Effective E-mail Tips

Privacy and Security

Never assume that E-mail is private. If you do need to send sensitive E-mail, always encrypt it using a tool like Pretty Good Privacy (PGP). (There is an interesting ongoing debate about who "owns" an E-mail message and who has the "right" to look at it - the person who wrote it, the person who received it, or the organization who owns the computer equipment where the message is stored. Well, I think that the debate is interesting but then I like Brussels sprouts, too.)
Unwanted E-mail comes in three forms: Spam, junk, and abusive. Spam is E-mail that is sent out to a large number of people and is not personal. Junk E-mail is E-mail that was sent specifically to you to interest you in some product or service. Abusive E-mail is usually sent specifically to you and is intended to be offensive.
The best way to handle spam is to notify the sender that you no longer want to be included on their E-mail list and send a copy to the postmaster at the sender's site. Junk E-mail can be handled in much the same way as spam although you may have to specifically ask to be removed from their E-mail list. If you receive abusive E-mail, notify your system administrator and keep the E-mail message since it may be possible to trace the sender.
Never send your password through E-mail. Some people pretend to be the system administrator and will send you E-mail asking for your password. The real system administrator will call you on the phone or come see you in person and should fully identify herself or himself.
Never immediately open a non-text attachment while in your E-mail reader. It could contain some harmful commands. Save the attachment and test it with an antivirus software package. This is particularly true of attachments that are executable programs, Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, or Excel files (I recommend turning OFF the ability to read these files in your E-mail software.). Naturally, there are some exceptions to this but you should realize that you are taking a chance.
If your E-mail package has filters, take a little time and learn how to use them. Filters are a way to have the computer automatically deal with E-mail before you read it. Trust me on this one. Filters can help you avoid spam, reroute your mail to specific folders, and automatically notify people when you can't answer their E-mail for a while.
There are a number of E-mail hoaxes that continue to float around the Internet. If you get E-mail telling you about the dangers of the "Good Times" E-mail virus, ignore it. There is no such thing. Please, do not forward this on to others. There are a number of hoaxes including virus warnings, E-mail to benefit sick children, chain letters, and "get rich quick" schemes (potentially fraud) that should all be ignored. The following Web sites list some of the more common hoaxes (E-mail, virus, and non-virus).
If the hoax messages become particularly annoying to you, there are Web and E-mail sites where you can report the sender (the United States IRS is always glad to hear about the "get rich quick" types since these people rarely report any income from these schemes). Many Internet sites now support an "abuse" account where you can report E-mail abuses. For example, if the hoax message came from a (mythical) site called we-are-nice-folks.com you could send an E-mail message to abuse@we-are-nice-folks.com and see if your E-mail message goes through.
Upgrade your E-mail software often. Evil people are always looking for ways to hurt others so you need to protect yourself as much as possible with software upgrades. Most companies that produce E-mail software will provide security patches at no charge.