This document discusses electronic communication services like email, instant messaging, text messaging, voice over IP, online conferencing, and social media. It defines these services and explains how they work. It also covers email specifically, defining parts of an email address and message, as well as how to reply, forward, and courtesy copy or blind copy emails.

1. Lesson 26-
Communication Services
Computer Literacy Basics – 4E

2. Objectives:
 The student will be able to:
 Categorize electronic communication
 Identify users of electronic communication
 Identify components of electronic communication
 Manage e-mail with Microsoft Outlook
 Send and receive e-mail
 Save a message

3. Words to Know:
 Address book  Electronic mail (e-mail)
 Archiving  Instant messaging
 Attachment  Packet
 Contact Group  Save a message
 E-mail address  signature

4. Continue words to know
 Spam
 Text messaging
 User agent
 Windows Live Mail

5. Intro to Communication Services
The Internet, electronic mail (e-mail), and other forms of
electronic communications provide new ways to communicate.
Using e-mail, you can combine numerous media-text, graphics,
sound, video-into a single message, and then quickly exchange
information in dynamic, two-way communications.
Using the Internet, you can quickly transmit information to and
receive information from individuals and workgroups around the
world.

6. Categorizing Electronic Communication
As a worldwide electronic
communications system, the
Internet provides many
communication services,
which can be organized into
the following categories:

7. Electronic Mail or E-mail
Is similar to regular mail.
You have a message, an address, and a carrier that figures out
how to transfer the message from one location to another.
You can send e-mail to other people on a network at an
organization, or you use an Internet service provider to send e-
mail to any computer in the world.

8. Instant Messaging (IM)
You use instant messaging services to send messages in real
time.
In other words, you can send and receive messages while you
and someone else are both connected to the Internet.

9. Text messaging
Instead of using a computer,
with text messaging you use a
cell phone or other mobile
device to send and receive
written messages.

10. Voice over IP (VoIP)
Sometimes called audio over IP, you use this service to make
phone calls with an Internet connection instead of a regular
telephone line.
Your voice is converted into a digital signal that travels over the
Internet.
With VoIP, you can make a call directly from a computer, a
special VoIP phone, or a traditional phone connected to a special
adapter.

11. Online Conferencing
Also referred to as video
conferencing, you can
conduct a conference with
yourself and one or more
other participants at different
sites by using computer
networks to transmit audio
and video data.

12. Chat rooms
Chat rooms are Web sites that allow real-time communication
so you can exchange messages with others through the
computer.
You use the keyboard to type text, which is displayed on the
other person’s monitor.

13. Social networking sites
These Web sites provide a way to build online communities of
people who share common interest or activities.

14. Blog posting/comments
A blog (short for Web log) is a
type of personal journal
created by one person or by a
group; entries are published
in reverse chronological order.

15. Message boards and Newsgroups
Both of these services provide
bulletin board systems that
serve as discussion sites; users
can post messages asking for
assistance.

16. Identifying Users of Electronic
Communication
Millions of people use the Internet, and each is required to have unique
identification in the form of an e-mail address, sign-in or logon
credentials, and password in the same way that each person has a
unique phone number.
Your e-mail address is used not only to send and receive e-mails but
also for a variety of other options.
For example, you can use your e-mail address to fill out a form to
subscribe to a Web site, set up your checking account, order a book on
Amazon.com, exchange instant messages, and so on.
Other services that require a unique logon are blogs, social networks,
and video conferencing services.

17. Identifying Components of Electronic
Communication
Electronic communication is the technology that enables
computers to communicate with each other and other devices.
It is the transmission of text, number, voice, and video from one
computer or device to another.
Electronic communication has change the way the world does
business and the way we live out lives.

18. ARPANET
When computes were developed in 1950s, they did not
communicate with each other.
This change in 1969. ARPANET was established and served as a
testing ground for new networking technologies.
ARPANET was a large wide area network created by the United
States Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (ARPA).

