Use Proper Email Netiquette to Avoid Wasting Others’ Time by: Laura Stack, MBA, CSP

I remember opening my first email account and thinking how much fun it was to send a message to a friend. If you’re like many people, you no longer find email simple nor fun. Email messaging now exceeds telephone traffic and is the dominant form of business communication. Some workers tell me handling their emails can consume half their day. A recent Wall Street Journal report indicates that soon employees will spend three to four hours a day on email.
Don’t you wish every person who received a new email account had to agree to follow certain “rules of engagement”? I’d love to see a master protocol list to govern what you can and cannot do. Here’s what I’d include on the netiquette list:
Understand that informal doesn’t mean sloppy. If your coworkers use Blackberries or text pagers to communicate internally, use the commonly accepted abbreviated language. When communicating with external customers, however, always follow standard writing protocol. Your email message sends a message about you and your company, so normal spelling, grammar, and punctuation rules apply.
Keep messages brief and to the point. Just because your writing is correct doesn’t mean it has to be long. Make your writing as concise as possible. Nothing is more frustrating than wading through an email twice as long as needed. Get right to the point;concentrate on one subject per message as much as possible.
Use sentence case. USING ALL CAPITAL LETTERS LOOKS LIKE YOU’RE SHOUTING. Using all lower case letters looks lazy. For emphasis, use the asterisk to make words * really * stand out. Also, don’t use a lot of colors or graphics embedded in your message, since not everyone uses an email program that reads HTML. Without HTML capabilities, colors and graphics show up as garbled code.
Use the blind copy and courtesy copy appropriately. Don’t use the BCC feature to keep others from seeing who you copied; it shows confidence when you directly CC anyone receiving a copy. Do use BCC, however, when sending to a large distribution list, so recipients won’t have to scroll through a huge list of names. Be cautious on your use of CC; overuse simply clutters the in-boxes of your supervisors. Only copy people if they are directly involved, not to grandstand or “CYA.”
Don’t use email as an excuse NOT to communicate. Don’t forget the value of face-toface or even voice-to-voice communication. Email communication isn’t appropriate when sending confusing or emotional messages. Think of the times you’ve heard someone in the office indignantly say, “Well, I sent you email.” If you have a problem with someone, get up and walk three doors down to find that person and have a conversation. Don’t use email to avoid an uncomfortable situation or to cover up a mistake.
Remember your email isn’t private. I’ve seen people fired for using email inappropriately (like forwarding items with sexual or off-color content) or for personal use. Email is considered company property and can be retrieved, examined, and used in a court of law. Unless you are using an encryption device (hardware or software), you should assume that email over the Internet is not secure. Never put in an email mail message anything you wouldn’t put on a postcard. Remember that an email can be forwarded, so unintended audiences may see what you’ve written. Or you might inadvertently send something to the wrong party, so always keep the content professional to avoid embarrassment.
Be sparing with group mail. Send group mail only when it’s useful to all recipients. Use the “reply-to-all” button only when compiling results requiring collective input. Use the subject field to indicate contents and priority. Use the subject field to give a quick summary of the contents and the priority. Don’t just say, “Hi!” or “From Laura.” Agree on acronyms to use that quickly identify actions. For example, your team could use to mean “Action Required” or for the Monthly Status Report. It’s also a good practice to include the word “Long” in the subject header so the recipient knows the message will take time to read. A message over 100 lines is generally considered long. Instead of sending a one-line text message to a Blackberry, send the message in the subject line, using to signal the End of Message. The recipient doesn’t have to even open the email to get the message.
Don’t send chain letters, virus warnings, or junk mail. Always check a reputable antivirus website before sending out an alarm. If a constant stream of jokes from a friend annoys you, be honest and ask to be removed from the list. Remind them it’s nothing personal, but you have more email than you can handle. Alternatively, you can set up a personal account at home and direct non-work email to it. Remember that your tone can’t be heard in an email. Have you ever attempted sarcasm in an email, and the recipient took it the wrong way? Email communication is missing facial expressions, vocal tone, volume, and body language, and it can’t convey the nuances of verbal communication. In an attempt to infer tone of voice, some people use “smileys” such as :-) , but use them sparingly so you don’t appear unprofessional. Also, don’t assume that using a smiley will make the recipient happy with what you say or wipe out an otherwise insulting comment.
Use a signature with a website link. Make things easy for the recipient. To ensure that people know who you are, include a line or two at the end of your message with your contact information. Always include your complete mailing address, website, and phone numbers. Don’t make it obnoxiously long with a page of information for people to wade through; put most of that on your website. You can create this file ahead of time and add it to the end of your messages as a signature line (some programs do this automatically).
Include portions of the original email in your response. Scroll through ten pages of correspondence to understand the point of a message or question can be annoying. Instead of continuing to forward a forwarded message, take a minute to write a quick summary for your reader. You could even highlight or quote the relevant and specific passage, then include your response. One word of caution: if you are forwarding or reposting a message you’ve received, do not change the wording, which is lying. If the message was a personal message to you and you want to re-post it to a group, you should ask permission first. You may shorten the message and quote only relevant parts, but be sure you give proper attribution.
Use the suggestions above as points of discussion with those in your department or team and create your own list of email protocol.
Make it a productive day! ™
About The Author

(C) Copyright 2004 Laura Stack, MBA, CSP. All rights reserved. Portions of this newsletter may be reprinted in your organization or association newsletter, provided the following credit line is present:
"Laura M. Stack, MBA, CSP, is "The Productivity Pro"® and the author of Leave the Office Earlier. She presents keynotes and seminars on time management, information overload, and personal productivity. Contact her at 303-471-7401 or Laura@TheProductivityPro.com."
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