2. Objectives
• Understand parts of an email
• Differentiate between good and bad emails
• Explain email etiquette
• Evaluate email security risks
• Write emails
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3. Definition
Email is the electronic
transmission of
messages through a
computer network.
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5. Basics of Good Communication
• Know your audience
• Write to that audience
• Emphasize clarity
over cleverness
• Emphasis content
over expansiveness
• Two specific email violations
that bother instructors more
than students are emails not
signed by the message sender
and messages that include
shortcuts like "RU" instead of
"are you". Finally, it appears
that instructor generational
differences have little impact
on these descriptive findings.
• Stephens, Keri K.; Houser, Marian
L.; Cowan, Renee L. R U Able to Meat Me:
The Impact of Students' Overly Casual
Email Messages to Instructors (2009)
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6. Design
• Use standard fonts
• Keep bolds, underlines, and italics to a minimum
• If using a priority system, be honest.
• Avoid backgrounds or stationary that detract
from the message.
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!
7. Parts of an email
• Addressee
• Cc:
• Subject:
• Text
• Signature
• Attachments
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9. Addressee
• The addressee is who
is to receive the email
• Capitalization is not
necessary
• Internal
• Check company
mailing list for name
• A company usually
has a corporate list in
Contacts
• External
• Use Internet email
name and service
• RSpeener@cci.edu
• Jsmith@workplace.net
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11. Complimentary Copy
• Additional people being sent copies.
• If the recipients are all of equal importance, put them on
the To: line
• Use cc for courtesy copies
• Use bcc (blind copy) for sending copies without the
Addressee knowing. Use sparingly.
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13. Subject
• Subject is a brief summary of the content
• Sometimes it is called RE
• Be concise
• Be precise
• Be current
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15. Text
• Always have text
• Get to the point
• Be brief
• Put most important information first
• Know the purpose
• Use attachments for longer document rather than
embedding
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17. Signature Block
• Sender’s information
• Include
• Name
• Job title
• email address
• Company, Department
• Separate from text by two or three lines
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20. Attachments
• Attachments are files that are sent along with the email
• Use attachments for
• Long documents
• Pictures
• Copies of existing documents
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22. Style
• Usually less formal
• It is somewhere between a conversation
and a memo
• Personal
• Business suitable
• Avoid excessive abbreviations
• Don’t be cute — use emoticons sparingly
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Never email something in bad taste!
23. Before Sending
• Check spelling
• Check grammar
• Check for clarity
• Check Addressee's name
• Don’t send emails when angry
• Remember telephones still exist – Is email the best way
to respond?
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25. Managing
• Respond to emails promptly
• If given an assignment by email that will take several
days, acknowledge the assignment and the time
frame.
• Remove emails from active list frequently
• Archive frequently
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27. Emails are Forever
• Emails are never completely deleted
• They exist on files
• They exist in archives
• They exist in backups
• They exist on hard drives as ghosts
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29. Email and Security
• Emails and email attachments are a primary entry
method for computer viruses
• Viruses can spread extremely fast
• Computer crime is the growth sector of organized crime
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30. Email Security
• Be skeptical
• Open an email from an unknown sender with caution
• Never open email attachments from an unknown sender
• Never give out passwords, social security numbers, bank
account numbers, etc.
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31. Email Security Terms
• Virus – A type of software that run without your
knowledge, replicates itself and spreads to other
computers
• Trojan Horse– A type of virus that is intended to
do harm to the computer. It is usually hidden
inside something attractive, such as a cartoon
• Worm – a type of virus that spreads by Email
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32. Email Security Terms
• Spam—Mass mailings
to know email users
• Phish—Requests for
personal information
from what appears to
be a trusted
organization; e.g.
personal bank
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33. Internet Security Terms
• Zombie—Unauthorized use of a computer by
others for their personal reasons
• Bot—A web site that automatically transfers the
user to another undesired website
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34. Internet Security Terms
• Adware—A program that automatically puts ads
(pop-ups) on the computer
• Spyware—A program that tracks one’s Internet
use. It may also track one’s keystrokes
(passwords etc.) and send it to a designated
recipient
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35. Security Measures
• Have a good anti-virus
program
• Use a firewall
• Have good spyware and
adware filters
Update regularly
• Have a good spam filter
• Update programs
frequently and quickly
• Do not open emails with
multiple forwards
• Be cautious in
downloading free or
shareware programs
• Be cautious in opening
emails from unknown
senders
• Be wary of attachments
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36. Summary
• Be concise and precise
• Respond promptly
• Be professional
• Be aware of email
security
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37. Examples
• Examples of Bad Email Messages
http://www.michaelhorowitz.com/bademails.html
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38. Resources
• Netiquette by Virginia Shea (2004)
http://www.albion.com/netiquette/book/index.html
• Outlook 2007 Tutorial http://tamhsc.edu/information-
technology/tutorials/outlook2007-
tutorial/Outlook%202007%20Tutorial.pdf
• Information Security Guidelines
http://www.gov.mu/portal/goc/ncb/file/pdf.pdf
• Getting up to Speed with Microsoft Outlook 2007
http://office.microsoft.com/training/training.aspx?AssetID=R
C101153581033
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