Email Tips

I don’t miss spam

Margaret Shaffhauser with bull terrier dog at the Canine Association Show, 3 Nov 1934 / by Ted Hood

photo credit: State Library of New South Wales collection

I just emptied 536 spam from my email spam folder.

Today, I ran across some clients who had problems with email spam, and I recanted the following story.

Once upon a time, my email inbox was filled to the brim with spam every single day. Then one cool autumn day in Las Vegas, Nevada at the now defunct Comdex show in 2000 or 2001, I met some nice folks from a startup company called Cloudmark. They were discussing and promoting a new way to combat spam that used human eyes and minds to identify spam instead of computer algorithms.

Intrigued, I immediately downloaded and started using it upon my return from Vegas. Cloudmark was nothing short of Continue reading →

Changing email addresses – It’s not that difficult

photo credit: TheeErin

AOL made millions of dollars for years because computer users are afraid to change their email addresses. All week long, I hear, “Oh, it’s too hard to change email addresses now.” Or, “It will take forever to change my email address with everyone.”

Come on folks…we’re using computers! You don’t have to fill out a change of address form and march it down to the postal office. You don’t have to send out a post card to every person you know. You don’t have to fill out a change of address for all your bills and utilities.

Changing email addresses is actually pretty painless and can be cathartic as well. In fact, think of it as going into the digital identity protection program. Here’s how to make it a smooth transition Continue reading →

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18
Oct 09

Email Filters – Outlook Express

This tip gives you the tools you need to help organize your email with Outlook Express or Windows Mail. Using Filters is like having an assistant go through your email for you and sort it before you see it. Click here for a previous tip on how to use filters to keep spam out of your inbox. Continue reading →

Email Tips / Riding Shotgun with Rick — 7 Comments
12
Oct 09

Google discourages multiple email forwards

photo credit: chotda

I setup a new Gmail address for a customer a couple of weeks ago and used POP to allow her to use Outlook Express like she was used to with her old address. In less than 2 days, she called and said that her password was being rejected and she couldn’t send or receive email.

I hurried over and logged into the web interface with her credentials, but was also rejected. On the second attempt, it required me to answer a captcha and her secret question before logging me in to her account. After doing so, I checked the POP settings in Outlook Express and sent a test message to myself and back to her. Test successful and I left.

Two days go by, and she called me again. Perplexed, I made my way back to her house and repeated the same steps as I just described. Gmail normally does not require a user to decode a captcha and answer the secret question, but I chalked it up to something Continue reading →

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6
Oct 09

Learn to stay safe with your email

photo credit: CGehlen

Like any medium, we all need to keep a discerning eye on the information we read on the Internet and in email. You don’t believe everything you read in the newspaper or see on TV do you? The Internet is no different and tends to breed more fiction because its tools are so readily available.

First and foremost, keep an anti-virus software running on your computer at all times and make sure it is updated at least weekly. Remember, keeping an anti-virus program updated is completely different than the program doing a weekly scan of your computer files. I currently favor AVG Antivirus or Avast on my computer and my client’s computers, but whatever you use, keep Continue reading →

Email Tips — 11 Comments
3
Oct 09

Backup Outlook Express Email – Video Tip

This week’s tip also applies to Windows Vista users who use Windows Mail…which is basically Outlook Express with a new name.

I still recommend that emailers save their important pictures and documents sent to them via email to a folder on their computer for easier backup (see my video tip on how to do this by clicking here), but many people also save a great deal of email and don’t want Continue reading →

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21
Sep 09

Set Firefox to recognize web mail for mailto links – Video Tip

If you use a web based email system like Gmail, HotMail, or Yahoo email or any derivative of these, you more than likely run into occasions where you want to email someone from a web site. However, when you click the link (known as a mailto link), you get presented with an email system you never heard of or used asking you to enter your email particulars to send the email. Most folks usually just snarl and forget about it.

You could copy and paste the email address into your web mail. OR, if you use Mozilla Firefox as your browser, you can set it to Continue reading →

Email Tips / Internet Tips / Riding Shotgun with Rick — No Comments
27
Aug 09

Gmail Address Picker – Video Tip

Google very quietly added a new funcion to Gmail yesterday. Many emailers who convert to Gmail wondered why this function wasn’t there from the beginning, but now it is…an address picker.

I can’t remember an email program not having an address picker before, but I quickly adapted to the way Gmail did addresses when I switched three or so years ago. Currently, if you type in just 2-3 characters of a recipients first or last name, Gmail instantly displays folks in your address book that you can then click to add to your message.

Starting yesterday, Gmailers can now click the word To, CC, or BCC (depending on where you want the address to end up) to bring up a traditional address book picker where you can click and choose your recipients from the list.

This short video demonstrates how it works. Enjoy and pass on the news!

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24
Aug 09

Do not open attachments from people you know

photo credit: shannnnnonlowe.

Those of you who have followed this site and my show since its early days in the 90s know that I have always warned against opening attachments from people you know. Probably the most egregious security problem among emailers is the myth that opening email and attachments is safe as long it is from someone they know.

I hear this statement at least five times per week and dispel it every single time I hear it. Now, I need your help in spreading the word about this growing problem and misinformation.

Recently, there has been a wave of hackers sending email with your friends and family names listed as the sender. Despite not hearing from Aunt Martha in 5 years via email, despite the fact that your mother’s best friend has never sent you a party picture, and despite the cryptic and brief subject and body, folks continue to click on these emails and the links and attachments contained within them. And time and time again, they are greeted with Continue reading →