Academics · Adult Learning

A new email account,
set up to last.

An email address is the key to job applications, bills, school and almost every other account. Record what the new account is for and how it is protected (never the password itself), work through seven first steps, and the guide scores the safety settings, checks the address for a job search and prints a card to keep at home.

Set up an accountWhat you get

Accounts

The worked example is made up: a new address for a job search, an older personal account that needs work, and a college account. Saved on this device only; the page never asks for a password.

Loading the account form. If nothing appears, turn on JavaScript.

What you get

Academics · Adult LearningFree

What you finish with
A record per email account: who, when, what it is for and the address; seven safety settings (password length and kind, reuse, where it is kept, two-step sign-in, recovery phone and email); seven first steps; and what to practice next. Scores the safety settings out of seven, checks the address for a birth year or an unprofessional nickname, and prints a setup card without the password.
Who it is for
Adult learners setting up or fixing an email account, and the adult education teachers, librarians and job center staff who help them.
Format
Browser guide with a saved record per account. Prints the setup card, the full record, every account in a table or a blank form; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
Free. No account, no sign-in and nothing to install. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Adult Learning space in Caveat Academics.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Pick what the account is for.
  2. Choose an address you can say aloud.
  3. Set the seven safety settings.
  4. Do the seven first steps.
  5. Print the card and keep it at home.

Set up an account

Keeping an inbox safe

Three things that protect an inboxA long password16 characters or more.Four or five randomwords is easy to typeand remember.Used for this accountonly.Two-step sign-inA code from your phoneafter the password.Stops most break-insthat start with a leakedpassword.A way back inA recovery phone andemail.Backup codes kept onpaper at home.Three things that protect an inboxA long password16 characters or more.Four or five random words is easy to typeand remember.Used for this account only.Two-step sign-inA code from your phone after the password.Stops most break-ins that start with aleaked password.A way back inA recovery phone and email.Backup codes kept on paper at home.
Email can reset almost every other account, so it is the one to protect first.

An address that works

For a job search, a version of your first and last name, such as first.last or first.middle.last, reads well on an application and is easy to say on the phone. Leave out birth years and nicknames. A second, personal address for shopping and sign-ups keeps the job inbox clean.

Where to keep the password

A password manager is the strongest choice. Paper kept at home, away from the computer, is also reasonable; it cannot be stolen over the internet. A photo or a notes app is easy to lose with the phone and is not locked the same way.

Sources

  1. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Secure Our World: Use strong passwords and Turn on multifactor authentication (cisa.gov/secure-our-world).
  2. National Institute of Standards and Technology, SP 800-63B, Digital Identity Guidelines: Authentication and Lifecycle Management.
  3. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Secure Our World: Recognize and report phishing (cisa.gov/secure-our-world).
  4. Federal Trade Commission, consumer advice: How to recognize and avoid phishing scams (consumer.ftc.gov).

The worked example is made up. Settings and menu names differ by email service. This page never asks for or stores a password. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.