Email Etiquette:

A guide to efficient, effective e-mail communication

By Jacquelyn Lynn

Whether you consider e-mail a blessing or a curse, or perhaps a bit of both, the fact is that this communication method is here to stay. To make e-mail work for you rather than letting it work against you, consider these points:

• E-mail is not private. Once you hit that send button, your messages have the potential to become public information. Never e-mail anything you would not want the entire world to see.
• Use appropriate, businesslike language in all business-related electronic communications—and consider applying the same rule to your personal e-mails, because you never know where any of your electronic messages will end up.
• Be concise and to the point. Don't ramble or include unnecessary information.
• Provide complete responses. If you are replying to an e-mail that asks multiple questions, be sure to answer them all. And if you can anticipate what additional questions the sender might have, answer those as well.
• Use appropriate salutations. Consider your relationship with the recipient and the message you're sending. Generally in an e-mail thread, it's acceptable to include a salutation in your first message, and not necessary for the remainder of the exchange unless there are multiple participants and you need to be clear about whom you are addressing.
• Use proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Poor grammar, misspelled words, and incorrect punctuation in e-mail will make others wonder if you run your business with the same carelessness. Also, don't overdo the punctuation. You don't need a dozen question marks or exclamation points at the end of a sentence for emphasis; one will suffice.
• Always read, proofread, and spell-check before sending. Read the message through the eyes of the recipient to make sure it conveys the tone and information you intend. Then proofread and spell-check.
• Only mark messages as “high priority” when they really are. Also, avoid using words like “urgent,” “critical,” and “important” in the subject line or message unless they are truly appropriate.
• Include pertinent message threads (text from earlier messages) in your replies. This makes it much easier for the recipient to comprehend your answer.
• Use “reply all” sparingly. Only use “reply all” if it is important for everyone on the original distribution to see your answer. Otherwise, reply only to the people who need to hear from you.
• Be cautious with blind copies (bcc). Typically a blind copy is used so the person receiving the e-mail doesn't know that the other person is getting a copy—but if the other person replies, the secret is out and the original recipient will likely be offended. It's safer to forward the sent e-mail to people you don't want to publicly copy.
• Populate address fields appropriately. The “to” field should contain only the addresses only for the people for whom the message is directly intended. The “cc” field is for people you are indirectly addressing on an “fyi” basis. The “bcc” field is for people you want to copy but you don't want the others to know; use that field sparingly.
• Always double-check the name(s) in your send and copy fields before you hit send. Make sure the message is going to the person(s) you intended and no one else.
• Use abbreviations, acronyms, and jargon carefully. In business e-mail, they're just not appropriate. And in any e-mail, the recipient may not understand the meaning.
• Do not forward, copy, or otherwise publish the contents of an e-mail or attachment without the sender's permission. It's rude and could violate copyright laws.
• Be sure your subject line accurately reflects the content of your message. The subject line is the first thing the recipient sees and is not the place for vagueness, cuteness, or tricks. When the subject of an e-mail thread changes, change the subject line.
• Don't use all caps. On the internet, ALL CAPS means you are SHOUTING and it's rude.
• Use plain text and avoid fancy fonts, colors, clever backgrounds, and animated images.
• Do not send or forward e-mails containing threats, offensive material, libel or defamation, obscenities, or racist comments. Never write anything in an e-mail that you wouldn't say to someone's face.
• Don't forward chain letters, no matter how persuasive the message might be. Consider this: if you had to make paper copies of the message, put them in envelopes, address those envelopes, affix the current rate of postage, and take them to the post office to mail, would you do it? If not, then the message isn't worth forwarding via e-mail.
• Include a signature with your name, title, company name, e-mail address, website, and telephone number.
• Don't expect that your e-mails will be read immediately. If the message is critical and time-sensitive, pick up the phone.

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Jacquelyn Lynn (www.jacquelynlynn.com) is a freelance business writer and the author of the upcoming Entrepreneur's Almanac.