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9 essential things everyone should know about email

1. Anyone can send email to anyone pretending to be from anyone else

   Anyone can do this by simply changing the email address listed in their email application account settings.
   If you ever receive a strange, uncharacteristic or upsetting email from someone, keep in mind it is possible they didn't actually send it. Follow up with a phone call if unsure.




2. Email is not guaranteed to arrive quickly or at all

   There are a number of reasons why email might be delayed or not delivered, and sometimes you may not be notified. It's always a good idea to follow up important emails with a phone call if you do not receive an expected reply. Here are a couple of reasons why email might not get through:
   
   • Servers under attack - Occasionally malicious people deliberately attack the computers that run the Internet (DNS and mail servers) which can disrupt email service.
     
   • SPAM filtering can silently stop messages being received with no notice to either party. Any email you send is not guaranteed to get past junk mail filters, and sometimes you don't even need to use words like "viagra" to have your message blocked.
   
   
   

3. Your emails can be read by other people

   Most emails sent over the Internet are unencrypted, and most servers log or store emails that pass through them. Think of email like a postcard, where anyone in the postal system can read your message.
   
   

4. Email wasn't designed to handle large files

   Although convenient and easy, email wasn't designed for large files. Many systems have limits of 10 or 15MB per message. If the person receiving your message is on dialup, they may never be able to download such a large file, and it will block them from receiving any new emails until it is cleared or deleted. If you need to send large or many files to someone, try FTP (File Transfer Protocol), Skype or use a CD or memory stick.
   
   

5. Any email that asks you to forward it on to other people is a chain letter, and should be deleted.

   No matter how good the cause, any email that asks to be forwarded on should be ignored or deleted. Such emails include "Save the Dolphins", "Save the rainforest" or "Send this on to 10 friends for good luck".
   Almost all of these emails are fake, and they waste everybody's time. Read more at breakthechain.org
   
   

6. You can't trust any email from anyone.

   Many emails are designed to trick or defraud you. Anyone can easily make an authentic looking fake email, and pretend to send it from a company, for example your bank. Any email that asks for your username and password should be considered dangerous. Anything that sounds to good to be true usually is, for example the promise of money in the case of Nigerian scams.
   Learn more about email fraud at wikipedia
   
   

7. If you put your email address on the public Internet even once, you will forever get spam.

   Be very careful where you type your email address online. If a website places your email address in public view, spam robots will pick it up and you will forever receive junk mail. Once the spammers have collected your address there is nothing you can do.
   
   

8. Never reply to junk mail or scams.

   If you do you will confirm there is a real person at the end of your email address, and they will send you more junk mail.
   It's also a good idea to disable the downloading of HTML images in your email application, as these can be used to identify you have actually read your email.
   Read more about how to prevent spam at spam.abuse.net
   
   

9. Emails do not convey emotion and can easily be misunderstood

   Body language, tone of voice and facial expressions are all essential for people to help convey what they are saying.
   Emails and text messages miss out on these, and the intended message is often misunderstood.
   Be aware that sometimes jokes or sarcasm do not carry well over email and text messages. People often use smiley faces eg :) or winks ;) to indicate a joke or sarcastic comment.
   Consider following up any message that offends or sounds out of character with a phone call. Reread what you write and ask yourself if there is any chance of miscommunication.
   Read more with the article It's all about me: Why e-mails are so easily misunderstood