A popular feature of Outlook on an Exchange network is the ability to use public folders. Public folders are
places that a whole group of people can look at and add items to. A public folder may contain a Contact list
that the entire company shares or a Tasks list used by an entire department. You can also create a public
folder that contains messages, a lot like your Inbox, except that everybody can add messages and read the same
set of messages. This kind of arrangement is often called a bulletin board; you post a message, someone
replies to it, a third party then replies to both of you, and so on. It's a method of conducting a group
conversation without having all the parties to the conversation available at the same time.
When you click a public folder, you see a list of items that looks like a list of e-mail messages, except
that all the messages are addressed to the folder rather than to a person. In a public folder, you can add new
items or reply to items that someone else entered.
To view a public folder:
If the Folder List is not already showing, choose View, Folder List or click the Folder List button in the
toolbar or press Alt, V, E.
In the Folder List, there is often a folder called, simply enough, Public Folders. Within this general
folder, companies may have many smaller folders.
Click the name of the folder you want to see.
Double-click the title of any item that you want to view the contents of.