Tech Tips: USB Cables Usage, Email Communications Guidelines

November 3, 2020

Tech Tip of the Week

Do you use any USB cables to connect a device to your computer? Sure you do. Plugging them in should be a no-brainer, but how many times do you get it right on the first try? Here’s an easy way to ensure you never have to guess again. Pick up a USB cable. See the USB symbol? It’s only on one side. Keep that on top, and you’re plugging it in correctly. If you’re plugging in vertically, the symbol should face you. Try it – works every time.

DUSON Email Guidelines

Everyone knows that email is an essential form of communication at DUSON. In a recent meeting working through preparations for the spring semester, our DUSON student representatives recommended that we outline some basic guidelines for email communication. SON-IT and the DUSON Marketing & Communications teams have worked together to come up with the following guidance for email communication within the school.

Duke Email Basics 

For basic information about your email account, here is our recent Tech Tuesday with a summary of your email account. Need some help managing your inbox? Try LinkedIn Learning. They offer free training for several methods of inbox organization, including the currently popular Inbox Zero. For more information about LinkedIn Learning, check out our recent Tech Tuesday with all you need to know.

DUSON Email Guidelines

Here are some DUSON community email guidelines that will help make our email communications within DUSON more efficient

The High Priority Flag

The high priority flag should only be used for an urgent communication that requires an immediate response. Particularly with students, please do not use the high priority flag to raise the importance of a routine message. Need a response? Why not put that in the subject line? That’s a more visible way to deliver the message (see Subject Line below).

The Address Line

  • Need a response from someone? Add them in the “To:” field;
  • No response needed? Add them in the “Cc” box;  
  • If you need to send to a large group, consider using the “Bcc” for addressing.
    • It is a courtesy to recipients and shows that you respect their time by not having their email clogged with all those Reply All responses.

The Subject Line

  • Always make sure the subject line matches the email content;
    • If you are replying and you notice the subject line no longer works, your recipients will appreciate your thoughtfulness in updating it;
  • Include Action Required if what you’re sending needs some type of response;
    • Too strong? Use Action Requested instead;
  • Is it time-sensitive? Try something like Read & respond prior to November 3, 2020.
    • Especially if you are sending to students.
  • If you are sending sensitive information outside of Duke, include [Send Secure] in the Subject Line;
    • For more information about secure email, check out this Tech Tuesday article;
  • Personal emails to DUSON email lists - We discourage members of the DUSON community from sending personal communications addressed to the DUSON email lists. If you must send a personal note to a DUSON email list, place the word Spam as the first word in the subject line. That provides enough information for those who prefer not to read it to simply delete it.

Email Signatures

Email signatures provide a professional, uniform way to share your name, title and contact information with email recipients. Duke neither requires them nor regulates their use. Click here for directions on how to create your own email signature.

Attachments

  • Is that attachment necessary? If the email is staying within DUSON, consider placing the document on a shared folder and send a link. It helps cut down on network traffic.
  • Make sure your attachment matches your audience. Check to make sure you aren’t sending sensitive information to recipients who do not need to see it.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Can I forward my Duke email to my Gmail account?
    • No. It’s a security risk.
  • What happens to my email after I graduate?
    • Duke graduates can use their NetIDs and Duke email for one year after graduation. After that year, the account will expire and all associated accounts, including e-mail addresses, mailboxes, e-mail forwarding and personal file storage space will be deleted. If you are a former Duke employee, your DHE/NETID account will expire after graduation.
  • What if I’m a staff or faculty member? What happens to my email when I leave Duke?
    • When you leave Duke, your email file is deleted. There is no option for keeping your email file open and/or forwarding your mail to your new position outside of Duke. You are authorized to make a backup copy of your email file – it’s easiest through Outlook and if you need assistance, please contact the IT Service Desk at least one week before leaving.
  • Who has access to my email? 
    • Only you. If you and your supervisor agree, there is a process by which your supervisor can obtain a copy of your email file for business purposes if you should leave. This requires a strong business case and multiple levels of approval.
  • How do I recall a message that I mistakenly sent?
    • You can read all about Message Recall options by reviewing this linked edition of Tech Tuesday.

Extra Credit

For a summary of published guidelines at Duke that can help you understand appropriate use of your email account, here are some documents that can help:

Have any questions about this or other tech used at DUSON? As always, if you have any technical questions or problems, please contact your IT Service Desk at 919-684-9200 or email to SONIT-Support@Duke.edu. 

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