E-MAIL ETIQUETTE 101 BY SANDI HUNTER

E-MAIL ETIQUETTE 101 BY SANDI HUNTER

If you routinely use e-mail to communicate with friends, family, and business associates. Sit up and take notice of these 10 important lessons about using e-mail effectively and considerately.

1. Organize your thoughts and the message you wish to communicate. Sounds simple right? Surprisingly many people do not do this very simple step when composing an e-mail message. Regrettably, I feel like my 9th grade English teacher preaching about organization, paragraph structure, grammar and the like. No, Mrs. Davidson's lecture wasn't about e-mail at the time but some of the same lessons of good writing apply.

If the intent of your e-mail message is to inquire about something or to get certain information, then be sure to compose a message that is going to be clearly understood by the recipient. If your message is vague, incomplete or poorly worded the recipient will have to send you back a message to get clarification which uses up time and is unnecessary had your message been clear from the beginning. If you are asking several questions then number them or use paragraphs or formatting so the reader can easily respond to each question or issue within the text of the message.

2. If you respond to a message with a question, retain the original question/message when you reply. This way the person will be able to view and recall the original content. This is especially helpful if considerable time has passed before you've responded to the message. In this case by the time the sender receives your reply they've long forgotten what the original message is about. Including the original message in your reply avoids this problem.

3. Be brief and to the point. Nobody likes to receive e-mail messages that ramble on and never get to the point. Anyone who gets a lot of e-mail dislikes receiving messages that are long and poorly organized. It wastes the reader's time trying to decipher what your message is about so please be considerate of this and you will get a more effective reply.

4.. Check your spelling. People are human; we make typos and we make mistakes. Don't get overly hung up on the odd error in your e-mail communications. However, if you have a chronic problem with spelling, invest in an e-mail program that has a "Spell Check" feature. Eudora is an excellent program. The "lite" version is free at www.eudora.com

5. When using e-mail, be polite and courteous. I am shocked at how bold and rude people can be when using e-mail when I know for a fact they wouldn't be so on the phone or in person. Without the facial and body expression that accompanies oral communication, the written word does not provide these clues so be aware of this when composing your messages. Be aware of styles of e-mail that help convey emotion. Commonly used expression symbols are:

;-) Used as a wink.

:-) Conveys a happy face or smile

:-( Conveys sadness or displeasure

:-0 Conveys surprise

Finally the use of all capitals within an e-mail message indicates SHOUTING and is considered RUDE. Many new users of e-mail will type in all upper case for some reason. To the reader this is interpreted as the sender YELLING at them. Try to avoid doing this.

6. Always, always "sign" your e-mail messages. This means that you should always at the conclusion of your e-mail communication have either a signature file or some form of identification or contact information. Within most e-mail programs you can create what are called "signatures." Your signature should include your complete name and contact information. Don't assume that you will be recognized by your first name or just your e-mail address. Within your e-mail program you should also configure your full name to show up in the reply field or include a "real name" in addition to your e-mail address.

7. As a general rule do not send attached files or executable files unless someone has specifically asked to receive them. If you inadvertently send a large file it will slow down or in some cases, actually jam the recipients e-mail and they will not be happy with you. Most people are wary of receiving executable files (file.exe) as they may contain viruses.

8. Don't send unnecessary e-mail carbon copies. Cross copying, or carbon copying or c/cing is a tool that allows you to send a copy of a message to several people at one time. Generally do not do this unless absolutely necessary as it adds to the pile of incoming mail that people have to sort through and may not really have any relevance to the c/ced parties. In short, be considerate of other people's time.

9. Don't send out or buy bulk e-mail (spam lists) as they are largely ineffective. Spam slows down the Internet network and eventually results in increased cost to all consumers.

10. If you receive unsolicited e-mail (known as spam), simply deposit it in your e-mail program's trash box as it does little good to reply or complain. In fact by replying you often alert the spammer that you are a "live e-mail address" and your e-mail address is then sold over and over again to other spammers.

Lesson # 1. For heaven's sake check your e-mail often and respond to e-mail quickly. People love the convenience of e-mail but this works only if you use the system for what it is and reply to messages in a prompt, timely manner. In short, get used to using e-mail because it's here for a long time.

Sandi Hunter is Co-Founder of Worldprofit at http://www.worldprofit.com

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