You ve Got Email Etiquette
Email has become a way of life! We use it instead of snail mail and telephone calls. It has become a powerful tool, but can be a terrible thing if used incorrectly.
Be concise and to the point. Do not make an email longer than it needs to be. Proof read, proof read and then proof read again! Make sure your message is clear. Always use spell check. Proper spelling shows your professionalism!
Be careful with formatting. Using colored or different fonts, and emoticons might be cute in your email, but may not be compatible to the recipient s computer. This could make your email unreadable and unprofessional. You might understand LOL, OMG, BFF, BTW, :P, ; ) and the like, but does your recipient?
Don t forward chain letters or SPAM. Always be careful with content. Will the subject matter offend the recipient and who will be the audience? Could it be considered obscene, libelous, racist or defamatory? Inappropriate emails can be a federal offense and are admissible as evidence in a court hearing. What you type can be used against you! Always be careful.
The Email Thread To use it or not to use it that is the question. Sometimes the Thread is necessary to help the reader understand the situation. Other times, it is a lot of wasteful information. Understand what your intent is when attaching the Thread.
Remove email addresses from forwarded emails. This is one way unwanted computer viruses are spread and how you get on SPAM lists!
DON T SHOUT typing in all CAPITALS is considered shouting. Answer in a timely manner. Don t ignore emails. If you don t have time to give a full answer, send a quick response in acknowledgement. Let them know you will respond fully when time allows. Remember, the sender may have used the delivery receipt option so they will know you received their email!
DON T send emails when ANGRY. After the rally or rating, when you are at home in your bunny slippers stewing about the day, don t pop off that 2:00 a.m. angry email. You will more than likely regret it later!
Be careful when Replying, Replying to all or Forwarding. Make sure you are sending your response to the intended targets! Don t overuse the Reply to All option. You may not want all the recipients to read your response. They may not want to read your responses. There is nothing more embarrassing then saying something negative and then sending it to the wrong person! Again, be cautious with what you write.
In order to protect recipients, you should use the BCC (Blind Carbon Copy) when emailing to multiple recipients or use the mail merge option. If it s important to know who the recipients are, then use the CC (Carbon Copy) line.
Avoid adding unnecessary backgrounds or attachments. This will increase the size of your email making it difficult to download, upload and wasting valuable data space on your computer. Remember, not everyone has access to high speed internet.
Hyperlinks are useful to point the recipient to a proper location, do not violate copyright laws and prevent duplication. Always confirm that the Hyperlink works! http://www.ponyclub.org/ Be cautious that the Hyperlink is from a reputable site. A single item on a site may be nice, but the rest of the site could be inappropriate.
Don t use the High Priority, Urgent or delivery receipt options unless it s absolutely necessary. If you are always Crying WOLF people will start to ignore you!
USPC is a youth organization, please try to avoid using member s last names or highly confidential information in emails. We always want to protect our members. Emails can be easily forwarded and information can get into the wrong hands.
Remember Email does not reflect your voice tone or emotion. This often leads to misunderstandings and hurt feelings. Think about how your email will be received and word it carefully.
Email Etiquette Be concise Proof read Use spell check Limit use of abbreviations and emoticons Don t forward SPAM, chain letters or hoaxes Be careful with content Watch Email Thread Remove other email addresses DON T SHOUT Give timely responses Don t email when Angry
Email Etiquette Use the Reply, Reply to All or Forward options correctly Make sure you are replying to the intended recipient Use BCC line Don t use large attachments or unnecessary backgrounds Use Hyperlinks correctly Use High Priority, Urgent and mail receipt options appropriately Avoid using confidential information AND MOST IMPORTANT Remember the recipient cannot hear your voice tone or emotion!
Email is a powerful tool in today s world. Be sure to use it wisely and correctly.