Christa Ashford

12/18/02

Explain email etiquette and give examples of this skill.

Sending effective emails are very important today because the majority of the human race uses them in one way or another. Sadly, many people, even corporate executives, do not know how to write a proper email. It is amazing how something so simple is so hard to get right. So why is email etiquette so important? What does it take to form the proper email? Using proper email etiquette prevents a lot of confusion and hate mail or flames.

First, the proper salutation needs to be used. Always try to make the message personal or make it clear to who the email is referring. It is recommended that formalities be omitted in casual situations. In these situations, one would type Dear Christa or just Christa. On the other hand when dealing with a business situation one would type the salutations using his or her best judgment. For example, if you are accustomed to calling a person by his first name then you may omit any formalities, but if you were unfamiliar with a person then you would need to use a formality such as Mrs. or Mr. It is always better to be safe than sorry.

Next, one needs to be mindful of how he formats the email. Everyone loves to add fancy fonts, pictures and colors in their emails, but what they don't know is that these things can be annoying to the person who gets that beautiful email. Additionally, some email clients do not display anything other than plain test. Using plain text format is always the best route for all parties involved.

When typing an email there a few things that one should remember as to prevent negative feedback or flames. First, do not use all capital letters. This is perceived as showing aggression or shouting at the recipient. Also, do not make comments about punctuation or grammar when replying to the email. Some people may find this offensive and discontinue communication with you.

Once you send an email, you will probably get a response. If you decide to reply, do not start a new email. This can be confusing to the recipient because he may have more than one person responding to his emails. The best thing to do is reply instead of starting over. This will make it easier to follow the new messages if you and the recipient continue to communicate.

Before you send an email remember that there is no such thing as private email. Several people can see the email that you are sending and can use that information to their advantage. For example, when you send an email at work, your system administrator has the ability to view what you are sending. Sometimes things go wrong when addressing to the recipient and your email can go to the wrong person.

Sources

www.emailreplies.com

Gene Wicker