19. Electronic Communication requires:
Software: Software applications (user agents) installed on the
local PC, network, or Web, such as e-mail, text message, and
instant messaging programs
Sender: The computer sending the message (server)
Receiver: The computer receiving the message (server)

20. Cont. Electronic Communication
requirement:
Channel: The media that carries or transports the message:
telephone wire, coaxial cable, radio signal, microwave signal, or
fiber-optic cable
Communication: The information transferred between user
agents
Protocols: The rules that govern the transfer of data and ensure
that information created by one system can be interpreted and
read by another.

21. Global Communication
Electronic communication technology has made it possible to
communicate around the globe using tools such as the Internet,
electronic mail (e-mail), social media, e-commerce, and
electronic banking.

22. Interpreting E-Mail Addresses
When you send postal mail to someone, you must know the
address of that person. The same thing is true for e-mail. For
instance, David Edward’s e-mail address could be
dedwards@gmail.com. Each user on the Internet must have a
unique e-mail address.
An e-mail address consist of three parts:
 The user name of the individual
 The @ symbol
 The user’s domain name

23. Domain Codes
The E-mail address dedwards@gmailcom ends with the domain code
.com. The first set of domain codes were defined in October 1984 and
are used on the Internet’s Domain Name System (DNS). This set of
codes include the following:
 .com (commercial)
 .edu (education)
 .gov (government)
 .mil (military)
 .org (organizations)
Currently, a limited range of 21 top-level domains are available. These
include specialty domain names such as .cat, .jobs, .mobi, .post, .tel,
.info, and .travel.

24. Parts of an E-mail Message
When you compose an e-mail message, it should contain four main
components.
First, enter the address of one or more people to who you are sending the
message.
Be sure to include a subject line, which should grab the recipient’s
attention or fully but briefly describe the purpose of the message.
Many people scan the subject lines of their messages before opening
them, so your subject lines should be meaningful and accurate.
Next, include the body of the message, which should be clear, concise, and
free from spelling errors.
Any attachments should be noted in the body of the message.

25. Email Options

26. Return to Sender
One way to reply to an e-mail message is to click the Reply
button, type your reply message, and then send the message.
With this type of reply, the original message is included along
with your reply message, so it is appropriate when you are
answering a question or responding to specifics in original
message.
When you reply to an e-mail message, the recipient normally
sees RE: preceding the text in the subject line to indicate that it
is a reply message.

27. Reply All
If more than one person is listed on the To or From line of the e-
mail message, you can click the Reply All button instead of
Reply.
You then follow the same steps as when replying, except your
message is sent to everyone who received the original message.

28. Forward
The option is similar to replying to a message; however, when
you forward a message, you send it people other than those
who sent the original message.
Forwarding a message helps cut down on the time you spent
creating messages from scratch.
It is also a quick way to share information with a number of
people.
When you forward a message, a recipient normally sees FW:
preceding the text in the subject line to identify it as a message
that is being forwarded.

29. Courtesy copy (Cc) and Blind copy (Bcc)
To send a copy of an e-mail to another person, type his or her e-
mail address into the Cc text box, or click the Cc button and then
select the person’s name.
To send a blind copy to someone, type the e-mail address in the
Bcc text box, or click the Bcc button and then select the person’s
name.
The recipient of the Bcc is not visible to the other people
receiving the message.

30. Email vs. Snail Mail
Unless a technical problem occurs, e-mail travels much faster than
regular mail (sometimes referred to as “snail mail”). When you send
someone an e-mail message, it is broken down into small chunks
called packets.
These packets travel independently from server to server. You might
think of each packet as a separate page within a letter.
When the packets reach their final destination, they are recombined
into their original format.
The process enables the message to travel much faster than if it were
sent in one file. In fact, some messages can travel thousands of miles
in less than a minute.

31. Accessing Email
Since e-mail has become a widespread way of communicating in
our business and personal lives, the methods used to access e-
mail have multiplied.
Many Web sites and Internet service providers offer e-mail as
part of a monthly fee or even at no charge.
Google Gmail and Microsoft Hotmail are examples, of Web-
based e-mail services
After you set up an e-mail account with a service, you access
your account using the company’s Web site and entering your
account name (usually your e-mail address) and password.

