*** GENERAL ***
Electronic Mail or Email, only few years back, was reserved for the
scientific and technical communication world. Today, in the 2000's, nearly
anyone can gain access to some form of email.
Some forms of behavior are going to be suggested that are desirable in the
email world to keep it from disintegrating into throwing rocks and shouting
obscenities as alternatives to friendly communication.
These suggestions are collected from people who have experience in this world
and can speak with authority, but, they can only suggest behavior, not dictate
it. There is no "email police".
Above most other characteristics, one strives for clarity and simplicity in
communication. To that end, these guidelines and suggestions may be helpful.
The programs for creating, editing, embellishing and sending email are as
numerous and variable as any kind of office equipment. Some have advantages
over others. That advantage is usually your opinion...
*** SOME BASIC DO'S AND DON'TS ***
[With some misgivings about ALWAYS and NEVER: none of
this is written in stone, nor should it be.]
* For your email name, use your correct name or a familiar nickname.
It is cute to use some nonsense nickname if you are in kindergarten.
After that, only your close friends, relatives, and lovers should
call you by a name that has nothing to do with your legal name. If
you have been known as "Slick" or "Bubba" all your life, okay, but
not if you are now an old lady or president of your company! No
stockholder wants a CEO, or their physician, to be named "Slick"!
Do us all a big favor: use your real name!
* If you insist on using your "cutesy" name, include your real name
along with it somewhere in the message. And...Few things are more
annoying than getting three messages from three different people,
all signing themselves as "me" or "Guess Who?"..
Example:
The address <BigKahuna@aol.com> has far less useful information
than if written "John Smith" <BigKahuna@aol.com>
*** SUBJECT LINES ***
* The rules for subject lines vary widely. There are good reasons
for subject lines in business emails, but not all that much in
personal notes... so....be reasonable...
* ALWAYS include a meaningful subject line in your message. (ALWAYS
means ALWAYS. Many automatic filters are set to toss any email with
no subject line...) Meaningful means different things to different
people. If you don't have some kind of agreement with your
addressee, then use the actual subject. NEVER leave the subject
line empty. It will be helpful for organizing your messages and
recovering them when needed. Helps the addressee too!
* The subject line should be as specific as a few words can make it.
It isn't helpful to put "stuff" or "response" in the subject line.
Adding a date always helps, but may be redundant, eg, "stuff
01/08/05" or "response 01/08/05". One word is rarely sufficient or
helpful.
* Most emailers allow you to REPLY to a message. This means a new
message is created with the incoming text included, to which you
add a message. This is VERY helpful when tracking repeated
interchanges on an issue or project...
*** MESSAGE LENGTH ***
* Keep your BUSINESS email succinct, eg, short and to the point. Keep
your sentences in the email brief and to the point... Your addressees
will be more likely to read it and respond to it than if they have
a 'book' to wade through to abstract the real meaning of the message.
* Personal email is quite another thing. Short is okay, but not
terse. And if you feel like going on and on, that's between you
and your addressee...
* If you need to discuss or ask about a variety of subjects, try to
make obvious divisions in the text. If you have a LOT to write, go
to paper mail ('snailmail') OR more than one email. Maybe even an
ATTACHMENT.
* Don't type your message in ALL UPPER CASE CHARACTERS. It is
difficult for most people to read and it removes the opportunity to
use upper case for emphasis of a word or phrase. In the cyberworld,
UPPER CASE is the equivalent of shouting...
* You can use more than one space between topics. You might consider
using a string of asterisks between different topics. But don't
over use this device.
* Proofread your finished letter... ALWAYS.
* Use correct grammar and spelling and punctuation. A misspelled word
or poorly written thought may confuse your recipient. Poor spelling
and grammar are more difficult to read than properly written notes.
Certainly you MAY be able to get your message across with poor
spelling and grammar, but you are also sending another message:
that spelling and grammar isn't important to you. The latter
message may be the only one gotten. There is no excuse for such
lapses in business or personal communications... Spellchecking
alone is not enough. If your message is important enough to email,
then it's important enough to write correctly.
* The lack of face-to-face contact when using email may lead to
misunderstandings. Body language is missing in the written word.
Be careful of your sarcasm, innuendos, and jokes. They may amuse
when seen or heard, but OFFEND when written.
* Before writing an admonitory or argumentative email, think about
it. Write it, then leave it alone for an hour. Have a snack. Have a
cup of tea. Come back to it and read it over again before sending
it. Words can hurt even when you don't intend it... Such hurtful
words and responses to them are called FLAMES and they are to be
avoided if possible. Don't respond to them. You can only win by NOT
responding.
* Most emailers support HTML now. That's the script that when
translated by your emailer, creates fancy text in bold, color,
italics, etc, print. Just make sure that your addressee can and
will accept such fancy formatting in your communication.
