“E-mail Etiquette”

1. “E-mail Etiquette” By Keith C. Ivey Presentation by Allison Lange

2. Writing E-mail Basic • Learn how to properly use your e-mail program. • E-mail programs often have extra features that allow people to handle their e-mail more efficiently. • Use a meaningful subject line. • Subject lines are suppose to tell the reader what the e-mail is about. • Vague or blank subject lines are often over looked or given a low priority to the busy person.

3. Writing E-mail Basics cont. • Don’t over quote. • Make sure to only quote portions that are important to the replied message. • Quoting the entire message can confuse or distract readers. • Use signatures. • Signatures can automatically attach contact information to the end of an email. • Don’t use cute sayings or closings in signatures.

4. Formatting Issues • Keep text lines short • Not all e-mail programs wrap text in e-mails. • Keeping lines 64 characters will keep lines from being too long on most browsers. • Don’t use formatting • Different e-mail programs may not be able to see formatted text • If unsure of the person’s e-mail program avoid using fortmatting techniques or sending pictures in the body of the e-mail

5. Formatting Issues cont. • Don’t send e-mails people cannot read. • Characters that are not common to all email programs may show up incorrectly or not at all. • American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) appropriate characters are widely accepted by browsers. • For ASCII character tables visit the ASCII Table. • Make web addresses easy for recipients to use. • Make sure to include http:// when adding links to e-mails.

6. Sending Courtesy • Check where the e-mail is being sent before clicking send. • Check both the “To:”, “Cc:”, and “Bcc:” lines before sending the e-mail to make sure it is going to the correct recipients • Use blind copies when sending mass e-mails. • This keeps e-mail accounts from being exposed. • This allows recipients to only reply to the sender when they use the “reply all” option of their browser.

7. Sending Courtesy cont. • Don’t send junk mail. • Chain letter, jokes, and virus alerts can clutter e-mail boxes. • Sending unsolicited bulk e-mails is more likely to create enemies then make friends or attract customers. • If concerned about virus alerts contact the e-mail support services to verify a threat or go Computer Virus Myths.

8. References • Ivey, Keith C. "E-Mail Etiquette." EEI Communications. 2007. 29 Oct. 2007 <http://www.eeicom.com/eye/utw/98may.html>. • Price, Jim. "ASCI Chart." Jimprice.Com. 22 Mar. 2007. 29 Oct. 2007 <http://www.jimprice.com/jim-asc.shtml>. • "Truth About Computer Security Hysteria." Vmyths.Com. 2007. 29 Oct. 2007 <http://vmyths.com/>.