to finished projects or topics are scattered through my inbox. If I have to refer to them I am required to search for the sender’s name or the topic. This method is becoming more complex and inefficient especially when I am the only person who can remember the details of the email sender or subject heading. This makes it impossible for other authorized staff to access the files when needed. These are ideal candidates for an archive folder which will enable me and others to refer to them if necessary, in a timely way.
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