EMAIL GUIDELINES


Why do you need a back up email address?
If you have one email address to send and receive email, we advise you to add an email as a back up address in case something went wrong with your primary email address.

There are so many factors that can affect your regular email system with your ISP such as Spam attacks, overwhelming traffic, human error, server down etc. These periods of more or less hastened activity at your ISP may last only for minutes, but they can extend to several days. Whatever the longevity of the outage, in any case you can usually neither send nor receive any email.

This is where you, equipped with your free Web-based account, can step in. The web based email provider are such as www.yahoo.com, www.hotmail.com, www.incredimail.com and many more.

If you would notice, at Digitizing Factory we have set up three accounts with three different ISPs. They are digitize@digitizingfactory.co.th, digifac@ksc.th.com and digitize@digitizingfactory.com
If you send one particular order to the three addresses, even if one ISP is not working, we can always receive thru the other two. So your orders are not going to be missed.

So in your case, if you have two email addresses, when we send you the confirmation or order delivery, you will always receive them even though one of your ISPs is down.

Setting up your account with yahoo, hotmail, incredimail etc is easy and it is free. You do not have to pay anything. You may not need to check your web-based email regularly. Two times a week would be enough, but it's nice knowing that you have a backup just in case something happens to your regular email system.

Understanding Mail Delivery Errors

If you send an e-mail that for some reason can't be delivered, either your ISP or the mail server where the error occurred sends a mail delivery error report back to you. Some of these error reports are pretty cryptic, so you may be wondering why your email bounces back and what the delivery error report means.

Let's look at some of the most common mail delivery error reports and try to decipher what they mean.

Almost all mail delivery error reports begin with something like the following:

----- The following addresses had permanent fatal errors -----


That tells you that your mail to the specified address could not be delivered. It may also tell you whether the error is a "permanent fatal error" (one which makes it impossible to deliver the message) or a "transient non-fatal error" (just a temporary setback, and the mail server will keep trying).

A more complete description of the problem is usually next, in a section labeled "Transcript of session follows". Below are the more common ones, each followed by an explanation. These are taken from actual delivery error reports, but the usernames have all been changed to "jdoe" to protect the privacy of the actual addressee.

The examples below are all mail delivery error reports generated by Sendmail, the predominant mail server software on the Internet. Error reports generated by other mail server software (QMail, Postfix, Microsoft Exchange, or whatever) may look different, but will contain the same basic information.


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User Unknown
Host Unknown
Mail Quota Exceeded
Message Exceeds Maximum Size
Delivery Deferred, Will Keep Trying
Message Could Not Be Delivered For 5 Days
Sender Domain Not Found
Possible Virus
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User Unknown

----- The following addresses had permanent fatal errors -----

(reason: 550 5.1.1 ... User unknown)

----- Transcript of session follows -----
... while talking to mx-rr.ReceiverISP.com.:
>>> RCPT To:
<<< 550 5.1.1 ... User unknown
550 5.1.1 ... User unknown

Instead of "user unknown", you might see "unknown user", "invalid recipient", "not a valid user", "mailbox unavailable", "not known here" or something else expressing the same idea.

In this example one mail server tried to deliver the message to the mail server at home.com, but the home.com mail server refused to accept it because they have no user known as "jdoe". This could be because the username part of the address (jdoe) was typed incorrectly, or because the "jdoe" account at home.com expired or was cancelled, or because you were trying to reply to a message sent out under a falsified address. In rare cases it can indicate a mail system failure at the remote site.

What you should do:
Confirm the intended recipient's address, if possible. Resend your message to the corrected address.

Back

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Host Unknown

----- The following addresses had permanent fatal errors -----


----- Transcript of session follows -----
550 5.1.2 ... Host unknown (Name server:
mail.ReceiverISP.net.: host not found)

This means that the mail server was not able to locate the mail server for switchgrass.net (mail.switchgrass.net) in the Internet's domain name service (DNS). If the target system can't be found in the DNS, then our mail server can't connect to the remote mail server to deliver your message.

