E-mail Etiquette
Minding your manners when using e-mail pays off.
Entrepreneur
magazine - September
1997
By Calvin Sun
URL: http://www.Entrepreneur.com/article/0,4621,227651,00.html
Long ago, before there were telephones, a woman traveling overseas
cabled her husband for permission to buy jewelry. Her husband responded:
NO. COST TOO GREAT.
However, technology then was less than perfect. So instead, the woman
received this message: NO COST TOO GREAT.
Today, most of us use e-mail for messages. But although technology
has advanced beyond cables, small details still affect the way the
recipient sees and interprets a message--sometimes to your detriment.
Using e-mail effectively and professionally is essential to your
business success. Here are some tips to get the most from your e-mail.
Several options make e-mail more convenient for you and your
recipients.
Use settings and preferences. Look for an e-mail package that lets
you select specific settings and preferences that affect all your e-mail
activity. This way, you won't have to repeat steps every time you send a
message.
- Include your real name in your return address. Suppose you
received a message from "12345.678@abc.com." How easily
could you determine the sender's real name? Unfortunately, some
e-mail providers assign users "nonintuitive" names such as
this.
To help the recipient quickly and easily identify you, set your
"return address" to include your real name as well as your
e-mail address.
- Use a signature file with your messages. As an e-mail recipient,
you might want to see more than just message text and a return
address from a sender. For instance, you might also want to see the
sender's telephone number and mailing address.
Most e-mail packages allow you to include this information
through a "signature file." To do so, you simply use word
processing software to create and save the address information you
want to appear on every e-mail message you send. Then go into your
e-mail software and specify at the appropriate menu the name of the
file you created in the step above.
Most e-mail packages have a "preferences" menu where
you would type in this information, as well as specify your return
address as described earlier.
After completing these steps, you need only create and send a
message to a recipient. Your e-mail package will automatically
attach your signature file information to the end of each message.
Test your changes by sending a message to yourself. To make the
test valid, treat yourself as an external recipient; that is,
include the "@xxxx.yyy" domain name information in the
address. Doing so ensures your message reaches you via the Internet.
- Use the "subject" line. By doing so, you allow the
recipient who is pressed for time to quickly select and read only
the messages that are important to him or her. Also, limit each
message to a single subject.
- If you are testing your e-mail, inform your recipients. As a
courtesy, put the word "TEST" in the subject line to save
the recipient from having to open the message.
What kind of impression is your e-mail conveying? Use the
following tips to make sure it's a good one.
- Check spelling. Although e-mail is less formal than traditional
mail, appearance still counts. Many businesspeople interpret a
misspelled message as evidence of carelessness. Are you sure this is
the image you want to convey?
If your e-mail software offers a spell-checking feature, use it.
Otherwise, you have two alternatives: Either use a dictionary, or
compose your message with a word processing package and use its
spelling checker. Then copy (or cut and paste) the text into your
e-mail application.
- Don't yell. When composing your e-mail message, use upper- and
lower-case typing. Using only upper-case letters is considered the
equivalent of SHOUTING!
- Use "emoticons" and acronyms where necessary. Written
e-mail communication cannot convey gestures, vocal inflection or
body language to the recipient. Sometimes this can lead to
misinterpreted messages. To address this shortcoming, e-mail users
have developed a set of symbols dubbed "emoticons" to
convey nonverbal intent. Common emoticons include:
I'm grinning as I write this sentence.
I'm laughing out loud.
I'm rolling on the floor [laughing].
:-) denotes a smile (Turn your head 90 degrees to the left to see
why.)
;-) denotes a wink
Being familiar with common acronyms used online will save you
typing time:
- FYI
- ASAP
- BTW (by the way)
- IM[H]O (in my [humble] opinion)
- Phrase your messages positively. It's important to avoid harsh or
negative wording. Phrasing a message positively elicits a better
response from the recipient and ensures a greater chance of clear
understanding.
For example, consider the following pairs of phrases:
1. "We cannot permit you to use this material."
2. "We regretfully are unable to permit you to use this
material."
Or
1. "We cannot ship your order until your account is
current."
2. "Once your account is current, we can ship your
order."
Each sentence in the pair has the same meaning. However, the
second one sounds friendlier and will create a better impression
with the recipient.
The process of sending and replying to messages is rife with
opportunities for error. Here's how to make sure the appropriate
message is sent to the right person.
- Keep it blank. When composing a message to send, leave the
"recipient" field blank as long as possible. By doing so,
you will prevent a premature sending of your message. Even if you
accidentally hit the "send" key or click the
"send" icon, your message will go to no one. Once you are
satisfied with your message, select your recipient and send.
