http://malektips.com/electronic_mail_help_and_tips.html Tips on recovering e-mail, choosing e-mail addresses, electronic mail attachments, dealing with e-mail hoaxes and scams. and electronic mail etiquette. en-us Mon, 5 Jan 2009 17:50:58 GMT Mon, 5 Jan 2009 17:50:58 GMT http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Custom webmaster@envprogramming.com (Andrew Malek) webmaster@envprogramming.com (Andrew Malek) http://malektips.com/graphics/logo_88x30.gif http://malektips.com/electronic_mail_help_and_tips.html 88 30 http://malektips.com/outlook-2007-meeting-attendee-prevent-new-time.html Prevent attendees from proposing new times when you send out meeting requests in Outlook 2007.

When you send out meeting requests in Microsoft Outlook 2007, you can choose whether or not attendees can propose new times. This is done by clicking on the "Responses" button in the "Attendees" section of the Ribbon when sending out a new meeting request, then unchecking the "Allow New Time Proposals" box when the popup menu appears.

If most of your meeting requests require specific times that should not be changed, you can change Outlook's default so that every meeting request you send disallows new time proposals....

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Mon, 5 Jan 2009 17:50:57 GMT http://malektips.com/outlook-2007-meeting-attendee-prevent-new-time.html http://malektips.com/outlook-2007-add-holidays-calendar-country-religious.html Add country-specific and religious holidays to your calendar in Outlook 2007.

Depending on your configuration, your calendar in Microsoft Outlook 2007 may not list observed holidays.

If you would like to add country-specific or religious holidays to your calendar, perform the following tip:...

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Thu, 18 Dec 2008 20:24:21 GMT http://malektips.com/outlook-2007-add-holidays-calendar-country-religious.html http://malektips.com/outlook_2007_auto_suggest_name_to_cc_bcc.html Prevent Outlook 2007 from automatically suggesting names when you create messages.

By default, when creating an e-mail message in Microsoft Outlook 2007, when you type part of an e-mail address in the "To", "Cc", or "Bcc" fields, Outlook will attempt to suggest a matching e-mail address based on what you have used previously.

While this convenience feature may save you some typing, some people may not wish these popup suggestions to appear. Thus, they can be removed....

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Thu, 18 Dec 2008 16:08:05 GMT http://malektips.com/outlook_2007_auto_suggest_name_to_cc_bcc.html http://malektips.com/outlook-2007-never-send-return-receipt.html For privacy, configure Outlook 2007 to not deliver read receipt requests.

Some e-mail senders ask for return receipts when sending e-mail, wanting confirmation their messages are delivered. Depending on your configuration, when e-mail senders request return receipts, Microsoft Outlook 2007 may automatically send such a receipt, never send a receipt, or (default) prompt you on each receipt request.

For privacy reasons, you may not wish to send these return receipts. As Outlook's default option is to prompt you each time, it is possible that you might accidentally send a receipt for a particular message without reading the dialog box. Thus, you may wish to force Outlook to ignore receipt requests without ever prompting you....

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Mon, 15 Dec 2008 18:24:07 GMT http://malektips.com/outlook-2007-never-send-return-receipt.html http://malektips.com/outlook-2007-toggle-paste-options-button.html Configure whether or not Outlook 2007 should display a Paste Options button when pasting text from other software into a new e-mail message or other item.

By default, when editing an e-mail message, task, note, or other item in Microsoft Outlook 2007, if you paste text from another program such as Microsoft Word that includes formatting information such as a font or color, a button containing a clipboard icon may appear. This is called the Paste Options button - click this icon and you can alter the formatting of the pasted text, for example ignoring all source formatting of the original text.

Some find this button annoying and wish to have it removed, yet others who frequently need to remove formatting information from pasted text may have accidentally turned this feature off and need to redisplay this Paste Options button. ...

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Fri, 12 Dec 2008 16:41:20 GMT http://malektips.com/outlook-2007-toggle-paste-options-button.html http://malektips.com/outlook-2007-system-tray-notification-email.html Configure whether or not Outlook 2007 should show a notification icon in the Windows System Tray whenever new e-mail or other items are received.

Depending on your configuration, Microsoft Outlook 2007 may display an envelope icon in the Windows System Tray whenever new e-mail, meeting requests, or other items arrive. This way you can easily determine when you need to deal with new items in your Inbox without having to keep the Outlook window visible onscreen.

