Email Etiquette Job Aide

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e-Mail EtiquetteCommunicating Effectively Through e-Mail © 1996-2005 Netmanners.com

Overview

This Job Aid will assist you in building your e-mail communication skills withinternal and external customers. There are six sections to the documentwith additional resources at the end.

Business e-Mail Basics

Overview:Making a first impression is very important, so is the type of impression youmake with your e-mails. Mastering your e-mail skills goes a long way towardsforging the most professional perception you can with any customer, internalor external. You may communicate with via e-mail.

Below are some of the basics:

1. Subject Field: Many folks determine even if they are going to open ane-mail by the SUBJECT: field. If this is your first contact with acustomer be sure to have a short and sweet subject that indicatesclearly what the topic of the e-mail is. Never be misleading in thisregard. Be sure to type the SUBJECT: always using proper upper andlower case noting specifically what your e-mail is about.For example if you sell widgets it could be: "Widget.com InformationYou Requested." The subject field should be short and sweet as it isthe window into your e-mail and can make or break you.

Typos, all caps or all small case can give the impression you are aspammer.Always put forth the effort to ensure that the SUBJECT: field isaccurate and clear about the content of your e-mail. In addition, if theconversation is ongoing back and forth and the focus changesdirection, make a point of changing the SUBJECT: field to reflect theconversation's new direction.

2. Level of Formality: Never assume a position of informality in yourbusiness e-mail. Only time and relationship building efforts can guidewhen you can informalize your business relationships. And, in some

cases that time may never arise. Some customers will always preferformalities while others will prefer a more relaxed tone. Let eachindividual client guide you on what they prefer. Do not assume that e-mail is impersonal or informal in your business communications. It isvery personal - a window into the type of person you are. If forcommercial/business reasons, one should communicate as if e-mail ison their company letterhead at all times. This is your business's imageyou are branding.

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3. Addressing: How do you address your new contacts? You assume thehighest level of courtesy: Hello, Mr. Anderson, Dear Ms. Smith, Dr.Osborne, etc. Until your new contact states, "call me Andy" or "youcan call me Diane", keep it formal until it is clear the relationshipdictates otherwise. You will also be able to get clues by how theyapproach you and their tone.For example, you may use Judi or Judith depending on the client andthe relationship. While others have picked up on your signature notingJudi and fall right into a more relaxed relationship. Most folks don'tmind being called by their first name, however, in a global economythat can be perceived as taking premature liberties in the relationshipand have a negative impact.

4. To, From, Bcc, Cc and Reply to All fields can make or break you:a. In the TO: field be sure to have your contact's name formally

typed. John B. Doe - not john b doe or JOHN B DOE.b. In the FROM: field be sure to have your name formally typed.

Example: Jane A. Smith. Not: jane a smith or JANE A SMITH.The later two give the perception of lack of education or limitedexperience with technology.

c. Bcc: use this field when e-mailing a group of contacts that donot personally know each other. If you are listed in the BCC fieldyou are not expected to reply to the Sender. By listing an arm'slength list of e-mail addresses in the Cc or TO field of contactswho do not know each other or have never met is publishingtheir e-mail address to strangers. No matter how great the list

of people may be to you, never make this decision for others!This is a privacy issue! With those you are forging partnershipswith, listing their e-mail address in with a group of strangers willmake one wonder what other privacy issues you do not respector understand.

d. Cc: This field is used for when there are a couple of folksinvolved in a discussion that requires all be on the same page.These business people know each other or have been introducedand have no problem having their e-mail address exposed to theparties involved. If you are not sure if a business associate

would mind their address being made public, ask! If you're listedin the Cc: field you are being FYI'd and a reply is not mandatoryunless you have something relevant to add to the conversation.Also, use your discretion as to whether you Reply to All or justto the Sender.

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e. Reply to All: Use your better judgment when using the Reply ToAll feature. In many instances, your comments may not beappropriate for "all" or "all" may not be interested in yourcomments. Use your better judgment and discretion.

f. Formatting: Refrain from using it in your businesscommunications. Unless you would type something in boldcrimson letters on business letterhead, you don't do it when e-mailing for commercial gain. Also, keep in mind that yourrecipients may not have their e-mail program configured in sucha way as to display your formatting the way you would like - if atall.

g. Common Courtesy: Hello, Hi, Good Day, Thank You, Sincerely,Best regards. All those intros and sign offs that are a staple ofprofessional business communications should also be used in

your business e-mail communications. Always have a salutationand sign off with every e-mail. Here again - think businessletterhead.

h. Signature lines: Don't have overly long signature lines of morethan 5 lines (including your signoff and name) as this is viewedas a bit egocentric. Keep your signature line at around 4-5 lines,Web site link, company name, and slogan or phone number.






