9/25

Basics of Email 

Our lesson today:

From last week: Questions/comments on the cloud (see feedback from last week's quiz)

Presentation 

Hands on practice 

Individual questions 

Homework:

Video:

Miss the class?  Want to hear the lesson again?  You can view our Tuesday's class here.

From last week's quiz: Using the cloud

Finding the lost phone by signing iCloud in another device

Using Apple Wallet to pay for a purchase (uses iCloud, cloud of retailer, bank cloud)

Canvas

Backing up photos

Store pictures

LG Dishwasher, irrigation system, Google Nest

Quick Links:

Handout

Presentation

Quiz

Zoom classroom:

Zoom link:   https://sdccd-edu.zoom.us/j/9191959460?pwd=OXh0RE9ZTVZTWElTMUQ0ZzAxQzExdz09.   

Passcode (if asked):  emeritus


Introduction to Email

In this lesson we will:


Email:  The big picture

Scroll down to view this presentation which gives the big picture of Email

Important note:

NOTE:  This class will only cover the workings of email.  We will not address the bigger issue (protecting yourself from malware) which is a critical part of using email.  We will address that when we do online safety.  However, keeping safe includes several tips including:

Strong unique passwords and two-factor authentication (2FA)

Caution opening attachments and clicking on links

Being vigilant about phishing (verify sender addresses, avoid sharing personal information via email, don’t respond to unsolicited requests for personal information)

Beware of Email scams (if it seems too good to be true, it probably is NOT true)

Check for https and a padlock when accessing in a web browser

Review account activity regularly

Use a reputable email service (yes, some are better than others)

Secure your device (passwords, PINS, etc.)

Make sure your email is backing up in case of data loss or compromise

Types of Email

Email stands for “electronic mail”.

There are two types of emails:

•Free email services:  No cost to consumer, limited storage, may include advertisements.  Good at what they do.  Might not have great customer support.  Examples:  Gmail, Yahoo mail, Outlook)

•ISP Email:  Internet Service Provider email is provided as part of an Internet subscription package.  There is a cost, but it is part of the package.  Good customer support, may be confusing to set up.  Examples:  Cox, AT&T, Spectrum

Viewing your email

App:  Downloaded from the app store, available for multiple devices and operating system.  Can be mobile app  or desktop app for computer.  Cleaner, and may have additional features (offline, organizational tools)


On the browser:  Most can be viewed on a browser, by going to the site (google.com or outlook.com)


Native mail apps:  Available through most operating systems.  You can then add multiple email accounts to the native mail app.  Might be confusing to set up, and not all native mail apps accept all email accounts.


Security

Most email programs are encrypted from end to end (https).  So mail is somewhat safe.  This protection makes your email more secure against “eavesdropping”.  

Other considerations include account security (strong password), user error (phishing, clicking links, downloading attachments), your own device security (operating system up to date, good passcode) and the security of the Email server itself.


More on Email


POP or IMAP?: There may have been a time when you were setting up an email and you were asked whether it was a POP account or an IMAP account. These are protocols for how to send and store emails.


POP (Post Office Protocol). It is now POP3. Features: 


POP:  Designed for those who will view email on one device. Downloads email from server to device and then deleted (although you can change in settings).  Allows offline access.  Although outdated, you can set up most email services for POP.


 

IMAP (Internet Messaging Access Protocol). It is now IMAP4. Features: 


IMAP:  Designed for those who will view email on multiple devices.  It keeps email synchronized (delete on one, it will be deleted on all).  Email remains on the server, accessed with an Internet connection.  Allows real time access to emails


Video:  Learn more about POP and IMAP

POP protocol

IMAP Protocol

Bottom line:  In simple terms, if you are using IMAP and mark a message as read, it gets marked as read in your web- based inbox too (because changes happen on the server). However, with POP, if a mail is marked as read, the account on the device will see this change, but the mail on the server will not change. 

Contacts

Email accounts usually have contacts associated with them.  They are set up when you view a new contact, but you can change this in settings.  This process makes it easier to find those who have emailed you in the past

Most operating systems also have a Contacts folder, which can be set up to include multiple email accounts.  


Setting up an email (Google)

Setting up an email requires that you create a unique username and password.  Here is how to set up a Google account:


Video:  Create a Gmail account

Viewing your account setup

Viewing your account information allows you to control data, security, privacy and more.  On most services, it is found by clicking on your icon or picture. 