Most "host unknown" errors are caused by a typo in the domain name part of the intended recipient's address, but an increasing number of "host unknown" errors are the result of trying to reply to junk mail (spam). This is because the "From:" address on junk mail is almost always bogus. Where the address is typed correctly and is a real one, the problem is usually a temporary failure in DNS.

What you should do:
Confirm the intended recipient's address, if possible. Resend your message to the corrected address.

Back

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Mail Quota Exceeded

----- The following addresses had permanent fatal errors -----


----- Transcript of session follows -----
... while talking to c.mx.ReceiverISP.com.:
>>> RCPT To:
<<< 552 ... Mail quota exceeded
554 ... Service unavailable

Many systems impose a quota on the amount of disk space each user's mail box may use. If a user on such a system exceeds his quota the mail system refuses to accept any more mail for him.

What you should do:
Give the intended recipient time to clean out his/her mailbox, then resend your message.

Back

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Message Exceeds Maximum Size

----- The following addresses had permanent fatal errors -----

(reason: 552 5.2.3 ... Message size exceeds fixed
maximum message size (80000))

----- Transcript of session follows -----
... while talking to response.ReceiverISP.com.:
>>> MAIL From: SIZE=222751
<<< 552 5.2.3 ... Message size exceeds fixed maximum message size (80000)
554 5.0.0 ... Service unavailable

On many systems the mail server is configured to reject large messages. In the past this was usually done to conserve disk space on the mail server. These days, with an increasing number of maturity-challenged Internet users thinking it is "kewl" to clog up other people's mailboxes with huge junk file attachments, it is often used to prevent users' mailboxes from overflowing their quotas due to stupid childish pranks.

The number in parentheses (80000 in this example) is not always present, but if it is it shows the per-message size limit imposed by the remote mail system, expressed in bytes.

What you should do:
The only solution is to shorten the message and try again. In many cases this means deleting the multi-megabyte file attachment you're trying to send to someone who probably doesn't want it anyway.

Back

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Delivery Deferred, Will Keep Trying

**********************************************
** THIS IS A WARNING MESSAGE ONLY **
** YOU DO NOT NEED TO RESEND YOUR MESSAGE **
**********************************************

----- The following addresses had transient non-fatal errors -----


----- Transcript of session follows -----
... Deferred: Connection refused by ReceiverISP.com.
Warning: message still undelivered after 4 hours
Will keep trying until message is 5 days old

If you see a banner similar to this at the top of a mail delivery error report, it means delivery of your message failed due to a transient (temporary) error. The actual error could be any of a number of things.

What you should do:
Do nothing! The banner means EXACTLY what it says: you DO NOT need to resend your message. The mail system will keep trying once per hour until delivery succeeds or until five days elapse, which ever happens first. If after five days the message still can't be delivered, you'll get another error message like the following example.

Back

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Message Could Not Be Delivered For Five Days

----- The following addresses had permanent fatal errors -----


----- Transcript of session follows -----
... Deferred: Connection refused by ReceiverISP.com.
Message could not be delivered for 5 days
Message will be deleted from queue

The mail server kept trying once an hour for five days but was still unable to deliver the message, so it gave up trying.

What you should do:
Write a letter, make a phone call, send a FAX. You can resend your e-mail if you want to, but if the intended recipient's mail server couldn't be reached for five days on the first attempt, it probably won't be reachable on the second attempt.

Back

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Sender Domain Not Found

----- The following addresses had permanent fatal errors -----


----- Transcript of session follows -----
... while talking to b.mx.ReceiverISP.com.:
>>>MAIL From:
<<<550 ... Sender domain not found in DNS
550 ... Service unavailable

In an attempt to stem the flow of spam e-mail into their systems, many mail systems reject messages where the domain name part of the sender's address (the part after the "@") cannot be found in the DNS. This is effective against some spam because spammers often send out their mass mailings under phony addresses.

However it also turns away messages from legitimate senders whose e-mail addresses are incorrectly entered in their mail programs. In the example above SenderISP.NET customer "jdoe" tried to send a message to jdoe@ReceiverISP.com. However, SenderISP.NET John Doe mistyped the domain name part of his address as "SenderIPS.NET" instead of "SenderISP.NET" when he set up his mail program. The ReceiverISP mail system couldn't find a domain called "SenderIPS.NET" in the DNS, so it rejected the message.

