Email etiquette

Probably the best advice for email etiquette is ‘type unto others as you would have them type unto you’.

But aside from that, here are a few more top tips:

• Keep emails brief, but include all essential information so your recipient can understand your request or point of view
• Use simple courtesies, like ‘please’ and ‘thank you’
• Do not type everything in capitals—it’s like shouting
• Multiple instances of ‘!!!’ or ‘???’ come across as rude or condescending
• Spell check and review your use of punctuations and capitals— sloppy emails with typos are not taken as seriously
• Be careful to spell people’s names correctly
• Always include some brief text in the ‘Subject:’ field—be sure this accurately refl ects your email’s content
• Make sure when using ‘BCC:’ (Blind Carbon Copy) that your intentions are proper—to send BCC: copies to others as a way of talking behind someone’s back isn’t appropriate
• Take the time to review each email before sending to ensure your message is clear and polite—make one last check that the address(es) in the ‘To:’ fi eld are correct
• Refrain from using the ‘Reply All’ feature to give your opinion to people who may not be interested—replying to the sender alone is usually best
• If you cannot respond to an email promptly, at least email back to confi rm your receipt and advise when the sender can expect your response
• Personal emails are easily forwarded to peopl—keep this in mind when typing about emotional or controversial topics
• Don’t make assumptions when it comes to email—always ask for clarifi cation before reacting
• When tempted to send an emotionally-charged email, walk away from your computer and wait a while before you reply, and review the sender’s email to be sure you’re not reading anything into it that isn’t there
• When there is a misunderstanding by email, don’t hesitate to pick up the phone and work things out!

Source: www.101emailetiquettetips.com