To see your account information (for Google) click on the Icon with your initial and select “manage your Google account)


Your Student email account (Outlook)

Steps to view your student email account:


Features  of the Email program

Folders:

Email programs come with some initial folders.  They may include folders such as Inbox, Categories (promotions, social, updates, forums), Starred, Drafts, Sent, Junk (Outlook), Spam (Google), Archive (all emails from all folders), Favorites (Outlook), Labels (Gmail)

You can add folders (Outlook) to send emails to

Or you can add labels (Google) which will label emails, which can then be stored in that label folder


Outlook, Gmail and Yahoo folders

What to do with a single email:


Sending an email

Respond to an email

Open attachments

Manage your inbox

Settings you may use:

Common email problems and how to resolve them

Here are some things that you may experience and how to resolve them:

Forget password:  Use the “forgot password” or “reset password” feature

Email not sending or receiving: Check Internet connection, Verify connection settings (or contact Email provider), Make sure you are not out of cloud space, Check Spam, Use another way to access

Emails going to spam:  Mark legitimate emails as “not spam” or move to inbox, Avoid spam behavior when sending 

Attachments won’t open: Make sure you have software to open (PDF), verify it is not corrupted

Emails slow to load or send: Check Internet speed, clear email cache, reduce emails in folder, disable extensions

Emails hacked: Change password immediately, Enable two-factor authorization, Review settings for changes

Emails bounced back (undeliverable):  Check for typos in the email address, verify server not down, ensure your account is not flagged as spam, review error message

Emails missing or deleted: Check your trash or deleted folder, Make sure you don’t have a filter set, If you have POP make sure emails are not removed after downloading

Emails not syncing: Make sure all devices are set for IMAP and not POP, Make sure email is configured to sync all folders, confirm settings are the same of all devices


Finding help on specific email services

Not covered  in class:  Viewing and using Your Student Email

Method 1: Find your email in the MyApps page

Method 2: Find your email on Outlook website

Method 3:  Install Outlook on your PC or phone

Not covered in class Keeping Email Secure

How to spot phishing

There are ways to spot possible phishing attempts.  They include:



Video: This video summarizes what to look for to see if it is a phishing email.  

Activity:

After looking viewing the video and reading the lesson, take the Google Phishing quiz.  Click here to access the phishing quiz.  Read the email There are 8 screens.  How many did you get right?


How can you tell if an email is malicious?


Resource:  This lengthy web page covers lots of ways to see if an email is malicious.

How to tell if an email attachment is legitimate

Your email provider should be scanning for malicious attachments.  If a virus is included in the attachment that you are trying to send, you will see a “Virus detected”” error message.  You can choose to send without an attachment.  If the virus is attached to an email sent to you, they should reject the message and let the sender know.  If the virus is found in an attachment in your inbox, you won’t be able to download the attachment.  This is true in theory, but things can still get through.  So, keep reading!

There are things that you can do to keep your email account secure. Here are some of them:

 


Not covered in class:  Optional Email Tasks  

Setting up in Settings:

When setting up an email account, you can create certain personal features. These include a signature, profile image and choice of themes. Not all features available on all apps or email servers. 


Anatomy of an Email:


Legend:

SEND AN EMAIL:

SEND AN ATTACHMENT:

Attachments may contain malware. Always provide a good introduction in your email so that the recipient knows it is from you.

Insert a picture

You can choose to insert a picture in an email instead of attaching it. To do so, you will click on the “insert image” icon and the image will be placed within the email.

VIEWING AN EMAIL

When you receive your emails, they will end up in a folder.  Gmail allows you to categorize your email into up to 5 categories:  Inbox, Social, Promotions, Updates and Forums.  Although that is not required, it does make sorting through email much easier.  This is done in settings.  

Legend:


OPENING AN EMAIL

Depending on your settings and the email, you may have some email features.  Below is a look at a typical email.  From this, note the different features (label, expand, print, open in  new window, a thread of conversations and the ways to respond).

RESPOND TO AN EMAIL


OPEN AN ATTACHMENT:

Only open attachments from sources that you recognize. Even if you recognize them, make sure that the email is really from them. When in doubt, contact them and ask if they sent an attachment to you.


Video:

Downloading an attachment

CREATE A LABEL


Resources

Questions?  Here are some assorted articles and tutorials which may help you.

Introduction: What is email? What are my options?http://www.toptenreviews.com/services/internet/best-free-email-services/


Which email services can offer me privacy and anonymity? 

https://www.techworm.net/2016/02/here-are-the-12-best-email-services-which-will-provide-you- anonymity-and-privacy.html

 

Fraudulent emails: Here is a great resource from UPS to help identify bad emails: http://www.ups.com/media/news/en/fraud_email_examples.pdf

 

Anti-malware program, free:  MalwareBytes (http://www.malwarebytes.org/)