32. Wireless Communication
The Web site often directs you to a built-in e-mail program
where you can read and send messages and manage your
electronic communication.
Wireless communication also has expanded the ways e-mail can
be transmitted and retrieved.
Many people have cell phones or handheld computers that can
send and receive e-mail almost anywhere.

33. Managing E-Mail with Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft Outlook is an Office application you can use to
manage e-mail.
Outlook is a versatile application that you can use to organize
appointments, tasks and to-do list, addresses, and e-mail.
The e-mail features of Outlook are very similar to the features of
Windows Live Mail (another e-mail program provided free of
charge from the Windows Live Web site), so that you practice
using Outlook in the exercises in this lesson, you will find that
you can also use Windows Live Mail.

34. Many types of E-mail programs
The following sections address Outlook, but since many e-mail
programs are similar to Outlook the information is still relevant.

35. Outlook

36. Manage Outlook Folders
To create a new folder in Navigation pane, click the Folder tab
on the Ribbon, and then click the New Folder button in the New
group.
To delete a folder, right-click the folder name in the Navigation
pane, and then click Delete Folder on the shortcut menu.

37. Move or Copy e-mail
To select and move or copy an e-mail message or other item
from one folder to another, click the folder name containing the
item you want to copy. This selects the folder and displays the
folder contents in the Inbox. Drag the message or other item
you want to move to the new folder. To copy and paste an item,
select the item, click the Home tab on the Ribbon, click the
Move button in the Move group, and then click Copy to Folder to
open the Copy Items dialog box. In this dialog box, select the
location for the item, and then click OK button.

38. Delete e-mail
Select the message you want to delete, then click the Delete
button in the Delete group on the Home tab.
Delete items are stored in the Delete Items Mail folder.
To undelete an item, click the Deleted Items folder and select
the items you want to undelete.
To permanently delete a message or to delete the contents of
the Deleted Items folder, select the items you want to delete,
right-click the items, and then select Delete.

39. Search for Message
Select the folder you want to search, and then click in the
Search All Mail Items text box (also called the Instant Search
box).
Type text contained in any part of the message.
Items that contain the text that you typed appear with the
search text highlighted.

40. Sort Mail
Click the Newest on top or Oldest on top column heading button
to organize messages by date.
You can also click the View tab, and then click the Arrange By
button in the Arrangement group to select a sort option.

41. Archiving
Archiving is the process of backing up your e-mail messages.
After you install Outlook, AutoArchive automatically runs every 14
days and saves the backup file with a .pst extension.
You can change how often AutoArchive runs by clicking the Folder tab,
and then clicking the AutoArchive Settings button in the Properties
group to open the AutoArchive tab of the Inbox Properties dialog box.
When you make regular backups of your computer, be sure to back up
the archive file with the .pst extension.
If your hard disk fails (and they all eventually do), you will lose your
messages and attachments such as pictures and videos unless you
have a backup copy of the .pst file.

42. Sending and Receiving E-Mail
If your computer is set up to handle e-mail, you can use the Inbox
folder in Outlook to send and receive e-mail messages.
An advantage to using Outlook as your e-mail application is that as you
create messages, you have easy access to the other Outlook features.
You can quickly address the message to someone in your contacts list,
check your calendar to make sure you are available or a meeting, or
add a task to your task list when a message requests further action.
In addition to sending a message, you can include attachments such as
pictures or documents.

43. Receiving E-mails
When you open Outlook, it sends a request to your mail server to
check if you have any messages waiting.
If you do, Outlook receives them and displays them in the Inbox folder.
The message list displays message headers for any new messages.
The message header tells you who sent the message, the subject of
the message, and the date and time your server received it.
The Reading pane of the Outlook window displays the actual text of
the message.
If you have a number of messages, you can read each one by clicking
its message header to display the message text in the Reading pane.

44. E-Mail Features
Sending e-mail is as easy as clicking a few buttons and typing
your message.
The Outlook Address Book stores names, e-mail addresses,
phone numbers, and other contact information so you can easily
access it while you are sending and receiving e-mail messages.

