Civility -- by Diana Olson:Netiquette -- E-mail Communication I

What is Netiquette? It is a proper and civil way to communicate and interact with each other over the Internet through e-mail. These rules are recommended by communication and business experts to help encourage better communication. It is a way to establish rapport through the virtual high tech world of communication. E-mail can be used at any time and it is quick and efficient. Clarity and conciseness is imperative for good communication. The disadvantage is that it is not private and there is no personal interaction. Because e-mails have no non-verbal expression nor body language to show a person’s motives and intentions, they can be easily misunderstood. It is easier to offend and hurt someone.

Here are some tips and advice to create a higher level of excellence with e-mail communication:

Addressing an e-mail: The ‘To’ Box is only for people that you are directly addressing. The ‘ Cc’ Box (Copy) is only for the people that you are indirectly addressing. Blind Copy (Bcc) is discouraged because those in the ‘To’ and ‘Cc’ do not know who else is being included. Bcc can be used, however, for mass mailings.

Formatting e-mails: Wrap your text after 70 characters or it will be visually disjointed. Settings can be found in the “Preferences” options on the tool bar. Keep the e-mail brief so that the reader doesn’t have to scroll past one page in most instances. Use plain text rather than HTML for easier reading.

Response to e-mails: Respond to e-mails within 24 to 36 hours.

Subject Line: It is important to put descriptive subject lines that identify the message content. This enables the recipient to file and retrieve e-mails. Avoid using “No Subject.” If changing subjects while sending several subsequent e-mails, change the subject line. Create single subject messages.

Structure and Layout: Paragraphs should be short, using blank lines between each paragraph. Limit sentence length to 20 words or less. Using numbers or bullets are helpful and ensures that message will be read and understood.

Salutations: Use a more formal greeting, unless told by the person to call them by their first name. For example, Mr., Mrs., Dear Sir, or Dear Mr. Ho is a way to start the e-mail. For a non-business situation, use a less formal salutation. A child, however, should address an adult with a formal greeting unless asked to call them by their first name.

Signatures: Keep the lines of a signature less than five lines.

Next Week: Netiquette—e-mail Communication II © Diana Olson, 2007

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