email etiquette

E-mail Etiquette

1. Subject line to summarize the message. Make the Subject line summarize the body of the e-mail. Ask yourself, 'will the recipient(s) know what this e-mail is about'. For example, Instead of Subject: Exam, say Subject: Location of CIT3622 Exam, 23 July 00.

2. Don't assume the recipient knows the background. Include enough contextual information at the beginning of the e-mail for the recipient to know what the matter is about. If in doubt, put background information in. For example, don't say can I have an extension for my assignment, instead say I refer to the CIT3622 assignment 1 that I handed in late. I was ill and have a doctor's certificate. May I ask for an extension on the basis that I was too ill to do it on time.

3. Keep it concise. Keep messages brief and to the point, but not so brief that it causes the problem outlined in the previous point.

4. Don't shout at people. Don't use all capital letters, (UPPERCASE) or overdo punctuation!!!!!!. See the example below. This common practice is the on-line equivalent of shouting. Its considered by many to be very rude. If you must use UPPERCASE, use it very sparingly and only to emphasize a particularly important point. Ask yourself, 'if I was talking to the recipient face to face, would I be raising my voice to them?'

5. Avoid angry outbursts. Don't send or reply to email when you are angry. Wait until you are, then compose the email. Once written and sent, it can't be recalled. Angry or intemperate email has a way of rebounding on the sender. As a guide, ask yourself, 'would I say this to the person's face?'

6. Correct punctuate and grammar. Use punctuation in a normal manner. One exclamation point is just as effective as five !!!!! Use correct grammar as with any written message.

7. Layout message for readability. Use spaces and breaks between paragraphs and long sentences to make it easier on the reader.

8. Keep the thread. When replying to an e-mail, use the reply option on the sidebar in your mail. This will keep the message in the "thread", and make it easier for the recipient to follow.

9. Allow time for a reply. E-mail messages are not usually required to be answered immediately. Before sending a reminder, allow some time for a response, some times even a few days. Not everyone is online 24 hours a day.

10. Spelling. Check your spelling! If you don't know how to spell something, look it up.

11. Acronyms, abbreviations, and emoticons are OK within reason. As long as you don't overdo it, and the recipients can reasonably be expected to know what they mean, acronyms and abbreviations are OK to use in e-mail. Emoticons (for example ;-) a winking smiley face) are good when used in context. As a general rule, you probably shouldn't use them when talking to someone in authority unless you're sure .

12. Edit the superfluous text out of emails. When you are sending email that has 'been around' in the sense that it has been replied to or forwarded many times, take the time to remove the angle brackets '>' from the message. Its irritating for many people to see text in such disarray. The easiest way is to copy and paste the text into a word processor, and use the search and replace function to remove any unwanted characters. The example below breaks both this rule and the one about shouting at people by using UPPERCASE:

>> >>> >THE FOLLOWING IS TAKEN FROM A NEPALESE GOOD LUCK MANTRA. YOU'LL
>> > >>> >FIND IT TO BE WORTH READING AND WORTH SHARING:
>> > >>> >Do not keep this message. The mantra must leave your hands
>> within 96
>> > >>> >hours or you will suffer harm.

13. Chain Letters. Its becoming more common, as more people use email for more varied purposes for it to be used for multilevel marketing, chain letters, pyramid schemes and other dubious purposes. The example above is one of the more benign examples of an implied threat as a way to motivate the recipient to take action. Another example is the chain letter that claims to be for the benefit of a dying child or promises to make you rich overnight if only you send it to five more people, and send $10 to the person who sent it to you. Most people, myself included, find these email practices particularly annoying.

14. Don't be over-familiar with the recipient. Many people, myself included are offended by strangers being over-familiar. For example I react badly to people I don't know addressing me as 'Dave'. Only friends and family call me that. As a rule, use the title or form of address that you would use in verbal communication.

15. Keep download size to a minimum. Big graphics can make e-mails take a long time to load. If you have an attached file, the recipient will often have to wait for your full message to load before they can retrieve it. Its irritating to wait many minutes for a message to load only to find out the attached page was not worth the wait.

16. Illegal Activities. These include libel (defamatory statements), discrimination (racial, sexual, religious, ageist etc), some adult material (child or violent erotica), illegal information (how to kill or injure people, incitement to violence, racial hatred etc), This advice does not apply to the vast majority of email users, who would never indulge in the aforementioned practices. But for those so inclined, not only are these likely to offend the recipient, people found engaging in illegal activities involving email are likely to have strong sanctions brought against them by the university and by the civil authorities.

17. Email is not confidential. Its almost laughably easy for the contents of your email to be read by others without your knowledge. So its wise to avoid saying anything you wouldn't write on the back of a postcard. Also, if you work within an organization, rather than directly connected to an ISP (internet service provider) its becoming more likely that every email you send and receive is scanned for certain words that are 'deemed unacceptable'. Email with 'unacceptable' content is quarantined, and record is kept. People can be disciplined or fired if they send or receive too much such email. The organization has every user sign an 'acceptable use' contract as a condition of their having an email account. That way, the employee can be deemed to have broken the contract, justifying disciplining him or her.

18. Correct priority. Avoid marking an email 'high priority' when it is really 'normal' priority.