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Email: attachments, managing spam and viruses (screen 9 of 20)
Sending files attached to emails
Most email software allows you to attach a file or files to an email message. A file could be that text you need to send to the print shop for your brochure, or that illustration that needs to be included. No need to leave your work place. Just attach it to an email. It will be there within seconds.
Remember that the recipient needs the right software to open the attached file you send, and that not everyone uses the same sort of computer and operating system as you. But even if there are incompatibilities, there are ways to get around them.
Firewalls can also cause problems and corrupt some files as they arrive. However, if you work on documents with other people, attaching a draft to an email and sending it to your colleagues can be a useful and productive way of working. You don't need to be in the same building, city or country - but you can still work together on a project.
If you do encounter problems, try sending files using different settings for attachments before you give up. Being able to attach files is a feature of email that is very useful, can increase productivity, and can assist in the development of collective activity which, without that technology, would not be possible.
Managing junk email or spam
Don't you hate junk mail? Those unwanted letters that appear in your mailbox, asking you to send money for a lottery ticket, or advertising something, or inviting you to something you don't want to attend anyway?
Because email is so easy to use, junk email is easy to send. And it can go out to thousands of people for the same cost as a single email message. So you should not be surprised if you receive unwanted or inappropriate mail - called 
spam(1).
Managing spam is one reason you might buy good email software rather than use freeware, since fully featured email software can do some of your mail sorting for you. It can relegate unexpected mail to a directory that you need never open.
You can also report instances of spam at Spamcop(2).
Email and virus infections
Despite the large number of email messages sent on the Internet, computer virus infections as a result of receiving an email are rare. As a general rule, if you receive a file you were not expecting, especially one with attachments, treat it with caution.
Generally files are unlikely to infect your computer until they are opened or used in some way.
Anyone using the Internet should have anti-viral software installed on their computer to prevent infections. While free anti-viral software programs(3) are available, often they do not have all of the features of those you pay for. It is worth investing in the most effective anti-viral software you can afford.
You must also establish a backup regime(4) for your organisation's computer files so that if a computer virus does get in, its impact on your operation is minimised and you can recover your data relatively easily.
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References
- Spam http://spam.abuse.net/overview/
- Spamcop http://spamcop.net/
- AVG Anti-virus http://free.grisoft.com/freeweb.php/doc/2/
- Guide 5 screen 6 http://culture.gov.au/resources/guides/g5/s6.htm
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