Email Etiquette

Be concise and to the point.

Do not make an e-mail longer than it needs to be and avoid long sentences. Email is meant to be a quick medium. Remember that reading an e-mail is harder than reading printed communications and a long e-mail can be very discouraging to read.

Do not attach unnecessary files.

By sending large attachments you can annoy the intended receiver and in some cases bring down an e-mail system. Wherever possible, cut and paste the contents of your attachment directly into the body of your email.

Make your message easy to read.

Since reading from a screen is more difficult than reading from paper, the structure and layout is very important for e-mail messages. Use short paragraphs and blank lines between each paragraph. When making points,      number or bullet each point for ease of reading.

Do not overuse the high priority option and avoid using URGENT and IMPORTANT.

We all know the story of the boy who cried wolf. If you overuse the high priority option, it will lose its effectiveness. Moreover, even if a mail has high priority, your message will come across as slightly aggressive if you flag it as 'high priority'. Even more so than the high-priority option, you must at all times try to avoid these types of words in an email or subject line. Only use this if it is a really, really urgent or important message.

Do not write in UPPERCASE.

IF YOU WRITE IN CAPITALS IT SEEMS AS IF YOU ARE SHOUTING. This can be annoying and might trigger an unwanted response.  

Don't leave out the message thread.

When you reply to an email, you must include the original mail in your reply, in other words click “Reply”, instead of “New Mail”.  Anyone who receives many emails obviously cannot remember each individual email. This means that a “threadless email” will not provide enough information, and the reader will have to spend a frustratingly long time to find out the context of the email in order to deal with it. Leaving the thread might take a fraction longer in download time, but it will save the recipients much more time and frustration in looking for the related emails in their inbox!

Read the email before you send it.

A lot of people don't bother to read an email before they send it out, as can be seen from the many spelling and grammar mistakes contained in emails. Apart from this, reading your email through the eyes of the recipient will help you send a more effective message and avoid misunderstandings and inappropriate comments.

Be careful with formatting.

Remember that when you use formatting in your emails, the sender might not be able to view formatting, or might see different fonts than you had intended. Avoid using backgrounds and “Click here to download” messages.  This can be annoying and will increase the byte size of your email. An example of this is: “Update Outlook ® – Add COLOR to your email [Click Here!]”

Take care with rich text and HTML messages.

Be aware that when you send an email in rich text or HTML format, the recipient might only be able to receive plain text emails. If this is the case, the recipient will receive your message as a .txt attachment. Most email clients however, including Microsoft Outlook, are able to receive HTML and rich text messages.

Use a meaningful subject.

Try to use a subject that is meaningful to the recipient as well as yourself.

Don't forward virus hoaxes and chain letters.

If you receive an email message warning you of a new unstoppable virus that will immediately delete everything from your computer, it is probably a hoax. By forwarding hoaxes you use valuable bandwidth and sometimes virus hoaxes contain viruses themselves, by attaching a so-called file that will stop the dangerous virus. The same goes for chain letters that promise incredible riches or ask your help for a charitable cause. Even if the content seems to be bona fide, the senders are usually not. Since it is impossible to find out whether a chain letter is real, the best place for it is the recycle bin.

Don't reply to spam.

By replying to spam or by unsubscribing, you are confirming that your email address is 'live'. Confirming this will only generate even more spam. Therefore, just hit the delete button or use email software to remove spam automatically.

Type an email like you are sending it to the world. 

Don’t put anything in an email that you would not want in the Sunday newspaper.  Moreover, never make any libelous, sexist or racially discriminating comments in emails, even if they are meant to be a joke. There are a number of reasons for this.  Have you ever clicked “Reply” when you forgot you were sending to the entire listserv?  Have you ever selected the wrong person from your address book (the one above or below the name you really wanted)?  Have you ever sent an email in haste that you wish you could reach into your computer and retrieve before it got to its intended recipient?