45. Address Book Task
To add a new data to the Address Book, click the Address Book
button in the Find group on the Home tab to display the Address
Book: Contacts window and then type the contact information,
or copy and paste an address from an e-mail message that you
received.
To modify an e-mail address, display the Address Book:
Contacts window, double-click the address, and then make the
modifications.
To delete an e-mail address, display the Address book: contacts
window, click the address you want to delete, click File, and then
Click Delete.

46. Contact Group
You can also use a Contact Group to send the same e-mail
message to a group.
To create a Contact Group, click Contacts in the Outlook Bar,
and then click the New Contact Group button in the New group
on the Home tab to open the contact Group window.
In the Name box, type the name of your Contact Group, click the
Add Members button in the Members group, and then click
From Outlook Contacts, From Address Book, or new Email
Contact.

47. Sending E-Mail
To send a message, you enter an e-mail address in the To text
box of a Message window either by typing the address or by
inserting an address stored in your Address Book.
The Address Book generally contains a list of e-mail addresses
of people or group with who you frequently correspond.
You can also enter e-mail addresses in the Cc text box if you are
sending copies of the message to other recipients.

48. E-mail Etiquette
It is good e-mail etiquette to include a subject for your mail
messages.
The subject should be brief, yet descriptive enough to tell the
recipient what the message is about.
After providing a subject, enter the text of your message.
Next, click the Send button to send the e-mail message.

49. Receiving and Opening E-Mail Messages
When you receive an e-mail, you can click the Send/Receive All
folders button in the Send/Receive group on the Home tab to
check for messages.
By adding links to Web sites and e-mail addresses are ways you
can add information to a message without making the message
text too long.

50. Saving a Message
When you receive a message, Outlook automatically saves the
message in the Inbox or another designated folder until you
delete the message.
You can save a message, however, as a draft, a file in another
format such as text tile, an HTML document, or a template.
To save a message in one of these formats, click the File tab and
then click Save As.
When the Save As dialog box is displayed, type a name in the
File name text box, and then select the format by clicking the
Save as type button. Click the Save button to save the file.

51. E-mail file management
E-mail messages require file management skills similar to any
other references (electronic or hard copy) you want to keep and
manage. Most people reply to messages they receive and save
important messages for future references.
On the other hand, you might want to delete unneeded
messages and spam.
Spam is unsolicited e-mail, essentially electronic junk mail.
In many instances, spam is used to advertise products and
service. Other spam might contain phony offers.

52. Replying to a Message
When you click the Reply or Reply All button, a Message window
is displayed
This window is similar to the window that displayed when you
created a new message.
Recall that when you use this format to reply to an e-mail
message, the recipient(s) normally see RE: preceding the text in
the subject line to indicate that it is a reply message.

53. Formatting a Message
The formatting tool on the Message window Ribbon provide
many of the same features on those in your word-processing
program and other similar software.
You can change the font type, font size, and text color of an e-
mail message.
You can also add bold, italic, and underline styles to text as well
as center it and add bullets.

54. Attaching a File to an E-Mail Message
Attachments are documents, images, figures, and other files
that you can attach to your e-mail messages.

55. Managing Attachments
When you receive an attachment, you can read it in a few ways.
You can preview its contents without opening the attachment by
clicking the attachment in the Message widow to display the contents
in the Reading pane.
You can also open the attachment by double-clicking it in the Message
window.
To save an attachment, right-click it, click Save As on the shortcut
menu, select a location, and then click Save.
To remove an attachment, right-click the attachment, and then click
Remove Attachment on the shortcut menu.

56. Message Icons
Icons in the message headers in the message list offer clues
about each message.
For example, an icon that looks like the back of a sealed
envelope indicates a message that has been received but not
read; an exclamation point icon means the sender considers it
an urgent or high-priority message; a paper clip icon indicates
that the message has an attached file.
You can also manually mark a message as read or unread or add
a flag icon as reminder to follow up on the message.

