I like to share digital pictures and videos with friends and family. Sometimes, though, I have problems e-mailing them. Are there any tricks I should know about doing this?
    Pictures and e-mail have been a staple of the Internet for years. But as you've experienced, the two technologies don't always get along. The single biggest problem is the physical size of picture files. Digital cameras can easily generate picture and video files exceeding 2-3 megabytes in size (contrasted with size of a typical e-mail text message which runs less than 10 percent of that amount). Many e-mail providers build in limits to the combined size of e-mail text and attachments (pictures in this case). That limit is typically 5-10 megabytes per message. Any message larger than the provider's limit will never leave your outbox. Depending on the software you use for e-mail, you may or may not get an error message advising of the problem. Your e-mail just stops working.
   Once a message gets stalled in your outbox, any later messages you attempt to send will end up queued up behind the oversized message and will be blocked from transmission until the issue is resolved! Resolution involves selecting and deleting the stalled message from your outbox to free up any queued messages behind it and creating a new message that doesn't exceed your e-mail provider's size limit. Usually, limiting the number of picture or video attachments to one or two will stay below the maximum size threshold. There also is software available that allow you to trim the physical size of digital files (though sometimes at a cost of lower image quality). Software also exists that use technology literally to compress files to varying degrees with no loss of image quality. With practice, trimming and compressing files for e-mail transmission allows more attachments per message without exceeding provider size limitations.
   We can help you avoid problems sharing digital pictures and video with friends out on the Internet, including ways to share such material without even using e-mail!

I'm seeing an increase in the number of messages I get advising of problems with my e-mail account asking me verify my account and warning of imminent closure of the account if I do not do so. Should I follow the instructions?
    The answer is a loud and resounding "No!" Under no circumstances should you ever click on a link in an e-mail purporting to need you to verify your e-mail username or password! While many messages of this type may look legitimate, they are always bogus attempts to steal your Internet identity. Worse, many of these 'phishing' e-mails will lead you to a site not only requesting verification of your e-mail credentials but also seeking credit card and other personal information.
   If you are using the e-mail service that came with your Internet provider (AT&T, NCTV, Comcast, Innovanet, etc.), the only way you should ever receive any communication regarding e-mail problems or changes is the U.S Postal Service to your physical address of record. If you are using a free e-mail service like Gmail or Hotmail that does not have your physical address on file, you need to be even more wary of any verification-type request. If a free e-mail service needs to contact you about your account, typically that communication will be sent to an alternate e-mail address you provided when you originally set up the account. This is good reason to have a truly private e-mail address which is only used for such purposes.
    E-mail is inherently a very insecure mode of communications and it is always a good idea to be very suspicious of any e-mail message that seeks any kind of personal information, especially if the message contains any type of implied threat for non-compliance. We will gladly help guide your response to any security-related issues arising from e-mail.

I only have one e-mail address and you are suggesting that I have more than one. How do I do that?
   Setting up and using more than one e-mail address is usually not difficult, and there are a number of very good reasons to have more than one address. Most Internet providers let you establish a permanent primary e-mail address and frequently up to a dozen or so secondary address that can come and go at your discretion at no extra cost. In most cases you go to the provider's website, log in with your primary e-mail address and password and navigate to a page which allows creation of secondary sub-accounts with their own credentials. Sometimes the only real challenge is coming up with a new e-mail username that isn't already in use by someone else!
   Terri and I both have multiple e-mail addresses for specific purposes. We have addresses through AT&T for personal communications, addresses at oneclickwonders.com for contact with our clients (and each other about OCW-related business), plus other accounts used solely for special purposes like Internet purchases, hobby activities, entertainment, etc. Having multiple addresses can make checking e-mail first thing in the morning a little more daunting but it does allow segregation of mail by relative importance. And by keeping one address private, security of all e-mail is a bit easier to manage. If one of the other accounts becomes the target of spammers or other trash, there's always the option of deleting it entirely without penalty and establishing a replacement.
    We can walk you through the process of establishing secondary accounts, either through your Internet provider or through another service such as Gmail. We can also help you figure out the best way to manage all of your e-mail accounts.