In any kind of human communication or interaction, there is an
unwritten code or standards on conducting oneself. We learn these
standards by watching and imitating others as we grow up. Communication
by e-mail is no exception, but because it is so new relative to other
means of communication, many of us have not had the chance to learn
about e-mail etiquette. The purpose of this article is not simply to
teach good manners, but to help make your use of e-mail effective and
efficient. Quick communication does not equal good communication. Here
are some ways you can make prodcutive, efficient use of e-mail as a
method of communication. Use a good subject line
This may seem obvious or it may seem ridiculous, but using an
accurate, informative subject line is very helpful to the recipient and
to yourself. It gives the recipient an idea of what to expect and
enables them to find it quickly in their Inbox when they need to. This
is especially helpful to people who send and receive a lot of e-mail.
If you receive a reply or want to find the original message in your
outbox later you can quickly locate it with an apprpriate subject line.
If something is very urgent, you can even begin your subject with
URGENT; but beware that this is also a technique used by e-mail
marketers.
Use proper capitalization and punctuation
Because e-mail is somewhat less formal than paper communication
people sometimes assume that basic grammatical rules don't apply. Let
me tell you that it is very difficult and not much fun to read one long
paragraph with no capitalization and no punctuation whatsoever. You
don't have to use complete sentences but separate statements should
begin with a capital and end with a period. Do not write in all
uppercase letters because that indicates that you are SHOUTING! Rather
than one long paragraph, use more concise paragraphs than you would in
paper communication separating each one with a blank line. Indenting is
not necessary.
Proofread before you send
Once you send your message, there is no retrieving it. Because
e-mail is so quick, people often hurriedly type out a message and send
it without taking a minute to read it to make sure there are no missing
words and that what you want to say is clear. You also want to make
sure you don't say something that you didn't mean to. You're not saving
anyone any time if they have to reply or call you to clarify your
message. Be careful with humor
The number one cause of miscommunication via e-mail is probably
humor. It is very difficult to express more subtle kinds of humor that
often require facial expressions (rolling the eyes) or voice inflection
(sarcasm). They can not be expressed in e-mail as they are in
face-to-face or even telephone conversation. There are some
abbreviations like LOL (Lots of Laughs) or what are called emoticons
like ;) (winking) that you can use to indicate that you think something
is funny or that you are joking. Remember that these also depend on the
recipient being able to understand them. For a much more detailed
article on using emphasis and expression in e-mail visit these articles
on intonation and gestures from A
Beginner's Guide to Effective E-mail at Webfoot.com. Make effective use of the original text in your replies
Most e-mail software like Eudora or Microsoft Outlook will by default put all of the original message at the beginning or end
of your reply with some type of separator or symbol at the start
of each line to indicate the original message. If the message is
brief and just contains one issue there is no problem with just
rattling off a quick reply. But often a message will contain several
items or issues to respond to. To make your response clear and make
sure you answer each question, you can delete all but the basic
information about each item and insert your reply after it. Then
include the basic information from the next item and insert your
reply. An exchange about a newsletter might look something like
this:
Think before you flame
A Flame is Internet jargon for a strong diatribe towards someone
or something. Don't use e-mail to rip into someone just because
they are somewhere on the other end of a computer terminal and you
don't have to face them. A good rule of thumb is to not write anything
in an e-mail that you wouldn't say to their face or over the phone.
If you receive an e-mail that angers or offends you, take time to
cool off. If you feel that a reply is warranted, respond calmly
and politely. Don't forget that miscommunication is common. You
may want to ask the sender if they actually meant to say what you
heard when you read it. When in doubt, clarify. Think before you forward
Forwarding e-mail is so effortless and easy we often don't think
about it before we do it. It's important to consider whether the
original sender would want you to forward their message to someone
else. It may be best to ask their permission first. When it comes
to jokes, funny stories and urban legends, remember that not everyone
will be amused by the same things you are. Some people simply receive
too many e-mails already and don't have time to sift through less
important e-mail. Again, you should ask in advance if they want
to be on your forwarding list for humorous messages. And finally,
don't ever forward a virus warning until you have confirmed that
it is real. Most aren't. Symantec's website lists the latest virus
threats and maintains a comprehensive list of virus
hoaxes. |