Signature Lines

The Don’ts and Do’s of the signature line

Overview:

The most important reason to use a signature line is to get your basicinformation, name, phone number and department motto out in front ofothers. Your signature line can communicate to others that you are anastute technology user if done properly.

Below are the Don’ts and Do’s of signature lines:

Don’ts:

1. DON'T have your signature file start right after the last sentence linein your e-mail it looks unprofessional. Make a point of setting up an

extra line break in your e-mail program or just be sure to hit "enter"one extra time when typing your e-mail is completed. Keep yoursignature line no more than 4-6 lines.

2. DON'T have everything about you including the kitchen sink in yoursignature line. To have your pager, cell, home, business, work,accreditations, and slogan about how great you are will lead to theperception that you are tad bit self-enclosed.

3. DON'T use inflammatory quotes in your signature file. Hey, everyonehas the right to an opinion - that is one of the great things about theonline environment is the free exchange of information and ideas. I'veseen many a witty and humorous quote in e-mails. However, to

intentionally have a quote you know is very controversial or offensivesimply isn't courteous to those you e-mail.

4. DON'T include formatting in your signature file (or your business e-mails), ASCII formatting, colors or attaching any animated graphics. Ifyou wouldn't turn your name or title bright red on your companyletterhead - don't do it in e-mail.

5. DON'T close with your signature file reflecting anything but properpunctuation. Capitalize your name formally: John A. Smith, JohnSmith, John. Not typing your name formally with appropriatecapitalization reflects a lack of business savvy.

6. DON'T start using your signature file until you have verified, reviewedand double-checked that all the information is correct.

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Do’s:

1. DO align your signature's text with spaces rather than tabbing. Tabsand text are displayed differently on different machines, which canmake your layout look bad. Also keep in mind that you want to keepyour signature line to 70 characters or less, as that is the set screenwidth default for most e-mail programs.

2. DO make sure that your signature line contains the basic infocustomers need to contact you. No need to include your e-mailaddress - that is automatically noted at the top of every e-mail yousend. The only instance where you would want to include your primarye-mail address in your signature line is if you are using a different orsecondary e-mail address to send the e-mail in question.

3. DO setup your e-mail program to automatically append your signature

line and make sure to include your signoff so that you do not have totype your name with every e-mail.

4. DO have several signatures that you can switch dependent on tone orissue at hand. Signature lines are an excellent way of setting a toneand directs the ongoing communication's priority or level of formality.Sincerely, Best, Regards, Respectfully - each can be used differentlydepending on whom you are communicating with and the tone youwould like to set.

5. DO keep in mind that the perception your signature line gives will lendto the perception of who you are, what you believe in, if you follow therules, if you know how to use technology - or not. Quotes are fine and

sometimes apropos depending on the conversations tone and topic,however, keep in mind who will be reading the e-mail and theperception your opinion via the quote you include will leave. Humorousor controversial quotes are best left to personal e-mail.






e-Mail Attachments

What to attach and what not to attach, that is the question.

Overview:

It is easy to attach a file to an e-mail. E-mail programs allow you to attachalmost any type of file, regardless of the size and format without giving thesender any sort of guidance.

Here are some quick guidelines you should run through before you attach anyfile to an e-mail and send it on its way.

Quick Tips:

1. What is the file's size? If you don't know, find out. If you don't knowhow to find out, learn. For example in Windows, you can view the file's

size in Windows Explorer. Make sure the Views option at the top rightis set to Details. This will allow you to see a Size column reflectingeach file's size.

2. If you are sending a file over 200,000 (200KB) in size consider howyou can minimize the file's size either by reducing the physicaldimensions or by using file compression software. And, even then,courtesy dictates you ask the recipient first if it is O.K. to send theman attachment and what is the best time of day to do so to ensure theyare available to download your file and keep their e-mail flowing.

