XP Exploring Outlook  Outlook is a powerful information manager  You can use Outlook to perform a wide range of communication and organizational tasks, such as sending, receiving, and organizing e- mail; organizing contact information; scheduling appointments, events, and meetings; creating a to-do list and delegating tasks; and writing notes  Six main components  Mail, Calendar, Contacts, Tasks, Notes, and Journal

XP Starting Outlook  Click the Start button on the taskbar, click All Programs, click Microsoft Office, and then click Microsoft Office Outlook 2007

XP Navigating Between Outlook Components  You can click any button in the Navigation Pane to display a folder’s contents in the main window

XP Creating and Sending Messages  , the electronic transfer of messages between computers, is a simple and inexpensive way to communicate with friends around the corner, family across the country, and colleagues in the same building or around the world  An address is a user ID and a host name separated

XP Choosing a Message Format  Outlook can send and receive messages in three formats: HTML, Rich Text, and plain text

XP Adding a Signature  A signature is text that is automatically added to every message you send

XP Using Stationery and Themes  Stationery is an HTML file that includes complementary background colors, images, or patterns  A theme includes complementary backgrounds as well as other design elements such as fonts, bullets, colors, and effects

XP Creating an Message  Click the New button arrow on the Standard toolbar, and then click Mail Message  Type recipient address(es) in the To box (separate by semicolons)  Type recipient address(es) in the Cc box and the Bcc box, as needed  Type a topic in the Subject box, and then type the message body  Format the message as needed  Click the Send button

XP Setting the Importance and Sensitivity Levels  You can add icons that appear in the message pane of the Inbox to provide clues to the recipient about the importance and sensitivity of the message

XP Creating a Contact  Click the New button arrow on the Standard toolbar, and then click Contact  On the General page, enter the contact’s name, job title, company, mailing address, phone numbers, addresses, and Web site (click the down arrow to select other address, number, or options)  In the Show group on the Contact tab, click the Details button, and then enter other business or personal data as needed  In the Actions group on the Contact tab, click the Save & New button to create another contact or click the Save & Close button if this is the last contact  If the Duplicate Contact Detected dialog box opens, select whether to add the contact anyway or merge with existing contact, and then click the OK button

XP Creating a Contact

XP Switching Contact Views  All of the information about a contact is called a contact card  Views specify how information in a folder is organized and which details are visible

XP Creating and Modifying Distribution Lists  A distribution list is a group of people to whom you frequently send the same messages, such as all suppliers  Click the New button arrow on the Standard toolbar, and then click Distribution List  In the Members group on the Distribution List tab, click the Select Members button  Click the Address Book arrow, and then click Contacts  Double-click the names you want to add to the distribution list, and then click the OK button  Click in the Name text box, and then type a contact name for the distribution list  In the Actions group on the Distribution List tab, click the Save & Close button

XP Creating and Modifying Distribution Lists

XP Receiving  You check for new messages by clicking the Send/Receive button on the Standard toolbar

XP Replying to and Forwarding Messages  Reply responds to the sender, and Reply to All responds to the sender and all recipients (including any Bcc recipients)  Forward sends a copy of the message to one or more recipients you specify; you enter the addresses in the To or Cc box

XP Working with Attachments  An attachment is a file that you send with an message

XP Flagging and Color Coding Messages  Some messages you receive require a specific response or action  A flag is an icon that appears in the message header to indicate the item has been added as a task  You can also choose six preset color categories or add others to better organize or rank your messages

XP Organizing and Managing Messages  You should create a logical folder structure in which to store your messages  One method for keeping messages organized and the Inbox uncluttered is to move a message out of the Inbox as soon as you have dealt with it  Rather than manually filing messages, you can create rules that specify how Outlook should process and organize them  Each rule includes three parts: the conditions that determine if a message is to be acted on, the actions that should be applied to qualifying messages, and any exceptions that remove a message from the qualifying group

XP Organizing and Managing Messages

XP Rearranging Messages  Rather than searching through multiple folders, you can have Instant Search find the desired message (or any other Outlook item)  Open the folder you want to search  Type the search text in the Instant Search box.  To narrow your search, you can click the Expand Query Builder button, and then enter additional criteria

XP Rearranging Messages

XP Using Search Folders  Search Folders are folders that display any messages that match specific search criteria

XP Sorting Messages  Sorting is a way to arrange items in a specific order—either ascending or descending  Ascending order arranges messages alphabetically from A to Z, chronologically from earliest to latest, or numerically from lowest to highest  Descending order arranges messages in reverse alphabetical, chronological, or numerical order

XP Sorting Messages

XP Storing Messages  You can store messages by saving them in other file formats or by archiving them  You can use the Save As command to save messages and other Outlook items in other file formats  When you archive a folder, you transfer messages or other items stored in a folder (such as an attachment in the folder) to a personal folder file when the items have reached the age you specify  A personal folders file is a special storage file with a.pst extension that contains folders, messages, forms, and files

XP Deleting Items and Exiting Outlook  After you finish working with Outlook, you should exit the program  Unlike other programs, you don’t need to save or close any files