By Ben McNamara
Shop Site of the Month
Superior Auto Service, Inc. - Bryan, Texas
www.happycars.com
This site uses images and animated pictures; it lists the services offered by the shop and offers coupons for consumers to print and use.
Web Wise
E-mail Vision
Imagine communicating with anyone in the world without incurring postage or long-distance calling fees. E-mail (electronic mail) gives you that opportunity. You can send a simple message. You can send a novel. You can take a picture, scan it into your computer, send it off to relatives 3,000 miles away, and they can view that picture on their computer screen. Or, buy a digital camera, download pictures directly into your computer and send them off immediately.
Anyone with an e-mail address can send and receive messages from anyone else who has an e-mail address, regardless of the service provider (although some business Intranets don't allow access to the outside world).
Attaching Documents
E-mail by itself is just a notepad -- it's like taking one of those yellow "stickies" and writing a message.
But you can send actual documents or files by attaching them to an e-mail message. Whether it's a word publishing document, a tax form, a copy of a wiring diagram, or a picture of your new car -- all you are doing is attaching the file to the e-mail message. Once the e-mail is sent, the file "tags along" and is sent to the computer desktop of whoever you are sending the e-mail message to. For business purposes, this is a godsend. No more exchanging diskettes back and forth, and no more time and money wasted sending disks to other businesses. Why spend the money to overnight something when you can e-mail it there in a matter of seconds?
E-mail Etiquette
Sometimes referred to as "netiquette," etiquette for e-mail and the rest of the Internet has its own progressive standards, but some things have not changed.
Since e-mail is currently less formal than traditional means of communication, users tend to assume that spelling and grammar can be compromised. Don't make the mistake of overlooking this eternally crucial aspect of communication.
Think about who might read the message you are sending. Have you made negative comments about a third party? What if you accidentally sent it to the wrong mailbox?
Consider the recipients of your messages. They might not share your sense of humor. Save your jokes for face-to-face conversations unless you know your reader well. Also, your writing style might not imply the same message to the reader that you think you are conveying.
Don't hide behind the comfort of anonymity. If it's not something you'd say to someone's face, don't write it in your e-mail messages.
Be careful not to use technical jargon or cryptic messages that the user might not understand.
Don't let e-mail become a substitute for in-person or phone conversations. E-mail is efficient and practical at times, but face-to-face and phone conversations are better for resolving issues.
Big Brother
Some Internet users think they are anonymous when sending messages or visiting Web sites; and that the Internet is an unregulated free-for-all where pornography reigns and slander is the norm. While the content on the Internet is not currently regulated by the federal government, the laws of this nation still pertain to all communication forums. And, your Internet address is traceable. If you are going to use e-mail through the Internet, you could be held accountable for the messages you convey in that forum -- so abide by the law!
To E Or Not To E, That Is The Questions!
E-mail is reliable most of the time, but not always. Do not rely on e-mail messages to get the job done -- always follow up with a phone call or another e-mail message if you do not receive a response in a timely manner.
Geek Speak
Listserv -- discussion groups that communicate via e-mail. Run by a list server, when a participant sends a message, all subscribers to that forum receive the message and are allowed to respond to all messages.
Flame -- the act of attacking someone personally over the Internet, usually through e-mail and in a discussion group forum.
Spam -- unnecessary waste of Internet bandwidth (hence, space). The metaphor comes from the fact that many consider the food Spam to be nutritionally void, and spamming on the Internet is wasting space with text that is void of useful information.
Netiquette -- do's and don'ts on the Internet (e.g. if you spam, you get flamed!).
ASA Web Ways
http://www.asecert.org -- The homepage for the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE); find out all the information you need to know about technician testing and certification.
http://www.i-atn.com -- This site will connect you to the iATN automotive technicians network online; communicate with more than 4,000 technicians nationwide about the latest automotive concerns.
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