By: Amber Shepard

  Microsoft Outlook is an client and personal information manager (PIM) that's available as part of Microsoft's Office suite. Many corporations utilize Microsoft Outlook in conjunction with Microsoft Exchange Server and Microsoft SharePoint Server for employees to coordinate meetings, calendars and shared mailboxes and folders.  A version of Microsoft Outlook for Windows Mobile devices, Outlook Mobile, enables users to synchronize their Outlook data to their smartphones. Additionally, numerous Outlook add-ons are available for integrating Microsoft Outlook with BlackBerry and other mobile smartphone devices. What is Microsoft Outlook

  Step 1- To begin using Microsoft Outlook, simply click on the 'Start' button, choose 'All Programs' and navigate to the Office 2003 folder.  Step 2- Click on the 'Microsoft Office Outlook 2003' icon to launch the program. When the program window is displayed, click on the 'View' menu and select the 'Navigation Pane' to make sure that it is displayed correctly.  Step 3- To create new messages, proceed to the next step. To retrieve messages, jump to Step 6. For adding attachments, go to Step 8. If you want to access contacts, skip to Step 12.  Step 4- Select the 'Actions' menu and click on the 'New Mail Message' option. Click the 'To' button to display the Names dialog box. Click the intended recipient’s name on the left side and click the 'To' option to copy it into the 'To' field of the message.  Step 5- Type the preferred message subject in the corresponding box. The white space is where the body of the message can be typed in. When finished, simply click on the 'Send' button and your message is on its way. You can also check for spelling errors before sending by choosing the 'Tools' menu and clicking on the 'Spelling' option.. How to use Microsoft Outlook

  Step 6- In retrieving messages, click on the 'Tools' menu, select the 'Send/Receive' category, and choose 'Send/Receive All'. You can alternatively click on the 'Send/Receive' tool.  Step 7- After receiving the messages, simply click on it to display its contents in the reading pane. Double clicking a message will open its contents in a separate window.  Step 8- To add an attachment to a message, click the 'Insert' and then 'File' option or you can look for the paperclip icon on the toolbar and click it. Both actions will generate the same result.  Step 9- Browse for the file to be attached, click on the file, and click the 'Insert' button. Remember to limit the size of the file in order to avoid any potential problems during transmission.  Step 10- To save a received file attachment, double click the message and select the 'File' menu and click on the 'Save Attachments' option. Click the 'OK' button.  Step 11- Choose the folder where the file will be saved and click the 'OK' button. You can choose to modify the name of the file to be saved.  Step 12- To access your contacts list, click on 'Go' and select the 'Contacts' option. Click on the 'Actions' and choose the 'New Contact' category to add a new contact to your list.  Step 13- Click on the appropriate fields to input relevant details into the Contact Card. Click the 'Save' button and close the window.  Step 14- To edit the Contact Details, double click the contact to open the Contact window. Make the appropriate changes to the correct fields. Click on the 'Save' and 'Close' option. How to use Microsoft Outlook

  Microsoft Outlook offers premium business and personal management tools to more than 500 million Microsoft Office users worldwide. With the release of Outlook 2010, you get a richer set of experiences to meet your communication needs at work, home, and school  Send the right information to the right people and respond to s rapidly. MailTips instantly alert you to potential distribution issues and Quick Steps take the multi-stepped tasks you perform most down to just a single click.  Manage large amounts of with ease. Condense, categorize, or even ignore entire conversations with a few clicks. With new conversation management tools and the improved Conversation View, dozens of messages can turn into just a few relevant items. To start harnessing the power of Conversation View, go to the View tab in the Conversations group and select Show as Conversations.  Easily configure new and existing accounts, clean up your inbox, and visually see how much space is left in your mailbox. These are just a few of the many features available from the new Microsoft Office Backstage view. Backstage view replaces the traditional File menu in all Office applications to provide a centralized, organized space to manage your accounts and customize your Outlook experience. What are the features of Microsoft Outlook

 Pros  Outlook comes with solid and effective spam filtering and blocks phishing attempts  Snappy, flexible search, virtual folders, conversations and mail grouping help you organize mail  Outlook integrates messages, to-do lists, scheduling and social networking updates well Cons  Outlook is a bit confusing to set up and can be confusing to use with its myriad of options  You cannot create smart folders, flags or rules that learn by example  Outlook lacks useful message templates, and its RSS feed reader flexibility Pro’s and Con’s

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