57. Copying to Multiple Recipients
Most e-mail programs come with a variety of features and
options that make it easy to send a copy to multiple recipients,
generate an automatic reply , block message from specific
senders, and customize the look and fee of your messages.
You can insert more than one address in the To, Cc, and Bcc
boxes.
The message goes to all the addressees at the same time.
If you are sending or copying an e-mail to more than one person,
each e-mail address should be separated by a semicolon.

58. Mail Configuration Options
You can configure e-mail programs such as Outlook to deal
automatically with e-mail messages you receive.
The automatic controls you can set in Outlook include the
following:

59. Automatic “out of the Office” response
Automatically reply to all received e-mail messages when you
are unable to reply to message yourself.

60. Forwarding command
Automatically redirect your mail to another e-mail address; this
feature also requires special e-mail servers.

61. Redirect messages to your mobile phone
Automatically redirect your mail to your mobile phone; you
access this feature by clicking the File tab and then clicking the
Options button.
Click Mobile to display the option.

62. Block Senders List
Prevent messages from designated addresses from being placed
in your Inbox; this is particularly useful to block unwanted
advertisements that often are sent repeatedly to the same e-
mail address.

63. Safe Senders/Safe Recipients List
Similar to the Block Senders list, selecting this option indicates
to Outlook to accept all e-mails form the sender names
contained in the list.
A similar feature is the Safe Senders Domain List, which
contains a list of all safe domains (@msn.com, for example) that
you want to accept.
You access the Block Senders and Safe Senders list by clicking
the Junk button in the Delete group on the Home tab, and then
clicking Junk E-mail Options.

64. Signature
A signature consist of text or pictures that you create so Outlook
can add it to the end of any outgoing messages.
You can create unique signatures for different addresses.
For instance, you might want a signature for friends and family
and another signature for business purposes.

65. Ethics In Technology
E-Mail/E-Aches
Although e-mail is a popular service of the Internet, its widespread use
has created several problems. One time-consuming problem that e-
mail causes is the overflow of e-mail messages many users find in their
Inboxes. Similar to telemarketers using your phone number, online
marketers and other groups can locate your e-mail address and use it
to send you many unwanted e-mail messages.
E-mail communications can also lead to confusion and
misinterpretation. Receivers are often guilty of not thoroughly
reading an e-mail message before they reply, or they might not use
the Reply All option correctly. Pay close attention to who you are
sending your messages and replies. You do not want to reply
automatically to all recipients if the content of the message is not
relevant to everyone.

66. Summary
 Electronic communication includes e-mail, instant messages,
text messages, VoIP phone calls, online conferences, chat
room, blogs, and social networks.
 The components of electronic communication include
software, a sender, a receiver, a channel, communication
content, and protocols.
 Wireless communication makes it possible to send and
receive e-mail using a handheld computer or cell phone with
e-mail capabilities.

67. Continue Summary
 E-mail addresses consist of three parts: the user name, the @
symbol, and the domain name.
 Microsoft Outlook includes features to manage
appointments, tasks, and e-mail. The Outlook bar displays
shortcuts that give you quick access to each of the Outlook
folders.
 Electronic mail is similar to regular mail because it requires an
address, a message, and a carrier to get it from the sender to
the receiver.

68. Continue Summary
 You can access e-mail on a computer using a program such as
Microsoft Outlook ,or you can send and receive e-mail
messages using a Web site with a built-in e-mail program,
such as Gmail or Hotmail.
 An e-mail message header includes the address of the
recipient, the subject of the message, and information about
to whom the message is sent as a copy.
 You can use the Inbox folder in Outlook to send and receive
e-mail messages.

69. Continue Summary
 An attachment is a file that is sent with an e-mail message
and that can be opened by the recipient.
 You can reply to an e-mail message, forward a message to a
new recipient, delete a message, or save a message.
 Spam, or junk e-mail, consist of unsolicited messages that
take up space in your Inbox unnecessarily.

70. Continue Summary
 E-mail messages are organized in folders of incoming
messages, sent messages, deleted messages, and junk e-
mail. You can also create additional folders to organize your
own e-mail.
 Special e-mail features let you add an automatic signature to
messages, block messages form certain addresses, create
personalized stationery for your messages, set up an
automatic response, or forwarded your messages to another
address.

