FAQ - email

• Sending "Blind" copies (keeping recipients privacy)
  If you are using your 'email client' such as Outlook Express, there is a way of sending to multiple people without them all knowing their email addresses. This can be very important if one of those recipients "forwards" your email on to others. YOU don't want that unknown person to also know ALL the recipients that you sent to. (the next person to receive it may be a SPAMMER or SCAMMER.  This is after all violating their privacy. To avoid this - send blind carbon copies.
  How to: Well - it depends on your email client, so here are some links:

  • Outlook Express
    http://www.its.rdg.ac.uk/documents/training/email/inter/#Task_5c (there are lots of other hints on this page - remember though that some may not be relevant to your system).

  • Microsoft Outlook

  • Thunderbird

  • Further Reading - Interesting Articles relating to this topic
    An Aussie one: telling how BCC sometimes gets caught in spam filters and the reason some use more powerful email clients (for Web South web hosting customers who are unaware, a program such as Robin mentions is included in most packages - enquire! (Robin doesn't mention the one he uses))
    http://ezinearticles.com/?Using-Blind-Carbon-Copy-(BCC)-For-Email-Privacy&id=36146

• Trim your emails
  Another thing you can do - if you reply to someone is:

  •  Reduce the email to whatever is current in the conversation. - delete unwanted bits

  • Remove any email addresses that are not needed.

• Avoid using email clients which have embedded graphics and advertising.
  Some people love these email clients, they have fancy backgrounds, animations and even music/sounds attached to the themes they have. May I say that this really does not look professional, and has the problem of not being able to easily remove unwanted text and graphics.
  There is a potential for 'Tracking' being built into the graphics - something you don't want to support, along with the possibility of viruses being attached to the graphics or sound, something you really don't want to send your customers, family or friends.
  If you really must send emails like these - keep it to friends and family. (a possible exception might be if your business is all about marketing items which are part of this group of programs (backgrounds/sounds/pictures/animations).

• Avoid sending to unknown people (SPAMMING)
  Don't do it - the LAW says so.
  If you are trying to locate someone special? Well - not sure what the score is there, certainly DO NOT send to many unknown people. The consequences are that you will most likely end up in court, you will also loose access to your ISP (they will ban you) and if you did it through your web site (they also will ban you). You may also have civil action taken against you - where the person receiving the email takes you to court.

• Not every email with your name on it is YOURS.
  Don't be surprised if one day you receive an email from 'yourself' SCAMMING you!!
  The longer you are on the net, the more likely you will have it happen. Yes - that's right, the scammers and spammers will try to pretend to be YOU, they will falsely use your email address, name or whatever they think they can get away with to get into other peoples trust. (and occasionally they actually send one to yourself).
  Don't get upset - just delete it.

• Delete Unknown Senders
  Don't know the person sending to you? weren't expecting an email?
  Best to just delete it.
  (This gets a bit harder when you have an online business  - so there will be more later on protecting yourself there).

• The offer or opportunity is just too good to be true.
  You can either just Delete it!
  Or
  Report it - Australian SCAMwatch and perhaps save someone else from being scammed.