Activate a WCC Email Account

Module NA04h

Audience and Objectives
About this Document

Where to begin with this exercise
Step 1: Run your Browser
Step 2: Activate your Account
Step 3: Begin an Email Message
Step 4: Write and Send Email to your Instructor

This module can take you on your first steps using a Washtenaw Community College electronic mail account. It's intended both for those who are just starting to use the Internet, and those who are already proficient. It also takes you through the process of setting up a WCC email account, and using it to send a message to your instructor.

Where to begin with this exercise:

If you have already activated a WCC email account and are familiar with using it, start with Step 4.

If you have already activated your WCC email account, but aren't sure how to use it, start with Step 3.

If you have activated your WCC email account, but have forgotten your user code and/or password,

contact your Instructor, or

ask for assistance in a WCC open lab.

Your account can be reset. Then follow the instructions beginning with Step 2, and you will get a new password.
Note: if you have mail waiting in your account, it will not be lost in this process.

If you have not activated your WCC email account, go to Step 2.

If you are not familiar with browsers, start with Step 1.

Step 1: Run your Browser

If you're not sure how to run a Web browser, use module NA03c "How to Get Started with a Web Browser" to get started.

Step 2: Activate your Account

In order to send and receive electronic mail (email) you have to have an account on an email "server". This gives you a unique electronic address, which others can use to send you mail. An email server is a computer that is ready at all times to send and receive mail for you. You can check the server to see if any new mail has arrived for you.

Washtenaw Community College has set up a server so that all students can send and receive electronic mail. In order to use this server, you have to activate your account - let the server know you want to be able to send and receive email.

If you have already activated your WCC email account, you can skip to Step 3.
If you have activated your WCC email account, but have forgotten your user code and/or password,
- contact your Instructor, or
- ask for assistance in a WCC open lab.
Your account can be reset. Then follow the instructions beginning with Step 2, and you will get a new password.
Note: if you have mail waiting in your account, it will not be lost in this process.

We access our account by means of the World Wide Web browser - that includes activating, sending, and receiving email. To do that, you have to point your browser to the right address:

https://www.wccnet.org/computingatwcc/ If you are reading this document using a browser, you can point the pointer using the mouse, click, and you should find yourself looking at the WCC mail Web site. You can also type the address (URL) into your browser's Location window anytime, anywhere, with any browser. You should see a Web page like this:

To activate your account, you will need to point with your mouse to the words:

on the WCC Email Services page. You should soon see an electronic form on your screen, where you can type in your name (as it appears on your student ID card or on a class list) and your student ID number.

Clicking the Send button on the screen with your mouse will get you to the next step, which is to read about your rights and responsibilities with electronic mail. Please read this carefully: you will need to agree to this document by clicking a button. This is the legal equivalent of signing the document.

When you have agreed, your name and student ID will be checked by the computer to make sure you are a registered student.

If there is a problem:

If there is still a problem,

If you succeed:

account number

password

Tip: use Copy and Paste to get the password from the screen the first time!
Here's how:

Use your mouse to highlight the password - wipe from one side of the password to the other, holding down the mouse button. It should turn to some contrasting color, such as white on blue.
From the browser's Edit menu, select Copy. You won't see any changes, but the computer will temporarily "remember" the password.
When you are ready to enter the password next time you log on, click in the password box and use the browser's Edit menu again, this time selecting Paste. This should pop the password in, but you'll only see a row of asterisks *****.

You now have an email address at WCC! It's your user code followed by @stu.wccnet.org. For example:

Step 3: Begin an Email Message

Once your account is active, you'll want to try it out!

Return to the WCC Email Services page and click on the words:

You should see a screen with a username and password prompt:

Use your mouse to click on the Username box. Type your personal ID.
Press the <Tab> key to move to the Password box. Type in your password. You will only see asterisks ***** as you type, so type very carefully. Use CAPITAL and lowercase letters exactly as they were shown on the screen.

Tip: using Copy and Paste to get the password into the Password box
If you used Edit...Copy to copy the password, here's how you get it back again:

When you are ready to enter the password next time you log on, click in the password box
Use the browser's Edit menu again, this time selecting Paste. This should pop the password in, but you'll only see a row of asterisks *****.

When your user ID and password are in, click the button to .
Find the option list at the left side of the screen. Click on the option to send a message:

Step 4: Send Email to your Instructor

Please send your instructor email, telling him or her about yourself.

In the TO box, type your instructor's address
In the SUBJECT box, type your name, class, section, and Exercise NW1
In the large box ("Body"), write a note to your instructor. Tell something about yourself that's different from most people, so your instructor will know what's unique about you. Also tell the instructor what experience you have using computers, especially the Internet and the World Wide Web.
Read over your note to be sure everything is OK. Make corrections if necessary, using the mouse to point to errors and the Backspace or Delete key to get rid of unwanted letters or symbols. Here is an example (don't copy it - just use it for inspiration!):

To: krieg@wccnet.edu
Subj: Sarah Strong, INP 159 sec. A1, Ex. NA20c

Hi, Dr. Krieg!

My name is Sarah Strong, and I'm taking this class because it's required for my Fire Protection degree. Even so, I'm beginning to enjoy it.

I'd like you to know that I'm a single mother, twenty-something years old ;) with six children. I keep real busy, but I love coming to school. It's great to have some time away from the kids once in a while!

I've used computers a little to do email and browse the Web. I especially enjoy going to eBay!

See you in class! - Sarah =)

When you're ready, Click the Send button.

When you use a Web browser (such as Netscape or Internet Explorer) to read your email, always be sure to exit completely from the browser when you leave! If you don't, it's possible that someone might be able to get into your email account, read your mail, and send mail using your identity. We take steps to prevent this at WCC, but you need to do your part, too.

Check your mail regularly!

To get much good out of email, you have to get in the habit of checking it regularly. It's easy to do - just return to the WCC Email page, enter your ID and password, and click on

. You'll get a response to the note you send your instructor, and of course if you have any friends with email you can write to them.

One of the nice things about email is that your return address is always included, so by writing to someone, you're giving them an easy way to write to you.

Forwarding Your WCC Student Email

Many people enjoy the convenience of WCC's free email service, since it gives them a way of keeping college-related email separate from personal and business mail. Others prefer to use one central email service so they don't have multiple places to check for mail. If that's the case for you, you can easily have your WCC student email forwarded to another email address. Just click the "Forward Your E-mail to Another Account" link at the bottom of the mail page and follow the on-screen instructions, or click here. Note to Hotmail users: if you've set your junk-mail filter to exclude all but specified domains, be sure to enter wccnet.org and wccnet.edu on your "Safe List" (under Options).

Audience: This is for Washtenaw Community College students who know how to use computers and want to activate their WCC electronic mail (email) account.
Objectives: When you successfully complete this lesson, you will be able to...

Run a Web browser
Activate a WCC email account
Send email to your instructor via the WCC account

About this document...
Module NA04h: This document is part of a modular instruction series in computer technology. For more information, see the overview or the list of modules in this series, NA: Network Applications. CIS 100, CIS 101, INP 100, INP 150, INP 159, INP 160.

Author: Laurence J. Krieg
Institution: Internet Professional Department, Washtenaw Community College
History: Original: October 2000; This revision Monday, 31-Aug-2009 11:47:59 EDT
Copyright © 2004, Laurence J. Krieg, Washtenaw Community College

Instructors: You may point to this file in your Web-based materials.
Students: you may make a copy for your personal use.
All other uses: contact the author, Laurence J. Krieg for permission.