The Use of Email

A. Explain methods to improve message transmission
A way that I can improve message transmission when using email is reducing the size of emails. Some attachments take up a lot of space in emails and can slow down message transmission. To improve the speed of message transmission I try to keep email attachment sizes to a minimum. Doing this will speed up the transmission process and will result in sending and receiving emails a lot quicker. Mailbox restrictions are also a good way to improve message transmission. If I ever receive an email from an unknown or suspicious source I mark it as ‘junk’. Marking the email as junk will put all future emails I receive from that sender straight into my junk mail folder. This will save time clearing out all the junk emails from my inbox.

B. Explain why and how to stay safe and respect others when using email
At work I use email on a daily basis, whether that be reading emails or sending them. Safety is one of the most important aspects of any job. It is important to stay safe and respect others when using email. If I don’t use email correctly I could quite easily see myself passing confidential information to the wrong people and end up in a difficult situation. To stop myself from sending emails to the wrong people I should always double check an email address before sending an email. This will stop me from ever being put in that difficult situation of sending a confidential email to the wrong person. I should also always try to encrypt confidential when possible in case information somehow does go to the wrong person. I could also accidently spread a virus on a computer system via questionable emails. If I ever receive a suspicious email I send it to my junk email and report it straight away. A suspicious email may ask me to click a link to a website that could spread a virus around the computer system and network. Another way to stay safe when using email is avoid misuse of images. When I am working on a task to crop images of staff members, I should never send them on to anyone other than the people you are supposed to. Images in the wrong hands can lead to disaster. When sending emails it is important to respect the recipient by observing email etiquette, for example, not using CAPS because this is seen as shouting in email context. Also using plain English so that the email is easy to understand.

C. Explain why, how and when to archive messages
Archiving emails is a common process that is done by many people. I often archive emails that I want to keep for future reference or want to forward on to another recipient at a future date. To archive an email all I need to do is save the email in a folder on my computer in ‘.msg’ format and I can refer back to it at any time. I could archive an email after I have replied to the person who sent it. I can also archive a message that I have read and that I don’t want sitting around in my inbox to free up space or because I want to save it in a more secure area.

D. Explain how to minimise e-mail problems
When I am creating/sending emails issues may arise other than sending the email to the wrong person. The type of problems I could encounter in emails are spelling errors, sending inaccurate information, not providing enough information or incorrect links/images pasted into the email. I would minimise this problem by proof reading and checking my email before sending it. To avoid emails bouncing back I always double check an email address to ensure it is correct before sending it. It is really important to get an email address right the first time, especially if I am sending it to a group of people.

Another way to minimise email problems is making sure I always have space in my inbox. This will ensure that I receive all my emails smoothly and without hassle. Also if my email service is running really slow, I should try to find out the cause of the problem, whether it is a local problem, for example cables being cut and damaged in the area, or whether the problem is my Internet Service Provider who could have also maybe had lines cut or damaged.