ATTENDING: Tom B, Bob S, Don
H, Peter H, Nancy C, and Nancy D.
TOPIC: E-MAIL
As
a starting point, the proper spelling of e-mail (with a hyphen)
was noted by Tom (who spent far too many years proof-reading yearbook
copy at Hammondsport Central but knows good spelling when he seas it).
Hover
Dictionary - quickly find the meanings of difficult vocabulary
in a text document, e-mail or webpage by simply holding down the
keys Control+Command+D and then
hovering the cursor over a word to reveal the Pop-Up definition.
Here are some words to test it out your hovering skill: antebellum,
drail, hysteron proteron, sfumato. (Cocoa apps only)
Some
questions about using Address Book revealed interesting features which
are somewhat 'hidden' under the File>Print option.
-----Convert your Address
Book into a PDF document.
-----Print a List on paper
of your entire Address Book.
-----Print Mailing Labels
from your Address Book using standard label sheets such as Avery (see
how).
-----Print your Address Book
as a Pocket-sized booklet.
vCard
- All the data in your Address Book can easily be transferred to other
user accounts, computers or to backup disks by using the File>
Export vCard feature. Use the Shared folder in Users or USB drive
to move the vCard to an accessible place. Then, in the new account,
use Address Book>File>Import to add the vCard addresses.
How
to set up a new account in Mail - The first time you open Mail,
it automatically sets up email accounts for you using the information
from the .Mac pane of System Preferences and the Mail Setup Assistant.
If no information is found, Mail guides you through the process of
setting up a new account. You can create additional accounts at any
time. Read an Apple tutorial
for OSX5 here and for OSX
4 here.
-----POP (Post Office Protocol)
- gets your mail
-----SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol)
- sends your mail
-----IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol)
- keeps all files online and syncs with Mail
-----Use Port
587 in Mail Prefs for SMTP outgoing mail (rather than default
Port 25) - it's more secure.
-----Useful
folders can be added to the Mail window to help organize your incoming
e-mails.
-----Regulate Junk Mail (Mail>Prefs>Junkmail) - junkmail is tinted
'brown' for a reason.
-----Leave / remove emails from the internet server (Mail>Prefs>Accounts>Advanced)
-----Guard against excessively large files being downloaded in Mail
- warning (Mail>Prefs>Accounts>Advanced)
-----Search all e-mails in Mail's folders (use the Search
window in the Mail window)
-----E-mail a URL link using Mail with the Safari web browser; go to
the site, then (Command-Shift-i)
-----E-mail a complete webpage, including hyperlinks in Safari; go
to the site, then (Command-i)
-----Create a
hyperlink for a word or phrase in your e-mail
SOME E-MAIL HINTS
-----After setting up a new account and successfully sending/receiving
e-mail, take some screenshots of
the data windows in Mail preferences for future reference and troubleshooting.
Use keys Command+Shift+4 then Spacebar to
capture an entire window. Save the screenshots in a folder called
'My Mail Settings'.
-----Avoid plaguing your friends
and relatives with SPAM. For example, when forwarding an e-mail, delete
the unneeded list of previous addresses before forwarding. Send it
to a single address. Or use the BCC
method for group mailings. Make all names invisible except the
recipient by turning off that feature in Mail composing. Read more e-mail
etiquette tips.
DISCOVERIES
Opera web
browser is lightning fast with features such as Speed
Dial that are fun to use.
SODIS
Safe Water (not related to macs but interesting) - National
Geographic April 2010 issue says that you can make safe drinking
water using clear plastic bottles. First, fill a clear plastic water
bottle with water from a creek, pond or puddle that is not too murky
and take off the label. Then place bottle on a metal surface in full
sunlight and let it sit for 6hrs. In that time, the sun's UVA rays will
kill any bacteria, viruses, and parasites in the water. Use PET clear
plastic bottles. Do not move bottles while sitting in the sun. Keep water
stored in bottles to prevent recontamination.This method is known as
SODIS and was developed in Switzerland. To read more about SODIS, click here.
Download a SODIS training manual (PDF) here.
Hammondsport Mac Users Group - Hammondsport, NY 14840
- www.hportmug.com