Email etiquette

Email Etiquette

What is Email Etiquette?

• Etiquette is defined as the rules

governing socially acceptable behavior

• Applied to email – ‘virtual’ behavior

• Also applies to

– Chat

– Message Boards

Why?

• Most people use electronic

communication

• May be your only communication with

an individual

• Project a professional attitude

• Efficiency

Format

• Email Address

• Address person you are sending to

• Message length

• One subject per message

• HTML vs. Plain Text

Sending Messages

• Auto-Completion

• CC and BC

• Subject

• Jokes and Chain letters

• Virus warnings

Replying

• Reply vs. Reply All

• Including the original message

• Replying to a list or group

• Auto-Replies – also known as vacation

rules

Attachments

• Size

• Format

• Is it necessary?

• Is the recipient expecting it?

• Alternatives

General

• Message Tone

– Pleasantries

– WRITING IN ALL CAPS

– Excess Punctuation

• Spelling

• Grammar

General cont.

• Abbreviations

• High Priority

• Signatures

• Opinions – also known as flaming

• Respond promptly

Email shouldn’t be used for !

• Discipline

• Grades

• Conflict resolution

Going for consensus:

Understand other people’s views from their point of view.

Find conclusion which satisfies every one rather than

expressing yourself.

Genuine consensus is different from suppressing your

views in favor of a majority view. Don’t lose the main

benefits of a group, which is having multiple perspectives

on the same issue.

Those who disagree strongly should stick to their ideas.

Practical communication principles (PCPs).

(Based on experiences and some documents)

• PCP1: Thank, acknowledge and support people freely.

Ex1: I like your comment Ex2: I agree with so. Ex3: Thanks…

• In computer conference, you cannot see other people nod their heads smile or greet you. If you don’t receive an acknowledgement of a message, you feel ignored. People should know that they have been appreciated.

• PCP2: Acknowledge before differ.

• Ex1: what I think you mean? Ex2: Have I got that right? Ex3: my own view differs as follows.

• If you disagree with someone. Start by briefly restating what the other person has said. The person then knows that you are trying to understand him, and is thus in a better position to take your view seriously.

• PCP3: Speak from your own perspective:

• Ex1: here’s how I see? Ex2: how I feel

about?

- You can present other views with a direct

quote like:

- “ As so and so said in ex. “.

- Don’t generalize: Ex: “ it is a fact that … “

- If something is put as an absolute, there is no

room for anyone else’s perspective.

Avoid ‘ flaming spirals’:

• Sometimes someone will be offended at someone else’s message, where no offensiveness was intended, and therefore they would reply angrily.

• The first person may then respond angrily and so on, leading to an increasing spiral of abuse. This can easily happen in computer conference (no facial expression).

• The best solution for people involved is to affirm that they had not intended to offend and they understand the other’s point of view.

On emotions in messages:

• Emotions can easily be misunderstood when you can’t see faces or body language. People may not realize you are joking.

• There are conventions for saying “ this is a joke” or expressing your feeling. They are called “ smileys “ or emotions.

• Ex1: I’m joking! 8- ).

• Ex2: -) smile.

• Ex3: 8- ( I’m feeling sad.

• Writing capital letters means shouting.

Where to write what:

Before you send a message, check that it is addressed to the

most appropriate place.

General style:

Keep messages short. If you have something longer to say,

put it in a word processor file and then attach it to a short

message.

Take the subject line seriously and make sure it is clear.

People see subject line before the content of a message and

may use it to decide whether or not to read the message.

Legal issues:

If you are copying something written by someone else, put

it in quotation marks.

References

• http://oit.wvu.edu/support/tss/etiquette.

html.

• Vacation rules in GroupWise.

• http://oit.wvu.edu/support/tss/groupwise

/howto/vacation.html.

• Virus Sources.

• http://oit.wvu.edu/oit/virus.html .

• UK open university.