November, 2008:

There are several ways to customize an email: you can change the colors, attach a video, modify the background, add a picture, or make a Monk-e-mail. Yes, a Monk-e-Mail: the funny and witty (and free!) video email from Career Builder featuring a virtual chimp that delivers your message like an old school telegram messenger. Here is a step-by-step process on how to send a Monk-e-Mail:

1. Choose your chimp

The first step in building a Monk-e-Mail is to choose your chimp. You have three options here: the Boss, the Co-worker, and the Receptionist.

2. Pick your stuff

After choosing your chimp, the next thing you have to do is to accessorize it. Now this is where the fun actually begins. The “Pick Your Stuff” section has five features: headgear, clothes, stuff, glasses, and places. Here are some of your options for the previously mentioned features:

* Headgear: party hat, square academic cap, studded tiara, white earphones, 17th century wig, and holiday wreath
* Clothes: ball gown, striped golf shirt, Hawaiian shirt, life vest, business suit, and #2 Dad tee
* Stuff: mobile phone, Halloween pumpkin, Cupid’s arrow, four-leaf clover, giant foam finger, red roses, and “Hi Mom” note
* Glasses: aviator shades, Cyclops visor, x-ray glasses, yellow goggles, cucumber slices, and blue eyelashes
* Place: beach resort, office workstation, ball game, restroom urinals, car backseat, prison cell, and pumpkin patch

3. Add your audio

Because Monk-e-mail is a video email, you need to upload an audio file to complete your message. You have four options in adding your Monk-e-mail audio: you can select a pre-recorded message voiced by the chimp (you can choose among four voices: Paul’s, Elizabeth’s, Simon’s, or Kate’s), convert a text message to an audio file, record a voice message via a phone, or record a voice message with a mic.

4. Forward it to your friend

If you are already satisfied with your Monk-e-mail (remember to preview it first!), just click on the “Forward your Monk-e-Mail to a Friend” button and fill-up all the required fields. When you’re done, just click on “Send It!” and it will reach your friend’s inbox in no time!

If telephone numbers are listed on telephone directories, then email addresses are listed on email directories. Well, sort of. Although there is no universal email directory where each and every email address ever created is listed, many websites still contain information on a person’s email address. Here are some tips on how to find somebody’s email address on the Internet:

* Locate via search engines

When you need to look for something on the Internet, the first thing that comes to mind is almost always the use of search engines. The procedure is simple: just enter the name of the person whose email address you are looking for and wait for the search engine to generate the results. If the person has a website, chances are, his or her contact information are included in the About Me or Contact Me webpage. But if that person doesn’t have a personal website, then you should probably try the next tip.

* Find in email directories

Several email directories on the Internet claim to be very useful in helping you find somebody’s email address. Such email directories have search engine-style email directories that you can use to search for somebody’s email address. The usual information that you need to enter to start the search are the person’s first name, last name, and current location.

* Browse through social networking websites

Since a lot of people have accounts on Facebook or MySpace, browsing through different social networking websites might be worth a try. Like in the previous tips, you just need to enter the name of the person to start the search. In many social networking websites, however, the personal information of the users are only available to the people on their friends or contact lists. So if you really want to view the person’s email address, then you should add him or her to be your friend or contact first.

The benefits of emails, believe it or not, have already extended to allowing people to earn educational degrees through online correspondence. Yes, students can now get an MA in marketing or a PhD in archeology by simply exchanging emails with their teachers. This is made possible by online education: the provision of educational instruction using computer technology.

Sending emails

Like traditional educators, teachers in online schools also educate their students through the provision of lectures. But instead of holding formal discussions inside classrooms, the teachers in online schools correspond with their students via email. These emails usually contain attachments such as study modules, study guides, and other study materials. In fact, some teachers in online schools even forward their lectures to their students by sending emails with audio file or video file attachments.

Email is not the only communication tool used in the provision of online education. In some online schools, the teachers and the students also communicate in web forums and newsgroups. There are some instances when they also schedule videoconferencing and teleconferencing classes.

Receiving diplomas

To assess the learning aptitude of the students, teachers in online schools also schedule quizzes and exams for their students. They send exams (also via email) for the students to answer. The students, in turn, have to send back the answered exams to their teachers. Because they are of the “take home” variety, the exams given to the students of online schools are usually answerable by essays or illustrations. If the students managed to pass their exams and submit their projects, the online school will then award them with accredited diplomas.