3. Files over 1M (that's 1,000,000 bytes!) should not be sent by e-mailand will have a hard time going through the pipeline. Just because you

can physically instruct a computer to attach a file of that size doesn'tmean you should.

4. You have no insight into the other person's e-mail volume to assumeactivity to be minimal or storage capacity to be optimal to receiveyour files. Many e-mail accounts are only 5M in size and can be filledup very easily by those who either don't care to or don't know how todetermine file size.

5. To send an attachment without notice that someone didn't ask for isthe epitome of lack of courtesy for those you are e-mailing. No matterhow important you think that attachment is.






Rules of Forwarding

The guidelines of forwarding e-mails

Overview:

Here are the 5 Rules of Forwarding E-mails that those who are being trulythoughtful follow. If everyone followed them all the problems associated withforwarded e-mails could be avoided. Sticking to these guidelines will assistboth those thinking they are thoughtful and those who don't want to appearotherwise:

The 5 Rules:

1. Don't forward anything without editing out all the forwarding >>>>, e-mail addresses, headers and commentary from all the otherforwarders. If you must forward, only forward the actual "guts" or

content of the e-mail that you are of the opinion is valuable.2. If you cannot take the time to write a personal comment at the top of

your forwarded e-mail to the person you are sending to - then youshouldn't forward it at all.

3. Think carefully about what you are forwarding, will be of value(accurate information), appreciated (something the recipient needs) orhumorous (do they have the same sense of humor as you do) to theperson on the other side.

4. It should go without saying that the forwarding of chain letters;regardless how noble the topic may seem, virus warnings or anythingthat says "forward to everyone you know" simply shouldn't be

forwarded.5. If you must forward to more than one person, put your e-mail address

in the TO: field and all the others you are sending to in the BCC field toprotect their e-mail address from being published to those they do notknow. This is a serious privacy issue! Again, be sure to take the time totype a comment about why you are forwarding the e-mail to therecipient(s) at the top of your forward.






Don’t Be Viewed as Rude!

Rude e-mail habits are hard to break

Overview:

All too often you may come off as terse or plain old rude when it comes to e-mail habits. They don't intentionally set out to be viewed as rude. Are youbeing viewed as rude? Do your e-mail habits show a lack of consideration forthe person on other side? Below are the most common faux pas onlinersmake on a regular basis that end up leaving a negative perception. If youanswer yes to any of the following questions you are most likely being viewedas rude.

The Ways of The Rude:

1. Do you forward e-mails without comment? If you cannot take the time

to write a comment about why you are forwarding that particular e-mail to that particular person don't bother forwarding at all or you'll beviewed as rude!

2. Do you send overly large unexpected attachments? If you cannot takethe time to determine file size and ask first when would be the besttime to send them, you're being viewed as rude!

3. Do you send business attachments after business hours? If you do,you will definitely be viewed as rude when you cause your customer’sinbox to fill and all subsequent e-mail to bounce!

4. Do you start every e-mail with a "Hi" or "Hello" with the recipient's

name and close with a "Sincerely," "Take Care," or TTYS and your

name? If you cannot take the time to personally address an e-mail andsign off with courtesy, which will cause you to be perceived asdemanding or curt, you'll be viewed as rude!

5. Do you e-mail others for information without searching to see if the

information you're seeking has already been provided to you? If youcannot take a few moments to search a site and read the informationprovided, you'll be viewed as rude!

6. Do you use multiple !!! or ??? in your e-mails? If you do, you will comeoff as pushy and/or condescending and you'll be viewed as rude!

7. Do you include everyone's e-mail address in the To: field even if they

don't know each other? If you do, that is a breach of privacy when youexpose your contact's e-mail addresses to strangers and you will beviewed as rude!

Avoid being viewed as rude by taking the time to have courtesy for the

people you are communicating with.






Organizing Your E-Mail

Getting your e-mail organized and staying that way!

Overview:

A big part of keeping your inbox and your e-mail organized is discipline. Youneed to make a consistent practice of checking your e-mail andaccomplishing several tasks to keep ahead of the increased traffic of bits andbytes finding their way to your inbox.

What are we to do? Let's get organized!

