We're not going into anything major, just some basics. There are tons of search engines out there, but we only need one to learn with. Don't believe everything you read. Verify before you forward.

You'll notice the use of quotes and plus symbols in the searches. Not all search engines work with these, but I always try my searches first this way. If I get the message "Nothing Found" then I remove the plus symbols first, quotes last. The quotes instruct it to look for all the words. The plus symbols tell it to search for that phrase exactly.

We'll use the sulfnbk.exe virus email in our first example. Before you panic and delete the file, then send it out to a hundred or so people, do a search for it. Type in with quotes ..... "sulfnbk.exe" and hit the search/submit button. Your going to find pages and pages containing information regarding this virus hoax. (Search results will open in a new window.)

Don't PANIC if you did delete the file, you didn't ruin your computer. Just follow the instructions to replace it. Sulfnbk.exe is not a file that is absolutely needed to run windows, it has to do with the long filenames. If you have deleted the file sulfnbk.exe from your computer, go here to fix it.

Ok, lets have a go at another, this email has been going around for years. Help! My daughter Kelsey Brooks Jones is missing. You immediately think, "I'd better send this email out to everyone so they know about it." STOP right there .... do a search for her name first. Type in, with quotes and the plus symbol ..... "kelsey+brooks+jones". Your about to find out, she was missing for maybe an hour. Her mother, in a panic, sent out the email, then forgot to let everyone know when the little girl was found. Another missing child hoax is about a nine year old girl name Penny Brown, very similar to the Kelsey Brooks Jones email.
(Try this search without quotes and plus symbols and see what you get.)

I could go on listing all the different email hoaxes that are going around, or have been around but I'd get dizzy. The whole point here is when you get an email that is not from a reputable source, QUESTION IT - don't just go randomly forwarding something you know nothing about. Wonder how many there are, or have been? Check out Urban Legends. You won't believe how many there are and some of them are pretty interesting reading, almost as good as the Darwin Awards.

How many of these have you forwarded? Recognize them? They are all email hoaxes!

5 Cents Per Email -Bill 602P 90# Phone Scam WTC Survivor Picture Applebee Gift Certificates Budweiser Frog Screensaver Virus Slow Dance Free Cell Phone Free GAP Gift Certificate

Disney Email Prizes Needles on Gas Pumps Needles in McDonalds Ball Pits ATM Poisonings Win A Holiday Neiman Marcus Cookie Recipe Febreze Will Kill Your Pets Deadly Toilet Spiders

So now you know about the problems with email, how about that email etiquette? Let's take a look at a few "Email Do's and Dont's".

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