E-mail Etiquette

Article by Susan Bixler appeared in the Atlanta Keller Graduate School of Management Keller Krier in the September 2001 issue.

Don't Be A Novelist
Messages should be concise and to the point. Think of it as a brief telephone conversation, except you are typing instead of speaking. Remember that some people receive hundreds of e-mail messages a day and if yours are long and rambling, they won't get read.

Don't Forget to Proofread
Spell check alone is not enough. Reread your message twice for content, grammar and punctuation. Once it is sent, it's too late to make corrections.

Don't Use All Caps
Typing an e-mail in all caps is the equivalent of shouting at someone. For some people the reaction is even stronger. It feels like getting slapped in the face. If you don't have much proficiency on the keyboard, then type your e-mails in lower case and go back to capitalize. Otherwise your reputation as a rude individual will overshadow all your good intentions.

Don't Use too Much Punctuation
Don't get caught up in trying to enhance your message with excessive punctuation. A dozen exclamation points at the end of a sentence may add emphasis, but it's overly emotional and borders on drama queen/king tactics. If something is important it should be reflected in your text, not in your punctuation.

Privacy, Are You Kidding?
There is no such thing as a private e-mail. No matter how you mark it or how much you trust the recipient, there is no private e-mail.

With some e-mail systems, the e-mail administrator has the ability to read any and all e-mail messages. Some companies monitor employee e-mail. Also e-mail software can go wrong. If this happens, you may end up receiving e-mail meant for another person or your e-mail may get sent to the wrong person. Either way, what you thought was private is not private anymore.

Don't send anything by e-mail that you would not want posted on the company bulletin board. If you are debating whether or not to send something personal by e-mail, either deliver it in person or put a stamp on it.