In this post, I’m going to test your email knowledge, regardless of your email provider (Gmail, Hotmail, AT&T, Comcast, Yahoo, etc.). No, I won’t be collecting your name or your score but I leave you to the honor system as to how well you do!

Password

When it comes to an email password, the easier the better! True or False?

I get it. People will say to me, “I don’t have anything important in my email so I don’t need some complicated password I can’t remember.” Unfortunately, that’s the farthest thing from the truth. Your email account can be a hacker’s paradise! Your email password should be your second strongest password. (Next to your password manager master password.)

“I don’t have an email password.” That’s another statement I hear from people when I set up the new computer they just bought from me. You can’t have an email account without a password. However, people have often chosen the option “Remember my password” when they originally set up their email. Thus, they forget they have a password!

You can learn more about password-related email mistakes by reading my post from October 2021 which you’ll find HERE.

Spam/Junk Email

The best way to get rid of spam emails is to just keep deleting them. True or False?

People complain to me all the time about how much spam/junk email they get. When I ask them, “What do you do with the junk email when you get it?” they often reply, “I delete them.” Unfortunately, deleting them won’t help you cut down on spam (junk) email. You need to mark the email as spam/junk. Every email provider gives you the ability to do that. (If you don’t know how it’s time to learn!!)

By the way, remember that when you mark an email junk, you are adding the email address from which it came to your email’s “black list.” You are not marking the content as junk. I often get the same email from 2, 3, 4, or more different email addresses. I have to mark each of them as junk.

BCC

I know you say to use BCC: when sending to people who don’t know each other but my email doesn’t have a BCC: option. Am I right?

While it’s true that I haven’t seen every email provider’s setup, as of yet I have never seen one that doesn’t allow CC: and BCC:. I do know that with some providers, these two options aren’t as easily seen as with others but they are there. You can learn more about BCC: HERE.

Test Your Email Knowledge – Unsubscribing

It’s safe to unsubscribe to an email list so I stop getting their emails. True or False?

The response to this statement is what I like to call the “Microsoft Response” – it depends! If you are receiving emails from a well-known company (think Macy’s, Home Depot, etc.), and they offer “Unsubscribe” at the bottom of their emails, it’s safe to do so. (We offer that in our emails but why would you want to unsubscribe? 😀)

Unfortunately, the “unsubscribe” option is one of a scammer’s best tools. When you unsubscribe to one of their emails, you are validating your email address and you’ll get more junk from them (and others) rather than fewer.

The rule is: never unsubscribe from an email list to which you didn’t subscribe!

Privacy and Security

Emails between two people are safe so I can share whatever I want. True or False?

Unless you and the person to whom you are sending an email are using an encrypted email service, your emails are anything but secure. I almost pass out when someone sends me an email that contains their credit card information. Never put any information in an email that you wouldn’t be willing to share with the world because there are hackers online scanning emails all the time.

Subjects

What I put in the subject isn’t all that important. True or False?

My response to this statement might be the Microsoft Response. If you are emailing someone who you know receives a ton of emails, then the subject is important. For instance, I receive about 400 business emails a day (let’s not even talk about personal ones). A good subject can help me quickly decide if an email needs my immediate attention or not.

When you write a subject to an email, think of a concise statement that will let the receiver decide the importance. Subjects like “Just saying Hi” and “No rush but when you can…” are great if you don’t need an immediate response. On the other hand, subjects like “Help! Please help!” and “I need a response ASAP” are more likely to get the receiver’s immediate attention.

Test Your Email Knowledge – Conclusion

How did you do? Did you get everything correct? Or, did you learn something new? Feel free to use the comment area below to let me know.