E-mail Etiquette
Users new to e-mail may not be familiar with some of the commonly accepted practices.

First, most people do not appreciate forwarding of many messages. Often referred to as spam, many “special messages” circulate around the internet and are more an annoyance than helpful. Messages that warn of certain activities should be validated prior to taking any external action. Most warnings and threats are false. Most attempts to validate personal information are a part of an attempt to collect information for identity theft purposes. Never click on a link that you are “pressured” into. Never provide any personal data at the request of another. You can always close a window by using the “X” box on the active window.

If you are doubtful of the authenticity of a request, ask the webmaster of the company website to verify the request. Never simply click on a provided link as many spam messages contain false websites used to collect personal data. Although it may look authentic, it may not be official.

Never include your SSN, mothers maiden name or any password within an e-mail message. While you may believe e-mail is very private, messages travel across public networks and are susceptible to interception along the way. This is the nature of use of public network.

Never type a message in all capital letters. All capitals is considered an electronic method of shouting at someone since all capitals can be difficult for people to read.

When quoting a message, only quote the pertinent parts to save space in your outbox as well as the recipients inbox.

Verifying e-mail attachments are virus free is important. Many viruses generate e-mail that spoof accounts. If you receive a message stating you have attempted to send an infected message to
a user but know you never attempted to do so, your e-mail address is more than likely being spoofed to send spam to other e-mail accounts. Locating the computer or user doing this can be difficult. We would suggest reviewing the headers of the message to review the route the message traveled and contacting the postmaster at the original domain account to request assistance in overcoming the spoofing of your account.