71. Lesson Review

72. True/False
1. With Internet access, you can send e-mail to any computer
in the world
2. An e-mail message header tells you the page number of the
message.
3. Each user of the Internet must have a unique e-mail address.
4. The Cc feature is used only on old-fashioned typewriters,
not in e-mail software.
5. The Reading pane of the Outlook window displays the text
of the selected message.

73. Fill in the Blank
1. In contemporary electronic communications, software
applications installed on the local PC are also called ______.
2. An e-mail address consists of three parts: the user name, the @
symbol, and the user’s ____.
3. _________ is the process of backing up your e-mail messages.
4. A(n) _______ icon is the message header indicates that the
message has an attached file.
5. The Outlook _________ stores names, e-mail addresses, phone
numbers, and other contact information.

74. Continue Fill in the Blank
6. If you are sending or copying an e-mail to more than one person,
each-mail address should be separated by a(n) ____.
7. _________ is unsolicited e-mail, essentially electronic junk mail.
8. You should include a(n) ________ for an e-mail message that is
brief, yet descriptive enough to tell the recipient what the
message is about.
9. You can use an Outlook ________ ___________ to send the same
message to a group.
10. The user name in the e-mail address dedwards@gmail.com is
_______.

75. Projects

76. Project 26-1
The To-Do bar appears by default to the right of the Reading
pane in the Outlook window. Click the Microsoft Outlook Help
button (a question mark) on the title bar and use the Internet to
answer the following questions:
1. What is the purpose of the To-Do bar?
2. By default, the To-Do bar contains four parts. What are
these four parts of the To-Do bar?
3. How do you add an appointment to the To-Do bar?

77. Project 26-2
The compare the signature features of Microsoft Outlook and
Windows Live Mail, complete the following:
1. Research how to create and use signatures in Windows Live Mail
by visiting the Windows Live Mail Help Center at
http://explore.live.com/windows-live-mail-create-signature.
2. Learn how to perform the following tasks in Windows Live Mail:
 Add a signature
 Automatically include a signature in all of your messages
 Use a signature only on specific message
***NOTICE THIS CONTINUES ON THE NEXT SLIDE

78. Continue Project 26-2
3. In a word-processing document, describe how to perform
each of these task in Windows Live Mail. Indicate whether
you perform the task in basically the same way in Microsoft
Outlook or in a different way. If the task is different in
Microsoft Outlook, explain how.

79. Project 26-3
Microsoft provides learning resources on its Office Web site.
Learn more about Outlook by completing the following:
1. Access the Office Web site at
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us.
2. Scroll down, if necessary, to the Learning Resources section,
and then click the Outlook Link.
3. Click a learning resource, complete the tutorial or read the
topic, and then write a report listing three new pieces of
information you learned form the resources.

80. Critical Thinking
Even with the popularity of social networks, e-mail activity
continues to be nearly universal among computer users, even
those using mobile devices. In fact, e-mail is the top activity on
mobile devices.
1. Considering tablets an smart phones, what modifications
would you suggest to developers of future version of
Microsoft Outlook?
2. Why would these modifications be appropriate for mobile
devices?

81. Online Discovery
A variety of e-mail programs work with Windows 7 and provide
an alternative to Microsoft Outlook. Access the Make Use of
Web site at www.makeuseof.com/tag/free-email-clients-
windows-7, and read and review the free e-mail programs for
Windows 7 that are discussed on this Web site. Select one
program that has the best features for you. Then use your word-
processing program to describe how and why you selected this
program.

82. Job Skills
In the Job Skills exercise for Lesson 25, you research netiquette
in general. (netiquette refers to conventions to follow when
using networks including network services such as e-mail, blogs,
and forums.)
1. Use the Internet to research the current rules of e-mail
netiquette in particular, and then list at least five rules in
word-processing document.
2. These rules should be different from the ones summited in
Lesson 25.
3. Submit the document to your instructor.