What you should do:
Go into your mail program's setup and make sure your e-mail address is entered correctly, and then resend your message.

Back

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Possible Virus

----- The following addresses had permanent fatal errors -----

(reason: 553 5.0.0 Possible virus, see
http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/w32.sircam.worm@mm.html)

----- Transcript of session follows -----
... while talking to ndmls01.ReceiverISP.net.:
>>>DATA
<<<553 5.0.0 Possible virus, see http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/w32.sircam.worm@mm.html
554 5.0.0 ... Service unavailable

Some mail systems filter out messages that seem to contain viruses. If you receive a delivery error message similar to the one above, it may mean your PC has a virus infection and may be sending out virus-infected e-mail.

What you should do:
Check your computer for virus infections, and remove any that are found. recommends All PCs with Internet connections should have anti-virus software installed. If you already have anti-virus software, make sure you know how to use it, make sure it is configured to scan files as they are downloaded, and make sure you keep its virus description database up to date.

Back


Guidelines For Effective Email Communication:
Email is the most popular Internet application. Over 400 million email boxes exist worldwide. 84 per cent of Internet users use email.

A recent report estimated that over 7 trillion emails were sent worldwide last year! Spam messages are jamming in-boxes across the globe and the average office worker now gets between 60-200 messages a day.

So, with that background, it makes sense that you need to use email effectively, not only to save you time but also to ensure that your messages get read by your audience correctly.
The lack of visual, auditory or physical cues can lead to miscommunication, and as people perceive email as being more like speech than writing there is a greater potential for communication breakdown.

Email is also seen as not being very suitable for conveying very complex information or information that could be misinterpreted.

Meaning can be lost when emails are:
Too brief or abbreviated
Too longwinded
Miscommunication can happen when the sender makes incorrect or inappropriate assumptions, i.e. when the email refers to previous email history that has not been forwarded on or to a conversation that has not directly been referred to.

The following are hints on what to do and what not to do when using e-mail.

BE CONCISE
E-mail is meant to be one of the quickest ways to communicate. It is much more informal than a letter or even phone call. Some people receive hundreds of e-mails a day, so keep e-mail short and to the point. But be aware -rushed messages can lead to bad grammar and miscommunication. Consider using bulleted points to clearly express your thoughts. You'll save time and your reader will appreciate it. Investing extra time while authoring an email pays big dividends by giving your reader a clear understanding of your message.

Useful Subject Lines
A subject line that pertains clearly to the email body will help people mentally shift to the proper context before they read your message. The subject line should be brief , does not need to be a complete sentence, and should give a clue to the contents of the message.

USE THREADS
Threads are a series of responses to an original message. When responding to a message, pursue the thread by replying to the messages instead of starting an entirely new message. Keeping the thread information together makes it easier for the participants to follow the chain of information that has been exchanged. This is most appreciated when responding to a newsgroup or a list serve, which may have multiple discussions occurring simultaneously.

Practice the 24-hour rule when you're upset
It's never a good idea to send an email when you're angry. We've all been guilty of this. In the heat of the moment we type up a literary bombast. If you compose an email in anger, wait a predetermined period of time before sending it. If your emotions are legit, then your issue will still be there tomorrow. But in 95% of the cases, you'll be glad you waited and toned things down after you've gain the perspective that can only come with some additional time.

Answer your email quickly
Recent surveys have shown that a large percentage of email messages either go unanswered or are not responded to timely. Take advantage of this inherent competitive edge you can get. What do you think when someone doesn't respond to your phone messages? It's no different with email.

Attachments
If you are planning to send the attachment, make sure that it is the correct one that corresponds to the email message that you are sending. Wrong attachment leads to wrong understanding. Use proper naming conventions and file extensions to identify your documents. Within your e-mail messages, clearly specify that there is an attachment with its proper file name, application software version, content description and size of the attached file so the recipient can make an immediate judgment as to what will be required to view the file.


Thanks for reading!
Digitizing Factory Team