Related Resources • More Organization Tips • Protecting Yourself from Spam

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You've finally made the plunge and gotten your email organized. Important genealogy contacts and information are safely tucked into folders and email filters are now helping to keep things organized. What else could possibly need to be done, you ask?

Have you ever thought about how you would feel if you started your email client one day, only to find all of your neat and tidy folders empty? I know I would be devastated. Yet computer failure, whether as the result of a malicious virus, software error, or hardware malfunction, can happen at any time - taking with it all of your cherished email files. Recovering these files can be a frustrating and time-consuming endeavor, and may be impossible. To prevent the loss of your valuable messages and contacts, it is imperative that you regularly back up your email. Begin today by making hard copy printouts of any especially important emails and filing them with your other genealogical data. This is especially important for those of you who use a Web-based email client like Hotmail. Then take some time and learn how to make backup, or duplicate, copies of your email folders and files in a secondary location, such as a floppy disk, a recordable CD, or even online. You'll be glad that you did someday.

How to...

Back Up Eudora Mailboxes and Files

Backup Email Messages in Netscape

Outlook Backup Tutorial

Outlook Express Backup Tutorial

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