I send files only in the simplest level that is needed.

• If the message is text less than a page or so and the formatting of the information isn't important, I usually "copy and paste" and just put the text into the body of an email message and don't use an attachment at all. This is a very safe method and doesn't even raise the issue of whether viruses might be present.
• If I want the formatting from Word, but haven't created macros in my Word file (or if my recipient doesn't need them), then I convert it to "Rich Text Format" (extension .rtf). The document will look the same. Files saved in .rtf format are quite safe.
• From my Excel file, I "copy and paste" the information into a Word document and then save it as .rtf.
• If my colleague really needs the macros, then I make sure that I have an updated virus protection program running on my computer so that I don't inadvertently distribute a virus.

As a general rule, I prefer to create a file, post it on the web, and then send people an email message telling them where to find it. This assures them that the file is really from me, since no one else has access to my web page. (As we have seen with the recent viruses, not all of us are in as much control of the email messages sent out in our name as we'd like.)

The IT folks have reminded me about an added benefit to posting the material to a web page. If I need to show a fairly large file (200 K) to 15 people, to send it as an attachment takes 200x15=3000 K of space on email servers, but only about 1K each (1x15=15K) to send the message saying where to look on the web. Such savings are even more dramatic if I'm sending it to more than 15 people.

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Last updated May 7, 2000. Mary Parker