In Introduction to the Internet, we discussed about the incredible advantages that electronic email lends to communication. Using email, we can communicate with people worldwide at any time of day with near-instantaneous speed.
This lesson will explore additional advantages of email as a means to send images, business related files, web page addresses, and sound clips. It may be advantageous to review some of the concepts explored in the Introduction to the Internet lesson: Email Around the World.
Why would you want to send/receive an attachment?
To see the latest pictures of your newborn niece in Toledo, OH.
Employ your English professor uncle in California to proofread a paper.
Work from home, collaborate with colleagues.
Review additional close-up snapshots of mint-in-box pilot Luke Skywalker original figure before purchase at an online auction.
Any communication with someone else worldwide which would require a different medium than plain boring text . . .
Should I have any concerns about sending files?
There are some concerns with sending files to others over the Internet with email:
Will the person be able to read it? If it's a Word97 file, does the person have a compatible version of Microsoft Word?
Are the files huge? We've been spoiled using ethernet-connected computers with fast connection to the Internet. If you are sending an attachment to a person who uses a modem and phone line to read their email, it may take them much longer to download the attachment.
Does the person know they are receiving a file? Many computer viruses are spread by people who unknowingly send an infected attached file. Luckily, Hotmail has good safeguards against most known viruses.
How do you send attachments?
Using email, you can attach any type of file (or files) to a message and send to anyone with an email address. This process can differ greatly depending on the email service you use, but the concepts are similar.
To begin, you must have an attachment to send. Select a file to send and place it in a spot on your hard drive (or floppy drive) that you will be able to easily find it.
Log in to email. Click on compose message. Enter the recipient's address, subject, and body of the email message, but don't send it yet.
Since Hotmail is a web-based email system, we must upload the file to the Internet before being able to send. Click on the Attachments button in your Compose screen. The Attachments Screen will pop up.
Follow the instructions. They recently improved the attachments procedure to be more user friendly.
When you browse for the file, you are locating it on your computer or disk. Navigate through your computer and select the file. Make sure the Files of Type says All Files [*.*].
Click Attach to Message. This can take 30 seconds to ten minutes. The larger the file, the longer it will take. If you are using a floppy disk, it may take longer. If you are on a modem, it will take longer.
Click Done once your attached file appears in the Message Attachments text box.
You will be returned to the Compose screen. Finalize your message and click Send.
If you use something other than Hotmail:
Just about every email service will allow you to send attachments. Some steps may be missing (you may not have to "attach" the file once it is selected; selection of the file may attach it automatically. However, the concepts are the same. Use the help file if you need assistance.
How do you send a URL or web page?
Five different email programs or services can display the same email five different ways. Therefore, the correct way to send a URL or web address is disputable. Some email services allow you to Attach URL or Attach Web page. This can work if the person you are sending it to can read the web page through their mail reader. However, most times you do not know if they can.
Justin,
I was looking through the Internet and thought of you when I saw this website. Take a look:
http://www.justin.com/
Tell me what you think,
Kevin
The best thing to do is to cut and paste the full URL(http://www.justin.com/) into the body of the email. Make sure there is a full space before and after the URL, and try to fit the entire URL on one line. Many mail programs and services will automatically convert this URL into a hyperlink that the reader can conveniently click on to get to a particular web page or web site.
Whether this works depends on the email service the person uses or the application they use to read their mail, and the preferences they have set with this service/application. If they can point and click, good for them. If not, they have to do the old fashioned cut-and-paste with the URL from the message body into the location window.
What's an easy way to place a full URL into an email?
Using the Cut/Copy and Paste function on the web browser can place a URL into an email quickly and accurately.
Use the selector to highlight the full URL
Click on Edit > Copy in the main menu to copy the full URL to the computer's memory
Click on the destination of the URL on it's own line of an outgoing email message
Click on Edit > Paste in the main menu to paste the full URL into the outgoing message
Concerns about receiving attachments?
As you may see on the news and in the newspapers, "computer viruses" continue to be circulated through the Internet. These viruses are most often circulated as email attachments.
What is a computer virus?
A computer virus is some sort of program or application that causes your computer to malfunction. All viruses act differently when launched. Some may damage the computer, and some may be an annoyance. There's really no telling what a virus will do.
How do you avoid getting a computer virus?
Hackers create viruses to scare people from using computers or using specific types of software. We can't let hackers stop us from using computers! Although there's no way to completely avoid getting a virus, here are some tips for reducing your chances:
NEVER open email attachments that end in .if, .exe, .scr, .bat, .vbs, .vb, .js
Scan attachments before downloading to your computer. Most web-based mail providers (Yahoo! Mail, Hotmail) offer virus scanning for incoming attachments.
Be careful of messages that look suspicious (ex: a strange forward with lots of misspellings from someone you know who doesn't usually send forwards or misspell things).
In Introduction to the Internet, we discussed about the incredible advantages that electronic email lends to communication. Using email, we can communicate with people worldwide at any time of day with near-instantaneous speed. 
compatible version of Microsoft Word? 
