3. In what ways can you ensure that an attachment you send will be easily opened by the receiver?

Due to the various operating systems, platforms and software applications that could potentially be used to open an attachment you have sent, it is necessary to take the following precautions in order to maximise the chances of the recipient being able to open the file/s.

The attachment encoding should be set to MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) which is a default setting in most modern email applications when sending attachments.

The file format being attached is another issue to be considered. Issues can arise when there are differences in the sender and recipient’s:

• – Computing platform (eg. Windows vs. Mac, Linux vs. Windows)
• – Software Applications (eg. MS Word vs. OpenOffice)
• – Character Encoding (Language Differences)

A common non-compatibility example is Microsoft’s OpenXML format, identifiable by the relatively new file extensions (”.docx”, “.xlsx”, “.pptx”). Users of older Microsoft Office applications must update their software to be able to open these newer documents, and in some cases, where a Mac user is concerned (using some versions of Mac OS 10.4 or earlier), the files cannot be opened at all. In this situation, it may be a smart move to convert the document to PDF format prior to sending, since PDF reading applications (most notably Adobe Reader) are commonly pre-installed on modern computers.

The audience (your recipients) must be taken into account when sending attachments. Are they experienced computer users? Are there any cultural differences with regards to the appropriateness of the attachment? Are they likely to have the software required to read the attached file/s? It is a good idea to attach files the recipient is likely to be familiar with as this will most likely improve the chances that they will actually open the file.

4. What sorts of filters or rules do you have set up, and for what purpose?

Since the email account I have set up is specifically for this exercise, I have created a rule as an example, which sorts any incoming mail from the Gmail admin team (basically any sender with a “google.com” domain) into a folder labeled “Gmail Admin Messages”. Of course, as further needs arise I can create more of these rules. I love this feature of Outlook!

5. How have you organised the folder structure of your email and why?

My test email account is very basic – however I have organised one of my other personal email accounts with a folder setup that helps improve my email handling efficiency. As an example, it is setup with folders such as “Travel”, “Receipts”, and several folders related to services I regularly receive email from such as traffic tolls, internet service provider, frequent flyer account, and so on. With these folders I can quickly file away statements and newsletters and know exactly where to find that information should it be required in the future. If I needed to run a search, I could quickly drill down to this folder level, rather than search through the whole account.