E-MAIL ETIQUETTE AND "BEST PRACTICES"

The following information is used for educational purposes only.


E-MAIL ETIQUETTE AND "BEST PRACTICES"


Writing Effective Messages


E-mail is ideal for corresponding with colleagues in different parts of the world, across time zones, and even in the same office. Using e-mail can save money (e.g., postage, telephone charges, travel), but it cannot always substitute for face-to-face meetings or telephone calls. Interpersonal communication should generally be your first choice whenever possible. In addition, e-mail should not be used to resolve conflict or to say things that would not be said in person.

E-mail messages may be considered part of the Company's official records and
may be subject to disclosure to third parties. Compose e-mail messages in the same
manner and with the same good judgment that you would employ for any other Company
communication.

Use a Descriptive Subject Line

Never leave a subject line blank. It may determine whether or not your message gets
read. Use a short descriptive statement to help the recipient decide when he or she should read the message. Take care not to overstate the urgency of the message simply to get attention.

Use Courtesy and Respect

As with any other form of business correspondence, e-mail messages should be written
using courtesy and respect for the recipient. Don't employ rude or facetious remarks that could be seen as unethical or defamatory.

Don't Use All Caps

Using ALL CAPS in e-mail is equivalent to SHOUTING. In addition, all caps makes
your text difficult to read, as does all lower case.

2 Employee Use of the Internet and E-Mail


Check Spelling, Grammar, and Punctuation

Don't ignore the basics of writing, punctuation, and spelling in your e-mail
correspondence, and be aware of the tone of your message. Use slang, jargon and
abbreviations sparingly and appropriately based on your recipient.

Use a Signature

Include useful information such as your telephone number, position in the Company,
location and e-mail address. Different signatures for different recipients may be
appropriate. For example, shorter signatures may suffice for e-mail to Company
coworkers.

Sending Messages

Urgent Messages

Don't rely on e-mail alone for sending urgent messages. The recipient may be out of the
office and not checking e-mail frequently. Follow up with a telephone call or fax.

Using cc

A cc: (which used to mean carbon copy) suggests that the message is for information
only--no action is necessary on the part of the cc-recipients. Send carbon copies only to those who really need a copy. Sending unnecessary copies wastes everyone's time (see
Sending Unsolicited Messages).

Using bcc

Blind carbon copies should be used with caution, if at all. They may give the appearance that you're going behind someone's back. If you can't copy the person directly, consider not sending the message at all.

Avoid Sending "Heat of the Moment" Messages

When responding to a "hostile" message, don't hit the SEND button until you have had a
chance to cool off (use the "overnight rule"--sleep on it, re-read your message, and revise it before sending). E-mail messages that are sent in the heat of the moment are often regretted. Once sent, they cannot be retrieved.

Avoid Sending Unnecessarily Wordy Messages

Remember that some people have to pay for each byte of data they receive. Keep
messages succinct without being so terse as to be rude.

Delayed Responses

Don't leave the sender hanging. If you cannot respond to an e-mail request in a timely
manner, consider sending a quick reply stating that you have received the message and
giving an estimate of the time it will take you to provide a full response.

Model Guidelines and Policy


Replying to Messages

Be careful to use "Reply-to-All" only when appropriate. Typically, you should address a
reply only to a single person and not to all those who received the original message.
Likewise, be careful when replying to a message that was sent by a Bulletin Board (BB)
or automatic re-mailer--if you're not careful, your reply may be sent to the entire audience subscribing to the BB rather than only to the individual who wrote the original message.

Include the Original E-mail When Replying

This is a matter of both courtesy and efficiency. It avoids making the sender search for his or her original message and may help to avoid confusion. Use the reply feature to return automatically the original message and to insert the return address. However,
where the original message is lengthy, include only enough of it to jog the sender's
memory--sending too-long messages can be burdensome on those using dial-up
connections. Also, where your reply is relevant to only a portion of the original message,consider excerpting and including in your reply only the relevant portion(s).

To Send an Attachment or Not?

Don't send an attached file when a text message is sufficient. A few lines or even
paragraphs of text does not warrant a file attachment. Receiving attachments can be timeconsuming(especially when the recipient is using a dial-up connection) and requires the recipient to take extra steps to open and read the file. Send attachments for long messages or when special formatting is necessary. When you send attachments, take the time to make sure that the attachment does not contain unnecessary graphics (like letterhead or logos) or embedded multimedia--these can increase download time by an order of magnitude.








Copyright 2002 by the American Bar Association



Source: www.apps.americanbar.org