Email Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently asked questions (FAQs) are just what the name says; a list or file of answers to common questions about a particular subject, usually asked by beginners. FAQs are an extremely valuable resource. They help get you quickly up to speed on a topic without taking up other Internet users' time and resources. Almost all newsgroups, mailing lists, and other special interest groups maintain a FAQ file for new users.Here, you will find answers to frequently asked questions about email. Check the list of questions to see if your question, or one like it, is among them. If not, use a search engine to track down the information. If you don't know how to use a search engine, click here.
What is a body?
There are two main parts to an
e-mail message, the body and the header. The body is the content of the
message, its the reason you are sending the e-mail in the first place.
What is a header?
The header contains internal information about the message, such as who
sent it and who the message is addressed to. It also contains the subject of
the message, if one has been provided.
There are lots of different types of headers, but most are internal headers that your mail client uses to make sure that the mail is delivered properly.
What is a cc:?
CC: in a header stands for Carbon Copy. CC: is used to send e-mail to a
person other than the person in the To: address for informational purposes.
Usually, people listed in the To: header are immediately affected by the
message, and people listed in the CC: header are receiving the message so
they can keep up to date.
What is a signature file?
A file, normally, a couple of lines, containing information such as an email
address and a name. The signature is appended to e-mail message, and UseNet
postings.
What is an attachment?
An attachment is a file or document that has been attached to the message.
An example would be a message that contained a sound file. The receiving
person could use a sound player to listen to the attachment. There is almost
no limit to the kinds of files you can attach to e-mail messages, however it
should be noted that size is a concern. Some mail servers on the Internet
will not transfer electronic messages larger than a certain size, this
varies from server to server. However, it's usually a safe bet that if you
attempt to e-mail a 200 megabyte video file of your last birthday party, a
server will refuse to accept it. Also, many clients have problems displaying
huge messages.
What do email addresses look like?
There are several address formats, depending on where the person who you
want to reach receives their mail, however, all native Internet addresses
are of the format username@domainname.
How do I find someone's e-mail address?
There are a number of WWW resources that can be used for finding people on
the Internet. These sources generally look for email that had been sent out
on the Mailing Lists and network news posts. Many search engines have an
option available that looks for email addressess. It looks like this:
What is a mailing list? What is a ListServ?
These issues are covered in another FAQ, which you can reach by clicking
here.
What should I do if I receive rude or harrasing e-mail?
If you receive e-mail you feel is unwanted or inappropriate, you can report it to the internet service provider of the person or business that sent the e-mail. If, for example, you received e-mail from ripoff@cheesyprovider.com, you could try going to the website www.cheesyprovider.com. There you'll probably find a link to send email to the webmaster.