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Script: Managing Sender Identities (Thunderbird)

Overview

This screencast with audio demonstrates how to add a so-called "signature" to outgoing Emails in Mozilla Thunderbird.

Demonstrated are two examples: A simple plain text signature, and a rich-text (HTML) signature that also includes an image (a company logo).

Audio Script

Managing different Identities

1. Explain „Identities“>
   - SHOW: a written letter, with the address written on top.
   Also show the envelope with that address. Point out it does not matter where the letter is posted, you CAN (technically) put a private letter from yourself to your grandma into the corporate outbox!
   - HOW do you tell your email client which From „identity“ to use?
   CONCLUSION:
   - You have more than one email address („identity“)
   - Number or email accounts has nothing to do with it
   - Which outgoing email server you use also has nothing to do with it
   Examples:
   - a private and a corporate address (identity), or several
   - the same address (identity) – but different signatures!
   
   NOTE: Possibly confusing: since technically anything is possible, there ARE setups, for example in corporations with very restrictive policies, where the outgoing mailserver does not accept or changes the From:-address to whatever the organization says it should be, leaving individual users no choice. It's like with business cards: technically you could print your own, it is a question of CORPORATE POLICY, not of technology!, that you have to have a certain design and text on your card.
2. Go to Tools -> Account Settings
   
   POINT OUT: „Default Identity“, button „Manage Identities...“
3. Identity Overview:
   
   Note: if by default new messages are composed in HTML- or in plain-text mode depends on the setting „Composition & Addressing“ -> „Composition“ -> „Compose messages in HTML format“ for the default identity
4. Demonstrate the settings for an identity.
   
5. Demonstrate how when writing a new email changing the identity changes the signature.
6. Demonstrate how when writing a new email changing the identity changes the From address in the email seen by the recipient.