The Email - Lesson 2 Term 1
17/03/2021
Dear Grade 8s
The following lesson is based on the electronic mail or email.
Please take down the notes and complete the exercise in the writing section of your notebook, i.e. where you have completed the diary entry and essay.
What is an email?
Email stands for electronic mail. It is a means of sending messages, text, and computer files between computers via the internet. Email is the most preferred means of communication because it is cheaper and faster. It is used in formal, semi-formal as well as an informal way of expression or writing.
There are advantages and disadvantages of using email:
1. Advantages
• Emails are delivered extremely fast when compared to traditional post.
• Emails can be sent 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
• Webmail means emails can be sent and received from any computer, anywhere in the world, that has an internet connection.
• Cheap - when using broadband, each email sent is effectively free.
• Emails can be sent to one person or several people.
2. Disadvantages
• The recipient (the person who receives the email) needs to have access to the internet to receive email.
• Viruses are easily spread via email attachments (most email providers scan emails for viruses on your behalf).
• Phishing - sending an email to a user falsely claiming to be a legitimate/real company to scam/trick the user into providing information, such as personal information and bank account numbers on a false website. The details will then be used for identity theft.
• No guarantee the mail will be read until the user logs on and checks their email.
• Spam - unwanted email, i.e. junk mail.
Question:
How do you think the disadvantages of using emails can be overcome?
How to write an email:
There are two ways to write the email:
• Formally
• Informally
Format:
The Important steps for writing the email are:
• Subject Line
• Salutation
• Body of the mail
• Closure
Example:
Exercise:
Write an e-mail to your cousin advising him/her how to use the internet. Complete this task in you learner book. You may use the hints given below:
· *Permission from parents before using the internet.
· *Never meet people in real life—May not be as they claim.
· *Ask parents before filling any forms—Never give out credit card-details.
· *Don’t open a mail from an unknown source.
· *Never post photo online
· *Keep your password a secret.
kind Regards
Miss A Govender, Ms R Marian, Mrs B. Jordan & Miss N. Benecke