Note: I got this info in an email recently and, thinking it was good advice, I sent it to about fifteen people with whom I email back and forth regularly. What would your reaction be if you received this?
Subject: Good advice about emails. This is an excellent message that ABSOLUTELY applies to ALL of us who send e-mails. Please read the short letter below.
Do you really know how to forward e-mails? 50% of us do; 50% DO NOT. Every time you forward an e-mail there is information left over from the people who got the message before you, namely their e-mail addresses and names. As the messages get forwarded along, the list of addresses builds, and builds, and builds, and all it takes is for some poor sap to get a virus, and his or her computer can send that virus to every E-mail address that has come across his computer. Or, someone can take all of those addresses and sell them or send junk mail to them in the hopes that you will go to the site and he will make five cents for each hit. How do you stop it?
Do you really know how to forward e-mails? 50% of us do; 50% DO NOT. Every time you forward an e-mail there is information left over from the people who got the message before you, namely their e-mail addresses and names. As the messages get forwarded along, the list of addresses builds, and builds, and builds, and all it takes is for some poor sap to get a virus, and his or her computer can send that virus to every E-mail address that has come across his computer. Or, someone can take all of those addresses and sell them or send junk mail to them in the hopes that you will go to the site and he will make five cents for each hit. How do you stop it?
(1) When you forward an e-mail, DELETE all of the other addresses that appear in the body of the message (at the top ). That's right, DELETE them. Highlight them and delete them, backspace them, cut them, whatever it is you know how to do. It only takes a second. You MUST click the "Forward" button first and then you will have full editing capabilities against the body and headers of the message. If you don't click on "Forward" first, you won't be able to edit the message at all.
You may have to highlight the whole body of the message, then click on "Edit" and then "Copy" on the drop down menu, then click on "Write"and then move the cursor the the body portion of the new E-mail and click. Then click on "Edit" again, and then click on "Paste." You then can delete all the addressees and any other changes you want before sending it.
(2) Remove any "FW :" in the subject line. You can re-name the subject if you wish or even fix spelling.
(3) ALWAYS hit your Forward button from the actual e-mail you are reading. Ever get those e-mails that you have to open 10 pages to read the one page with the information on it? By Forwarding from the actual page you wish someone to view, you stop them from having to open many e-mails just to see what you sent.
(4) Have you ever gotten an email that is a petition? It states a position and asks you to add your name and address and to forward it to 10 or 15 people or your entire address book. The email can be forwarded on and on and can collect thousands of names and email addresses.
A FACT: The completed petition is actually worth a couple of bucks to a professional spammer because of the wealth of valid names and email addresses contained therein. DO NOT put your email address on any petition . If you want to support the petition, send it as your own personal letter to the intended recipient. Your position may carry more weight as a personal letter than a laundry list of names and email address on a petition. (And don't believe the ones that say that the email is being traced, it just ain't so!)
Some of the other emails to delete and not forward are:
1. The one that says something like, "Send this email to 10 people and you all see something great run across your screen." Or sometimes they'll just tease you by saying 'something really cute will happen.' IT AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN!!!!! (We are still seeing some of the same emails that we waited on 10 years ago!)
2. Don't let the bad luck ones scare you either, delete them, they are trash.
3. Before you forward an 'Amber Alert', or a 'Virus Alert' , or some of the other emails floating around nowadays, check them out before you forward them. Most of them are junk mail that's been circling the net for YEARS! Just about everything you receive in an email that is in question can be checked out a Snopes. Just go to http://www.snopes.com/
QUESTION: Would you be offended if someone sent you this?
30 comments:
I never take offense at Maxine. And, thanks for the information.
I am not offended by anything that is actually trying to be helpful. Michele sent me. :-)
No, that was not offensive. But like you say, she was the one doing most of that stuff. She was probably just embarrassed that you had "caught on" to her. :)
Leslie
No, it wouldn't bother me, although I rarely forward e-mails -- maybe once or twice a year? It never hurts to remind people of the way things work.
If she had taught fortran, she was working with computers in the good old days, but it doesn't say that she has good internet manners
I think the cartoon is funny. If people take offense it's because they see themselves in it!
This is all good advice and Snopes.com is a great site for checking these things out. A habit I have already got into!
I think this is valuable information. I wouldn't be offended at all. I sometimes wonder if the people who forward me a zillion emails even read them first. Most of them are so dumb they are embarrassing.
no......it's good information. it seems to me that the virus spreading culprits don't seem to care what they send/spread......it's a pretty good assumption that this information would be new to them.
fortran? that's been a while.
No. Because I agree and try to practice that same ettiquette.Mostly, I don't even read those emails anymore.
Good information is not offensive, but it's surprising how seldom it is used. Whenever I get one of those "missing child" or other incredible emails I check it out, then reply with a link to the article identifying the hoax. It has taken several YEARS to get the senders to check before they send them to me. (but they check now!).
