Managing email is quite an undertaking these days. If your email box gets as full – as mine does – I am sure you are looking for ways to get it under control.
Gmail users can use their ‘archive’ feature. If you’re a Gmail user and want to understand how that tool works better, take a look at these two links. If you’re not a Gmail user, you may want to change what you’re currently using, and switch to Gmail.
As seniors, we don’t always have the resources to buy the latest and greatest software. In addition, seniors are described as not wanting to try new things, especially when it comes to technology. Sometimes that puts us at a disadvantage because we lose out on using tools that might help us to communicate better. When we explore new e-tools, we become more efficient and upgrade our e-skills. Seniors, can always benefit from learning and using newer techniques.
Are you a Hotmail user? If the answer is yes, then there is little doubt that you should upgrade immediately and take advantage of Outlook.com. Microsoft has made it very easy for you. There is no need to create a new account. Hotmail users can upgrade with their current account. How easy is that?!
Microsoft’s email software Outlook.com is, in my opinion, one of the better ways to develop new skills, as well as to use a new email tool, which handles much of the SPAM issues we all face.
You may think that a new email account would not benefit you. After all, you already have your family sending email to you at an established email address. Although that may be true, review some of the guidelines that we suggest you explore with this new email software from Microsoft, and do yourself a favor by creating an account, or upgrade from Hotmail. Then use your other email software account for managing SPAM and other miscellaneous email. You will be glad you did.
In this post, tech4boomers will highlight some of the features we liked about Outlook.com. In future weeks we will continue to cover other features.
GETTING STARTED
1) Microsoft informs us that if you are already using Hotmail, SkyDrive, Xbox LIVE, or have a Windows Phone you can sign in using your account id.
Click the link below to do that.
Sign up – Microsoft account
Note: Your birth date is required to create the account.
2) If you do not have an ID then create one by filling out the form.
Click the link to do that.
Sign up – Microsoft account
NAVIGATION – Part A
Illustration of Inbox with mail –
Note – When you click a message in your Inbox, the Reply, Delete, Junk etc. links will appear. (To see the illustration below click the image, which will open in a new window).
Illustration of Inbox without mail –
Note – if you do not have messages in your Inbox, the Reply, Delete, Junk etc. links will not appear. (To see the illustration below click the image, which will open in a new window).
NAVIGATION – Part B
Take the leap and treat yourself to this new email. In future posts we will take a closer look at some of these web applications and how to use them. In the meanwhile, you can click the link below to see Microsoft’s preview of this email.
Email Organizing
In the last Post I introduced you to the Sorting function in AOL mail. This organizational utility feature gives you an opportunity to prepare your messages for a filing system of your choice. Therefore making your messages easier to retrieve.
I’ve always found filing in general a fairly tedious chore. However, once it’s done, locating information is a breeze. Before we get started, I suggest that you decide which folder categories you are going to use for your filing system. For example, will you file mails according to the subject, or name of the person, or month? For this illustration, my folder group will be according to the month.
1) I am first going to sort my mail by clicking the date column. You will notice it has a small down arrow (↓) next to the date. This indicates that the mail items will sort in descending order, which means the most recent date will be at the top of the list.
Sort/descending order
2) Now look at the left side of the panel where it says My Folders, click the word Add. You will notice that the word New Folder appears. At that point type a name for the new folder, then click the plus symbol to confirm the name.
Folder Creation
3) Now we can select the mail we want to move to the folder. These are the steps: a) Click the small box next to the first email you want to move. b) hold down your shift key on your keyboard, then click the box next to the last email you want to move to the folder. c) find your Action icon, and click the down arrow. d) click the name of the folder you created to move those mail items.
Click Action, then Click the folder name to move the email message
Note: The folder you created will show how many mail items are in the folder.
7 emails are in the folder
Classic AOL Mail: Organizing – Folders and Filters – AOL Help.
I hope this is helpful 🙂 ….Please let us hear what your email tips are. See you at the next Post!
My Email Helper
Wouldn’t it be great if you had a tool that would take care of your Inbox email clutter automatically by filing it into categories so that you could find it quickly when you need it again? I bet, chances are your mail is removed from your Inbox automatically to your ‘OLD MAIL’ folder, and you still haven’t found a quick way of locating it.
If you’re a Baby Boomer you probably started out using AOL email and have not switched because you’re comfortable with, and understand how to navigate in the AOL mail environment. However, although there are tools to organize email, most of us are filing those ‘precious’ e-mail items right there with the newly received mail. I looked at some of the Help Contents in AOL, and decided on guidelines I think you might find useful. At the end of this Post you can click the link provided in the Note box to get detailed descriptions on how to do other sorting options in AOL email.
However, if you are not an AOL email user try applying the SORT technique shown below to your email program, or search your email Help for guidance. I guarantee once you learn how to use SORT, your Inbox will be easier to manage.
