Technology ICT Option:

Electronic mail is the transmission of mainly text based messages across networks This can be within a particular network - internal mail - or between networks - external mail The most common network used for is the Internet The main advantages of are: Speed - from your computer to anywhere in the world in minutes Cost - it is much cheaper than conventional mail Instant reply - reply instantly to an incoming mail Multiple send - sent to many recipients simultaneously Attachments -files such as photographs, documents or drawings can be sent with the message Storage - can be easily stored and searched at a later date

It does also have some disadvantages: Security - it can be intercepted or hacked into Spam - junk mail is easier to send - more difficult to trace Viruses - attachments can carry viruses and spyware Operation In order to send or receive , you must have an account with an address from a service provider The account will also have a username and a password. A typical address looks like:

The username and server provider parts are separated by symbol. Typical providers include: Usernames and Passwords Usernames and passwords use alphanumeric characters. Some service providers place restrictions on passwords such as minimum and maximum length and ensuring a combination of letters and numbers are used etc. Example: Username - johnireland Password - school07

accounts There are two main types of account - Paid and Free: A paid account will have Internet access and a mailbox for . A ISP - Internet service Provider - will be paid monthly for the service - Eircom A free account will only have a mailbox. To use the mailbox, you log onto the providers website where you can send, receive and manage - Hotmail and Gmail can be accessed in a number of ways: Using software - the messages are downloaded from the service providers server onto your computer. Outlook Express and Mozilla Thunderbird are examples

Webmail - an Internet Browser such as Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox is used to access the service providers website and the is managed on the website Setting up an account in outlook Express Some information is required before an account can be set up in an application: address - Username - John Ireland Password - school 07 (Case sensitive) Incoming server address (POP3) Outgoing server address (SMTP) The account can now be set up

Open Outlook Express From the tools menu, choose Accounts Click the Mail tab Click the Add button and choose Mail

Enter the Username in the Display name field and click Next Enter the address in the space provided and click Next

Enter the Incoming and Outgoing mail servers as shown below. These are unique to Eircom. Each service provider will have their own server addresses Click Next Enter the Password in the space provided and click Next Click Finish in the next box to complete the process

To access the Click the Send/Recv button in the application and select the required account to download the The settings necessary for setting up other providers accounts in applications can be found at the link below:

Applications Outlook Express is the most common application in use as it is bundled with Microsoft Windows Other applications include: Thunderbird - Pegasus - Eudora - Incredimail -

Using Outlook Express When Outlook Express starts, you are presented with the welcome screen. Click on Inbox as shown below

The interface is now less cluttered and easier to manage So set options, click on the Tools menu and choose Options

Click the General tab and set the application to start with the Inbox displayed Set the required options in the Send tab

The Receipts tab can be used to request a receipt for sent mails. This ensures that the was opened by the recipient The spell check can be set in the Spelling tab The application is now set up and ready for use

Composing and Sending an Click File and New Message Enter the address in the To: box and a quick note in the Subject area. Don’t send an without an entry in the subject area as most recipients will automatically delete it for security reasons Write your message in the area provided and click Send

Address Book The address book is used to store addresses and is very useful when sending . To open the address book: Click the Tools menu and choose Address Book To add a new contact: Click the New button and choose Contact

Fill in the details and click OK To create a group: Click the New button and choose Group

Select the members and click OK. The group is formed Add the group name and click Select Members

Using the Address Book The address book is useful when sending an to multiple addresses etc Open Outlook Express and click Create Mail Click the To: button to open the address book Select the required addresses and add them to the Message Recipients area and click OK Fill in the Subject - complete the as before

CC and BCC Carbon Copy and Blind Carbon Copy are also used with multiple addresses CC - the addresses in this area will receive the message as well as the addresses in the To: box

BCC: - recipients entered in the BCC area will not be aware of the other people receiving the message

Attachments Files can be attached to messages. It is possible to attach several files to an . To attach a file: In the New Message window, click Attach and browse to the required file or files, select and click the Attach button Click the Send button

Replying to Below can be seen an sent to a group. An attachment is included in the . At the top of the window, there are three buttons: Reply Reply All Forward

Reply is used to reply to the sender only Click the Reply button. The address the subject fields ate already completed. Type any message and click the Send button

Reply All is used to reply to the entire group Click the Reply All button. The address the subject fields ate already completed. Type any message and click the Send button

Forward is used to send the to a new recipient. Click the Forward button. The address the subject fields ate already completed. Type any message and click the Send button