Q. I don't like tying up my 'phone line when writing or reading email messages. What can I do?

A. Most modern email programs, including Outlook Express, Thunderbird, Incredimail, etc., allow you to "work offline" while reading or writing mail.
For email, you hardly need to be online at all. (If you're a text-only member using PINE, or if you're using Webmail, you must be online to write mail messages, but there's a workaround even for that - see below).


Q. How do I work offline?

A.   To read already-downloaded mail, or compose new mail before connecting, click the [Work Offline] button if the dialup connection pops up when you start Outlook Express. (Some versions have a [Cancel] button, and some versions display an error message - just close it.)

  Mail you have downloaded previously is already on your computer, so there's no need to connect to the Internet to read it.
  You can compose all the messages you wish while offline, then connect to the Community Network to send all outbound mail and check for new mail at the same time. This normally takes only a short time, after which you can disconnect.


Q. If I'm working offline, how do I send the messages I've composed, and check for new mail?

A. Click the "Send/Receive" button in the Toolbar. If you're working offline, Outlook Express will ask if you want to go online. Click "Yes": the dialup connection appears; proceed as usual.
Outlook Express will automatically send all mail waiting in your Outbox and then download any new mail that may be waiting for you on our mailserver.


Q. I've done that, and now I want to free up my 'phone line while I read my mail. Can I disconnect without closing Outlook Express & starting over?

A. Yes. After you're connected, you should always see a little icon in the Taskbar tray beside the clock (usually in the lower right corner of your screen). It usually looks like two small linked computers with greenish screens. Right-click or double-click that icon, then click "Disconnect".
   It's also possible to instruct Outlook Express to disconnect automatically each time you check mail. Make sure you really want to do this before changing settings, since Outlook Express will disconnect even if there's no new mail. Outlook Express will remember this setting thereafter!
If your connection is dropped every time you check mail, click Tools | Options | Connection tab; remove the checkmark beside "Disconnect when finished...", click Apply and OK.


Q. I want to read & write mail offline routinely, without the nuisance of canceling the dialup connection every time. I want to decide when to go online. Is that possible?

A. Yes. Click "Tools" in the Menu Bar, then "Options". Remove the checkmark from "Send and receive messages at startup", and from "Check for new messages every ...". Click [Apply] and [OK].
Remember that the magic button to go online is "Send/Receive".


Q. I have multiple accounts in Outlook Express for other family members. Can I check mail for just one account without the nuisance of canceling the popups for other accounts?

A. Yes. Click the little drop-down arrow beside the "Send/Receive" button & select the operation you want.


Q. I don't really understand what's going on here. Could you explain?

A. Email and regular postal mail have a lot of similarities. When someone sends you a regular letter, the postie delivers it to your mailbox. You go and physically open the mailbox, collect the mail, and take it home.

   In our analogy, the BEC Community Network has a special computer that serves as a mailbox for you - it stores messages as they arrive. When you want to check for new email, you connect to the mailserver via 'phone line instead of physically going to your mailbox.
  You must provide a "key" to your mailbox - your password - either by typing it in manually or by asking your computer to remember it for you.
  If there's new mail waiting for you, it is transferred automatically (downloaded) to your Inbox in Outlook Express. This is analogous to bringing your regular mail home - it's no longer in the mailbox [mailserver], and you can read it any time without having to go back to the mailbox [no need to connect again to see it].

   When you write letters, you probably don't rush out to the mailbox to post each letter as you finish it - you would complete writing them all before going to the mailbox. In fact, if you write your email messages while online, it's like standing outside at the postal box while you write your letters.

   Instead, compose your email messages while you're offline. Each time you complete a message and click "Send", it goes into the Outbox. This is like a temporary holding area, which will collect all the mail you want to send. (It's similar to you writing real letters at your desk, then putting them in a pile by the door so you remember to post them when you go out.) Outlook Express might remind you this is happening each time you send.

   When you're ready to really send them out, click the "Send/Receive" button. When you go online, Outlook Express checks the Outbox & sends the contents. You can verify that the messages have been sent: if they appear in your Sent Mail folder, they were successfully sent.

  Note that, just like regular postal mail, the fact that a message was successfully sent does not necessarily mean that it will be successfully delivered.


Q. You said there's a workaround for PINE & Webmail users ... ?

A. You can write your message offline in any word processor. Copy the message, then connect as usual. When you're in your new message screen, paste the copied text into the message area, type in the address & subject line, and send as usual. Various mail programs require different methods for the paste operation - use the method appropriate for the program you use. (This method works for Outlook Express too, but is unnecessary.)