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SUBJECT: MAKING E-MAIL WORK FOR YOU
There were 505 million e-mailboxes in the world in 2000, according to technology research company IDC. The firm estimates that by 2005, that number will jump to 1.2 billion.

Chances are at least one of these mailboxes belongs to you. Do you view e-mail as a versatile and efficient communications tool or a source of junk mail, computer viruses and frustration? If your answer is less than positive, here are some measures you can take to deal with a few of e-mail’s more common complications.

Attachments. One of the key benefits of e-mail is the ability to attach other digital files to a message for distribution to one or many people. Compressing e-mail file attachments will reduce download times by decreasing the file’s size and also can protect the attachment from corruption during transit.

Windows users often use the "zip" compression format, while Macintosh users can send "stuffed" files, recognized by their ".sit" extension. For an extensive list of compression/decompression utilities, visit the ZDNet Downloads Directory at "www.zdnet.com/downloads" and look for compression tools under the "Utilities" menu.

Unfortunately, file attachments also have become the modus operandi for launching computer viruses and worms. When dealing with e-mail attachments, it’s always a good idea to immediately delete so-called "executable" files without opening them. Executables essentially are programs that will run upon being opened and can launch a virus or worm. Executable attachments can be recognized by their file extensions, with ".exe", ".scr" and ".vbs" being the most common.

Spam. Unsolicited commercial e-mail, or spam, is a familiar nuisance to anyone who uses e-mail. There are steps you can take to decrease the amount of spam you receive, but none will eliminate the problem entirely.

Filtering options provided with many e-mail applications or through your Internet service provider, or ISP, can block a great deal of junk mail while still letting legitimate e-mail through. Another solution is to establish a free Web-based e-mail account (detailed below) for public postings to newsgroups and chat rooms and for Web site registrations, allowing you to save your private e-mail address for correspondence with friends and trusted associates. Also, never respond to unsolicited e-mails—all this does is tell the spammers they have a "live" address.

Roaming e-mail access. With the explosion of the World Wide Web came the advent of e-mail services that can be accessed using any Internet connection and Web browser, rather than requiring an e-mail client application such as Microsoft’s Outlook or Outlook Express. These days, many Internet providers—including America Online, AT&T and Earthlink—offer a Web interface for accessing your e-mail accounts away from home.

If your ISP doesn’t offer such a service, you can easily set up a free account through Hotmail, Yahoo!, AltaVista or a number of other Web sites. Once you establish an account, all you need is your user name and password to check your mail from anywhere.

Reported by Joe Hoyle, electronic media editor, "hoylej{at}ada.org".

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