E-mail basics

1. Use the "Reply" button when replying to a message. If somebody on the list says something interesting that you would like to reply to, it is not necessary to create a new message, you can simply click your e-mail program's "Reply" button. When you click the button, a new message will appear with the original text. You can then add your own text, as described below.
   
   
2. Inserting your comments into a reply. You have two options when replying to a message. You can either enter your comments at the top of the message, or you can intersperse your comments with the original text. You should probably choose the latter option if you are replying to several points. In either case, if you want to insert text at a specific location, you can use your mouse or the arrow keys on your keyboard to move the cursor to the position where you want to insert your text.
   
   
3. "Trimming" your reply. As mentioned on the E-mail Etiquette page, it is a good idea to remove any text that you are not referencing in your reply. To do so, select a block of text with your mouse (place the mouse at the beginning of the block that you wish to delete. Then hold down the left mouse button and drag down until everything that you wish to delete shows up in color), then press the "Backspace" or "Delete" key.
   
   
4. Changing the subject line of your reply. If you reply to a message, but your reply changes the subject of conversation, it is usually a good idea to change the subject line of your message. To do so, use your mouse to select the entire text of the "Subject" line (place the mouse at the end of the line. Then hold down the left mouse button and drag across the line until everything that you wish to delete shows up in color), then type your new subject line, replacing the old text.
   
   
5. Copying and pasting text. You may occasionally find some interesting text on the web or in a document that you would like to share with the list. The clipboard makes it easy to copy text from another application or e-mail message, and paste it into your message. To copy text to the clipboard, use the mouse to select the text that you're interested in, click the "Edit" menu, then click the "Copy" menu item. After switching over to your e-mail message window, use the mouse to insert the cursor at the position where you want the text to appear, Click the "Edit" menu, then click the "Paste" menu item. The text should now appear in your message.
   
   

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