Ron Summer gave an overview of email usage and answered many
questions at this open discussion.
Forwards, spam email, and email viruses were hot topics among the
group, as well as online support and and helpful downloads that are
available on the web.
You should use "Western European (ISO)" for Encoding. Places to check this
in OE5 or OE6:
When composing a message, look in Format, Encoding
In OE, click Tools|Options|Security and set OE to run in the Restricted
Zone. Then open Control Panel|Internet Options|Security, select Restricted
Zone, click Custom, and turn off all scripting options. This might also
prevent image attachments from displaying in OE however, since that depends
on "Scripting for items marked safe", which is also what allows HTML to open
a new browser window.
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/support/newsgroups/default.asp
http://support.microsoft.com/newsgroups/default.aspx?ICP=GSS3&NewsGroup=microsoft.public.windows.inetexplorer.ie55.outlookexpress&SLCID=US&scrollnews=m4s1s4
news://msnews.microsoft.com/microsoft.public.windows.inetexplorer.ie55.outlookexpress
http://groups.google.com/advanced_group_search
Downloads
Clean email before forwarding.
http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description/0,fid,6492,00.asp
Check your mail box to read and delete messages
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Vista/2576/magic.html or
http://www.kempston.demon.co.uk/smb/intro.html
Information
http://chattanooga.net/~scochran/
http://www.tomsterdam.com/insideoe5/index.htm
Tell Everyone You Know...
--By Maggie, Editor, eAcceleration Paranormal Newsletter
== TIPS for RECOGNIZING HOAXES ==
- Be skeptical if the text was not actually written by the person who sent it to you.
- Look for a huge amount of email addresses of other recipients. Most people don't even bother to remove other people's addresses (which is also a real privacy issue).
- Look for a similar phrase, "Forward this to everyone you know."
- Look for statements like "This is not a hoax". It usually means the exact opposite.
- Look for overly emphatic language, the frequent use of UPPERCASE LETTERS and multiple exclamation points!!!!!!!
- Hoaxers are out to push emotional buttons. If the message seems geared more to persuade than to inform, be suspicious.
- If the message appears to give you extremely important information but you've never heard of it before, be suspicious.
- Read carefully and think logically about what the message says. Look for logical inconsistencies, violations of common sense and obviously false claims.
- Check for references to outside sources. Hoaxes will not typically name any, nor link to websites with corroborating information.
- And ABOVE ALL, Check to see if the message has been debunked by websites that cover Internet hoaxes. I have listed several sites that are invaluable:
http://urbanlegends.about.com/
http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/hoax.html
http://hoaxbusters.ciac.org/
http://www.internet-101.com/hoax/
http://www.nonprofit.net/hoax/default.htm
Also, for WTC rumors, see:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101011008-176941,00.htm
- Just about ANY chain email you receive (i.e., any message forwarded multiple times) is more likely to be false than true. Be skeptical. Hoaxers usually try every means available to make their lies believable -- e.g., appealing to your sense of outrage or sympathy,
mimicking a journalistic style, attributing the text to a "legitimate" source, etc.-
At the very LEAST, do some research before you blindly click that forward button.
[ Back to Computers on the Farm 2002 Program ]
