How to Effectively Communicate By Email

Network etiquette or "netiquette" as it has come to be known is the act of being considerate of other people while interacting online. It is exercised in instant messaging, forum communities, chat rooms and social networking sites. It is also very important for e-mail composition. The following is a list of netiquette ideas for business and personal e-mails.

• A stress relief technique is to write an angry letter but then never send it. This should never be done with e-mail because in the heat of the moment you could press the send button and then it will be delivered instantly.
• Don't use the Reply All button unless your message is intended for everyone in the receipt. If your boss contacts all employees asking for personal information and you hit Reply All, all of your coworkers will know these details.
• Be lazy. Don't paraphrase what someone else said in a different e-mail. Instead, forward it. That way there can be no miscommunication.
• E-mails should be short and sweet. Just make sure you include all of the relevant information.
• Be careful with the subject line. Users generally consider e-mails with no subject to be unimportant. However, e-mails with excessively long or cryptic subject lines can seem like spam. Simple headings such as "Regarding the Holiday Party" or "Deadlines for the month of April" are more likely to be noticed and read.
• When forwarding an e-mail, include in the subject line why it is being forwarded. Here is an example: "FWD:Deadlines for the month of April *Tammy, this is from the big guy, not sure if it got sent your way"
• Stop chain mail. If you get a message that says "Forward this to X number of people or you will have bad luck," it can be considered spam. Don't plague your friends' inboxes by sending it. The originator won’t know who you are and will not be able to inflict bad luck upon you.
• Do not write e-mails in all capital letters. Turn off the caps lock. Capital letters on the internet are inferred as anger or shouting.
• In speech, we can use inflection to express sarcasm or give our words a particular tone. With written communication, this is not possible. Read over your e-mail with different inflections and see if it could be reasonably misinterpreted as frustration or threatening.
• Don't send an attachment in an e-mail without explaining in the body what the attachment is.
• In a business, your e-mail may not actually be considered your property. Many companies reserve the right to search your e-mail history. Never send any e-mails from work that could be deemed inappropriate. This includes messages with appropriate content but an inappropriate tone. Always be respectful, even if the person on the other end is not.
• It is much harder to misinterpret an e-mail that is written with proper grammar and punctuation than 1 th@ is wRi10 like a teens txt msg. This is exponentially as important in a professional setting. You may be seen as if you don't take your job seriously.