How to Know When to Forward an Email

We have all gotten emails forwarded from someone telling you the latest virus warning that will cause horrible damage to your computer or warnings about the latest attempts to harm a person. How many times have you gotten an email that you had to click on 10 different pages to actually read the darn thing? Here is the way to forward your email and also determine if it is worth forwarding.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Internet connection (duh)
• Time to investigate (only takes a minute)
• Common Sense (Stick with your gut feeling)

1. Check It Out
   
   When you receive an email telling you some warning and that you should forward it to all your friends and relatives, don't do it until you check it out. Snopes.com is where to go to investigate. This site can tell you whether or not the email is true. It will give you (9 times out of 10) the identical email you received and then explain why or why it isn't true. A lot of times the emails are based on a bit of truth and then have become blown out of proportion. Just like when you were in school and played the game where everyone sat in a circle and one person told something to the next person. It was then repeated from person to person and by the time it got to the last person, what had been said to begin with was no longer what was being repeated.
   
   This applies to all the emails you get about viruses, missing children, science projects, get a free gift card from Applebees, etc.
2. Chain emails
   
   Please don't buy into them! Your hair is not going to fall it if you don't send it to 20 people. Neither will your wish come true. Bad luck has not befallen someone who did not send it on.
   
   Okay, I admit I have been guilty of not using common sense! I even tell the people that I am forwarding the email to that I am sorry for sending it because I know that it is not true but I couldn't take the chance! It was wishful thinking on my part that if I sent it on, I would win the lottery! Not going to happen! You may win the lottery but it is not because of the Irish Luck chain mail you forwarded.
3. Common Courtesy
   
   I love to get the cutsy emails with the pictures of fluffy animals or beautiful pictures from around the world. I don't love them enough to wait 2 hours for it to download. Yes, good people, there are still some of us here in Dial-Up World! I wish I wasn't but it is all that is available in my area. If you are going to be sending these emails, ask the people you are sending it to PRIOR to your doing it, if they want to receive them. Go ahead and ask everyone on your list and then make a contact list strictly for those wanting to receive them. This goes for all of your forwarded emails, not just the large ones. Many people HATE getting those but they will not tell you to not send them.
4. Forward from the Original Email
   
   When you get an email that has been forwarded 20 times and you have to open each page, don't add another one. If you must forward it, forward from the original page. It saves everyone a lot of time and frustration.
5. Don't Give Out Others Email Addresses
   
   When you send an email to multiple people, do not use the 'To' field in the email. Use the 'BCC' (blind carbon copy) field. You will find it by clicking on 'Tools' section of your new email. Then click 'Select Recipients'. There you will find all of your addresses on the left and the 'To', 'CC', and 'BCC' fields on the right. Check your intended recipients and then click on 'BCC'. It will read 'Undisclosed Recipients' in the 'To' section of your email.

Tips & Warnings

• Do ask if people want to receive the forwarded emails. No matter how much you enjoy them, there are many who do not. When you send them often, some people may ignore an email that is actually important simply because you have sent so much "crap" in the past.
• Do check out emails at Snopes.com! Especially during election times. So much made up stuff is sent about candidates that just isn't true.