DTP Associations DTP Magazines Recommended Books Web Design Resources Software Links DTP Training WebLinks Download our HTML Tutorial (email for info) Email Netiquette Smilies & Shorthand Internet Glossary Don't use FWD in AOL Stop the Junk Email CyberMyths Humorous Articles SyQuest FAQ/SCSI CellPhone Buy Tips Kass Bio Consulting Presentations Tech Writing Samples Fire! VV Yard Sale Christmas Lights (The Flamingos!)

Don't use the FORWARD command in AOL! • To read this page OFFLINE: (In your browser, in its formatted style...) Save As or export as "source" format. Then "open file" within your browser software offline. • To PRINT this page from your browser: We recommend an 80% reduction to easily fit standard 8.5 x 11" page width. by Kass Johns (originally written 1/99 for http://www.kassj.com) Have you ever received a forwarded joke or email from someone on AOL, only to realize the whole message is full of garbage, automatic quotes (>>), duplication, and all the email addresses of everyone else who ever received that message? Experienced Internet email users become frustrated with AOL-users who send "forwarded" email from someone else. They do not know, or realize that using the "Forward" command in AOL automatically pastes the ENTIRE message into anything they mail to the next person or persons. When using the "forward" command, the AOL user sees a simple blank box. This box is to ADD comments onto the message you are forwarding. The ENTIRE forwarded message will then be pasted in (invisibly to the AOL sender) upon the send command. So, you not only receive the newly typed (or pasted) message, but also, the entire message that AOL user is now forarding to you. Nobody likes to gets miles of forwarded header along with >> (quotes) by the ton. Also, most folks do NOT want their email address sent all over the globe! It's right there in the headers you forward. That's one way spammers get your email address (for junk email), culling them out of these forwarded headers. If you wish to "forward" something to someone else and you have an AOL account... Copy and Paste the desired text into a NEW message, not a forwarded message. Please do this and the email users of the world will Thank You! Forwarding messages in the forward command could also result in hostilities if a personal comment was sent to you "for your eyes only" and you then forward what you think is just part of the message to other people. They too will see the personal message to you because the WHOLE message is forwarded! DON'T USE THE FORWARD COMMAND! When you access the "forward" command, a new email box appears. You put the email addresses you want to send to in there. Also, this blank message area appears. Many users assume this blank box means that the body of the message will be blank unless they fill it with the stuff they want to forward. So, they paste in the info they want to forward, in reality, adding the pasted copy to the top of the already forwarding piece. This, results in duplicating the mesage (yet again) in the body of the sent message. When you realize that most AOL users do this and forward it to their other AOL friends, this results in the original message repeating about 4 or 5 times. Plus all those duplicated "quote" marks (>>)... So, if you use AOL, please don't use FORWARD! On behalf of every Internet email user on the planet, Thank You!    More Email Netiquette and Novice Information: [ Email Netiquette ] [ CyberMyths Debunked ] [ Don't use AOL's "Forward" Command ] [ Emoticons (Smilies) & Shorthand (Abbreviations) ] [ Stop The Junk Email! ] [ Programmer's Paradise Glossary ] © Copyright 1996-2001 by Kass Johns, all rights reserved world wide. The opinions and recommendations stated here are solely those of the author and are not the responsibility of anyone else. This is an independent publication not affiliated or otherwise associated with, sponsored by, or sanctioned by any vendor. We state here that we have used trademark names in this publication for editorial purposes only, with no intent to infringe on those trademarks. Permission is granted to copy this document for personal use only for *non-commercial* purposes, in electronic or printed form, provided that this copyright notice is not removed. This work may not be used on another Web site or online service, sold for profit, included within commercial works, or altered or changed in any way without the express written permission of the author.