Stop Internet Pollution

v>Pollution or e-mail etiquette. Your company might
As we blaze into the new millennium, technologyconsider “E-Mail Essentials,”a significant half day
continues it’s rapid pace yet most people andtraining offered by the author through The Enspiron
businesses are not realizing the consequence ofTraining Company.
e-mail. Even as we increase our level of electronic9.START forgiving others when they mess up
communication, so goes the multitudes of new e-mailAlmost daily, I receive e-mail messages from
and internet users flooding the bandwidth. Along withacquaintances that violate most ofthe information
all this new hyper growth comes new internet-basedcontained in this article. Instead of spending useless
abuses and challenges that affect all of us personallyenergyregistering a complaint or ignoring it, I politely
and professionally.make a specific request for themto change what it is
These days everyone receives too many e-mails.they are doing and why. If you’re going to be
Unnecessary messages are annoying. The informationpart of thepollution solution then provide suggestions
contained in this article suggests ways to become aon “what they should do.”
solution to the pollution, decrease spam and allow10.START using spell check before sending e-mails
routine users to have higher levels of electronicUsing your built in spell checker is a sure way to
savvy. You’ll also find out through our Topavoid embarrassments,especially when communicating
Ten Starts and Top Ten Stops how to take theprofessionally. Don’t compromise
necessary steps to protect e-mail addresses fromyourmessages, use spell check.
potential abuses.TOP TEN STOPS:
TOP TEN STARTS:1.STOP placing your entire e-mail database or lists into
1.Deleting most e-mails when you do not recognizethe Toor Cc fields
the sender.As previously stated, some people place all their email
2.Compressing information down to concise points.addressesin the To or Cc field. There are two
3.Identifying who you are in the subject field.disadvantages to this: (a) therecipient knows you
4.Addressing distribution e-mails to yourself.have sent the same message to a largeamount of
5.Placing addresses in Bcc field when sendingpeople, and (b) you are publicizing someone else's
distribution e-mails.email addresswithout their permission.
6.Being respectful of other’s e-mail privacy2.STOP using sarcasm and humor in some e-mails
and time.Without face to face communications your joke or
7.Cleaning up e-mails if your intent is to pass themstatement may be viewed withdisapproval or even
along.worse — you may hurt someone’s
8.Educating yourself to increase your Internet savvy.feelings. Genuine intimacywith our fellow human
9.Forgiving others when they mess up.beings is a rare commodity these days — and
10.Using spell check before sending e-mails.many peoplewho shy away from intimacy hide behind
TOP TEN STOPS:the veil of humor. If it doesn’t buy
1.Placing your entire e-mail database or lists into theyouanything, then don’t say or write it.
To or Cc field.3.STOP opening e-mails with a “fwd” or
2.Using sarcasm and humor in some e-mails.“fw” in the subject matter
3.Opening e-mails with a “fwd” or “fw” inThese types of e-mails create a huge amount of
the subject matter.pollution. The messages aretypically laced with multiple
4.Using ALL CAPS or CAPS LOCK in your messages.forwarded subjects not to mention including
5.Writing anything you don’t want shared ineachperson’s e-mail list that decided to hit
public.reply or forward to the original message.
6.Changing e-mails addresses every so often.4.STOP using ALL CAPS or CAPS LOCK in your
7.Sending unnecessary attached files.messages
8.Sending messages using typical spam titles in theUSING ALL CAPS MAKES IT LOOK LIKE YOU'RE
subject field.YELLING! TRY
9.Passing along virus alerts.READING THE WHOLE SCREEN LIKE THIS —
10.Replying to spam.NOT EASY TO DO!
TOP TEN STARTS:5.STOP writing anything you don’t want
1.START deleting most e-mails when not recognizingshared in public
thesenderNever assume your email messages are private or
Due to the huge amount of spam, along with thethat they can be read by onlythe recipient. Face the
on-goingpresence of virus’s embedded intofact, sending e-mails is just like having a
e-mail messages, the currenttrend today is to“LIVE”microphone around a politician.
automatically delete any messages that you arenot6.STOP changing e-mails addresses every so often
certain who the sender is. Purge your “deletedMuch of our Internet pollution is due to people
items” folderoften.changing e-mail addresses everyso often. Many
2.START compressing information down to concisepeople have to change due to the high amount of
pointsspam that theyreceive. Others change because of
Keep your messages short, concise and to the point.the all new ISP that just came out. Yet,messaging
In other words, have a pointthen get to it. Mosteveryone in the world about a new address, again,
users do not enjoy reading lengthy messages orpollutesthe electronic traffic, not to mention
novels ontheir screens and they have a tendency toeveryone needs to update their database.
delete or ignore these type of messages.7.STOP sending unnecessary attached files
See additional information about informationSending some attachments can annoy friends, family,
compression by clicking here orclicking your browserand clients. Many files mayeven seize their e-mail
to:system. Compress attachments and only send them
3.START identifying who YOU are in the subject fieldwhenthey are necessary and productive. Or, load you
Make sure the recipient knows your e-mail address orattachment onto a website anddirect your recipients
is expecting your e-mail. Ifto view the document using a URL link instead.