I certainly wouldn't be offended, but then, some people walk through life looking for reasons to be offended.
I wouldn't be offended at all! As Mahala said, some people just look to be offended and they're usually the culprits.
And I do the same thing bob-cat does, I got to snopes for verification.
I don't even bother opening e-mail from some "friends" - it's just the same crap over and over.
I found nothing offensive most of this is good advice for several reason
one when people fw things with my email to peep I do not know then they hit reply to all and I get personal too much info about another person or such
however this part:
all it takes is for some poor sap to get a virus, and his or her computer can send that virus to every E-mail address that has come across his computer.
is not entirely true, I think... What they are referring to is a worm and it was my understanding that worms sends to everyone in your address book, I have to check this with my hubby
how normally as a rule if I get a FW
I delete it because it's spam
My cousins have gotten offensive because I kept asking them to stop sending these fw
My kids contact me through emails and it is for chatting not for sending spam
so they stopped emailing me
just sigh and realize some people just are in the dark like the toonie says
here via Michelle by the way
Judy,
The "Forwards" that I dislike the most are the ones that say that if I don't forward the material to 10 people in the next five minutes something "terrible" will happen to me.
BUT, if I at least foward it to 5 people my luck will be "BAD" but not life threatening.
I thought your post was good and I like the idea of deleting the addresses at the top.
Thanks for taking the time to tell us all this stuff. Valuable info!
I received that e-mail without the cartoon from someone else. It has good information in it. Maxine didn't accompany mine. She does add a bit, doesn't she.
I find that I often just delete the forwards, although I have an older friend who sends forwards. I odn't think he knows how to cut and paste, so I forgive him, but often I recognize the e-mail in the subject line and hit delete.
I would not be offended. I don't forward forwards, even the ones that say "If you love Jesus, or little children or dogs or your country..." to make me feel guilty for not forwarding.
What I DO appreciate is a person who cares enough to send me one or two original lines intended for my eyes only.
As for the others, I rethink their intent and say to myself, "At least I know they're still well enough to press a key or two and at one time they were cognizant enough to add me to their list."
No I would not....great advice!
I'm with the majority here. Not offensive AT ALL an good advice. My old company (a computer software business) woudn't allow us to check our hotmail and yahoo accounts at work because of the virus risk. Can't be too careful with email.
I look on it as a healthy reminder of how to deal with email!
Hi Judy: No, I wouldn't be offended but most of these things I already do from common sense.
The hardest thing for me to do is to tell a nice person, who means well, to stop sending me those silly, religious, or "heart warming" emails that tell me to "send this on to all your friends and send it back to me".
Such a waste of time and especially the ones with pictures that take ten minutes to post.
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.
All common sense advice. How could anyone take offense?
I have a friend who automatically forwards any and all email she gets, to everyone in her address book. I have tried asking her not to do it. She'll stop for a while, but always starts again. I don't even read her email any more unless I'm pretty sure it's a personal note.
I think the worst kind are prayer chains that tell you terrible things will happen if you don't forward them. How can you justify mixing religion and superstition?
I get forwards from some people that I automatically delete. It's so tiring. More people need to see this, but I won't be forwarding it. LOL. (I'm not the "forwarding mail" type).
The worst offender is my sister who, in spite of my pleas still regularly sends stuff- with loads of addresses and instructions to send to at least ten other people or the sky will fall. I delete everything,curse and get on with my life.
A letter would be nice.
I would not be offended at all....! I have been doing ALL of these things for years! And I think this a GREAT Advice. So, I wouldn't mind getting an email that spells it all out, once again....Especially knowing that other people will be getting this info...!
What amazes me Judy, is how many people Do Not do this! People who should know better....!I have one friend that has been on the Internet much longer than me...She STILL Sends me Forwarded stuff....I just Delete it without opening it.
I actually have sent emails to many people, over the years asking thm to take me ooff of their "list"...and letting them know that I DO NOT OPEN ANY FORWARDED MATERIAL! LOL! Well, it doesn't seem to make a fifference with some people....They just refuse to learn how to get rid of ALL that extra stuff....
Copying and pasting JUST the body of the email woks, too...!
Anyway.....Thanks Judy, for posting this!
I'm just happy that someone is sending me email...
*grin*
I would be very happy for the info - and dear ol' Maxine is right on!
I wouldn't be offended, but I'd probably be embarrassed. But I'm generally the one that would send it -- I hate "poorly forwarded" e-mails, I never ever forward bad/good luck ones, and I send EVERYTHING thru Snopes (or truthorfiction.com) for verification. A co-worker called me a smarta** for doing so. So be it.
Great info, Judy. Words I live by.
~S
I wouldn't take it personal especially since Maxine as those dark glasses on. I don't tend to forward forwarded emails, but I get them all the time.
It wouldn't offend me. :) I would probably yell out, Amen! though.
Glad you posted this Judy.
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