Netiquette

How much thought do you put into sending an email? Since email communication has become crucial to keeping up to date with work, family and friends in the modern world, many people use email instead of talking. Written communication like emails can be easy to misunderstand because they don’t have verbal or visual clues that we rely on to get our point across in real life.

Here are some tips for communicating via e-mail, both professionally and personally:

• Avoid using “Reply to All” If all the recipients do not need to receive your response, replying to all is seen as very bad Netiquette. In a professional environment, these emails are sent to reach a large number of people, not to begin a group discussion. Unless it is crucial that everybody CC’d reads your response, don’t send it to anyone except the original sender.
• Make sure that you only CC recipients that need to know about the content of your e-mail. CC stands for “courtesy copy” so it should only be used to keep someone aware of the conversation, but not directly involved, like a boss who needs to know you’re on top of the project but doesn’t need to add anything yet. If you have been BCC’d (blind courtesy copy) then the original recipients won’t see that you’ve received a copy. Replying to them is extremely bad Netiquette and can compromise trust relationships in the workplace.
• Don’t send chain letters or spam (spam is any form of unsolicited email sent in bulk). Rather send personal messages. If your mail begins with “FW:FW:FW” most people will automatically delete it.
• USING CAPITAL LETTERS IS LIKE SHOUTING. Rather keep it in normal case.
• If your email is short, someone will be more likely to read it. Sending an email that is longer than 100 lines is considered bad Netiquette. Email has become a quick way to get your point across – if you need to send something longer, ask first unless you are certain your recipient wants it to be as detailed as possible.
• Emoticons (or smiley faces) can help explain your tone, although they should only be used for informal email :)
• Check your spelling and grammar before sending to make sure that you haven’t left out punctuation that can change the meaning of your message. If you think the receiver could misinterpret your mail, rather rephrase it. The phrase “Let’s eat, Grandpa!” can be badly misinterpreted without the comma.
• Don’t send large attachments. Not everyone has fast uncapped internet, and sending giant emails can cause problems, as some service providers limit email size. Rather upload photos to Facebook than emailing them. If you need to send lots of files, or send a really large attachment, sign up for a service called Dropbox which allows you to share a virtual folder online. Your recipient can download the files directly from the internet, keeping their mailbox free of clutter.
• If your e-mail is intended to be professional, make sure that you;
   Do not use strong language
   Do not use CAPS LOCK
   Do not use emoticons, such as  or 
   Do not abbreviate your words, such as using BTW for “By The Way”
   Use the correct tone depending on who you are addressing. “Dear sir” is better for someone you’ve never mailed before; “Hi Dave” can wait until you’ve sent each other a few more mails and developed an amiable relationship.

Sticking to these simple guidelines will help keep your email friendly and easily understandable. No more unnecessary arguments over a misunderstanding!