2: In what cases would you find it useful to use the cc, bc and reply all functions of email? (Allen n.d)
If you are sending an email message and would like to send the same message to another recipient, then you would use the cc field. CC is an abbreviation meaning Carbon Copy.
I use this function everyday at work when I send daily reports to the owner of the business. I cc the report to the person who handles our business Admin. The recipient of my message can see that I have included Admin with a carbon copy of the report.
If I was communicating with a client who had an outstanding account, I could bc those emails to the owner or Admin. BC meaning blind carbon copy would provide me with a discreet way of keeping the owner informed of a situation without the clients knowledge of the double communication.
I also use the reply function when I am responding to a customer enquiry or quote.
Responding with the Reply All feature will include all recipients of cc or bc messages and the original sender.
As we deal with a lot of Designers (I work in Picture Framing), if I sent an independent email with a quote for a job say two days after the enquiry, my response could be overlooked if I didn’t include clear information of the original email.
By using the reply function, the recipient can see my response above their original message to me. It also saves me time when replying because I can refer to the original message easily while I respond. Sometimes a message might go back and forth quite a few times also, the convenience of all communications being available in the one email is invaluable when you are dealing with emails of similarity each day.
When you elect to reply to a message, the recipients address is automatically entered in the To field and the subject displays Re: to subject you are replying. Another time saving automatic feature of the reply function.
3: In what ways can you ensure that an attachment you send will be easily opened by the receiver? (Allen n.d)
Attachments to an email need to be of compatible applications to the recipient you are sending them to.
Up until recently (at work), the main PC that we use in a network of 5 unfortunately was old, and obviously for this reason ran such programs as Word 97 etc. For years we put up with this with the hope that one day it would die on us, prompting the owner to upgrade:) Until that wonderful day arrived one of the frustrations of trying to work on this thing was the countless email attachments that I was unable to open.
Checking with your recipient what applications they are running will save a lot of frustration.
Consider:
· If it is a Microsoft Office file, is your version newer than the recipients. If so, then when you save the file, elect to change the version to one that suits.
· If it is a Microsoft Office file, is your version newer than the recipients. If so, then when you save the file, elect to change the version to one that suits.
· PDF files are read with Adobe Reader, if the recipient doesn’t have Adobe, it can be downloaded free.
· Make sure files are not too big or the message you are sending may be returned as undelivered.
I like to inform my recipients in the body of my emails, briefly, the content of what I have attached. ie ‘Please find photo’s attached’ or ‘Please find pricelist attached’.
I have never used filters in my personal email up until now. For this exercise, I found in my Options menu the above Filter Options. I have nominated that my Filter Rule deletes any messages I receive from Avanquest Software
Other options available are highlighting messages from nominated recipients or moving certain messages to an elected folder rather than your inbox.
Filters are a tool you can use to keep your Inbox ship-shape and tidy and place importance on messages you wish to keep an eye on.
What a nifty little application, I like it:) Once again, another detail I haven’t explored before, I can proudly say that I am learning something new every day!
5: How have you organised the folder structure of your email and why? (Allen n.d)
I like to create folders for my emails. It keeps messages filed where I can find them easily if I wish to keep them. I like all my messages to come to my Inbox first hand, but when I have read them I usually file them away.
A few Folders I use in my personal Email:
· Ebay (generally I store any invoices from items I have won here)
· Personal (I use this one for general information)
· Studies (obviously a newbie)
Some other example of Folders I use at work:
· Customer quotes
· Supplier Pricelists
· Special Clients (the folder is titled under their name)
I find Folders extremely efficient for keeping emails at hands reach. Could you imagine a filing cabinet if you didn’t tag the files - Wouldn’t be good hey.
Curriculum Reference:
Dr Matthew Allen (n.d) Curtin University of Technology; Net11 The Internet Communications, Module Two, Email Task, Retrieved 26 June 2008 from http://webct.curtin.edu.au/SCRIPT/305033_b/scripts/serve_home
