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Use Email Filters to Organize Email

If you receive more than a few email per day, you could probably benefit from using email filters. All major email programs can be used to look at your email as it comes in and then shift it to a designated folder or even delete it.

Before starting to use a filter, set up some email folders to organize your messages. Simply having an Inbox that collects all incoming mail can be cumbersome to work with and makes it easy to lose important messages.

In my email program, I have set up over 25 folders that collect and organize everything from listener mail, newsletters, daily tips that I receive, mail from specific contacts and more. When I check for email, the program applies the rules (filters) that I have setup and shifts the mail to where it belongs.

The efficient way to email your digital photos

I often get emails from family or friends who have recently been on vacation or been involved in some other event and they want to share a handful of photos with everyone in their address book. Some of the email works out great, but other email doesn’t quite make it through the way sender intended.

Emailing photos can be one of the most troublesome things you can do with your email for several reasons.

1. Non-resized photos can take a long time to upload to send through email on a dialup line.
2. Non-resized photos can take a long time to download for everyone you send the email to. Nothing is more aggravating than waiting 20 minutes for a photo to download so you can read your email, only to find out that the photo is of a funny position that the cat fell asleep in.

The efficient way to email your digital photos

by Adam Cochran

I often get emails from family or friends who have recently been on vacation or been involved in some other event and they want to share a handful of photos with everyone in their address book. Some of the email works out great, but other email doesn’t quite make it through the way sender intended.

Emailing photos can be one of the most troublesome things you can do with your email for several reasons.

  1. Non-resized photos can take a long time to upload to send through email on a dialup line.

  2. Non-resized photos can take a long time to download for everyone you send the email to. Nothing is more aggravating than waiting 20 minutes for a photo to download so you can read your email, only to find out that the photo is of a funny position that the cat fell asleep in.

AOL Users – Find your downloads

One common question I get from AOL users is locating files or email attachments they have downloaded. When an AOL user downloads email attachments, by default, they get buried in a sub-folder of the AOL folder. This tip will help AOL folks who have a hard time finding these files.

One easy way to quickly navigate to your AOL download folder is by creating a desktop shortcut…here’s how:

1. Double-click My Computer
2. Double-click the “C” drive (your hard drive)
3. Find your AOL folder and double-click on it (if you are using version 7.0 or greater, you may need to double-click on “Program Files” first). If you have installed the same version of AOL more than once, you will see AOL 5.0b, 5.0c, etc…click on the one with the latest letter)

Windows XP Makes Computing Easier

When Microsoft released the latest version of Windows in October ’01, one of the most touted features was its redesigned user interface. The press and reviewers of the software initially called the interface “Fisher Price” like, but after working with the operating system over the past four months, I have come to appreciate some of the new usability features.

Some basic computing functions like renaming, copying, and even deleting files remain elusive to many computer users. The new “Explorer Bar” that runs vertically along almost every window in Windows XP addresses the problem quite admirably. For example, in the My Documents folder (or any other folder for that matter), one click buttons along the left side of the window offer easy access to functions such as moving, copying, printing, deleting, and even emailing files.

Keep your system running clean

It’s easy to become a digital pack rat. However, using all this space on your computer can contribute to slower performance.

Here are some tips of how to keep your system clutter free.

* Use the Disk Cleanup utility (Windows 98 and Me users) to delete temporary windows and Internet files.
* If you use a digital camera or scanner, archive your older images on a ZIP disk or CDR (also important for backups).
* Keep your email folders cleaned out…especially delete unwanted Sent messages and don’t forget to empty your deleted email folder as well.
* Speaking of email, also delete any unwanted email attachments you have received (AOL users look for your downloaded files under the C drive, then AOL, then Download folder)

Drag and Drop

Over the past few weeks, we discussed the usefulness of cut, copy and paste. Another great skill to have at your disposal is “drag and drop”. With very few exceptions, drag and drop requires your mouse.

To drag and drop an object, click and hold the left mouse button on the file, object, or text and then move (drag) the mouse to its destination. It is the same exact maneuver computer users use every day to play solitaire and move the cards from stack to stack.

Here are some other examples:

* Want to delete an unused icon from your desktop? Click on the icon and hold the mouse button down while dragging it to the Recycle Bin. Once over the Recycle Bin, release the mouse button and the icon disappears.

Delete an Email without opening it

A common question I am asked is how to delete an email without opening it first. Keep in mind that if you keep your anti-virus software up to date AND you don’t open suspicious attachments…even from people you know, you will lower your risk factor significantly.

To delete email without opening it in Outlook Express follow these steps:

1. Click on View from the menus
2. Click Layout
3. Uncheck the box next to “Show Preview Pane”
4. Click OK

Now you have to double-click on messages to read them, but you can delete messages without them opening

Cleaning up Headers in Email

This tip was prompted by an email from Jean. She, like many other people, is frustrated with email header information and wanted to learn how to print email without all the headers. This technique will work no matter what email program you are using.

The only way to get rid of headers when printing is to follow this procedure:

1. Start your Email session as normal
2. Keep your email open, but now Click on Start–Programs–Accessories–Notepad
3. This will open up the small program called Notepad (notice that you now have 2 buttons on the bar next to the Start button…one for your email and one for Notepad

Beware of Fraudulent Email

This week I had the unfortunate job of helping a client of mine change email addresses and passwords. Not that the change itself was unfortunate, it was the reason for the change. Earlier in the week, she fell prey to an Internet scam known as ‘phishing’.

Phishing starts in our email box. The email looks and almost sounds completely official and usually claims to represent a large company like AOL, Earthlink, Citibank, eBay, etc. Even the company’s logo and maybe an address or telephone number will appear in the email as well. The email states that either the company has had a catastrophic computer melt down and needs to rebuild their customer information database OR it says that for your security you need to react.