Setting up Mail Program on MAC (need proofreaders)

[sailships]

Hello, I am not a MAC user, but I am updating some company documentation on how to set up the Mail Program on a MAC.
I found two different answers, but I am not sure if I can eliminate one of these, or even if one of these (or both) is outdated.

I would welcome any input anyone can provide.
Thanks in advance...
----------------------------------------------
Q: How do I setup the Mail Program on MAC OS X (10-10.3)
A:
1. Launch your Mail program
2. Click on "Mail" then go to "Preferences"
3. Click on "Accounts"
4. Under the section that reads "Account Information: you will automatically be set to POP - Fill out the
information that is requested.
5. User name [e-mail]

In the section "Outgoing Mail Server (SMTP)
6. Click on "Server Settings"
7. Select "Password" in authentication
8. User name can be in two formats here. Either @domain.com or %domain.com, the later % usage can be
used to resolve the (POP)ing emails.

OR

Q: How do I change settings or setup an email account on OS Apple Mail?
A:
1. Go to "Mail"
2. Go to "Preference"
3. Go to "Accounts"
4. Under "Account Information", in the lower left hand corner of the window there is a "+" sign click
on that to add an account
5. Else, if an email account setup and you need to make changes follow these instructions.
6. Email address -> their email address
7. Full name -> their name
8. Incoming Mail Server -> mail.thedomain.com
9. User Name -> [e-mail]
10. Password ->

Section Outgoing Mail Server
11. Click the item bar and click "Add Server"
12. Outgoing Mail Server -> mail.thedomain.com
13. Server prot ->
14. Authentication -> none
15. User -> blank
16. pasword -> blank
----------------------------------------------

[dcrombie]

Firstly, it's 'Mac' not 'MAC' ;)

Secondly, because it's a Mac you can actually rely on the internal 'Help' being 'helpful'.

1. Open Mail
2. Choose "Mail Help" from the "Help" menu.

or

1. Choose "Add Account..." from the "File" menu

[sailships]

Thanks for the clarification on the name...

Regarding "Help", I do not have a Mac available to me.
Therefore, relying on the internal 'Help' is not possible for me, otherwise I would have gone there first.

I am updating some company documentation for my employer on how to set up the Mail Program, and so I wanted to consult with actual Mac users since I myself don't have an actual Mac available to me.

Thanks.

[dcrombie]

The exact terminology and steps to take will depend on the version of the operating system. Various changes have taken place in every upgrade (Tiger, Jaguar, Panther, ...).

My point was that there's little point in trying to document all possibilities, especially when the built-in Help is likely to be better than anything you come up with.

In Windoze it's a different story because the help is basically useless ;)

[travelin cat]

sailships,

first of all welcome to ww....

If you are trying to write documentation for anything... you need to understand it fully, in this case you must have a Mac, and you must clarify in your documentation which version of the os the docs are applying to.

If your employer is requiring you to write this, have him purchase a Mac for you... explain to him that it can not properly be done otherwise.

[sailships]

Thanks for the welcome.

We are writing a series of FAQ's for our product.
For the most part, these FAQ's are no larger than a page.

I don't think anyone would find it cost-efficient to purchase a complete machine for 1 or 2 FAQ's.

I was just hoping someone would be willing to glance at the text I provided in my initial post and tell me if it looks correct and/or redundant. I'm not asking anyone to write anything for me, or do anything for me. I just wanted a more Mac-experienced set of eyes to give me some feedback.

Thanks.

[whoisgregg]

Although I understand your reticence to purchase a Mac "just for a FAQ," the real point of buying one is for when your Mac customers want support above and beyond that FAQ you've produced (without ever touching a Mac).

Nothing makes me return a product faster than when the box says "Mac compatible," it isn't, and when I call the support line they tell me they don't even have a Mac or an employee that uses one. I would have preferred they put "Windows only" on the box.

I don't think anyone would find it cost-efficient to purchase a complete machine for 1 or 2 FAQ's.

Incidentally, a brand new Mac starts at $500 and you can get older ones on eBay for as little as $50-$100. Based on the price of your product and your expected sales volume to Mac users, one of those options (if not both) should be an insignificant expense. The purchase will increase the effectiveness of your self-support (FAQ) service and reduce your cost of direct support.

[greg11]

Let me know if you get mail to work on your mac, I had the hardest time. I think it was my smtp settings. I may try and load XP on my snow imac if I can find a copy on dvd -

[travelin cat]

Rather then purchase one, why not go to a local coffee shop, library, school or whatever and sit in front of one for about an hour.....

You truly can not write documentation without knowledge of the product, you will only create animosity amongst your readers when they find incorrect information from what was supposed to be a reliable source...

[sailships]

I'm editing pre-written FAQ's, of which out of several hundred FAQ's there are only 2 or 3 that have to do with MAC's.

I just wanted to consult the MAC community to see if what I had for this particular FAQ was out of date or not.

I was only seeking some friendly proofreaders (see title of thread). I understand each and every point that each of you are making, but I'm also limited to the tools that are available to me. I sincerely thank you for your good intentions and advice, however, some of your comments are simply misguided. As I am sure all of you understand working under deadlines, and under the wishes of those that employ us, I have certain constraints. If this was my own personal project (it isn't), I would love to spend the time really getting to know a Mac. However, since this is someone else's project, if they don't feel that a few hundred dollars or a time investment of becoming proficient at a Mac to be a wise use of time for the end result of 2 or 3 FAQ's.... I have to respect that, (whether I were to agree with it or not). I'd be willing to bet that if our Mac customer base were to demand the kind of support it would require, we would make the investment. However, the case here to have these 2 or 3 FAQ's available for convience.

Thanks for your suggestions. I'm sorry that (it appears) I have ruffled some feathers here.

[microcars]

unfortunately you are going to have to have a few entries in your Mac Mail FAQ because, -as stated- the MAIL program is slightly different depending on which flavor of the OS you are using.

you are not going to be able to come up with a Single FAQ for dummies that covers setting up all versions of MAIL.

I think the best advice would be to post the info for 10.0-10.3 and then include a NOTE that says if this does not match your version of MAIL just consult the Mac HELP section on the Menu bar for further info.

otherwise you are going to have to keep updating the FAQ everytime MAIL changes.

[sailships]

Thank you. That was the sort of insight I was looking for!
I appreciate your taking the time to offer your insight...