Making the grade in
E-mail 101
by Gordon
Black
 It's never too
late to learn something new. You've gotten this far with
your computer, so now it's time for E-mail 101 using
Outlook Express. It might be the easiest
introductory class you have ever taken. And the
best part-- there are no term papers or hard, wooden
desks.
Before we get started, you need to be
familiar with the basic e-mail prerequisites. You'll
find a quick overview in the
sidebar.
Let's begin by reviewing the course content:
What is Outlook
Express?
Outlook Express is
the e-mail program that comes with Windows 98 and
Internet Explorer. It allows you to send and
receive electronic mail over the Internet. Here's how it
works:
When you send a message, it is converted
into one of two standardized formats, which means it
doesn't matter if you have a Windows PC and your friends
have Macs: you can still read each other's e-mail.
Clicking Send transmits your message over phone
lines to a computer at your Internet Service Provider
(ISP), known as a server. The server interprets the
address(es) on your message and sends the message via
the Internet (which is a series of other computers) to
reach the destination address. The message then resides
on the receiving server until the intended recipient
logs on and checks for new e-mail.
Lesson
One: How to use e-mail
You can check for new mail right from the
Outlook Express main taskbar.
- Click Send & Receive.
- Click Inbox to view new messages. Then click
each individual message you want to read.
Replying
Respond
right away or wait until later-- whatever you
prefer.
- Click the message.
- Click Reply.
- Type your message.
Sending a new message
You don't have to wait until someone writes to you
to send a message.
- Click New Mail.
- Enter a name or address in
the To:
line.
- Click Send & Receive.
Sending mail to the whole class
You can send the
same message to many people at the same time by adding
additional addresses to the To: line. You can also copy
the message by inserting additional e-mail addresses
into the CC: line.
The third line is for a blind
carbon copy, meaning you can copy the same message to
others without the first batch of recipients knowing.
(It's "blind" to them that you sent it.)
Organizing the
class list
To save typing time, store the addresses and names
of your frequent contacts in your address book.
- Click Address Book.
- Click New Contact.
- Enter the details of your
contact.
The next time you need to send a
message to that individual, you can use the stored
address.
- Click New Mail.
- Click Address Book.
- Select the contact to whom
you wish to send a message.
- Click Send Mail.
- Type your message and then
click
Send.
The best part of this class is the reading
assignment -- the correspondence you get from friends. Now, who's
ready for quantum physics 101?
Writer
Gordon Black wishes he had more time to respond to the
e-mail he receives at four different accounts. |
Open an account
 In order to send and receive e-mail, you
must first have an account with an Internet Service
Provider (ISP). You can choose any ISP you want using
the Internet Connection Wizard.
- On the Start
menu, point to
Programs, point to Internet
Explorer, and then click Connection Wizard.
- Follow the steps in the
wizard.
Setting it up
- On the Start menu, point to
Programs, point to Internet
Explorer, and then click Outlook Express.
- On the Tools menu, click
Accounts.
- On the Mail tab, click
Add, and then click
Mail.
- Follow the steps in the
wizard.
You'll have to type in your
e-mail address and the contact number for your computer
to dial. Those, and certain other details, will be
provided by your ISP.
| 
Windows 98 Home