I am speaking to a client on the phone and following8.STOP sending messages with a typical spam title in
up via e-mail, I’ll alert theclient to mythe subject matter
forthcoming message or reference the phone call inA relative every once in awhile sends a message and
the subject field.in the subject field it says
4.START addressing distribution e-mails to yourself“Hi.” Great . . . especially considering “hi” is
Each receiving recipient sees only two e-mailone of the most recognizable spamsubject titles.
addresses of which both are yours.Spammers use basic titles in their subject lines that
It will be seen on the receiving end like this:are designed tocreate curiosity with the recipient so
To: “Your e-mail address” Fr: “Your e-mailthey’ll open or forward the message.
address” And . . .Amazingly enough, we use some of the same titles in
5.START placing addresses in Bcc field when sendingour legitimate e-mails.
distribution e-mailsAnother way spammers infiltrate is to misspell words
It is a discourtesy to give out someone's e-mailin the subject line. Watchout for specific subject titles
address. When you send an e-mailmessage tosuch as Urgent, Important, Sunday, Your Message,
multiple people and use To or Cc to address theInvoice, Send Card To, Your Account; or any subject
message, everyonesees each other's e-mail address.fields that are misspelled.
Creating A Bcc (Blind Carbon Copy) Field:9.STOP passing along virus alerts
To send a message without the recipient's nameE-mail users are still forwarding virus alerts —
showing: In a message, click To.thinking that by sending thesethey’ll save
In the Type name or select from list box, type thesome poor soul from a for-sure computer melt down.
name, or click Find. In theThe fact is somevirus alerts have embedded viruses
Name list, click the name, and then click Bcc. Clickin them. If you receive a virus alert, delete itwithout
Send.opening it or forwarding it. Check the main homepage
Or . . .of your virusprotection software often. Keep an eye
You can display the Bcc box in all new messages thaton your favorite television news station or
you compose. If Word isyour e-mail editor, in a newInternet news station like CNN or Fox News for your
message, click the arrow to the right of theofficial virus alerts.
Optionsbutton, and then click Bcc. If you are using10.STOP replying to spam
the Outlook e-mail editor, in a newmessage, on theEach time you reply to spam or hit unsubscribe, you
View menu, click Bcc Field. If the Bcc field isn't visibleare confirming that youremail address is “live.”
whenyou create a new message, you can add it.Authenticating this will only create even more spam.
6.START being respectful of other’s e-mailJust hit the delete button or use email software to
privacy and timeremove the spam.
Everyone is very busy and most place a high level ofThe Internet and E-mail is everything they said it was
significance on their timeand privacy. Be respectful bygoing to be. People all around the world are using this
applying the things learned in this article andby sharingmedium to connect and communicate with others.
this valuable information with others.The “Net” has certainly changed how we live,
7.START cleaning up e-mails if your intent is to passwork and play. Even Senior Citizens are now jumping
them alongin at a unprecedented rate of activity. Before they
We’ve all seen it, the folks who view ancan speak, our children now have a mouse in their
e-mail and want to pass it along so theyautomaticallyhand. Major corporate aircraft now have a mouse for
click “forward.” In the To field they click in theirthe pilot and one for the co-pilot located on the
entire e-maildatabase and hit send. Instead, stop thecockpit consoles.
pollution by (a) click “forward” on thetool barAs the Net continues to evolve, so do we as users
(b) remove all the fwd’s, message headersutilizing the latest and greatest types of technology.
and anyone’s e-mail addressthat may appearBecause of this wonderful phenomenon, we have no
(c) place your own e-mail address in the To field andidea of what it will be like in ten years or how
(d) placethe e-mail addresses you want to send thewe‘ll all be affected by this incredible medium. We
message to in the Bcc field.have just barely scratched the “tip” of the
8.START educating yourself to increase youriceberg. Yet, we have a duty to safeguard and
Internet savvydefend the
Educate yourself on the proper uses of the InternetInternets unique makeup.
and stop with excuses such asBecome a solution to the pollution by implementing
“It’s too late to teach an old dog newthe ideas and suggestions found in this article. Start
tricks.” An easy way to educate yourself istonow on the road of increasing your awareness and
search out on the various search engines forreducing the huge amount of Internet pollution that
information about Internetwe deal with on a daily basis.