• Before I cover how to file email items into Folders, I suggest you become familiar with the SORT option. Below is a quick tip on how to manage your mail items: Using Sort
For this example we will sort using the most often viewed columns when reading mail: From, Subject, and Date: Click the image below with your mouse to see a larger illustration.
Click a column heading to sort by that category
After you complete those sorts, try clicking the paper clip icon, and see what happens.
See you at the next Post when I will cover how to file those emails into Folders. I suspect by the next Post you will have learned other features about sorting your email.
I hope this is helpful 🙂
| Note: Sorting your email list makes it easier for you to prioritize your emails. You can sort the messages in your online mailbox by email address, time of arrival, subject heading, and type of email (email from people you know, from bulk senders, and unknown senders). Your emails in Classic AOL Mail are automatically sorted by date, but did you know you can also sort your messages by sender, read or unread messages, and emails that you’ve flagged? For more detail click the link below. via How do I sort emails in Classic AOL Mail? – AOL Help. |
How does one make decisions about using cell phones; what service should you sign up for? Why do you need a data plan anyway?
via AT&T’s New iPhone Data Plans: Pros and Cons | PCWorld.
I ‘cyber-searched’ for answers to these questions. Hopefully, my excerpts will assist you in understanding what you require and how to make decisions about your cell phones and data plans. Also, there will be links to the websites where I found information so that you can research more thoroughly, should you want to do so.
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What is WiFi? Wi Fi is short for Wireless Fidelity and..? 🙂
According to Dictionary.com, wifi:wireless local area network: a local area network that uses high frequency radio signals to transmit and receive data over distances of a few hundred feet.
What is 3G? 3G is an umbrella term for a collection of technologies that make up the third generation of cellular data networks. These standards allow cell phones (and other devices capable of connecting to a cellular network) to send and receive data at speeds comparable to cable or DSL. via In A Nutshell: What Is 3G?.
What is 4G? 4G, an acronym for fourth-generation wireless, is a technology that will transform wireless communications in a completely new way. It is also known as “beyond 3G,” since it provides a comprehensive and secure IP (Internet Protocol) solution. Users will enjoy high quality streaming video and “anytime, anywhere” voice and data at a much higher speed than previous generations. via What is 4G?.
Other things you should know:* While some Internet Service Providers offer both 3G and WiFi internet, they usually consider them separate services and require separate subscriptions.
* 3G is almost always more expensive than WiFi connected to a fixed service, so when WiFi is available – use it!
* Most 3G Service Providers offer a USB modem with their subscription services at a cost.
* 3G can be quite fast, but is in most cases worse than WiFi.
* Other wireless technologies also exist.
via Cryptech V2 » Blog Archive » The Difference Between 3G Mobile Internet and WiFi Wireless Networks.
Do you need a data plan?The first thing you have to do is to guesstimate how much data you think you’ll use. Two gigabytes of data per month seems to be the magic cut-off for most carriers. The vast majority of customers–98 percent, according to AT&T–use less than this each month. Average smartphone subscribers are using roughly, 400 MB of data per month, according to Validas, which recently analyzed a year of consumer phone bills from all four major carriers.
A couple of carriers, AT&T and T-Mobile, offer 200MB plans for low-data consumption. The lowest tier of service that Verizon Wireless offers is 2GB. And Sprint only offers an unlimited data plan for its smartphone customers.
But as you can see these plans aren’t tailored precisely for average usage. So most smartphone subscribers will need more than the 200MB plan but less than 2GB.
via Ask Maggie: Help! These data plans are too confusing | Signal Strength – CNET News.
All the major carriers offer tools on their Websites to help you estimate your usage. So I suggest checking that out to get a sense of what you think your usage will be. Here’s a little guide put together by Verizon Wireless that should give you an idea of how much data certain activities eat up:
* Email (text only) = 10KB
* Typical Web Page Lookup* = 1.5MB
* Audio Streaming = 40MB/hr
* Lo-Res Video Streaming = 200MB/hr
* Hi-Res Video Streaming = 400MB/hr
* Digital Photo download/upload (Hi-Res) = 1MB
The next thing to consider is price. T-Mobile’s 200MB tier is $10 a month. The good thing about its service is that if you go over your limit, it only slows your service. This means you aren’t socked with additional overage fees. AT&T’s 200MB service is $15 a month. But if you exceed this limit, your service isn’t slowed or “throttled.” Instead, you’re charged more money for more usage.
via Ask Maggie: Help! These data plans are too confusing | Signal Strength – CNET News.
🙂 That’s all for now folks. I hope this is helpful!
Nowadays it’s smart to think cautiously BEFORE you open any emails from sources whom you do not recognize. Why?? PHISHING ! Below is a description I found in Wikipedia.Anti-Phishing Working Group
The Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG) is the global pan-industrial and law enforcement association focused on eliminating the fraud and identity theft that result from phishing,pharming and email spoofing of all types.
tech4boomers 