Email Etiquette for Everyone

"I was working on landing a new account.The manager I was dealing with told me to get him the quote overnight.He works for a pretty high tech company and his e-mail was listed on his business card,so I figured I would send it via e-mail.When I called to follow up,he said he never received it-He only check his e-mail once a day so he must have missed it.He told me that he prefers to receive a packages the old fashioned way-by overnight mail.I just didn't think to ask at the time."

Here is some Email Etiquette for Everyone

Understand that the rules of writing apply:
Many people feel that because e-mail is more casual,it's okay to forget about grammar,spelling and typos.They're wrong.The quality of your writing always counts.The message,no matter how it's written or delivered,reveals something about you and the quality of your work.

Learn how your system works:
And follow your company guidelines on appropriate use of e-mail.

Don't contribute to e-mail overload:
Respect other people's "electronic space" by sending message only when necessary and only to the necessary people.Many people do not want to recive jokes or chain letters,either.

Don't give out someone's e-mail address without permission.

Don't email your new clients until you're sure that he or she is comfortable communicating that way:
Just because e-mail is second nature to you,that doesn't mean it's second nature to all.Just because an e-mail address is on someone's business card doesn't mean they really use it.A colleague of mine hates it when clients email her.she wants to talk to them.She feels she can more effectively gauge their needs and moods and therefore service the account better.

Check your e-mail Regularly:
You don't want messages to pile up.

Respond to emails within a reasonable amount of time:
A general business guideline is to respond within twenty-four hours.If the person has requested an immediate reply and you can't give one, let him or her know when you will able yo get the information.

Do not mark a message urgent ,unless it really is:
You will get a reputation for crying electronic wolf

Never forward e-mail if you think or know the sender has intended it to be for your eyes only.

Use the"Out of Office Auto Reply" feature, if you have it:
It automatically e-mails the sender that you are out of office.You can detail in the message when you will be returning and who to contact in case your correspondent needs immediate attention.

Document your e-mail if necessary:
If you're sending time sensitive materials,use the feature on your e-mail system that allows you to know when the recipient has received your message.Print out or save this message and put it in your file.You may need backup at a later time.

Always virus check before you open a file onto your system-especially if you're on a network and could potentially infect your whole department or company.

Make sure you send uncorrupted files:
If you need to e-mail or share files,make sure you have a good anti virus program. It's rude and inconsiderate to send unsafe files.

Keep your e-mail message short and simple:
The guideline for an e-mail message is about one screen,which is usually about twenty five lines

Use short paragraphs:
It's hard to concentrate on a long paragraph printed on a peice of paper.It's even more difficult on a computer screen.

Always use a subject line:
This will help your reader focus on your topic messages without them.

Don't use all capital letters:
The e-mail equivalent of shouting,capital letters,are also more difficult to read.The CEO of a company would use all caps to e-mail employees because he had bad eyesight.The employees were still annoyed because his messages were hard to read.Why didn't he just wear his glasses? They wondered.

Limit each message to one subject area

Proofread every time:
mistakes will be noticed and depending upon the recipient,you may be judge for making them.keep in mind that it's more difficult to proof on a screen.read out loud slowly from the sgreen to catch your mistakes or print out the message and read it from a hard copy.Use your spell checker.If your e-mail program doesn't have a spell check feature, copy and past the body of your message into your word processing program and spell check it there

Don't send or receive personal e-mails at work :
Before you start messaging your friends about your wild weekend or latest romantic liaison,remember,E-mail is not always private.Others may have access to your messages many companies are monitoring their email systems and reprimanding employees for using e-mail for personal use.It's easy to set up a personal e-mail address at home

Don't send an e-mail message containing any business information that you want to keep confidential
You don't know who may see the message once it's sent

Don't write anything about any one that you wouldn't say directly to that person:
Though there may be times you want to say something in writing first,the general guideline is to not use e-mail as a way to avoid having a confrontation or a difficult conversation,such as reprimanding or firing someone.

Don't e-mail when you're angry or upset:
It's too easy to send the message and you may regret it later.At the very least ,give yourself a 24 hour cooling off period and then decide if you still want to send the message.

Don't e-mail thank -you notes:
E-mail does not replace situations that have always required a handwritten thank-you note.Stationery and your handwriting make it more personal,through in some situations,a quick note of thanks on e-mail can be effective.

Salutations and closings are not technically required with e-mail:
since e-mail is in memo format it does have the sender's and receiver's names at the top of the screen

For internal messages,It's acceptable to use only first names,as in simply "Moni:
" Occasionally you will use " Dear Moni" If you want to be more formal.

For external messages,you can just first names,as in " sumon," "Dear Sumon" or "Dear Mr. Sumon" as a salutation depending upon how formal your relationship is.

It's acceptable to use a closing if you use"Dear" in the salutation. Use "Sincerely" or "Best regards"depending upon relationship.

Use your Signature feature:
Some email systems even allow you to attach your signature.Many people choose to also attach their name ,phone number,and possibly even a website link,automatically to the bottom of a message.

Don't use e-mail symbols in your closing:
Not every one understands the meaning of symbols like :) (it;s a smiley face) that many people use to close their e-mails.