E-mail Etiquette: Why is it important?
 
Of all the internet activities, e-mail is the most popular.

Make a Good First Impression: E-mail is great!  It may be your introduction to someone you have never met before. Take your time putting together a well-written message. Once you hit the send button, you will not have another chance.

Some basics of business e-mail etiquette.

1. Construct your copy list on a need-to-know basis.  Be careful in using large distribution lists for highly focused topics.
2. Use formal language (with complete sentences, business letter formats and correct spelling) and a carefully planned structure when communicating with senior management or customers.  Remember, an e-mail message helps to create an image of you and your company.
3. Avoid large attachments if at all possible.  Background documents of interest to a subset of the recipients can be put on your company’s intranet.
4. Be prompt in responding to action items.  Acknowledge an accepted action item with an e-mail response even if you cannot get to it for a while.
5. Avoid e-mail wars.  Take personal conflicts offline and handle them privately.
6. Use auto response messages to notify correspondents if you are out of the office or on vacation and will be unable to read or respond to messages.
7. Put meaningful data in the subject field.  Many users are responding to information overload with filters and rules-based agents.
8. Do not use e-mail to highlight negative thoughts about senior management.  It can be too easily forwarded or misaddressed.
9. Observe common practices within your organization.  Every organization has a unique culture, and this also applies to e-mail etiquette.

Business E-mail Etiquette

Your e-mail is as much a part of your professional image as the clothes you wear, the letters you write, the greeting on your voice mail and the handshake you offer.  If you want to impress on every front and build positive business relationships, pay attention to your e-mail and steer clear of these mistakes:

1. Omitting the subject line
2. Not making your subject line meaningful
3. Failing to change the header to correspond with the subject
4. Not personalizing your message to the recipient
5. Not accounting for tone
6. Forgetting to check for spelling and grammar
7. Writing the “Great America Novel”
8. Forwarding e-mail without permission
9. Thinking that no one else will ever see your e-mail
10. Leaving off your signature
11. Expecting an instant response
12. Completing the “To” line first
13. Using all CAPS (SHOUTING) or all lower case letters
14. Abbreviating
15. Using blind copy (bcc) improperly

How to Craft a Successful Letter:

Most of the fundamentals for creating successful business letters have to do with simplicity and directness – the hallmarks of good writing.  Here are some tips to help you get there:

• Let it simmer: Organize your thoughts before your start, and always write a rough draft of your letter.  If you have the time, put your draft aside for at least half an hour.  You will be amazed how you can improve your writing if you allow it to “simmer” for a while.
• Keep it short: Write only as much as you need to get your message across, but do not be so terse that you leave out important information that supports your case.
• Write in first person: Avoid the “royal we” unless you are writing as a representative of your company as a whole.
• Be natural:  Make your writing as much like your manner of speaking as you can.  But always write in complete sentences, and leave out interjections and excessive use of pronouns and contractions.
• Avoid clichés and buzzwords: If you use a word such as paradigm or leveraged, be sure you know what it means.
• Avoid jargon: Avoid technical jargon and specialized language unless you are certain your reader is familiar with the field.
• Proofread: Read and reread your letter for spelling, grammar and punctuation errors.  Never rely totally on your computer’s spell- and grammar-check programs: “Please sea hour lay test add” will pass the spell checker as easily as “Please see out latest ad.”

Taken from Emily Post: The Etiquette Advantage in Business