1. Introduction to Computers

2. forms of Electronic Communication
The most frequently used form of electronic communication is , but others include:
Instant messaging
Online bulletin boards
Social media web sites

3. Who can use e-mail? Anyone with: An e-mail account provides you with:
An Internet connection
An account
An account provides you with:
Access to a mailbox, a storage area for messages
A unique address consisting of:
A user name rvirgo for example
A domain name haywood.edu for example
Every user name within a domain must be unique
Put them together and you get a unique address such as

4. How do I get an e-mail Account?
Usually get an account from your ISP
Your ISP may provide you several accounts
Many get accounts from other sources:
Work
School
Major Internet portals provide free accounts:
Google (Gmail)
Yahoo
Microsoft (Hotmail)

5. Viewing an E-mail Every e-mail has a sender
An must have a recipient. This one was sent to a group of people (HCC-Everyone)
Fill in subject line or your may be ignored
Body of message

6. Sending a basic e-mail Supply the recipient’s e-mail address
Can type the address
Or choose recipient from an address book
Provide a subject line
Be sure your isn’t misjudged as “junk”
Type your message
Add any attachments
Any type of file(s) can be attached to an
Click Send

7. Replying and Forwarding
Upon receiving a message you can forward it, reply to it, or both
Forwarding
Original message is copied to new
Enter address of person(s) to receive this message
Can add a note telling why you’re passing it along
Replying
Sends your message back to same person or group
No need to specify recipients, just the message

8. E-mail attachments Can attach any type of file to an e-mail
A picture, video, mp3 file, word document… anything
Can attach as many files as you like
Attachments travel with the
Can be opened or saved by the recipient
Always explain attachments
Attached files can be used to spread viruses
Explain purpose and reason to recipient when sending an attachment or it may not be opened

9. Attachments can spread viruses
Take caution when opening attachments
Any executable attachment such as a .exe, .zip or .vb file can potentially spread a virus
Question every attachment before opening
Do I know this person?
Does it make sense to receive this type of file from this person?
Did they explain the attachment?
Does the exhibit any personal knowledge of me such as mentioning my name in the text?

10. address books Most e-mail systems supply an address book
Holds contact information for people you
Includes name and address
Phone numbers, typically home, work, and cell
As well as home and work addresses
Can select address book name as recipient
Can set up groups of contacts in address book
Allows you to easily all contacts in the group
Great for ing all partners in a group project

11. Use of blind carbon copy
Recipients of a group automatically get everyone else’s address
This may not always be desirable
Allows anyone to “pirate” your list
Blind carbon copy (Bcc:) lets you hide recipients of a group from each other
Add addresses to Bcc: list instead of To:
For example, students in an academic program
May not want them to see everyone else’s

12. Good e-mail practices Use both uppercase and lowercase
All uppercase considered the equivalent of yelling
Your may be ignored if you fail to:
Explain all attachments
Use a meaningful subject line
Think before sending a huge attachment
Dial-up can take an hour to receive the attachment your broadband connection sends in a minute.
Notify others if you get an based virus

13. Be cautious about what you send
Some don’t want their inbox filled with “jokes”
Think before responding to pyramid schemes
The “send this to 7 friends” sort of message
Or the sad picture with “I hope I get one share”
Don’t forward hoaxes
Take a moment to investigate before sending
Never send an when angry
People often say things in an they would never say face-to-face
If angry, wait a day before responding

14. Two basic types of e-mail systems
POP – the type of you get from your ISP
Incoming messages use Post Office Protocol (POP3)
Outgoing uses Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP)
Message text located on your hard disk
Need an program on your computer to receive, view, and respond to messages
Web-based
Used by Internet portals, employers, schools, etc.
Message text located on a server
Web browser used to view & respond to messages

15. Pop versus web-based e-mail
Once received, user has total control over message
Can view, edit & compose responses while offline
Only need to be online to send and receive
Must connect to your ISP to receive your messages
Web-based
More limited control, provider controls message
Must be online when viewing or responding
Work with your from any internet connection

16. Instant Messaging
Similar to a phone call but uses a series of typed messages instead of voice conversation
Messages are sent and received as they are typed
Limited number of participants, not available to all
Participants decide who can join the conversation
Can be a one-to-one exchange or a larger group
Often used to provide customer service
Instead of a single phone call, 1 service rep can handle several instant message conversations
Software is a free download from MSN, Yahoo, etc.

17. Bulletin Boards Put messages on public forums in order to:
Exchange opinions
Discuss topics
Pose questions about difficult problems
No immediate reply, not a real-time discussion
A response could come in minutes or days
Bulletin boards exist for every conceivable topic
Great for solving problems
Post a description of your issue to an appropriate forum
Chances are someone has the answer you need

18. Social media Examples are Facebook, LinkedIn, & MySpace
A form of online networking
Users share info about themselves and others
Consider carefully what you choose to share
A CareerBuilder.com study shows 45% of employers use social media to screen candidates
Avoid inapproriate photos, mention of drugs or alcohol, and insulting previous employers
Many employees have been fired due to comments made in social media