Email: Be Careful What You Write

Computer Coaching for Seniors Ottawa, Canada

Ring Ring Ring....

It is 11 o'clock at night and you know there is only one person who would call at this late hour.

"Hi Charlie," you answer.

"Karl, you said you weren't mad at me," Charlie responded.

"I am not mad at you, Charlie. Why do you keep thinking that I am mad at you?"

"Your last email troubled me. You were shouting. WHY WERE YOU SHOUTING?!?"

"Charlie, that is ridiculous! How can you shout through email?"

"Well, your whole email had capital letters. There was not one lower case letter to be found. Words with only capital letters mean one thing: you're shouting. And.. what's up with the exclamation mark? Darn it Karl, my feelings were hurt!!!"

..............


It is very easy to miscommunicate through email because it is only text. It is different when you talk on the phone because you not only have words but you have the tone of voice to help you figure out the message's intent.


Here are some ways you can avoid such miscommunications.

1. Use emoticons. Emoticons are text facial expressions to help portray a sentiment. If you think what you are writing may be taken the wrong way then you should definitely use them. For example:

• :) means happy. The colon are the eyes and the right bracket is the mouth.
• :( means sad. The colon are the eyes and the left bracket is the mouth.

2. Unless your intention is to shout, avoid using all upper case letters in your email and exclamation marks. For example:

• I WENT SHOPPING! - In the email, you are shouting that you went shopping and you sound very angry.
  
• I went shopping. - In the email, you are stating you went shopping and you sound neutral.
  

Hotspots: Surf Anywhere in Canada

Computer Coaching for Seniors Ottawa, Canada


If you have a computer device that has Wifi like a notebook or a cellphone, then you can connect to the internet wirelessly in places that are designated Hotspots.

Here is a website that lists the Hotspots in Canada.

The Case of the Missing E-mail: Sorting

Computer Coaching for Seniors Ottawa, Canada

Ring ...Ring... Ring...

You pick up the phone and it's Charlie.

"Karl, please forgive me!!!! I was going to tell you about the shirt..HONEST!!!!"

"Um Charlie what are you talking about?" you ask.

"Uh.. Nothing," Charlie replied, "You're not mad at me, Karl, are you?"

"Why would I be mad at you?"

"You haven't E-mailed me in DAYS. Karl!!!!!! DAYS!!!!!"

"Ohhh that's cause I don't know where my new E-mail appears. It used to be at the bottom of the E-mail list but now it shows up all over the place. I swear I have a virus."


"Karl, I don't think it's a virus. You are not sorting your E-mail by date."

................
At the top of the E-mail list there are 3 columns:

• From - The name of the person who sent you the E-Mail
  
• Subject - The subject of the E-Mail.
  
• Received - The date you received your E-mail.
  

Normally, your E-mail is sorted by the date you Received your E-mail in ascending order. This is why new E-mail appears at the bottom of the list.

If you click with your mouse on the Subject column, then your mail is sorted by Subject. Your new E-mail will appear based on the sorting order of the subject.

If you click with your mouse on the From column, your new E-mail will appear based on the sorting order of the sender's name

To go back to sorting your E-Mail by date (new E-mail appearing at the bottom of the list):

1. Click with your mouse on the Received column.
   
2. If the sorting order is descending, click with your mouse on the Received column again to change the sorting order to ascending.

Avoid Family Feuds through Scanning

Computer Coaching for Seniors Ottawa, Canada

Normally when you come by to pick Vera up, she greets you with a warm welcoming smile, but today she acknowledges your presence with a grunt leaving you at the doorway confused.

"Well come in..." Vera shouts from the living room impatiently.

"What's wrong dear?" you ask timidly trying to think back to all your past actions that may have pitted Vera against you.

"Whats WRONG?!!! Do you not pay attention to anything I say?"

"Um uh.." you stumble on the words knowing that this will not end well.

"Karl, my sister Celine is coming over. I told you about her. She has the sticky fingers when it comes to pictures," Vera replies.

"S-sticky fingers?" you ask gingerly.

"She steals my pictures!! She pokes around the house looking for albums and pockets a whole page worth. We can't leave until I find a good hiding place for my albums," Vera replies flustered.

"Celine has a computer and an E-mail account?" you ask.

"Yes.. but why Karl?"

"Vera, I have at home something like a photocopier. It's called a scanner. You can use it to make a photocopy of your old pictures and store it on your computer. How about we photocopy or scan your old pictures and E-mail them to Celine? She may not need to steal ever again."

.......

Scanning your old photos not only helps to preserve pictures but also gives you the opportunity to share them with your family.