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This item is copied from Don's Book
Be smart! Be kind! Follow “Netiquette” Rules for composing e-mail.
E-mail was
originally created as an informal method of communication that is being
abused by E-mail is almost like talking. We use it so much that we don't really think about it. But there are rules and courtesies, just as there are with talking. And there are other considerations involved in communicating by written word only. Learn the
“Netiquette” of e-mail and the cyber world will be a better place.
E-mail can be used more productively. Here are do’s and don’ts to follow
when composing and sending e-mail:
1). TYPING THE MESSAGE IN ALL CAPS!!! This is the adopted Internet equivalent of shouting at the person. Furthermore, it is hard to read.
It also means I AM TOO LAZY TO OCCASIONALLY PRESS THE SHIFT KEY. However, there is nothing wrong with using caps for one word – like CONGRATULATIONS! All-caps tell the recipient that you are a lazy, or a novice, and you do not know any better.
2). Spelling, punctuation and capitalization – or lack there of it. These basic components of communication are critical for getting your point across. Always run a spell check before sending an e-mail! Read your unsent message aloud, looking for editing changes needed, or wrong word like “four” instead of “for”; or “their” instead of “there”. Your great spell checker will not help you here. Check your message thoroughly before you click the Send button.
Messages in all lowercase, without regard to punctuation and grammar, are also offensive to the recipient, and further more, it makes it look like the sender doesn’t know any better.
When composing email make sure and limit line length to 65-70 characters across. Otherwise some e-mail programs will wrap the text at wrong points or not wrap it at all! This is especially important if you don't know what type of email program the recipient is using! If you follow this rule, your mail will look good.
3). Avoid Long messages – e-mail is meant to be “short and sweet”. Get to the point, as many busy people get dozens, if not hundreds of messages daily. Be sensitive and limit the time it takes for the reader to read your message.
Keep messages short means less than one page, including attachments. Short also means punchy and vivid sentences, and two to four sentences per paragraph. Large paragraphs turns off the reader.
White space between paragraphs makes your e-mail more inviting. Unless you are a close friend, busy e-mail recipients won’t read long, windy e-mail, long paragraphs, especially if it has an attachment, too.
Also, don’t include previous messages, unless you want to thread your response to the sender’s message. Consider turning off the option to send previous messages when responding.
4). Refrain from attaching large files (over 50k) to an e-mail message unless the recipient is aware that it is coming. Sending a picture of your pet or workshop creation may seem fun to you. Your recipient may not be amused when they see what a 20-minute download produces! Use graphic attachments sparingly to minimize recipients download time.
Be aware
that sending large attachments can sometimes cause e-mail troubles,
especially for attachments that approach a megabyte or more in size. You
can send mail using smaller attachments instead of one large one.
Never send a text memo as a file attachment. Type or paste text message in the regular text body of your e-mail program. (Item #15 has more on attachments.)
5). Always fill in subject line, when originating or replying. The mail recipient should be able to look at your subject line and know what the mail is about. Many recipients simply delete any message that has no subject line. Make it short and descriptive, so the recipient can make a quick decision about the message by its title without having to open it. Good e-mail programs will automatically toss “No Subject” e-mail into the Junk mail category.
Even put short messages in the subject lines so recipients can scan message titles to prioritize reading schedule. Let’s face it, some messages are less important than others and can be read later. Some messages need to be saved; some need to be answered; and some need to be read without response, and some need not be read al all.
When replying – if possible, append the subject title to convey your intention. For example, the subject “Golf Game May 10th 09:00 AM” can be appended by adding “Will attend” at the beginning of subject line. Also, when replying to an e-mail inquiry, answer all questions asked. If you avoid answering some questions, the omissions will be noticed, which may result in an additional e-mail, requiring even more of your time.
Avoid using the words “urgent” or “high priority” in your subject. Spammers or hoax writers use these words to attract your attention. A clear and specific subject line should reveal the importance of your message.
The Subject is not the message. It's very true there's a place for really short messages in the subject, especially when you know the message is going to be read on a small screen, such as a mobile phone. An email with just the subject: "Pls call" and a phone number is entirely in order. What is counter productive are longer sentences in the subject line that can't be read on a normal computer screen, let alone a smaller device.
6) Respond completely and promptly. A word “yes” or “no” will force the recipient to re-read his or her original e-mail. Quoting back to the original message helps communicate your answer. Most e-mail programs will automatically include previous discussions, called a “thread”. Your response should always appear at the top, before the previous messages. Of course, at times all or part of the original message need not be repeated, and can be deleted from your response, leaving only selected parts.
