Email and Communication — Study Notes

1. Introduction

Email, short for electronic mail, is a method of sending and receiving messages electronically over the Internet. An email can contain text, pictures, documents, audio and video as attachments, and it reaches the receiver in a few seconds anywhere in the world. Email has largely replaced the traditional postal letter for official and personal communication because it is fast, cheap and can be sent to many people at once. Popular email services include Gmail, Outlook and Yahoo Mail.

To use email, we need an Internet connection and an email account with an email address. An email address has two main parts separated by the @ symbol: the username on the left and the domain name on the right, for example rahul@gmail.com. A person who sends an email is called the sender, and the person who receives it is called the receiver. This chapter explains email addresses, creating an email account, the parts of an email, sending and receiving mail, attachments, CC and BCC, and netiquette.

2. The Email Address

An email address identifies a mailbox on the Internet. It has two parts separated by the symbol @ (called "at the rate"). The part before the @ is the username, which is chosen by the user, and the part after is the domain name, which belongs to the email service provider, such as gmail.com or outlook.com. For example, in the address student.school@gmail.com, "student.school" is the username and "gmail.com" is the domain name. An email address cannot contain spaces, and it is usually written in lowercase. Each email address in the world is unique, like a postal address.

3. Creating an Email Account

To create an email account, we visit the website of an email provider such as Gmail, and click on "Create account". We fill in a form with our name, a username, a strong password, a phone number and some security details. After verifying the details, our account is created and we get our email address. The password is the secret key that keeps our account safe, so it should be long, use letters, numbers and symbols, and never be shared with anyone. We should always click the Sign out button when we finish using the account on a shared computer.

4. Parts of an Email

When we open the compose box to write a new email, we see several fields. The To field holds the email address of the receiver. The Cc field (carbon copy) holds the addresses of people who should receive a copy of the email, and everyone can see who is in the Cc list. The Bcc field (blind carbon copy) also sends copies, but the receivers cannot see who else was copied. The Subject line is a short title of the email, and the Body is the main message we write. We may also attach attachments, which are files sent along with the email, such as photos, documents or projects.

5. Sending and Receiving Email

To send an email, we click the Compose or New button, enter the receiver's address in the To field, type the subject and message, and click the Send button. The email is delivered through mail servers using the Internet. To receive email, we open our inbox, which is the folder where all received emails are stored. We can reply to answer a received email, forward to send a received email to another person, and delete to remove unwanted emails. Emails we have sent are kept in the Sent folder, and drafts we have not finished are kept in the Drafts folder.

6. CC and BCC

CC and BCC are used when an email must be seen by more than one person. CC (carbon copy) is used when we want the receivers to know who else received the email; all addresses in the CC field are visible to everyone. BCC (blind carbon copy) hides the addresses; receivers cannot see who else was copied, which protects the privacy of the receivers. For example, when a teacher sends one notice to many students, she can put all the students' addresses in the BCC field so that each student cannot see the other addresses.

7. Netiquette

Netiquette means network etiquette, or the rules of good behaviour on the Internet. When using email, we should write clear and polite messages, use a meaningful subject line, not type in ALL CAPITALS because it looks like shouting, not send rude or hurtful messages, and not forward messages without permission. We should check our email regularly, reply promptly, and be careful before opening attachments or links from unknown people because they may contain viruses. Good netiquette keeps communication respectful and safe.

8. Advantages of Email

Email has many advantages over the postal mail. It is fast, reaching anywhere in the world in seconds. It is cheap, costing only the Internet connection. We can send multiple copies to many people at once with CC and BCC. We can send attachments like pictures and documents. Emails are stored automatically, so we can search old messages. We can send an email at any time of the day or night. However, email also has limitations: it needs an Internet connection, a computer or phone, and a risk of viruses through attachments.

Quick Revision Tables

Table 1: Parts of an Email Address

Table 2: Email Terms

Mind Map

Important Diagrams (SVG)

Diagram 1: Parts of an Email

Diagram 2: How Email Travels

Common Mistakes

1. Writing that @ separates the domain from the path. The @ separates the username from the domain name.
2. Confusing CC and BCC. In CC the addresses are visible; in BCC they are hidden.
3. Saying the Subject field is the main message. The subject is a short title; the body is the message.
4. Believing received emails are stored in the Sent folder. Received emails go to the inbox.
5. Typing an email address with spaces. Email addresses cannot contain spaces.
6. Forgetting to sign out of a shared computer, which puts the account at risk.
7. Using a weak password like "123456". A strong password uses letters, numbers and symbols.
8. Saying email is slower than postal mail. Email reaches in seconds and is much faster.
9. Thinking attachments can be opened safely from unknown senders. They may contain viruses.

Exam Tips

1. Be able to explain the two parts of an email address with an example like rahul@gmail.com.
2. Learn the difference between CC and BCC clearly; this is a favourite exam question.
3. Know the folders: inbox, sent, drafts, and what each stores.
4. Give at least four advantages of email over postal mail.
5. Mention SMTP for sending and POP or IMAP for receiving mail.
6. State three rules of netiquette such as polite language, meaningful subject and careful with attachments.
7. Remember the steps of sending an email: Compose, fill To and Subject, type the body, and click Send.

Conclusion

Email is a fast, cheap and powerful way of sending messages and files over the Internet. An email address has a username and a domain name separated by the @ symbol, and an email is written with the To, Cc, Bcc, Subject and Body fields. Mail travels through servers and arrives in the receiver's inbox, where it can be replied to, forwarded or deleted. Netiquette keeps communication respectful, and strong passwords keep accounts safe. With email understood, we now turn to the dangers of the online world and how to stay safe, in the chapter on cyber safety.