What about an e-mail reply? When you reply to a message sent to
you (as opposed to composing a new message from scratch), your
e-mail package will take the original sender's name and make it the
recipient. Therefore, the "recipient" field will be
complete even before you start typing the text of your reply. You
could, of course, delete the recipient's name on replies.
- Check how you are replying to messages. Most e-mail packages allow
you to include the sender's original message in your reply. This
type of reply method is called "reply include." It makes
it easier for the original sender to remember what you are replying
to. Also, you may be able to specify who should receive your reply,
specifically:
- only the original sender ("reply to sender")
- everyone who received the sender's message--that is, all the other
original recipients, plus all the carbon-copy recipients
("reply all")
If you wish to avoid embarrassment (or worse), pay attention when
sending a reply. Do you disagree with a message that was sent to you
and dozens of others? Then be sure to "reply to sender"
rather than "reply all." Otherwise, your reply will go to
all the original recipients, making your private disagreement
public.
There are generally four options for sending a reply:
- Reply to sender (no include)
*Reply to sender include
- Reply all (no include)
- Reply all include
- Use the "unsending" message option when necessary. Some
e-mail packages allow you to unsend, or "take back," a
message you have sent. This feature provides a measure of safety.
However, not all e-mail packages have it, and even those that do
allow you to unsend your message only under certain conditions.
Therefore, you're still far better off sending an appropriate
message in the first place or not sending one at all.
- Understand the out-basket function. To save telephone costs and
time, many e-mail packages allow you to compose and read messages
offline. When you are offline, messages you want to send are usually
placed in an out-basket. This feature is handy; however, be sure you
understand how your package handles out-basket messages when you
connect. Will your package send your messages automatically as soon
as you connect, or must you send each message individually?
- Use e-mail appropriately. Although e-mail is convenient, some
formal situations still warrant using standard mail instead of
e-mail. Don't use e-mail to terminate someone or when sending a
letter to someone against or by whom legal action might be taken.
- Keep security limitations in mind. Think of e-mail as an
electronic postcard, and write your message accordingly. You have no
idea how your message gets to your recipient or who could be reading
it. In fact, if you misaddress your message, it could end up being
read by a network administrator.
- Remember that deleted messages may not be. Many computer systems
are backed up to tape for security reasons. Therefore, even if you
delete an incoming message, or a copy of an outgoing one, that
message might still exist on a backup tape somewhere. Think
carefully before sending messages.
- Be careful with file attachments. The "file attachment"
feature of e-mail allows you to send data or programs to a recipient
rather than just message text. Most e-mail packages that support
file attachments do so via one of two standards: MIME or UUCODE.
When sending a file to someone, it's a good idea to find out which
standard he or she is expecting. Otherwise, your file may appear on
their system as unreadable garbage. If that person doesn't know, ask
to talk to their network or systems administrator.
Attachments can cause other problems, not the least of which is
the risk of your computer becoming infected with a virus. To protect
yourself, refrain from opening files as attachments. Instead, save
the attachment to disk, then scan it with antivirus software first.
- Use message history logs. Some e-mail packages allow you to
monitor what happens to e-mail messages you send via a history log.
This log keeps track of the time and date you send your message as
well as when (or if) your recipient reads your note, if they
forwarded it, or if they deleted it. This kind of message history is
more likely to be used in internal e-mail as opposed to external (to
the Internet) e-mail. Still, a history log could be useful in
protecting you in disputes over who said what and when.
- Forward e-mail from lesser-used accounts. At times, you may have
more than one e-mail account. For example, as a consultant, you
would naturally have an account through your own company. However,
if you were spending a lot of time with a client, you might also
have an e-mail account on your client's system. Rather than checking
both systems for incoming mail, consider forwarding your mail. Then,
messages to you at your own system would be sent automatically to
you at your client's system without additional effort by your
sender.
- Answer your e-mail. Incredibly enough, many companies fail to do
so. What kind of impression does this make on potential customers?
If you are unable to answer as quickly as you would like, ask if
your e-mail provider supports "autoresponding." With this
function, when someone sends you an e-mail, your system
automatically replies with a form message thanking them for their
message and giving whatever standard information you wish.
Obviously, this option is less desirable than a true reply, but it
at least lets your sender know your e-mail address is valid. If you
are unwilling to do either, stop publicizing e-mail as a way to
contact your company. Do it right or not at all.
E-mail can be a tremendous productivity tool. However, be sure
you use it correctly so you convey the most professional image
possible.
Calvin Sun is the founder and principal of Technology
Horizons, a consulting and training firm in Paoli, Pennsylvania. He
is the author of several articles on effective communication skills
and computer problems. He can be reached via e-mail at csun@calvinsun.com.
Copyright © 2003 Entrepreneur.com, Inc. All rights reserved.
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