By Lindsay,
I've been asked - why do I have all these 'What you need to know to operate your computer' posts. They seem very trivial.
The answer - each of the posts reflects a situation (that happened that same day) where I had to guide someone through that process. Yes even turning a computer off. If I gather enough posts I may turn it into a training program....
Friday, February 17, 2012
Email Settings - and why sometimes sending doesn't work
By Lindsay,
Simple POP/SMTP email is great when you are at home or at work, and your home/work computer doesn't move around. If you are a Xtra customer, your email settings will have you using Xtra settings. i.e pop3.xtra.co.nz, smtp.xtra.co.nz can be found in the accounts property box of your email account.
Email was designed (remeber in the 1970's) to allow for a concept called relaying. Email was after all built around the dual concept of:
1. Email can be passed to someone else to pass on if I can't get through (relaying), and
2. Email isn't critical because, well, if it was critical you would phone or fax....
Let's not deal here with concept 2. We now use hosted exchange email delivered to multiple devices in real time to solve that little issue.
But concept 1 - relaying - whilst a good design concept, was quickly seized on by spammers as a means of sending email to people, pretending to be someone else. So the ability for email to be relayed has been turned off. Internet service providers still needed to send email so the basic concept is that if you are using an ISP for broadband, then that ISP will accept your email for sending because it knows who you are.
So in the real world, say, you use Xtra, and have an address@xtra.co.nz. At home you use Xtra as your ISP, and you want to send an email. Xtra will accept the request because you are using their broadband circuit, and so it know you are a valid Xtra customer. You then take your computer to someone elses place. They use TelstraClear to provide broadband. You go to send an email (via Xtra). It is stopped by TelstraClear because they don't know if you are a real Xtra customer, or a spammer.
There are slight variences to this scenario, and in fact Xtra use other techniques to allow emails to be sent/received no matter which ISP is used. (Good on you Xtra, I wish TelstraClear would adopt the same trivial to set up technique!). But protecting us from spammers is the reason why you can sometimes send emails from location A, and not from location B, if you use an @Xtra or @clear.net.nz or @eol.co.nz email address.
Simple POP/SMTP email is great when you are at home or at work, and your home/work computer doesn't move around. If you are a Xtra customer, your email settings will have you using Xtra settings. i.e pop3.xtra.co.nz, smtp.xtra.co.nz can be found in the accounts property box of your email account.
Email was designed (remeber in the 1970's) to allow for a concept called relaying. Email was after all built around the dual concept of:
1. Email can be passed to someone else to pass on if I can't get through (relaying), and
2. Email isn't critical because, well, if it was critical you would phone or fax....
Let's not deal here with concept 2. We now use hosted exchange email delivered to multiple devices in real time to solve that little issue.
But concept 1 - relaying - whilst a good design concept, was quickly seized on by spammers as a means of sending email to people, pretending to be someone else. So the ability for email to be relayed has been turned off. Internet service providers still needed to send email so the basic concept is that if you are using an ISP for broadband, then that ISP will accept your email for sending because it knows who you are.
So in the real world, say, you use Xtra, and have an address@xtra.co.nz. At home you use Xtra as your ISP, and you want to send an email. Xtra will accept the request because you are using their broadband circuit, and so it know you are a valid Xtra customer. You then take your computer to someone elses place. They use TelstraClear to provide broadband. You go to send an email (via Xtra). It is stopped by TelstraClear because they don't know if you are a real Xtra customer, or a spammer.
There are slight variences to this scenario, and in fact Xtra use other techniques to allow emails to be sent/received no matter which ISP is used. (Good on you Xtra, I wish TelstraClear would adopt the same trivial to set up technique!). But protecting us from spammers is the reason why you can sometimes send emails from location A, and not from location B, if you use an @Xtra or @clear.net.nz or @eol.co.nz email address.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Email addresses (again!)
By Lindsay
In a previous post I mentioned that email addresses should NOT be name based. Instead they should be positioned based. In organisations where staff move regularly then you are saving the extra cost of mailbox retention/sharing/diverting. What do I mean? Ok rather than use myname@mycompany, or firstname.lastname@mycompany, or firstinitial.lastname@mycompany use:
md@
admin1@
production@
sales@
The display name (what people see when you send an email) can be changed to anything to make it user friendly.
In a previous post I mentioned that email addresses should NOT be name based. Instead they should be positioned based. In organisations where staff move regularly then you are saving the extra cost of mailbox retention/sharing/diverting. What do I mean? Ok rather than use myname@mycompany, or firstname.lastname@mycompany, or firstinitial.lastname@mycompany use:
md@
admin1@
production@
sales@
The display name (what people see when you send an email) can be changed to anything to make it user friendly.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
What you need to know to operate your computer - Part 4
By Lindsay,
Know how to select the printer you want from any application and how to set the default printer.
Know how to select the printer you want from any application and how to set the default printer.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
When an employee leaves
By Lindsay,
What's your process for dealing with an employee that is leaving? Best practices should include coverage of the following:
1. What do you do with their emails, both old ones and those that will be received in the future?
2. What access to corporate systems need to be shut off?
3. If the employee is a contractor, and supplied their own computer, what corporate data will be removed from the computer?
4. How do you manage malicious removal of corporate data if the parting isn't amicable?
What's your process for dealing with an employee that is leaving? Best practices should include coverage of the following:
1. What do you do with their emails, both old ones and those that will be received in the future?
2. What access to corporate systems need to be shut off?
3. If the employee is a contractor, and supplied their own computer, what corporate data will be removed from the computer?
4. How do you manage malicious removal of corporate data if the parting isn't amicable?
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Having a backup computer
By Lindsay,
A bit close to home for me, my primary notebook has failed. However I have a back up notebook which is working well while the spare parts for my primary notebook take 10 working days to arrive.
Are you that prepared?
A bit close to home for me, my primary notebook has failed. However I have a back up notebook which is working well while the spare parts for my primary notebook take 10 working days to arrive.
Are you that prepared?
What you Need to know to operate your computer - part 3
By Lindsay,
If you use Outlook know how to change the reading pane views and create your own signature block.
If you use Outlook know how to change the reading pane views and create your own signature block.
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