E-Mail Etiquette

E-Mail Etiquette.

There is a lot being written at the moment about e-mail and how social networking sites such as Facebook will kill e-mail. However the number just don't bear that out

The Radicati Group’s “Email Statistic Report, 2012-2016” estimates that email usage will increase from 3.3 billion email accounts in 2012 to 4.3 billion accounts by the end of 2016, a growth rate of 6% per year. That roughly is 1/3 more accounts. (Below)

In other cases, email users, notably Alan Lepofsky here, have blogged about how they now use their email accounts to collate information from external sources, so that they get everything they need in one place.

I do a similar thing, I have multiple Lotus Notes accounts, 4 I think it is and 4 gmail and Yahoo accounts. I consolidate all this mail into a single account, this allows me to deal with all e-mail where ever I am in a single account. My Samsung Tablet Tab 10.1 helps tremendously in this task as I can have many e-mail accounts in a single view.

Anyway on to the subject of this entry.

With great and greater use of e-mail we need to be more aware than ever of actually doing it right. Its very easy to send an e-mail in anger and regret it 30 seconds after your hit the send button. Most free e-mail systems don't allow for any mail recall and whilst Lotus Notes does that its not good if the person has already opened the e-mail. So lets cover the key things that you should do when dealing with e-mails. Much of the content borrowed from: http://www.netmanners.com/e-mail-etiquette-101/

1. Do not type in all caps. Typing in all caps is considered yelling, screaming or at the very least adding emphasis to the word you type. Various studies on the topic reflect that it is more difficult and takes longer to read text that is typed in all caps.
2. Start your email with brief and concise Subject: which accurately portrays the content of your email. The Subject: field is not the place to ask questions or to contain your only comments while you send a blank email. You also want to refrain from using an old email message and hitting reply to type about a new subject because you didn’t add your contact’s email address to your address book. That is viewed not only as lazy but as inconsiderate for the person on the other side because the Subject: field does not reflect the new conversation.
3. Always start your email with "Hello", "Hi", "Dear" or whatever you are comfortable with and works for you and the name of the person you are emailing. Use a greeting that reflects your personality. When you make a phone call you always say "Hello" to the person who picks up the phone. A little idle chit-chat asking how the other person is, what is new, etc. then ensues.
4. Always spell check your email, proofread for errors, capitalise your sentences and use appropriate punctuation and grammar. Never tell those business associates whom you have become lazy with that "I don’t spell check or capitalise my sentences with you because we know each other so well". You have just insulted the other party by basically telling them they are not worth the time it would take for you to communicate properly with them. Not using proper structure (no punctuation, all caps or all lower case) will also be a strong indication of your level of education and professionalism. I believe that once of the biggest mistakes everyone who works in Asia makes is the above. I too am guilty of it sometimes (Ohhh).
5. Always end your emails with "Thank you," "Sincerely," "Take it easy," "Best regards" – something!
   
   In particular, when you request information or ask something of the one you are emailing, have the common courtesy to thank them in advance (TIA!) and sign off your email appropriately. Worse yet, to click the send button without even typing your name is impersonal and is not conducive to being perceived as a person one would want to continue to build a relationship or do business with. Not typing your name at the end of an email comes off as terse and demanding. If you don’t want to type your name for every email, then incorporate it into your signature file that is automatically appended to the end of every email.
6. Never just forward email without a comment as to why you are forwarding the email to the recipient. To forward without comment is bossy, lazy and rude. Do you want the party to comment or review? Is there a specific issue you want them to address? Did you have a particular reason why you forwarded to them that specific email? Always let the recipient know why you are forwarding an email to them. Including what, if anything, you need them to respond to or what action is required by them.
   
   If you are emailing for support, asking a question or requesting assistance from the other side, it would behove you to say "Thank You". It is very easy to come off as bossy in email and as I’m sure you’ll agree, people do not take warmly to those who are pushy.
7. By sending email that blurts out a question or demands a response without including a closing such as "appreciate your help" or "thanks in advance" or even "let me know what you think" you can bet the person on the other side will not respond as quickly, work as hard, take you as seriously, or possibly not even care to respond at all. Know this to be a fact! Remember? Perception?
8. As a general rule of thumb, if someone takes the time to email you and it is not junk mail or offensive, give them the courtesy of a timely return response. Who would have thought we would be so busy as to not have time to respond to email? By not doing so you appear to ignore them and that is how they will feel–ignored. How would you feel if email you sent was not responded to?
9. Use Your Smart Phone, Instant Messaging (IM) or Text Messaging properly with consideration for the person on the other side. The concepts that apply to email apply to Smart Phone use and Texting / Instant Messaging as well. The key is courtesy and clarity in your communications.
   
   First and foremost, always be cognizant about when and where is the most appropriate time to use your Smart Phone and IM. Doing so during meetings, while on the phone with another person or at activities where your attention is expected is inconsiderate. There is a time and place for everything — and this applies to IM (and checking email on all portable devices) as well!
10. Practice communicating briefly and succinctly. Clarity is a skill that needs to be worked on in email in general let alone when it comes to the short messages generally sent on Smart Phones and via IM.
    
    Be professional even though your Smart Phone is by nature a more casual environment, keep in mind the quality of your messages will reflect on your perceived credibility, professionalism and tech savvy.
11. When replying to emails always respond promptly and edit out unnecessary information from the post you are responding to. This is perhaps the most important thing in business. Even if you are really busy you should send the person a holding mail, saying when you will get back to them, make sure that you stick to the timescale that YOU set.
    
    Responding promptly is the courteous thing to do. Its just down right rude if you take a week to reply. Don’t let folks wonder if you received the email or are ever going to respond to their communications. Think about how quickly you would return a phone call or voice mail. Email is no different especially considering most onliners have expectations of a faster response since email is received so quickly. Outside of any emergencies such as surgery or lack of connectivity, always respond as soon as you can. If you need more time, longer than 48 hours, to gather your thoughts, simply pop off an email stating you are planning on responding in more detail and when.
    
    Some schools of thought feel that you should edit out previous mails, (ie edit out headers and footers, I feel this just make the email more difficult to read) I don't agree with this, I find it very helpful to be able to go down an e-mail and review the history.
12. You are what you write. How you communicate will be an indication as to who you are and the kind of person you are. Learn to write with clarity and take folks at their word – not what you "think" they mean.
13. One of the most disheartening things I see in regard to the use of technology is that many times people have forgotten the human touch. There are living, breathing human beings at these keyboards. Some more able to communicate clearly than others based on level of education or level of exposure to technology.
14. Share your online information with those you know to be new to the online arena. Send them to this site or others like it, teach them what you have learned, possibly the hard way, so they will not make the same mistakes as you did. Be open and willing to keep on learning and improving your skills. Don’t let your ego or pride stop you from understanding the importance of the issues relayed in this site, by letting your unwillingness to be wrong get in the way and blur your common sense with anger or feeling as though you have been insulted.