Electronic Mail and Mailing Lists

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Electronic Mail and Mailing Lists

• Presentation for
• Master Internet VolunteerSM Program

North Dakota State University Extension Service
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Electronic Mail

• Similar to Postal Mail
• Benefits of electronic mail
• faster
• electronic
• low cost
• millions of messages are sent daily

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Sample Email Address
username _at_ host.name.address
Your user name
Name of your ISPs host computer
at
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Email Software Programs

• Common Programs Include
• Eudora
• Microsoft Internet Mail
• Pegasus Mail
• Netscape Mail
• Hotmail
• All have same basic features

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What can you do with Email?

• send and receive mail messages
• send and receive files
• reply to messages
• forward messages
• print messages
• organize messages into folders
• keep personal address books

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Sample Email Message

• Most follow a memo format
• Mail To
• Cc
• Subject
• Body of message field

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Finding Email Addresses

• Ask person for email address
• Check web site for online directory
• Search Internet Directory Services
• WhoWhere? http//www.whowhere.com
• Qwest Dex -Yellow Pages http//www.qwestdex.com

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Attachments (Enclosures)

• Encoded binary files
• word processing documents, graphics,
  spreadsheets, executable files, etc.
• Encoding makes binary files look like ASCII
  files, so that mail servers can process them

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When to use attachments

• Only when necessary!
• Recipients must be
• able to receive them
• able to use them
• willing to open them
• Attachments can transfer viruses
• save and scan first

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Electronic Mailing Lists

• Email discussions for people with similar
  interests. Examples
• literature discussions
• support groups
• finance
• politics
• gardening

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How do Mailing Lists Work?

• 1. Email address is assigned to a group of people
• 2. You subscribe to the list
• 3. Once subscribed, any message you send to the
  list will be sent to everyone in the group

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Who Maintains the Lists?

• List administration software
• keeps track of mailing lists, list members and
  messages
• Popular administration software
• Listserv
• Majordomo
• Listproc
• Almanac

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Joining a List

• Subscribe example
• To subscribe to the MIV-Learners list,
• 1. Address message to
• majordomo_at_ndsuext.nodak.edu
• 2. Leave subject blank
• 3. Type message
• subscribe miv-learners

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Leaving a List

• Unsubscribe example
• 1. Address message
• majordomo_at_ndsuext.nodak.edu
• 2. Leave subject blank
• 3. Type message
• unsubscribe miv-learners

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Writing to List Members

• Address message to the list
• 1. Address message
• miv-learners_at_ndsuext.nodak.edu
• 2. Include an appropriate subject
• 3. Type message
• 4. Send
• Majordomo distributes the message to all
  subscribers

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Finding Mailing Lists

• Stephanie Peter da Silva
• http//paml.net
• CataList, official catalog of LISTSERV
• http//www.lsoft.com/lists/listref.html

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Netiquette

• An informal set of guidelines and rules used for
  communicating with others on the Internet. The
  electronic equivalent of knowing which fork to
  use.

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Netiquette Flaming

• Flaming
• Sending someone an angry and mean-spirited email
  message
• Flame War
• Responding to a flame with another flame

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Netiquette What you write

• Write as if your mother or boss will read it -
  they just might -)
• Check spelling and grammar
• Use language you would use in face to face
  conversation

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Netiquette How you write

• Use normal text
• Complete your sentences
• Avoid ALL CAPS
• Use Emoticons
• -) happy, agreeing, joking
• -( sad, disappointed
• -) winking, inside joke, sarcasm

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Netiquette Mailing Lists

• Lurk before you leap
• Read your confirmation notice
• Resist Me-Toos
• Ask useful questions
• Avoid advertising
• Respond to individuals

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Spam

• Junk Email
• Unsolicited email sent to a large number of email
  addresses
• Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial Email
  (CAUCE) web site at
• http//www.cauce.org/

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Master Internet VolunteerSM Programwww.ext.nodak
.edu/miv/
This slide set was prepared by the University of
Minnesota Master Internet Volunteer program
leaders and is being used with their permission.