If you wish to disable this icon due to an ever-expanding System Tray, or if this icon fails to appear when new items arrive in your Inbox, make the following tweak:...

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Thu, 11 Dec 2008 16:53:11 GMT http://malektips.com/outlook-2007-system-tray-notification-email.html http://malektips.com/xp-outlook-express-check-spelling.html Configure Outlook Express so it always spell checks your e-mail before it is sent.

As long as you have a spell checker that Outlook Express in Windows XP recognizes, such as the one that comes in most versions of Microsoft Office, you can configure Outlook Express to always spell check e-mail before it is sent.

1. Click the "Tools" menu, selecting "Options"....

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Tue, 9 Dec 2008 17:46:22 GMT http://malektips.com/xp-outlook-express-check-spelling.html http://malektips.com/google-gmail-move-chat-label-right.html Keep your chat and label options visible in Gmail by moving one or both to the right side.

By default, the chat and label boxes in Google Gmail are placed on the left side of the screen, underneath the left sidebar menu with options such as "Compose Mail" and "Contacts".

Unfortunately, this may push the label box below what is visible onscreen without using the web browser's vertical scroll bar. If you have a wide-enough monitor, you can move one or both of these boxes to the right, which may allow you to view your chat contacts and labels without having to scroll....

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Mon, 1 Dec 2008 20:49:21 GMT http://malektips.com/google-gmail-move-chat-label-right.html http://malektips.com/xp-outlook-express-ignore-read-receipt.html Prevent Outlook Express from ever prompting you to return a read receipt.

Some people request return receipts for particular e-mail messages they send to others using Outlook, Windows Mail, or other e-mail programs that support such receipts. Likewise, if you use Windows XP's Outlook Express, it may prompt you when these receipts are requested, allowing you to send a read receipt or ignore the request.

For privacy reasons, you may wish to ignore all read receipt requests without even being prompted. To make this change:...

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Mon, 1 Dec 2008 16:18:48 GMT http://malektips.com/xp-outlook-express-ignore-read-receipt.html http://malektips.com/xp-outlook-express-default-program.html Configure Outlook Express to be the default program used for managing e-mail and newsgroups.

If you are experimenting with multiple e-mail programs, you may have accidentally made one of them the default software used for handling e-mail and newsgroups. If so, you may wish to re-configure Outlook Express in Windows XP to be the default software for handling such actions.

1. Click the "Tools" menu, selecting "Options"....

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Tue, 25 Nov 2008 16:05:23 GMT http://malektips.com/xp-outlook-express-default-program.html http://malektips.com/xp-outlook-express-read-receipt.html Request a read receipt for an important message sent in Outlook Express.

When sending an important message in Outlook Express in Windows XP, you can request a read receipt for said message. This way you can help ensure your e-mail reached its destination and was read, even if it has not been responded to yet.

Note that while read receipts may be a good idea for certain messages, receiving this notification is not guaranteed. Your recipient may use non-Microsoft software that does not support read receipts. Also, e-mail users with Outlook, Outlook Express, and Windows Mail can configure their software to never send receipts or ignore particular requests....

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Fri, 21 Nov 2008 14:41:03 GMT http://malektips.com/xp-outlook-express-read-receipt.html http://malektips.com/xp-outlook-express-sound-new-messages.html Prevent Outlook Express from audibly notifying you when new messages arrive.

Outlook Express in Windows XP plays a sound whenever new e-mail arrives. This is useful if you are multitasking; instead of keeping track of the Outlook Express window, you can work on other software and know by a sound whenever you need to check your Inbox.

There are some circumstances, however, where you do not want to hear when new messages arrive. For example, you may be listening to music or playing a game and may find the sound distracting. Thus, it can be disabled:...

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Thu, 20 Nov 2008 19:04:10 GMT http://malektips.com/xp-outlook-express-sound-new-messages.html http://malektips.com/xp-outlook-express-do-not-send-immediately.html Prevent Outlook Express from automatically trying to send messages as soon as you compose them.

Depending on your configuration, when you compose e-mail in Outlook Express in Windows XP, the software will automatically attempt to connect to the Internet to send your e-mail.

If you have an always-on connection to the Internet, this immediacy may be useful so you don't accidentally forget to send the e-mail later. However, if you are using a dial-up connection or one where you must pay for bandwidth, you might rather have Outlook Express queue your outgoing e-mail into the "Outbox" and only send it when you click the "Send / Recv" button or when Outlook Express automatically performs a periodic send / receive action....