1. Put your DELETE button to work! If you do not recognize the sender,look at the SUBJECT: field. Are there funny characters, alphanumericor it just doesn't make sense? Delete! If you don't know the senderand the SUBJECT: field looks off, send them on their way to the trash!

2. Once you go through all your new e-mail and follow step #1 above, youare now ready to determine what to do with the e-mails that are left.Do you have several e-mail from the same party? Do you have e-mailfrom folks who e-mail you quite regularly? Do you have some e-mailthat is personal business and others that are more serious andtherefore, you probably need to keep a copy on hand? This is wherefilters come in. Filters are your friends! Filters, or Rules as they arecalled in Outlook, are what allow you to organize your e-mail on thedownload. Yes, as you download your e-mail it can go into e-mailfolders setup for specific topics or contacts!A side benefit of filters is that if you organize your e-mail to go intotheir own folders on download - your inbox has less e-mail that yourequested or were expecting leaving only the questionable e-mail foryou to review. Filters only need be setup once and they are in placeuntil you delete them. Get your filters tightly setup and you canliterally find only e-mail from spammers are left in your inbox.One thing is clear about being online and e-mailing - it behooves you tobecome familiar and proficient with your tools. E-mail software beingprobably the most important.

3. After following the suggestions in #1 above, begin to review your e-mail. If you run into an e-mail that is from a new mailing list you've

subscribed to and plan on getting regular e-mail from, stop right thereand make a folder and filter to accommodate these future e-mail. Setup a filter to look for something specific to that e-mail (usually e-mailaddress works best) and moving forward, on the download, those e-mails will go right into their own folder. Do this for any e-mail topic orcontact you plan to receive e-mail from on a regular basis.

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4. Read and delete. Read your e-mail as time permits and then delete anye-mail that doesn't have content worth keeping for future reference.Then, empty your trash daily. Loads of e-mail files use a ton of yoursystem's resources. Not keeping copies of e-mail you really will neverneed in the future helps remove the clutter and drain on systemresources.

5. When reading your e-mail you can prioritize when you want to addressthem. Many e-mail programs allow you to label e-mail by color whenviewing a particular folder. For example you could have labels that at aglance tell you how you have prioritized your tasks. Say, red forurgent, blue for later, yellow for maybe. By opening that specific e-mailbox you know, at a glance, which e-mail you have set to address rightaway and which you can get to as time permits.

6. Create a folder called Follow-Up, Interesting or To Do. This is where

you will file some of the e-mail from your inbox that peaked yourinterest that you would like to review in more detail but just don't havethe time. Then, when time permits you can go to that folder and checkinto the e-mails worth keeping. Once you review them, though, eithersend them to another folder for keeps or send them to trash.

7. To avoid e-mail backup, be sure your inbox is cleared each day. Movee-mail to trash, a specific folder or your "To Do" folder, and thenempty the trash. If e-mail is older than 90 days in your "To Do" folder -send them off to trash as most likely the information or offer is nolonger current. By doing so each day, you keep your inbox clear andyour e-mail much more organized.

8. What about all these folders? Have as many folders as you need to beorganized and call them whatever will intuitively work for you with aglance. This system is different and unique to each and every user -make sure you use terms and a system that works for you.

The above tips when practiced daily will make the world of difference in

keeping your inbox organized and clutter free. Just a bit of discipline is all it

takes to be on the road to less time spent dealing with e-mail which frees you

up to do other important things.... like responding to e-mail.






Resources

Websites to learn more about how to make the most of your e-mail

• Yale University Library •

Dynamoo Email Etiquette • Learn the Net: E-Mail Etiquette • Purdue University Writing Lab • E-Mail Etiquette: A Quick guide to writing professional E-mail

© 1996-2005 Netmanners.com



http://www.library.yale.edu/training/netiquette/

http://www.dynamoo.com/technical/etiquette.htm

http://www.learnthenet.com/english/html/65mailet.htm

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/pw/p_emailett.html

http://www.jobweb.com/resources/library/Correspondence_for_the_Job/Email_Etiquette_A_209_01.htm

http://www.jobweb.com/resources/library/Correspondence_for_the_Job/Email_Etiquette_A_209_01.htm

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/pw/p_emailett.html

http://www.learnthenet.com/english/html/65mailet.htm

http://www.dynamoo.com/technical/etiquette.htm

http://www.library.yale.edu/training/netiquette/

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