This document presents some simple guidelines for electronic mail
etiquette. It does not try to mandate any particular style or rules: it
is instead an attempt to highlight important issues which affect the
clarity of the electronic mail we send. After all, electronic mail is
about communication, so clarity should be our goal.
- ALWAYS include a subject line in your message. Almost all mailers
present you with the subject line when you browse your mailbox, so it's
often the only clue the recipient has when filing and searching for
messages.
- Make the subject line meaningful. For example, sending a message to
Word Perfect Technical support with the subject "Word Perfect" is
practically as unhelpful as having no subject at all.
- If you are replying to a message but are changing the subject of the
conversation, change the subject too.
- Try to match your message length to the tenor of the conversation: if
you are only making a quick query, then keep it short.
- In general, keep to the subject as much as possible. If you need to
branch off onto a totally new and different topic then it's often better
to send a new message, which allows the recipient the option of filing it
separately.
- Don't type your message in all-uppercase - it's extremely difficult to
read (although a short stretch of uppercase may serve to emphasize a
point heavily). Try to break your message into logical paragraphs and
keep your sentences to sensible lengths.
- Use correct grammar and spelling. Electronic mail is all about
communication - poorly-worded and misspelt messages are hard to read and
potentially confusing. Just because electronic mail is fast does not mean
that it should be slipshod, yet the worst language-mashing I have ever
seen has been done in e-mail messages. If your words are important enough
to say, then they're important enough to say properly.
- Avoid public "flames" - messages sent in anger. Messages sent in the
heat of the moment generally only inflame the situation and are generally
regretted later. Settle down and think about it before starting a flame
war.
- Include enough of the original message to provide a context. Remember
that Electronic Mail is not as immediate as a telephone conversation and
the recipient may not recall the contents of the original message.
Including the relevant section from the original message helps the
recipient to place your reply in context.
- Include only the minimum you need from the original message. One of the
most annoying things you can encounter in e-mail is to have your original
5-page message quoted back at you in its entirety, with the words "Me
too" added at the bottom. Quote back only the smallest amount you need to
make your context clear.
- Use some kind of visual indication to distinguish between text quoted
from the original message and your new text. This makes the reply much
easier to follow. ">" is a traditional marker for quoted text, but you
can use anything provided its purpose is clear.
- Pay careful attention to where your reply is going to end up: it can be
embarrassing for you if a personal message ends up on a mailing list, and
it's generally annoying for the other list members.
- Ask yourself if your reply is really warranted - a message sent to a
list server which only says "I agree" is probably better sent privately
to the person who originally sent the message.
A "Signature" is a small block of text appended to the end of your
messages, which usually contains contact information for you. Many
mailers can add a signature to your messages automatically. Signatures
are a great idea but are subject to abuse.
-
Always use a signature if you can: make sure it identifies who you are
and includes alternative means of contacting you (phone and fax are
usual).
-
Keep your signature short - four to seven lines is a handy rule of
thumb for maximum signature length. Unnecessarily long signatures use
bandwidth (especially when distributed to lists) and can be annoying.
-
Some mailers allow you to add random strings to your signature: this is
well and good and can add character if done carefully. You should consider
the following basic rules though:
-
- Keep them short. The length of your quote adds to the length of your
signature.
-
- Definitions of "offensive" vary widely: avoid quotes which might
offend people on the grounds of religion, politics or sexuality.
(A general rule of thumb is that if you could say it on U.S.
television, then it's probably not going to offend anyone).
-
- Try to avoid topical or local quotes, since they may be meaningless
to recipients in other towns, countries or cultures.
Electronic mail has very nearly the immediacy of a conversation, but is
totally devoid of "body language". The Internet "counter culture" has had
an answer to this problem for years - "smiley faces", or groups of ASCII
characters which are meant to look like a face turned on its side.
The most common smiley faces are probably these: :-) or :) A smiling face seen side-on; generally used to indicate
amusement, or that a comment is intended to be funny or
ironic ("<g>" or "<grin>" is also sometimes used).
:-( or :( An unhappy face seen side on; generally used to express
disappointment or sorrow.
;-) A winking smiley face; usually indicates that something
should be taken "with a grain of salt".
;-> A mischievous smiley face; usually indicates that a
comment is intended to be provocative or racy.
There are hundreds of others, some more recognizable than others.
Using the common smiley faces carefully can in fact markedly improve the
clarity of your message, since they convey nuances which approximate
"body language". Like any embellishment, however, overuse of smiley faces
destroys their value - use them sparingly.
Above all else, remember that electronic mail is about communication with
other people. When you compose an e-mail message, read it over before
sending it and ask yourself what your reaction would be if you received
it. Any time spent on making our e-mail clearer is time well-spent, so
let's start taking the time.
-- David Harris, author of Pegasus Mail, a popular email
package.
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