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Thu, 20 Nov 2008 14:49:54 GMT http://malektips.com/xp-outlook-express-do-not-send-immediately.html http://malektips.com/outlook-2007-disable-play-sound-email-arrive.html Disable Outlook 2007's audio notification whenever new e-mail arrives in your Inbox.

By default, Microsoft Outlook 2007 plays a sound whenever new items, such as e-mail or meeting requests, arrive. If you run other software while keeping Outlook open, or are performing other non computer-related tasks, this notification can help alert you to new e-mail without having to always keep an eye on the Outlook window.

Depending on your needs, however, you may wish to disable this notification. For example, if you are recording a video or audio conference, you may not want this sound inserted into the recording....

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Wed, 19 Nov 2008 14:16:33 GMT http://malektips.com/outlook-2007-disable-play-sound-email-arrive.html http://malektips.com/mailing-list-plain-text.html Respond to mailing lists in plain-text to avoid angering members.

Have you considered joining a discussion-based e-mail list? There are many lists available for meeting people, sharing ideas, or general chitchat about particular subjects. While many lists are open to everyone, one rule you should follow is to always post in plain-text format.

Many e-mail programs such as Microsoft Outlook default to HTML mail, meaning that you can post in color, different fonts, bold text, etc. However, many mailing lists contain members that either don't have such functionality or choose not to use it. Posting mail your normal way might result in some angry messages, or worse yet, getting you banned from the list....

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Tue, 18 Nov 2008 16:53:01 GMT http://malektips.com/mailing-list-plain-text.html http://malektips.com/electronic-mail-joke-passing-etiquette.html A few things to consider before passing jokes around via e-mail.

E-mail is a great way to keep in touch with friends, family members, and coworkers. Many people love to do so by forwarding jokes to dozens, if not hundreds, of their address book contacts.

Before you become the humor distributor, please, PLEASE read the below etiquette suggestions, lest your e-mails may just find their ways to peoples' virtual trash cans. Even worse, some people may stop reading your e-mails altogether if you don't follow these guidelines:...

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Mon, 17 Nov 2008 18:14:31 GMT http://malektips.com/electronic-mail-joke-passing-etiquette.html http://malektips.com/outlook-2007-change-work-week.html Configure Outlook 2007 to use a different work week when viewing the calendar.

Microsoft Outlook 2007 is configured with a default work week, which in the USA is Monday - Friday, 8am - 5pm.

Depending on your schedule, you may only work part-time, or your responsibilities may require a six (or seven(!)) day work-week. Thus, you can change the calendar views to reflect your actual working habits....

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Tue, 11 Nov 2008 19:46:56 GMT http://malektips.com/outlook-2007-change-work-week.html http://malektips.com/gmail-snake-game.html Take a break responding to e-mail in Gmail with a Snake Game.

Tired of dealing with dozens of business e-mail messages in Gmail and need to take a break? Or are you logged in and waiting for someone else to join you for a chat?

You can take a break from chatting and e-mailing with Google's take on the old snake game. If you have used computers for awhile you may remember the old game. You control a small snake and must eat dots. As you eat, you grow and move faster. Continue to grow and eat dots until you run into a wall or yourself. ...

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Tue, 11 Nov 2008 16:53:05 GMT http://malektips.com/gmail-snake-game.html http://malektips.com/outlook-2007-default-reminder-time.html Give yourself more time when Outlook 2007 reminds you of upcoming appointments.

By default, when you add an appointment in the Calendar of Microsoft Outlook 2007, Outlook provides a 15 minute reminder for the meeting, although this can be changed on a per-meeting basis.

If you frequently need more reminder time and don't want (or forget) to change each appointment reminder manually, you can change Outlook's default:...

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Fri, 7 Nov 2008 18:17:01 GMT http://malektips.com/outlook-2007-default-reminder-time.html http://malektips.com/outlook-2007-start-different-folder.html Startup Outlook 2007 in a different e-mail folder instead of your Inbox.

Depending on your needs, you can configure Microsoft Outlook 2007 to start in a different folder than your e-mail Inbox. For example, you may have a filter setup to sort e-mail from your boss in a high-priority folder that should be read first.

1. Select "Tools" - "Options"....

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Thu, 6 Nov 2008 15:38:42 GMT http://malektips.com/outlook-2007-start-different-folder.html