Rationally, none of that can usually clarify or improve a letter...
email or written! Stick to plain text!
* There are some programs available for creating "fancy" email. They
only work if your addressee has the same software! Don't send it
to them without some discussion... It WILL gum up the communication
and it will bum them out...
* Electronic mail is NOT secure. If you don't want it publicized,
don't put it into your email notes. In many offices and sites,
your email is easily read by higher administrators or technicians.
That's reason enough for NOT including sensitive information such
as your social security number or credit card number! If you order
on-line, don't do it at the office! Do it from home and on a
"secure server".
*** REPLIES ***
* As stated above, you can just click on the REPLY function to
answer email. This is NOT considered very polite in personal
correspondence but is okay, even desirable in business letters.
If you must use the REPLY function for personal mail, cut off
all headers and extraneous stuff BEFORE you send the email. For
business, keep it all as it forms an electronic "paper trail".
For the office, you may not want to include the whole text of the
received message, but just enough to clarify the issues. On the
other hand, the ridiculous extreme, don't answer email with "Yes!"
without clarification!
At home, for writing answers to Aunt Elizabeth's questions, just
answer the questions, don't repeat them in their entirety! Unless
Aunt Lizzie has a problem remembering things...
* Some useful tricks to use:
Always put email addresses and URLs in angle
brackets such as: <JoeSmithson9876@hotmail.com> and
<http://www.bone.com>
To emphasize a word or phrase, use capital letters, but be sparing:
TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING IS TOO MUCH or you can use
asterisks in groups to draw attention to a particular *** WORD ***!
To repeat, it is generally assumed that anything written in capital
letters will be interpreted as SHOUTING. One small shout for
emphasis is okay. A whole line or an entire message written in
caps (shouts) is NOT okay! Get it? Good!
* Before you initiate or respond to email, ask yourself these
questions: Does this really need an answer? Will a phone call be
better? Would this be more secure on paper?
*** SIGNATURES ***
* A SIGNATURE is a SHORT block of text, ideally four to six lines
(maximum), AUTOMATICALLY appended to the end of EACH of your email
messages by your emailer. You write this text yourself. You can put
in anything you want, but be sure it would be appropriate for all
letters, all addressees and for all circumstances. Be prudent.
* Signatures are helpful. You may identify yourself and provide means
of contacting you, eg, title, phone, fax, pager, webpage, etc.
*** BASIC COURTESY ***
* The "magic words" apply to email just as they apply on your journey
from kindergarten to the rest home. When asking for something, use
PLEASE. When you have been given something say THANK YOU! And
reply "YOU'RE WELCOME!" when thanked. This is just good manners and
applies outside the email world as well as inside...
* Don't expect others to be as nice as you are. Be patient with them.
They have their own agenda and problems and may not be ready to
reply as rapidly, beautifully, or as efficiently as you may want.
*** PERSONAL EMAIL ***
* DON'T forward cute stuff to your friends without trimming off the
"header information", eg, that stuff that you can't translate and
don't need to send along!
* Don't forward chain email or threats of dire happenings if you
"break the chain". It just clutters up the cyberworld and
increases the chance for someone to "harvest" your email address
for later spam...ie, Unsolicited Commercial Email...
* Use the (Blind Carbon Copy) for emailing to more than one
person, or to a group. This means no one will be able to see the
address of any one else. This is a good thing.
* Don't send stuff to people from a web page where there is no
privacy policy stated. If you do, you are broadcasting their email
address to spammers (junk email, unsolicited commercial email.)
*** SMILEY FACES, SMILEYS, or EMOTICONS ***
This is the use of ASCII characters, typewriter characters, to draw
little pictures to emphasize or soften or modify statements made in
the absence of body language. Lay your head over on your left
shoulder and look at :-) and say hello to the basic smiley!
Some of the more common smiley faces are as follows:
:-) or :) The basic smiling face, viewed side-on;
generally used to indicate amusement, or
that a previous comment is intended to
be funny or ironic ("" or "" is
also sometimes used).
:-( or :( An unhappy face seen side on; generally
used to express disappointment, sorrow,
or sadness.
;-) A winking smiley face; usually indicates
that something should be taken "with a
grain of salt".
;-> A mischievous smiley face; usually
indicates that a comment is intended to
be provocative or racy.
There is perhaps no end of such "faces". Some are obvious and some
stretch the imagination.
Be temperate in using these to "dress up" your email. Perhaps one per
business letter is acceptable. Maybe more for a personal letter.
More than ten per letter is just WAY too much.
For more on EMOTICONS, click on the blue diamond ...
*** THE BOTTOM LINE ***
Write it. Read it. Let it rest. Read it.
Is it clear? Is it short? Is it argumentative?
If you received it, would you be impressed?
Edit it. Proofread it. Proofread it again. Send it.
Try also the following netiquet sources:
Albion
About.com
