E-Mail
In this class you will:


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Revised 4/2011
Sign-up for a free e-mail account
Learn basic e-mail terminology
Discuss privacy and safety issues
The Seattle Public Library – Library Instruction
Why get an e-mail address?
Having an email address is very important part of participating online. With an
email account you can:
 Sent letters, messages, pictures or videos to people who gave you their
email address.
 Receive letters, messages, pictures or videos from people who have
your email address.
 Store documents, pictures or videos that you send to yourself.
 Use other websites that require an email address. (Employment
applications, dating websites, Facebook, and Twitter are popular
examples of websites that require an email address.)
 Receive notices from services you have signed up with.
What does an e-mail address look like?
An email address is made up of three main parts:
 a username
 the @ symbol
 the name of the email service provider
Here is an example of an email address, below:
[email protected]
In this example, ask is the username. Then you see the @
symbol. spl.org is the email service provider (domain).
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Signing Up for an E-Mail Account
1. Go to the Internet. (Open a web browser.)
2. Choose the email service you want to sign up with. (Below, we show you
how to sign up for the Hotmail/Live e-mail service, but there are several other
providers of free email service.)
a. Type http://home.live.com in the address bar then press the Enter key on
the keyboard.
b. Click on the Sign up link.
(GO TO NEXT PAGE.)
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3. Fill in all of the required boxes on the sign-up form.
Create your Windows Live ID.
What’s this?
A “Windows Live ID” is the same
thing as an email address. In the
“Windows Live ID” box type the
username you would like to use and
then click the Check availability
button.
Did you get this error message after
clicking the Check availability
button?
What is Captcha?
Captcha is a distorted image of
letters and numbers. Online forms,
such as this email sign-up form, use
captcha as a task to prove that you
are human and not a computer.
If you saw this:
If so, you have chosen an email
address that someone else is
already using. Choose a different
username.
You would type: aduyom, msomp
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a. Once you have completed the application, Read and agree to terms
of use and click “I accept”
b. After clicking I accept, you will see a new page, like the below.
Are you still on the sign-up page after clicking “I accept”?
You may still have boxes in the sign-up form that you need to filled in.
Look for boxes that mention missing information and complete the form.
4. **IMPORTANT** Write down and memorize your email address and
password.
New email address:____________________@ ________________
Password:______________________________________________
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Logging in to Your Account
When you what to check your email later on, you will need to identify yourself
using your email address and password.
1. Go to the Internet. (Open a web browser.)
2. Type www.home.live.com in the address bar and press Enter.
Are you seeing this page, with your name in the right corner?
If so, you might already be signed in to your email. If not, continue to
step 3, below.
3. Click Sign in.
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4. Type your full E-mail address and Password and click Click Sign in.
Reading an E-Mail Message
1. After logging in, click on Inbox (or Hotmail) to view new messages.
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2. To read a message, click anywhere on the row it is in.
3. Here’s what a message looks like:
What is an “E-mail attachment”?
An E-mail attachment is a computer file which is sent along with an E-mail
message.
Sending
attachment
a good
way
transfer files
one
A file stored
on an
a computer
or aisdisk,
may
be to
“attached”
to anfrom
e-mail
person
to another.
Attachments
arehave
usually
noted
with
message.
An attachment
must
been
saved
toaapaper
floppyclip
disksymbol.
or a flash
Here
is
an
example
of
what
this
might
look
like:
drive (also known as a jump drive or thumb drive) for it to be sent from a
Seattle Public Library computer. Insert the floppy disk or flash drive before
completing the following steps.
Click New to start a new message, then:
Here are a few examples of items that can be sent as attachments over E-mail:
 Resumes
1. Click Attach, then click File.
 Photos
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 Short videos
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Sending an E-Mail Message
1. Click on the New link.
2. Type an e-mail
address in the To
text box.
3. Type a subject in
the Subject text box.
4. Type a message
in large text box.
5. Click on the Send
button.
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Sending an Attachment
1. Complete steps 1-4 from Sending an E-Mail Message
2. Click Attachments.
(The Attachments page will appear.)
3. Click on “[D:]” “[E:]” or “[F:]” (for flash drive) to select the file you want to
attach. The drive may vary depending upon the computer.
\
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4. Choose the file by clicking on it once, and then click Open
5. To attach additional files, repeat steps 2 - 4.
6. The attached file(s) will automatically be listed below the Paperclip Symbol.
7. Click Send.
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Replying to an E-Mail Message
1. To reply to a message, click on the Reply link from below the message.
(The e-mail address will
automatically appear in the
To text box for the new
message.)
2. Type a message in the
large text box.
3. Click on the Send
button.
Remember to sign out when you finish using your account.
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Creating Folders
In many e-mail accounts, e-mail messages can be stored inside folders. Follow
these steps to create a folder.
1. Click on Manage folders.
2. Click New.
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3. Type the name of a new Folder in the text box and click Save.
Moving E-mails to Folders
To move a message to a new folder, click the checkbox to the left of the
message you want to move. Then click Move to and select the desired folder.
What is “spam” and what can be done about it?
Spam is generally an unwanted e-mail message that can arrive in an e-mail inbox. Often it
consists of advertisements and solicitations that may or may not be legitimate. Sometimes
spam arrives randomly in an inbox, and sometimes it arrives because of previous contact a
person has had with companies and Web sites that request an e-mail address. It is best to
delete spam and not to open it, because spam can contain viruses that are triggered when
the e-mail message is opened and that can cause damage to a computer. Also, opening a
spam e-mail message can cause more spam to be sent to the e-mail address.
When a company requires an e-mail address in order to use their Web site or order a
product, look for an option to uncheck or deselect any option that might cause
advertisements to be sent to you; for example, a “receive special offers” box. Unchecking
such options will prevent some spam from being sent.
Live.com has a filter that can automatically send spam to a “Spam” folder.
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