Unit

03

Messages, Mail and Attachments

DO WE SAY EMAIL OR E-MAIL (WITH A DASH)? D

Originally it was always spelt with a dash (e-mail), but modern usage seems to favour email (all one word). Use whichever version you prefer; try to be consistent. The majority of companies use e-mail (e.g., CNN, BBC, The New York Times, Microsoft). Other, more technological, companies (e.g., Google, Yahoo! and Apple), however, prefer to use the non-hyphened version email.

SMS and MMS Messages One popular way of sending a message is via the Internet, but the most popular form of sending messages is the SMS system for mobile phones (also known as cellphones). The Short Message System permits a cellphone user to send a short message to another cellphone user. SMS messages have become so popular among youngsters that it can cause a stress-related injury called SMS thumb, due to the fact that the fingers hold the phone while the thumb does all the typing. To save time, and injury, users adopt a special set of SMS abbreviations such as BFN (bye for now) and CU (see you) as well as graphical symbols such as happy and sad. MMS, Multimedia Message Service, is a method of transmitting graphics, video clips, sound files and short text messages over wireless networks. The most common use of MMS is for communication between mobile phones.

Text Messaging & Chat Abbreviations There are hundreds of abbreviations used in text messages (e.g. BFN). Match the correct (most accepted) abbreviation on the left with one of the English language options (A or B) on the right. Abbreviation 143 AFC AWC BTW BB CB COS CUA DGA DM DTS F2T FYI GG IDK Meaning Option A Only for three A friends calling Awesome colours By the way Be back Chat break Come over soon See you around Dont give anything Doesnt matter Dont think so Free to talk For your information Good Game I dont care Meaning Option B I love you Away from computer After awhile crocodile Back to work Bad boy Call back Because Can use again Dont go anywhere Dont message Do that soon Free to transfer For your eyes Great Girlfriend I dont know

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Unit 03 Messages, Mail and Attachments

What Is an E-mail? An e-mail is electronic mail, containing messages and data that are sent and received by users of a network (remember that the Internet is really just a large network). A user is identified by the users name, the provider of the e-mail service (preceded by an at sign) plus the domain. A typical address would be pcuser@provider.com. E-mail programs all work in a similar way, enabling you to write, send, receive, store and manage your e-mails.

Scan
Scan the texts on both pages to complete the following sentences. a. The name of the stress-related injury caused by typing SMSs is called ................................... . b. To save time, and injury, cellphone users adopt a special set of SMS ................................... . c. The most common use of MMS is for communication between ................................... . d. A user is identied by the users name, the provider plus the ............................. . e. The extensive use of e-mails has caused the lowering of our linguistic ................................... .

How We Use E-mails Due to the instant delivery of messages, e-mails have become almost conversational in nature. If you send a document by normal post you will try to make everything completely clear and unambiguous; otherwise weeks can pass while you correspond with the recipient. With e-mails your recipient can ask questions immediately; so we tend to be less precise when we write e-mails than when preparing a document on paper. E-mails have the effect of lowering our linguistic standards because we are more worried about sending or replying to messages than about the quality and style of the message itself. To send an e-mail we write the e-mail address of the recipient in the allocated space, write a message and send it. E-mail programs allow you to store addresses, phone numbers and notes for all your contacts so that you have their addresses immediately available. Mail that is received or dispatched is stored in separate mail boxes. Not all mail programs use the same names or these boxes but commonly used names are Inbox, Sent, Drafts, etc. Organising Information Look at the information on this page and organise it using the following criteria. Main Topic Major Details (give 3 examples) e-mails 1. 2. 3.

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Module

The Internet

Attachments Attachments are an essential part of electronic mail. They permit the user to send an existing document in the application format that was used for creating it. Usually a mail system will indicate the presence of an attachment by showing a paper clip icon next to the message. The user can either directly open the attachment, automatically invoking Word or Adobe Acrobat for example, or download the file to the hard disk for later use. To save on transmission time, attachments will often be zipped, so youll need to unzip them before accessing the document. E-mails and attachments can be used for scams and social engineering. A scam (a fraud) will try to convince you to either send money or provide personal details such as your bank or credit card details. The e-mail will look like a genuine e-mail from your bank or post office account, but will send you to a scammers site. Also note that the more alarming the message, the more likely the scam. It is also useful to remember that banks and companies like PayPal never ask for personal information in an email. True or False? a. b. c. d. e. The attachment will be in the same format that it was created in. Mail systems seldom indicate the presence of an attachment. Directly opening an attachment automatically opens an application. Scams dont look like genuine e-mails. Banks often send e-mails asking for personal information.
T F

T T

F F

Social engineering is the art and science of persuading people to comply to your wishes. Social engineering doesnt bully you, instead they entice users to look at their product or visit their site. The e-mail message will contain a title such as a prize that you have won or a special offer. Does the Subject line sound strange coming from a friend, colleague or organisation? If you are in any doubt then contact the people involved and ask them if the e-mail and attachment are legitimate. The senders just want you to open the letter then either contact them or open an attachment [??]. The return address may even seem to be from someone we actually know. Never open the attachment and never reply to these types of message.

Class Questions
What do you think the SMS abbreviation LNK stand for? What are the two main methods for storing e-mails? How can you tell if you have an attachment with your e-mail? How can you reduce the size of an attachment? What is the objective of a scam?

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Student Exercises
1. Questions Answer the following questions. a. b. c. d. e. f. Why do people get SMS thumb? What does an e-mail contain? What is an e-mail address made up of? Why do e-mails lower the level of the users normal language? What two options do you have when you receive an attachment? How do senders of spam (social engineering) get you to visit their sites?

2. Terms Match the term on the left with its nearest old technology equivalent. a. b. c. d. e. f. SMS e-mail e-mail address mail server attachment unzip 1. 2. 3. 5. a letter box open a parcel a letter (express delivery) an urgent telegram

4. a parcel 6. a postal code

3. E-mails Explaining e-mail terms. The e-mail template below contains many buttons and text boxes. Use your dictionaries or the Internet to explain the meaning or function of the following (the word in brackets indicates the type of GUI control that is used in the picture below): a. Save as a Draft (button) b. To: (text box) c. Cc: (text box) d. Attach Files (button) e. Subject: (text box) f. Use my signature (box)

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