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Technology Tip of the Month

April 1999: Email on the Road

by Deborah Healey

Even if you're not an email junkie, you may find it useful to check your email while you're away from home and work. Here are a few suggestions to make this process easier.

Before you leave

Start by simplifying your intake of mail. Set up your mailing lists so that they don't pile up in your absence. If you are on a listserv-based mailing list like TESL-L, you'll send mail to the listserv computer, not to the people on the list. The address will be in the form listserv@host, such as listserv@cunyvm.cuny.edu. In the message, say

listname

(Notice that NOMAIL is one word, and that there is a space between SET, the list name, and NOMAIL. Capitalization is optional.)

When you return, you'll send a message to the same listserv computer and say

listname option

(MAIL gives you each message separately; DIGEST groups the messages every day into one message and sends you the single combined message; and INDEX creates an index list that you can use to request specific messages.)

If you're on a listproc system like NETEACH, you'll again send mail to the computer, not to the people on the list -- such as listproc@ukans.edu. In the message, say

listname

(Capitalization is optional.)

When you return, you'll send a message to the same listserv computer and say

listname

With many email programs, you can set an automated "out of office" reply that will tell people you're gone and won't be answering your mail in the usual immediate mode. Make sure your email program knows about mailing lists, however, or you'll find yourself dropped from any list you have forgotten to set to NOMAIL or to POSTPONE. Check the documentation or ask your email administrator to be sure.

If you use web-based email like Hotmail, you're ready to roll -- just remember your password and don't forget to exit/quit the browser when you've finished reading your mail.

Information you may need

Your email password -- especially important to note if your email "remembers" your password for you at home or work.
All versions of your email address -- For example, Microsoft Exchange can be set up to use an easy-to-remember alias for you, but the underlying address is much less mnemonic. For example, an Exchange address may look like Deborah.Healey@orst.edu, while the full email address is healeyd@hermes.nws.orst.edu -- quite a difference!
Ask your email administrator for any additional email addresses you may have. Depending on the email system you use on the road, you may need this information.
AOL and Prodigy users: find out if there is a local access phone number where you'll be. Why pay long distance charges if you don't have to?
Users of other commercial Internet service providers: Check for a local access number or a toll-free number. Bring a phone number for a voice phone call, too, in case you need technical support. Make sure you ask for the name of the SMTP server (outgoing mail server) -- you will need this to configure Eudora and a number of other email programs.

Using your browser for mail -- a few considerations

Using Netscape Mail and its equivalent on Internet Explorer are inviting options. Mail or Messenger is a component on most installations of current browsers, and it's so easy just to click and go. There are a few considerations, however, related to configuring your browser and keeping your mail private. Netscape Mail - Identity options

The Identity option:

One important note about security --when you fill in those little "Identity" fields, you are making personal information available to any web server at any location you visit. If you are just sending mail, then feel free to put personal information into these fields. Before you go surfing -- and especially before you quit the browser -- make sure you delete all personal information that you added.

The Messages option:

On a public computer rather than on your personal laptop, it's best NOT to click on "Copy outgoing messages to folder" -- it just means you're saving a copy of your messages on the local machine for the next person sitting at this computer to read. While possibly fun and exciting for the next person, it's not a good idea for you.

The rest of the choices are obvious or optional, so feel free to leave them alone.

The Mail Server option:

Mail server user name = the information to the left of the @ in your email address. If you normally use Exchange, you may need to have the long version of your email address rather than the alias for this to work.
Outgoing mail (SMTP) server = local Internet service provider. It is almost impossible now to find a university mail server that will let you send mail through them from a remote (unknown) location. They are concerned about illegal and nuisance mail. Without the SMTP server information, you will be able to get your mail, but you won't be able to send anything.
Incoming mail server = everything to the right of the @ in your email address.
Given the choice, use IMAP rather than POP. IMAP leaves your mail on the server automatically and is a more secure way to send mail. POP normally copies your messages to the local hard drive and deletes them from the server, unless you've taken care to click the appropriate box when configuring the browser mail.

You don't need to fill in everything, and you don't need to tell the truth in many of the fields. If you want to use Mail just to send yourself a URL, for example, you need something in the "Email address" field -- but it doesn't have to be real. It just needs to look like a real address. The labs at Oregon State University use nobody@ucs.orst.edu, leaving the name and the reply-to lines blank. You will need something truthful that works in the Outgoing mail (SMTP) server line, however.

Another comment on security

When you're using your own laptop on the road and connecting to a known Internet service provider, you can afford to feel at home with your messages. If you're on CyberKiosk like the one in LaGuardia airport in New York, you are hoping the service provider will behave responsibly with your messages. If you're using a public computer like in a cybercafe or a computer lab, you'll need to be much more cautious about your mail. The most important thing to remember is to

remove all personal information from a public email program

Just turning off the computer won't necessarily erase what you entered, so make sure you delete any information you added to programs like Netscape Messenger or Eudora before you quit the program.

Whatever program you're using -- including web-based mail like Hotmail or EudoraMail -- make sure you

quit the browser

Closing the browser window is not the same as selecting Quit or Exit from the File menu. Don't leave yourself and your email vulnerable.

Whether you're at home or on the road, do remember that email is not particularly private. It's best to treat email like speaking loudly in a public place -- what you say or write today may be repeated publicly by others tomorrow. gone ballooning

Finally...

Email is a wonderful tool for communication, and many of us have become quite dependent on it. Like any tool, the key is to use it appropriately and responsibly. It's also a good idea to think seriously about just leaving it behind when going on vacation. ..

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If you have questions, comments, or for more information, contact Deborah Healey, dhealey AT uoregon DOT edu

https://www.deborahhealey.com/techtips/apr1999.html
Last updated 26 June, 2009