If your response includes a Web site, spell out the URL completely, or provide a link to it, not just the name of the site. Your objective is to close the communications loop by providing a complete, yet successful answer. Most people read their e-mail at least once per day, so responding within 24 hours has become the acceptable standard. Let’s face it; we are spoiled by this instantaneous ability to communicate, so we subconsciously expect others to reply equally as fast. Don’t phone and ask “did you get my e-mail”. Be patient. Wait at least 24 hours, or at least until the end of the next business day, for an answer.
7). Watch your tone. To gauge your tone, read over the message aloud. Does it sound stuffy and overly formal, or does it sound too casual and chummy? The right tone is usually somewhere in between. Remember, e-mail is a permanent record and is being used in many legal battles.
There is rarely a need for sarcasm as it can come across too heavily in e-mail; and irony is often too subtle. Never send an e-mail written in anger. Invoke the 12-hour, cool down rule. There is no such thing as an anonymous message, either.
8). Use acronyms and abbreviations sparingly. They do help to make a message shorter and to the point, but can often be overused. Also, some may be confusing, too, and slow down reading. Use common abbreviations where appropriate, but make sure everyone can understand them.
The people
sending e-mail come from different backgrounds and cultures and have
varying degrees of education. For some English may not be their native
language. Be tolerant. When in doubt, use simple words, and do not
correct their English; to do so may make you appear as a know-it-all.
10). Don’t repeatedly send jokes to anyone without first getting their permission. Most of us receive the same joke many times. It is more of a nuisance and ceases to be funny. Also, what’s funny to you may not be to others. Best policy – don’t send jokes.
Never make libelous, sexist, political or racial comments in your messages. Sending an e-mail is like sending a post card, because the recipients have the ability to copy, forward, print, and/or distribute your e-mail.
11). Use “copy and paste” to select specific sections to put into a new message, instead of just forwarding the original message. This will keep you from having the long list of previous addresses from appearing at the top of the message that you send. Remember, if you plan to send your message to several people, use “bcc” for all but the first addressee to avoid a long list of recipients showing when received. For security reasons most people do not want their addresses exposed unnecessarily.
12). Stay plain, Jane: Avoid the fancy formatting, flowery backgrounds, and gaudy colors that newer versions of e-mail software allow. Many people still use e-mail programs that support plain text only. Also, what's cool on your monitor may look terrible on mine. Your “cool stuff” increases download time. Remember many people own notebook's using a 56-kbps dial-up account, which may come in at 24-kbs.
13). One person, please: If you're sending an e-mail to a large group of people, hide the recipient list to keep the file size down. It's all right to use your e-mail application’s “cc” (carbon copy or cyber copy) feature if you need to let everyone know who else is getting the message, but otherwise use the blind copy (bcc) feature. You can also address the message to yourself and bcc everyone else.
Do not overuse the “Apply To All” option. Just because the sender may have copied a number people on an e-mail that you receive doesn’t mean that you have to reply to everybody. Use discretion. Use “Reply” if it is not necessary for others to know what your response might be.
To bring up the (bcc) header - In Outlook Express, select View and check All Headers. In Outlook, choose View and check Bcc Field. In Netscape 6, click the To field and scroll to Bcc. Eudora's the easiest--just fill in the "bcc" field.
14). Clean it up: Forwarded messages are usually overloaded with annoying angle brackets (>), extra spaces and carriage returns, and uneven word wrapping. That's one reason why I don't read them, and you shouldn't be surprised if the messages you forward aren't read either. Scour the e-mail you forward to get rid of the gobbledygook. Click “Forward” if you want to edit the original message before sending.
15). Risky Attachments: Every e-mail sent or received that has a file attachment carries built-in risks. Viruses and Trojan horses are the most obvious, but file size is another.
Unless you know the person, don't attach anything--images, programs, or Internet movies--to an e-mail. If you must, and if the file's larger than 100KB, be sure you get the recipient's permission first. You can save yourself grief by setting up your e-mail program not to accept attachments over a specific size.
Good e-mail programs can automatically scan your attachments for viruses. If yours doesn’t, play it safe--before opening a file, save it to a convenient folder and scan it for viruses.
As a sender, if you are attaching files to e-mail messages, be sure to make specific reference to the attachment in the body of the message with a brief explanation of the contents. Then, don’t forget to send the attachment, which is easy to do if you are in a hurry to send the message.
Don’t assume that every recipient can view every file format. If you want to send an MS Excel file as an attachment, make sure that your recipient has the Excel program installed on his/her computer.
16). Give
your Full Address:
If the
recipient of an e-mail you're sending needs to get in contact with you
be sure to include your name, e-mail address, and other pertinent
contact information, such as your phone number, at the bottom of the
e-mail, if necessary. Write E-mail as you would like to read it – Short, sweet & simple! And to the point!
J J J J J J
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millions of people everyday. Taking a little extra time when composing
an e-mail message can make a big difference for the recipient. 