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Top 10 E-mail rules -- keep it short
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Subject: Top 10 E-mail rules -- keep it short
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Date: Wed, 25 Oct 1995 13:57:17 +1000
http://www2.nando.net/newsroom/ntn/info/info502_35.html
Top 10 E-mail rules -- keep it short
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(c) 1995 Copyright The News and Observer Publishing Co.
(c) 1995 Reuter Information Service
LOS ANGELES (Oct 18, 1995 - 18:18 EDT) - It's not hard to get people to talk
about electronic mail.
According to formal and informal opinion polls, it's the most popular thing
to do online. Anyone who sends and receives E-mail has definite ideas about
what to do and what not do when sending messages.
The same goes for submitting notes to electronic mailing lists, Internet
Usenet newsgroups or online discussion groups.
Though many etiquette books and articles have been written, most rules come
from personal experience.
Here then, from an unscientific survey of online regulars, are The People's
Top 10 E-Mail Rules:
10. Don't type in all capital letters -- IT LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE SCREAMING.
Take time to check spelling and look for typos. According to E-mail users,
neatness does count.
9. Don't send duplicate copies of private E-mail without letting the
recipient know who else is getting it. "The blind cc: is unethical," said
Linda White, a public relations official in Santa Clara, Calif. "I have the
right to know who is reading a message that I am receiving." Likewise, don't
forward mail someone else has written without asking first.
8. When in doubt, leave it out. This pertains to messages you're replying
to: repeat just enough of the original to jog the sender's memory. "An
E-mail message that shows appropriate editing shows that the author has
given some thought to the response," said Elizabeth Davidson, a CompuServe
and Internet user in Los Angeles.
The leave-it-out rule also pertains to racial slurs, swear words and other
harassing, inflammatory language. "I pretty much say my piece whether I like
someone or not, (but) I never use profanity," said Roger Little, of Fontana,
Calif.
7. Know where to send a message. Double check the address of the person or
group you're writing to and avoid sending copies to people who don't have an
urgent interest in what you're saying. Using the right address is especially
important if you're trying to get on or off an E-mail list.
"I learned that lesson," said Lori Thomas, an America Online user in
Huntington Beach, Calif., "after receiving about 20 messages pointing out
that I was a net newbie who had clogged up all the mailboxes of people on
the save listserv with my dumb request to unsubscribe."
6. Contribute wisely. Nobody wants to waste time reading "Me too" messages.
Save your E-mail list or bulletin board contributions for information that
furthers the discussion or starts a new, but related topic.
5. Be concise and precise. For E-mail messages, shorter is better. "I send
two to three paragraphs at most," said George Langworthy, Sr., of Kansas
City.
For E-mail and Internet newsgroup postings, put the subject of your message
in a few words in the "Subject" field -- then stick to it.
"Unless I know the sender or can see the subject of the mail, I will just
trash it," said Don Ackley, an America Online and Internet user from Costa
Mesa, Calif. "I do not want to open mail to find out that it is a topic in
which I have no interest."
4. Attack the idea, not the person. The easiest way to start a flame war is
to malign someone you don't agree with.
3. Don't hide behind your computer. E-mail is great for some things, but
it's a cop-out for situations that need a personal touch.
"When I communicate with my staff, I try not to get into anything resembling
assessments of their performance or exhibit emotions of any kind, unless
it's an 'Atta boy'," said Ed Trotter, head of the Learning Technology Center
at California State University in Fullerton.
2. Don't send unsolicited mail. Pyramid schemes, chain letters and unsought
offers of products or services for sale fall into this category. Spamming,
or sending the same message to hundreds or thousands of newsgroups, is
unsolicited mail of the worst kind.
"Unlike (printed) junk mail, I pay to receive every E-mail message," said
Ken Sethney, a Costa Mesa marketing consultant and Internet user. "I will
never patronize a company that sends me unsolicited E-mail, but I will
willingly add my name to lists that promise information about products and
services that interest me. The Internet is a lousy advertising medium, but
it's a great inquiry response/customer service medium."
1. Follow the golden rules learned in kindergarten: respect others and keep
your mouth shut if you don't have anything nice to say.
Said America Online subscriber Kathleen Rubin: "I never write anything I
wouldn't want to see on the front page of my local paper, with my name
attached. Why? It keeps me honest."
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