E-mailObjective 4.01: Compose effective e-mail correspondence

Essential Questions•What is e-mail and what is it used for?

•What guidelines should be followed when composing e-mails?

What is E-mail?•E-mail – also known as electronic mail, is

a method of exchanging short digital messages

•E-mail has replaced common forms of communication, including:▫sending letters, greeting cards, etc via the

US Postal Service▫talking on the phone

E-mail Must-HavesYou must have the following in order to use

e-mail:▫an e-mail address▫Internet Service Provider (ISP) – a

company that provides connections to the Internet

Examples of ISPs:▫Time Warner▫AT&T

Parts of an E-mail Address

keyboarding_student@wcpss.net

• E-mail addresses must be unique (i.e. you can’t have the same e-mail address as someone else)

• E-mail addresses cannot include spaces, use an underline (_) or period (.) to separate the parts of a username

• E-mail addresses cannot contain special characters or symbols, only letters and numbers

Username At Symbol

Domain Name

Extension

E-mail Organization• Inbox – displays e-mail messages that have

been received, includes the sender’s name, date, and time that the e-mail was received

• Draft – an e-mail that is saved to be sent later, saved in the Drafts folder of an e-mail program

• Outbox – folder that stores mail that is ready to be sent

• Sent – folder that displays e-mail messages that have been sent

An E-mail Window

Body – the message of the e-mail; single space within paragraphs, double space between paragraphs

NOTE: The sender’s e-mail address and date are not keyed because the software inserts them automatically when the message is sent. The recipient will see this information when they receive the message.

E-mail Extras• Attachment – files that are attached to an e-

mail message▫documents▫pictures

• Address book – the e-mail feature that allows you to save e-mail address and other contact information (friends, family, others that you e-mail frequently)

Creating a New Message1. Enter the address for the person/people to whom you

are sending the message

2. Include a brief subject line that tells the recipient what your message is about

3. Key your message in the body.▫ use black standard font (ex: Arial, Times New Roman); only

use funky colors when sending e-mails to friends▫ single space within paragraphs, double space between▫ NEVER key your paragraphs in ALL CAPS; in the digital

world, this is viewed as shouting at the reader and is considered rude

E-mail Guidelines• Verify that you have entered the correct recipient e-

mail addresses• ALWAYS enter a subject in the Subject line• ALWAYS proofread the entire e-mail

▫ correct spelling and grammatical errors▫ ensure that your message is courteous

• Keep your e-mail short but include all necessary information▫ most people do not have the time to read lengthy e-mails ▫ receiving multiple e-mails on the same topic will clog recipient’s

Inbox• NEVER send private or personal information in an e-

mail• NEVER open an attachment from someone that you

don’t know• Only share your e-mail address with people you know